What are the causes of defeat in the Gulf War?

The questioner : There was a speaker, a man with a Salafi editorial background, who spoke about how some people, I do not know, some people, after this war, have reached the stage of disbelief. And they said, "My brother, well, we are disobedient, and we were such and such, but those who defeated us and those who fought us..."

The Shaykh : They are more disbelieving.

The questioner : Worse than us. So my question is, truly, I recall that there is a hadith or something to this effect that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, may defeat the Muslim community for a single matter. And the Muslims were defeated at Uhud for a single small fear regarding the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and it was nothing but to defeat them so that they would not take lightly the disobedience of the command of the Messenger of Allah. Does it occur to you any hadiths or verses that support the idea that it is not necessary that we be in a state of righteousness and be better, and that it is certain that the Lord of the Worlds will support us as long as we support Him, even if it is with something simple, while all of those are usurers and gamblers and the like?

The Shaykh : There is no doubt that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, just as He established laws and a system for this universe, has also established a law and a system for His Shari'ah. He holds His believing servants accountable in ways He does not hold disbelievers accountable, and He imposes obligations on believers that He does not impose on disbelievers. Because, as the scholars say, there is no sin after disbelief. If we set aside the answer to this question for the moment and look at two disbelieving states, we have no doubt whatsoever that the state which is greater in number and stronger in force will defeat the other disbelieving state if it is lesser in number and force. We have no doubt about this at all. Why? Because there is no factor for victory other than the two things we mentioned earlier. The matter is not by this measure and this system in the victory of Muslims over disbelievers. Our Lord, Mighty and Majestic, does not require that the Muslim army be greater in number, let alone that it require that it be greater in weapons and material strength than the disbelieving army. History confirms this to us that Allah does not require, let alone the Shari'ah in its text. In the Noble Qur'an, the verse says: So, by the Shari'ah, a Muslim must be patient, one person against two. If a Muslim flees from two of his enemies, he is a deserter and has committed one of the greatest of sins, fleeing on the day of battle. But if the Muslim individual is facing three and he flees, he is excused. This is the ruling of Allah, explicitly stated in the Qur'an. And the summary of that is that it is not required that the Muslim army be equal to the disbelieving army, let alone that it be required that it be stronger in number and equipment. But it is required that they be truly Muslims and that they be obedient to the Muslim leader who manages the battle within the limits of the Islamic Shari'ah. These details that exist in our Shari'ah are not imposed on disbelievers. For disbelievers, it is not required of them except that whoever is greater in number and equipment is victorious over whoever is lesser in these two conditions. But for the Muslim, it is required that he be a believer above all, and then, even if he is lesser in number and equipment, as detailed in the previous verse, at that time our Lord, Mighty and Majestic, will support him and reinforce him with reinforcement from the heavens. This reinforcement has been lost by disbelievers because of their disbelief, and no disbelieving force can stand against this reinforcement at all. And therefore, we must take the lesson from this defeat that struck the Iraqi army, to believe that victory does not come except by applying this verse, which can be considered a miracle of the Qur'an If we do not pay attention to this verse and the hadiths that came around it, which are considered hadiths that explain and detail this verse, we will remain weak and colonized, either by direct colonization like the colonization of Palestine by the Jews, or by intellectual, political, and economic colonization, as we are heading toward it against our wills, because of the dominance of disbelievers over this striking force that was in Iraq, even though it was not up to the good opinion of it in terms of faith. And therefore, I believe that what struck the Muslims in general and Iraq in particular, we must make it as He, the Exalted, said: Meaning that we should draw a conclusion. What defeated Iraq? Above all, that it was not fighting in the cause of Allah. This is a matter in which we must not doubt. It did not attack Kuwait in the cause of Allah. Whoever says otherwise is being obstinate and arguing, or may not be a Muslim in the first place. So it is upon us to return to purification and education, and there is no way but this unique, sole path. It is sufficient for us that the Muslim who lives within the limits of purification and education, if he dies, even if he dies under the rule of the Jews, but he is to Paradise, because he is unable to do anything except to reform himself and those who take refuge in him. As for the others who occupy themselves with public issues and forget themselves, then they do nothing at all regarding the military system, "stay in your place." So they did not reform themselves, nor did they benefit others. This is the lesson that I drew from this calamity that befell the entire Muslim world, and Allah is the Helper.

The questioner : Shaykh, regarding disbelievers, they are victorious as a trial from Allah, the Exalted, and regarding Muslims, they are defeated as a punishment for them because they did not support Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, is that not so?

The Shaykh : This is possible. The latter is certain.

The questioner : It seems to me, and Allah knows best, I heard... a hadith to the effect that I might be mistaken, but this is in my mind, that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, allows those who are better than them or those who are...

The Shaykh : Meaning, as the poet said, "And there is no oppressor but he will be destroyed by one more oppressive."

The questioner : ... meaning the Muslims, if it is said, of course, I do not recall.
Al-Halabi : If He disobeyed me and he knows me, I sent upon him one who does not know me.

The questioner : In this sense, yes, or that if they withhold zakah, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, withholds the rain, or something to this effect...

The Shaykh : This is correct.

The questioner : And it seems there is a hadith to this effect that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, defeats the Muslims because of their distance from their religion, or something of this sort.

The Shaykh : My lord, the matter of Uhud that you mentioned These are very clear proofs that the Muslims, by their disobedience in a single matter, may be defeated before the disbelievers, and originally they are the victors.
Al-Halabi : Shaykh, for the sake of completeness, regarding the hadith, meaning this well-known one

The Shaykh : No, this is not a hadith, but the meaning is correct.