I am not Paying my Zakat to Ali Saleh!

Post by Ayman

As you make your way around Sana'a you may notice billboards reminding people to pay their Zakat to the state. The reminder is a good thing, but paying zakat to the corrupt state is another thing.

Ideally, Muslims pay their zakat to the zakat collecting authority of the government, but what if that government is so corrupt and far from Islamic rule? What if you are sure all they'll do with your zakat money is stuff it down a pipe and explode it for your entertainment?

Paying zakat the to government is done if the government is ISLAMIC or very close to it. Would you see Muslims in the USA paying zakat to the Barak Obama government? NO! why? Because it is a kafir government of a kafir country. so why would I pay my zakat to Obama's agent in Yemen? The corrupt regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Let's look more closely, my source, fiqh as-Sunnah by Sayyid Sabiq.

It is permissible to pay zakat to a Muslim leader whether he is just or not provided he rules mainly according to Islamic rules. At present the majority if not all Muslim rulers do not have Islamic governance which establishes Islam, propogates and defends it, calls for jihad, and collects and distributes zakat according to rules laid down by ALlah the Most Just.

SOme Muslim rulers are under the influence of western powers while others are influenced by polytheists. Foreign powers employ Muslim rulers as tools to subjugate the people in the name of Islam and to implement their kafir foreign interests in our countries, thus destroying Islam itself. To such rulers, it is NOT permissible to pay zakat regardles of their profession of faith and that they pray.

So there you have it in a nutshell and I feel relief that I can give my zakat directly to eligible recipients which are most people in Yemen.

Allahumma bestow upon me vast wealth so I can spend it in your cause and let me be of the Successful one's who you are please with Amin.

* Admin asked me to include an ayah from Qur'an which highlighted itself especially for me during my reading this Ramadan. I chose Surah al Hashr ayah 7. This ayah is not about zakat but it mentions the purpose of proper distribution of Ummah wealth.

What Allah has bestowed on His Messenger (fa'i - booty without fighting) from the people of the townships,- belongs to Allah,- to His Messenger and to kindred and orphans, the needy and the wayfarer; In order that it may not (merely) be between the wealthy among you. So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you. And fear Allah. for Allah is strict in Punishment. 

Ramadan Reading

Throughout the month of Ramadan we should spend as much time as possible with the Qur'an, reading it and thinking about its meaning and implementation in our lives.

No matter how many times you read Qur'an and read it's verses, you will find something new every time, as if you had never read it before. SubhanAllah.

We usually read Qur'an with our present condition in the back of our mind, so sometimes we read an ayah, and suddenly it means so much more.

This Ramadan, we are living in Sana'a in a time of turmoil and great fitnah, and so we read the verses of ALlah in this condition. This verse jumped out at me this year. It makes a believer feel happy and confident in the promises of ALlah.

The verse is an-Nur 55

" Allah has promised among you who believe and do righteous good deeds, that he will certainly grant them succession in the land as he granted it to those before them and that he will grant them the authority to practise their religion which He has chosen for them (Islam) and He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear provided they worship Me and do not associate anything in worship with Me. But whoever disbelieves after this they are Fasiqoon."

Although Allah swt has promised the believers this, it does not mean we sit around and wait for it to fall on us from the sky. We must work hard in our worship and good deeds. We must enjoin good and forbid evil, and we must not be afrain of the creation before the Creator,

Ramadan Mubarak.

Thinking About Abi Bakr (rAa)

Post by Ayman

This is the first article I have written for this blog. I agreed ages ago to write things in English and translate interesting things, but the Yemen uprising has hijaked my life and I could only find Arabic words to describe the events. It has hijaked more than just my life, it has hijaked all of our lives, our social lives, conversations, family relationships and some, their lives literally.

So I was thinking about Abi Bakr Allah be pleased with him. I thought about him because he was so brave, and did you know that not only was he the first man to become a Muslim, he was also the first Muslim to give an Islamic speech. Really, he decided to announce Islam in Makka, with the Messenger of Allah Peace be upon him, beside him. Abu Bakr did not go very far in his speech before the people of Quraish attacked him. One in particular was very forceful against Abu Bakr and pressed his shoe into the face of as-Siddiq so hard that Abu Bakr's nose became flat. The man who did this was Otba bin Rabi'.

The people of Quraish instantly labelled Abu Bakr a trouble maker from those who are creating disunity amongst the people and the tribes. In those early days of Islam families were becoming split  - Muslims and Kufar.

I was thinking about this story and the situation now in Yemen where the powers of the day are calling the demonstrators trouble makers creating disunitiy in the nation, and families have split along party lines - those with the current regime and status quo and those for change.

Back in the time of the Messenger of Allah the split was kufr (disbelieve/denial) or iman (faith in Islam), now we are all supposed to be Muslims and we are turning on each other for the sake of a corrupt dictatorship. Another thing is the difference in the numbers of those against the dictatorship, they are far greater in number, but they are not united on anything so their numbers become superflous and they have no power. And those of us who choose Islam and iman are still the outsiders and all our brave Abu Bakrs (no one is equal to him, I mean by this, those strong Muslims who speak the truth  no matter the cost) are in prison or in hiding lest a missile fall on their heads. Shuhada' Insha Allah.

My peers are now talking of maching to the President's Palace and ask if I'll march with them. No, I am not keen. They know they could be killed and are so keen and willing to go. So I ask if they are afraid to die in a cause other than Allah and waste the one chance of Marytom. They say "NO! We will march or die!" This is for Allah, do get rid of the corruption. And as they say this they wear Yemen flags painted on their cheeks as if at a football game.

I walk away from them sullenly, disillusioned. I walk home, wishing I was more like Abu Bakr as-Saddiq, but I am not and to avoid conflict with my pro-government parents, I go to bed early.

Corruption in the Gulf is More than in Yemen

Posted by al-Ghariba

We know about the corruption in the Yemen Government, and it being one of the potent fuels for the current uprising and the long existant poverty, so I don't want to spend time illustrating this fact further.

Corruption in Yemen is largely a result of abuse of power and the poverty bought about by these abuses, however the corruption in the Gulf spans a wider range of themes not so evident in Yemen.

Corruption in Gulf governments is present, but the fraud and misappropriation is not so visible because they are so rich and their populations so small that the people do not feel the effects of this corruption because their lives are relatively easy and comfortable. The fraud is wrapped in an immaculately starched white kandoora.

All the governments in the Muslim lands have elements of the same corruption, including special positions for family members despite their qualifications or lack thereof, bribery, collaborating with the enemies of Allah, diluting Islam, handing over Muslims to the Taghut and logistic assistance in renditions of Muslims for torture and interrogation.

Human rights of foreign workers, particularly labourers who work long hours in dangerous conditions for meagre salaries. Some paid the equivalent of two years salary to get into the Gulf in the first place. Their is no serious government regulation to assure work rights of the labourers.The development of the Gulf depends a lot on this cheap labour. May the buildings by swallowed by the sand.

Lack of rights for foreign workers is not limited only to labourers, it also affects professionals who more often than would be expected find themselves in court and or jail with no evidence against them. It could be something as simple as personal dislike for a citizen for that foreigner.

Islamic issues are one of the biggest areas of corruption in the Gulf. The region has opened its doors to foreign non-Muslim workers who bring with them their kufr, haram cultural practices and lower moral standards. You now see alcohol easily availale, pop music blaring in public areas, nightclubs, mixed gatherings, inappropriately dressed men and women and unlawful sexual relationships.

One of the reasons behind allowing alcohol (as explained to me by a Gulf citizen) is that alcohol is part of the non-Muslism's culture and we don't want to deprive them from their culture. I think it would be more accurate to say that the government enjoys the 150-250% tax on alcohol sales.

Extremes of sudden wealth have created an ultra-consumershopping culture and culture of waste without thought.

So, yes corruption inYemen is high, but mainly in areas of authority, of which the people are now in revolt. We can get rid of a corrupt government, but if the corruptions reaches the hearts ofthe people and corruption in social affairs increases, this will be much more difficult to root out and nothing will help them except a return to Islamic values.

My verdict: the Gulf is more corrupt than Yemen.

Usama bin Laden Mawjood!

Posted by Admin:

"Justice has been done." Declared the American President.

Justice indeed is in the Hands of Allah the Most Merciful, and insha Allah Usama bin Laden and those killed along with him are accepted amongst the shuhada'. Not forgetting the BILLIONS of dollars the American government has funnelled away from health, education and welfare services in the hunt for one man.

He may be gone but his legacy has not and the ideology of the establishment of an Islamic State will never die, as Allah the Most Gracious has guaranteed us that there will always be present during all times a "ta'ifat al-Mansoora" a victorious group who are on the truth of Islam.

"They" say that al-Qaeda will die now that Shaikh Usama is gone and the Arab nations rise up against the oppressive rulers, but al-Qaeda will not die, it may change name, shape but in the end the idea of establishing an Islamic state will remain. Once the reality of false freedom of democracy is realised by the Muslim world, they will realise there is no other way to govern other than by what Allah has revealed and that there is no freedom without submission to Allah.

The Arab uprisings will perhaps give groups like al-Qaeda time to rethink some of their strategies and present the Ummah a balanced plan. We, the Ummah need a plan that goes beyond martydom operations and war. What will happen after we gain a victory, how will Islamic governance be implemented on the ground.

Not all Muslims will have the iman to be like Usama bin Laden or those striving in the way of Allah, but to establish Islamic rule the majority of Muslims need to at least support the groups working towards an Islamic state.

Now that "they" have gotten their man, one could expect increased attention by US agencies on al-Qaeda in Yemen (AQAP), especially considering that Imam Anwar al-Awlaki has become the most wanted man and he is in Yemen. We can expect impunity in military actions against AQAP in Yemen. If we look at the operation that lead to the killing of Shaikh Usama we know that the US forces entered and conducted the operation without permission or knowledge of the Pakistani government. One can expect similar action in Yemen and we have already seen such actions taking place in areas of Yemen, especially in the past year.

There have been drone missile strikes (reported in Yemen Times) on targets in Abyan not killing any AQAP but terrifying the locals. The uprising in Yemen has opened a window to unaccountability in military action as emergency law widens the powers of impunity of security forces.

America constantly reiterates that the war on terror is not a war on Muslims. I remember reading an newspaper article title when the war on terror began and it said, "America declares war on an abstract noun."
You can't kill ideas unless you kill every single person with that idea. That's not going to work. Pharoah tried to out-plot Allah by killing all the men of the children of Israel, and in the end the one who undid him was raised in his very house!!! If Allah wants something to happen, it will happen.

May Allah increase the strength of those who strive for His Sake and increase them in victories and support of the Ummah. Allah keep those striving for the establishment of Islam in the lands on the truth and away from oppression and tyrrany. Amin.

On a final note: It has been reported that Shaikh Usama's body has been "burried at sea according to Islamic traditions." Who are they kidding. They were worried his gravesite would become a place of reverence for extremists. Don't they realise that this is against the ideology of "extremists" - the ideology of the Sunnah.

Sh#% Rolls Down Hill

It has been 2 months since the anti-government sit in started at the front of Sana'a University, slowly growing and extending along the adjoining streets. The protesters have remained patient and not retaliated violently to violence metted out to them by government forces and their affiliates.

I applaud the audacity of the original sit-inners, but now the situation has become way too big for the youth and well, quite frankly they have bitten off more than they can chew and now need support, help and guidance from those older and more experienced.

Hearing statements from youth expressing disappointment that America has not been more helpful is one such naive idea I have found amongst youth activists. Or the call for democracy and freedom, not realising that democracy does not equate to freedom, but is a system that bends with the desires of the people, which may not always be in keeping with Islamic principles. A move further away from Islam is not a desireable outcome for Yemen or for the Ummah in general.

In fact no matter what system is in place after Saleh leaves, the situation for the people is going to be desperate. Poverty will increase, long with unemployment and lack of opportunities while the new leadership slowly combs out all the knots tied up by the current regime. The patience of the sit-inners will have to continue as all Yemeni hands work to clean up the mess, something that could take an entire generation, pending no future internal conflicts or messy foreign interventions.

Protesters have recently  taken to taking walks en masse around the areas near university and have attracted attacks from pro-government affilliates. Yesterday 4 were killed on the Sitteen not too far from Al-Eman University (which is in an Ali Muhsin army area), while on one of these walks. The protesters are frustrated that it is taking so long to dislodge the President and so need to push the point further. Continued killings have prompted responses from EU for the President to hand over power immediately, but America is still weak on resolve in this crisis wanting to support the President for his cooperation in the war on al-Qaeda, and in doing so, creating a police state which people can unite on in opposition to the Saleh regime and American foreign policy.

From what we can see, the President will cling to power as long as he can, buying time with agreements to GCC sponsored talks (which the opposition opposes as talks with the President are a waste of time, no talks until he is gone), and no one really knows how far the President will go in regards to military force upon protestors as well as opposition figures and their families. He may go so far as to "do a Gaddafi".

Allah protect us from such lunacy and strengthen us so not as to let such lunatics rule over the Muslims. Amin.

Women and the Uprising in Yemen

1. Every Thursday will be "womens' day" at Change Square in front of Sana'a University. This womens' participation is strictly a non-partisan event (as in established parties such as Islah etc) but it is pro-Islam and pro-Yemen without Ali Abdullah Saleh and enterage (or non-terage!).

2. Al-Qaeda who have declared Abyan an Islamic State and warned women not to go out unnecessarily or without mahram.

This statement is scaring people and making them feel al-Qaeda is oppressing women. LPOY would like to put forward these thoughts to even out the argument. Islamically women should not go out without need and when they do go out to do so with a mahram (where possible). This does not mean that they are prohibited from going out at all.

I would hazard a guess that in Abyan as in many parts of rural Yemen, women go out without mahram to do chores such as collecting water and attending to their flocks of sheep and goats. There is not much need other than that for women to go out in these areas, obviously in a city where culture is different there would be exceptions. The situation in Abyan is also far more dangerous than in other urban parts of the country, so we should also keep this in mind.

I would like to say to al-Qaeda in relation to womens' issues to remember the importance of education and health opportunities for women and not to restrict them from these opportunities so long as the subject content is compatible with Islam and needed by the ummah. The leaders of an Islamic state should not waste the talents of half the population - this is bad human resource management.

Allahumma barik fikum.

Muhajir Moving Between Cultures

Learning a new language in an immersed language and cultural environment: Reflections of a Muhajir learning Arabic in Yemen

“Learning a second language is a long and complex undertaking. Your whole person is affected as you struggle to reach beyond the confines of your first language and into a new language, a new culture, a new way of thinking, feeling and acting. Total commitment, total involvement, a total physical, intellectual and emotional response is necessary to successfully send and receive messages in a second language.” (D.Brown: 2004)

Ordinarily, this statement would not evoke any strong feeling in me, but at the time of reading it I was experiencing exactly what is expressed in the quote. These words struck a strong chord with me as I struggled with all my faculties to master a second language – Arabic.

My motivation to learn Arabic extends beyond the fact that I live in an Arabic speaking country, and beyond career aspirations and progression. I learn and love Arabic because it is the language of the Noble Qur’an, the language of Islam, and the language of Jannah.

Arabic is such a vast, deep language filled with the most amazing colours and flavours. Allah the Most Merciful put love in my heart for this language – something way beyond the words of any language textbook or second language acquisition theory.

I am learning Arabic in Yemen in a immersed learning environment and have participated wholly in Yemeni life with Yemenis, and indeed my whole person has been affected as I have moved out of English into my new Arabic “clothes” which are still ill-fitting but becoming more comfortable each day. And as these clothes become more fitted I notice changes in the people around me – they recognise me and interact with me more freely, whereas before, the conversations ended after initial greetings and how did I like Yemen.  But as my clothes fit me, I feel I have also changed to fit them and my surroundings.

Being of the same religion of the people meant that many of the cultural and religious practices were already familiar and understood, and of the religious specific practices, I had already practiced myself for years. So in some ways, being with the Yemeni people was like being with long lost family.

One of the beautiful things about Islam is that it unites people. I myself, from one of the big Anglophone countries with an extremely different set of life experiences to my Yemeni counterparts, find connection and brotherhood through our religion.

Moving into a new way of thinking, feeling and acting although beneficial for language mastery has its drawbacks as one cannot help but become attached emotionally to the new environment and its people. As a foreigner, it is near inevitable that I will eventually leave Yemen whether I want to or not and thus lose my new family and community.

I have indeed grown very attached to Yemen and have achieved a lifestyle I could never have as a Muslim in the West. Although I was born in that Western country and I love that country, socially just didn’t fit in and was often harassed and discriminated against due to the simple fact that I was very obviously Muslim.

After committing myself totally – in my physical, intellectual and emotional capacities, I feel I will not easily return back to my previous existence should I be forced to return, and a large void would more than likely form in my being where Yemen and its people used to be, but whatever happens at least I can take their language with me and there is nothing sweeter than being able to study the Deen of Allah in the language in which it was revealed.

Rebelion Against a "Muslim" Ruler

Posted by Admin

Many of us are observing events in Yemen closely as the possibility of armed conflict balances on near even odds, however, as things often go in Yemen, something unexpected may happen, like an un-armed youth revolution. Who would have ever expected that a few months ago?

For a long time the scholars of Jihad have tried to encourage the citizens of the Muslim lands to rise up against the leaders and declared it halal to do so even against a ruler of a Muslim land because in effect he is an apostate – his actions have nullified his Islam. Because of this perceived nullification, the ruler has lost his right to obedience, and is an invader in a Muslim land implementing the laws and cooperating with the enemies of Allah to fight and kill the Muslims. In the case of the invasion of a Muslim land, Jihad becomes fard ayn (compulsory on all Muslims).

This issue has been for some time one of the most juicy and hotly contended issues of Jihad, the arguement that if the leader of the Muslims disbelieves and resists then it is obligatory to fight him fard ayn and it is even prioritized ahead of other Jihads. Think about it. If we truely want to take back Palestine for example, how can we do that when the leaders of the Muslim lands cooperate and make agreements with the enemies of Islam in regards to Israel?

The hadiths that are used to support the rulers in the Muslim lands are:

The Marfu’ hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas, “Whoever hates something from his Amir then let him be patient because whoever leaves from beneath the authority of a single hand span, then he dies a death of Jahiliyya.” (Agreed upon), and the hadith of Awf ibn Malik al-Ashja’I, that The Messenger of Allah (sas) said, ”The best of your leaders are those whom you love and who love you, and for whom you pray and who pray for you, and the worst of your leaders are those whom you hate and who hate you, and to whom you curse and who curse you.” He said, “We said, O Messenger of Allah, should we not rid ourselves of them?’ He said, “No, not so long as they establish the prayer amongst you.” (Muslim).

According to ahl us-Sunnah, these hadiths are regarding the Muslim Imam, not the disbelieving ruler. And they are not to be used as evidence concerning the apostate rulers because those people do not fulfill the conditions of the leadership (Imamah) in the first place, such as the Shari’ah knowledge and justice. Also, a valid Shari’ah bay’ah was not contracted upon them and the bay’ah would not take place unless it was upon the condition of ruling with the Book and the Sunnah just as al-Bukhari narrated from ibn Umar that he wrote to Abdul-Malik ibn Marwan giving him Bay’ah “and I will agree with you in listening and obeying upon the Sunnah of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger in what I am able.”

Abdul-Qadir ibn Abdul-Aziz (scholar of Jihad and presently in prison in Egypt – May Allah hasten his release) said that this is the condition of the rulers who rule with other than Shariah of Islam in many of the Muslim countries today. They are considered disbelievers due to the statement of Allah swt;

“And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed such are the Kafirun.” Surah al-Ma’ida 44

This ayah is clear and does not use any fancy language, it states that they are kafirun, not just committing kufr but they themselves are kafir. Some argue that if they pray then we cannot call them kafir. I will present the evidence to refute this as it was presented to me, it is up to you if you agree or not.

The way that they implement laws of their own making, they set themselves up as Lords beside Allah and decide that the laws that their hands made are better than the laws of the All-Knowing Allah swt. We find mentionings of such people in the ayat of Quran;

“…yet those who disbelieve hold others as equal with their Lord.” Al-Anam 1

“Or have they partners with Allah who have instituted for them a religion with Allah has not allowed?” ash-Shura 21

Fabricating laws and everyone involved in making up such laws are committing kufr akbar which removes one from the Millah of Islam even if he comes with the five pillars of Islam. This is what many of the contemporary people of knowledge have approved.

So it is obligatory to remove the apostate ruler if he does not have any defenses and then he must be put before the judge. If he repents then he is spared and if he doesn’t he is executed.

In the case of his repentance, he is not to be returned to power. He has lost his rights to this. Abu Bakr and Umar raa never employed a munafiq over the Muslims nor did they ever employ any of their relatives. They fought the people of apostasy and returned them to Islam, and then they prevented these people from riding horses and carrying weapons until the validity of their repentance was shown(Majmo’o al-Fatwa 35/65).

If the apostate ruler is resisting with a group which fights for him then it is obligatory to fight them and everyone who fights for him is a disbeliever like him. And this statement is supported by the statement of Allah swt,

“And whoever from you takes them as awliya, then surely he is one of them.”

Surah al-ma’ida 51

Once again a very clear statement from Allah swt so that we cannot mistake it, yet most of the ummah is mistaken!

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab and others have said that from the nullifications of Islam is the siding with the mushrikin and assisting them against the Muslims. They use surah al-Ma;ida 51 as their dalil.

Therefore all of the people who are fighting for these apostate rulers even if they say the shahada and openly show some of the outward characteristics of Islam, due to their nullification of the foundations of Islam they are to be fought. Allah swt says,

“Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah and those who disbelieve fight in the way of tagut.”

An-Nisa 76

People use the argument in regard to the apostate rulers that they pray so we cannot call takfir on them and I have presented why their Islam is nullified, the other argument is that we cannot see what is in their heart. Yes that is true, we cannot judge someone by what is in their heart, we only have the outward actions and if their outward actions are kufr akbar, and the type of kufr that nullifies Islam, then that is the end of the story, that apostate ruler needs to be removed and those who fight for him are from him and must also be fought until Islam is dominant.

The hadith of Ubadah ibn As-Samit raa explains how these rulers lose their right to obedience by their actions.

“The Messenger of Allah (sas) called us so we gave bay’ah to him. So from what he took upon us was that we offer bay’ah upon listening and obeying, during our eagerness or reluctance and in our difficult times and in our easy times and favouring the commands instead of our own desires and that we would not dispute the authority from its people unless you see an open disbelief for which you have evidence from Allah about it” (agreed upon).

The consensus is that if kufr comes from the ruler, then he should be removed. He has not right to authority and has lost his right to obedience according to the above mentioned hadith. It becomes fard for the Muslims to rise up against him and set up an imam if possible. As we have seen in many of the Muslim countries now including Yemen.

There is no difference if the invader is foreign or domestic because the reason for the obligation of the Jihad against him exists in his characteristic of disbelief just as the domestic disbeliever becomes foreign to the Muslims by his disbelief due to the statement of Allah swt:

“O Nuh! Surely he is not of you family, verily his work is unrighteous”! Surah Hud 46

Abdul-Aziz says that these apostate rulers have set up a fence of lethal alienation between the general Muslims and those holding steadfast to their religion so that it will be easy for the tawaghit to strike those who hold steadfast to their religion while being surrounded by the ignorance of the general population and their silence.

The responsibility of those who are steadfast on the Deen of Allah is to break down these barriers of alienation by informing the general population through the path of one-on-one dawa and the general dawa with the obligation of this Jihad, so that the issue of Jihad will turn into an issue of all the Muslims as opposed to an issue of the groups of the elite. It also needs that the Jihad switches from an issue of the specific population to an issue of the general population. And here the tables will turn against the tawaghit and their helpers. Then their alienation will take place after their disbelief and their crimes have been uncovered, He the Most High said,

“…and turn them out from where they have turned you out.” Al-Baqara 191

It is also important to move the issue of Jihad from the specific population to the general population because Allah does not help a people who do not help themselves as He has told us in His Book,

“Verily! Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.”

This does not mean that the whole population must participate, but a good percentage of the people to form some strength which can force the Islamic system and protect it from foreign and domestic enemies. For the rest of the population it is at least important that they are morally supportive or neutral until the truth is clarified with them because we cannot force someone to believe, that is up to Allah swt.

The Messenger of Allah (sas) started with the dawa until an assembly (Ta’ifah) was formed which had strength with which he performed Jihad against the disbelievers, thus actualizing  what Allah swt ordered him to do in his statement;

“Then fight in the Cause of Allah, you are not tasked (held responsible) except for yourself, and incite the believers (to fight alongside you) it may be that Allah will restrain the evil might of the disbelievers.” Surah an-Nisa 84

It is also obligatory for those holding steadfast to their religion to part the tawaghit from their money with which they use to recruit the armies to wage war against Allah and His Messenger. So it is unlawful for Muslims to pay money to the tawaghit in any form of tax except by necessity or compulsion. That is the unavoidable taxes that are hidden in the prices of foods, goods and services.

To recap, fighting against the apostate rulers is put ahead of fighting others besides them from the disbelievers of origin because:

1. It is specified Jihad Dafa’ – the defensive Jihad which is put ahead of Jihad at-Talab and it is Jihad Dafa’ because the rulers are a disbelieving enemy which has taken over a Muslim country. The intruding enemy corrupts the religion and this life and there is nothing more obligatory after faith than to repel it (ibn Taymiyya).

2. The fact that they are apostates and fighting the apostates has been prioritized ahead of fighting the disbeliever from origin.

3. They are the closest in proximity to the Muslims and more severe in fitnah and threat.

You may be familiar with these opinions, and whether you agree with it or not with armed struggle is irrelevant in the current climate of un-armed rebellion. It is something very special and courageous and many never thought that the un-armed protesters would ever succeed, but they have shown exemplary patience, unity and good will between each other.

Even once presented this dalil most Muslims would still have serious doubt about rising up or taking up arms against another claiming to be Muslim, especially fellow countrymen. So the youth of the new uprising are in a unique situation. No one can call them terrorists or claim their rebellion haram, although some have but are now rather quiet about it. The uprising is not linked to any particular political party, so no one can claim conspiracy by another group. They are young and they had nothing to lose by starting this unarmed Jihad against the oppressive (apostate if you prefer that opinion) ruler.

When we have an oppressive ruler, we are advised in the hadith of the Messenger of Allah not to rise up against him to help him to stop the oppression. This happened in Yemen as the President received advice from the Islamic scholars and other highly respected members of the Yemeni society to stop the corruption, stop playing games between the different groups, stop killing the Muslims, not to take America as helpers and to adhere to Islam – Qur’an and Sunnah in making decisions. He did not listen to this advice and became worse in his corruption.

Allah bless and guide the youth who had the courage to stand up against this ruler un-armed and stand fast to their demands despite the violence meted out to them. Amin.

(note: this post was to LPOY in a strange format and after some time spent editing there are still lines across the page in some places. They don't mean anything please ignore. Extracts are taken from a longer text translated into English).

Dear Brother

Post sent to LPoY by brother "Abu Rasheed"

Dear Brother Anwar,

I hope you and your family are in good health and iman.

It's been a long time since we quenched our thirsts listening to your lectures. You changed our lives as we progressed from ignorance to understanding of our religion and great love of our Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him. Whenever a new lecture was available there'd be a great buzz, "have you heard the latest Anwar Lecture?" And if we hadn't we'd hunt down a recording.

When you were first arrested in Yemen we were all saddened. I remember sitting with my friends at a Friday gathering, all of us downcast and silent until one of us mentioned this hadith reported by Anas bin Malik.

"After the death of Rasool Allah (sas) Abu Bakr (ra) said to Umar (ra), "Let's  visit Umm Aiman (ra) as Rasool Allah used to visit her." As we came to her she wept. They (Abu Bakr and Umar) asked her, "What makes you weep? Do you not know that What Allah has in store for His Messenger is better?" She replied, "I don't weep because I am ignorant of the fact that what is in store for the Messenger of Allah is better than this world, but I weep because the Revelation has ceased to come." This moved both of them to tears and they began to weep along with her.
(Muslim)

We cannot imagine what it would have been like to be alive at the time of the death of Rasool Allah, but losing our language link to understanding what Allah the Most Merciful gave us through his Messenger was a blow to us and Allah swt did not replace you in your absence.

When you were released and started releasing lectures again it was as if the sun rose after a night of one and a half years. We don't forget you in our du'a. We hope this turmoil in the Arab lands will unearth more brothers like you who are honest and on the truth, who care about the Ummah and serve it sincerely, who think about akhira before duniya.

We love you for the sake of Allah brother Anwar.

Your brothers and sisters in Islam

Reverse Hijrah

Hijrah for the sake of Allah is when a believer moves from a land of shirk and kufr to a land of iman to increase his iman. Reverse Hijrah is when a Muslim in a land of iman moves to a land of shirk and kufr to increase his duniya. This is not an official term but I will be using it to express this phenomenon.

It is obligatory for Muslims living in the lands of shirk and kufr to make hijrah to the lands of iman and the proof of this from the Book of Allah:

"As for those whose souls the angels take in a state of having earned Allah's anger; then the angels will say to them: "in what condition were you regarding your Religion?" They will say: "we were weakened by the great numbers and strength of the people of shirk in our land who prevented us from iman and from following the Messenger." They (the angels) will reply: "was not Allah's earth spacious so that you could leave your land and homes where the people of shirk dominate and go to a land where you could worship Allah alone and follow His Prophet?" So these people will find their abode in Hell, and what an eveil destination that is. Except for the weak ones from the men, women and children who were unable tomigrate or find a way to do so. As for such, it may be that Allah will pardon them, and ALlah is ever One who pardons and forgives the sins of His servants" Surat an-Nisaa 97-99

In the case of reverse hijrah, there are three conditions on such travel.

1. That the person has knowledge to repel doubts.
2. That he isa person adhering to the Religion such that it will prevent him from following desires that are openly practiced in lands of shirk and kufr.
3. That he has a need to do so - this includes medical treatment and higher education.

Notice that tourism is not listed. It is not necessary for Muslims residing in lands of iman to travel to lands of shirk for tourism, when there are plenty of touristic places to visit within the lands of iman.

As for residing in the lands of shirk and kufr, one must safegaurd his or her religion and will not be corrupted or deviate from the correct path and to remain removed emotionally from the people of that land and not love them as this can corrupt one's iman. Allah the Most High says:

"You will not find a people who believe in ALlah and the Last Day having love for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger and contradict Allah's Commands, even if they be their fathers, or their sons or their brothers or their tribe." al-Mujaadilah 58:22

A Muslim living in the lands of shirk and kufr must be able to manifest the outward signs of Islam without being prevented. In my opinion this is not possible in all the large Western countries.

If a Muslim is residing in the lands of shirk and kuft he must be there to call people to Islam. This is a type of jihad and it is fard kifaya - that means that not everyone needs to do it, if one person is doing it then the rest of us are exempt.

Some scholars have said that it is permissible for a da'i (caller to faith) to reside in lands of kufr and shirk to study the conditions of the unbelievers and become aware of their state with regard to the corruptopn of their beliefs, false worship, degenerate manners and behaviour. I do not fully agree with this in this modern time we can see all of this on the vast media available to us.

It is also allowed for a Muslim to reside in the lands of disbelief to maintain diplomatic relations with the state of disbelief and an Islamic state and provide consular services to any citizens of that state residing there and to encourage them in their religious matters and behaviour. This helps repel evil and corruption that surround Muslims living in that land.

The categories covered here are all temporary living situations. Residing permanently amongst the disbelievers in their lands is never acceptable.

More to come on this topic soon.