The Consequences of the Gulf Crisis
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The Shaykh : The fourth point: The consequences of this matter, the consequences of what happened, my brothers. What are the consequences? The consequences are very, very severe.
First: Some of us took up arms against one another. If we had taken up arms against enemies who truly bear us enmity, like the Jews for example, that would have been on our eyes and heads. But the problem is that we became what? Some of us took up arms against others, and this is one of the worst consequences. It is as if one of us rejoices that he has lost the one who took up arms against him, is that not so? Every one of those who took up arms wants to kill his brother; every one wants to kill his brother. And this is an extremely bad consequence.
Second: The disunity of the Muslim ummah and the Arab ummah. As you know, more than I do in this matter, there is disunity, scattering, and fragmentation, until every person, especially at the governmental level, sees himself as an enemy of the other. Whereas it is obligatory for us to make every one of us a brother to the other. To which religion do we all belong? To the religion of Islam. And in the Arab circle, we belong to a race of the children of Adam, namely the Arabs.
So how did this fitnah, or this trial, cause us to become divided? We became divided until a person would hear from certain quarters things that disturb him, such as media campaigns. If only they had been from the governments. The governments have a strange matter and a strange policy, but they became from certain specific quarters. A person draws near to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) by loving the sincere ones among them.
So they began to speak a great deal of talk that may lead to the tearing apart of the Muslim ummah.
Among these bad consequences, I think there are three, or perhaps two, of the bad consequences: that we forgot important issues in Islam. What are they? Like the issue of Palestine, for example. The issue that was on the verge of flourishing has now withered; it has withered, and people no longer speak about it. Whereas people used to speak at first about the Palestinian Intifada. And there was a movement among the Muslims toward this Intifada. People have now fallen silent about it, and it is not on their minds, because they have been preoccupied with what is greater and more significant among the Muslims themselves, indeed among the Arabs themselves. Every one of them takes up arms against the other. Why? Is it the pre-Islamic age of ignorance? Are we going to bring it back? Are we not Muslims? We also forgot the issue of what? Afghanistan. We forgot it as if there was nothing called Islamic jihad in Afghanistan. It was forgotten.
We also forgot our brothers in Eritrea who want to establish Islamic jihad so that they can liberate this part of the world from disbelief. This too was forgotten. The many associations that rescue Muslims from hunger, nakedness, thirst, and the destruction of wealth, all of these were also forgotten.
No, rather, a person forgot many of his personal circumstances. Students of knowledge became preoccupied with this issue to the neglect of seeking knowledge. Worshippers became preoccupied with this issue to the neglect of worship. A person stands to pray while thinking about what happened and what occurred. So this calamity caused the Muslims to forget many public and private interests, some of which are existential and some are not. And the matter can be resolved by handing over the lands to their people, and then everything ends. Everything ends.
Also among the bad consequences: that some of the peoples, some of the peoples belonging to governments whose policies differ, began to follow these governments. And this is a great error. The Muslim peoples must be one, regardless of the policies of the governments and states. We see that the Muslim man in Iraq, the Muslim man in Syria, the Muslim man in Yemen, the Muslim man in Egypt, the Muslim man in Morocco, and in Tunisia, and in Algeria, and in any part of the earth, and in Afghanistan, and in Pakistan, and in Bangladesh, and in every place on earth, we see that the Muslim in any place is like the Muslim here with us in Madinah, or in Makkah, or in Riyadh, or in al-Qasim, or in any place in the Arabian Peninsula. By Allah, this is what I testify to Allah, and I believe that you are like me in this. The Muslim is what? The brother of the Muslim. But on the condition that he be Arab? No. On the condition that he be from the Arabian Peninsula? No. The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim, even if the Muslim is a non-Arab from the farthest people from the Arabic language, even if he is European, even if he is Russian. By Allah, we believe that Islamic brotherhood is not severed by lineage, or race, or place. We believe that the people who followed Musa in his time are our brothers, is that not so? The disciples who said to 'Isa, "We are the supporters of Allah":[As-Saf 61:14].
These believers whom Allah supported against their enemy, what is our position toward them? Are they enemies to us, or brothers? They are our brothers. We do not distinguish between one person and another, between male and female, between Arab and non-Arab, as long as we are Muslims, we are brothers. So what is our concern with the governments? We must love one another and advise one another, no matter which government we are from. Whether in Saudi Arabia, in Iraq, in Syria, in Egypt, in Yemen, or in any place on earth. Do you share this principle with me? Yes? Do you pledge to Allah to do so? Yes. Then convey it to as many of our brothers in other countries as you are able. And tell them: Fear Allah. What do you have to do with the governments? You are Muslim brothers; you must be Muslim brothers, and there is no difference. If a person came from the Muslims, a full brother of mine, I would not distinguish between him and a man from the Muslims whom I do not know, except by the right of kinship. But in Islam, they are what to me? Equal. This is how it must be, my brothers. Why do we go far? The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim. Salman al-Farisi, where is he from?
The student: Persian.
The Shaykh : Thabit?
The student: Roman.
The Shaykh : Bilal?
The student: Abyssinian. They were all with the Companions; they were all Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and they were of various races, because the religion is one and the ummah is one. Therefore, I call upon you from this place, from the Prophet’s Mosque (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him), to convey to every Muslim you are able to that Islam is above all considerations, and that it is absolutely not permissible for the Muslim ummah, meaning its peoples, to submit to the policies of their rulers, ever. We are Muslims, brothers. We say "by the truth," and we say "for the truth," and we say "in the truth." Three words: we say "by the truth," the second is "for the truth," and "in the truth." This is our position, which we ask Allah to cause us to die upon. And we do not harbor enmity toward any of the Muslims in any land on earth. But with great regret, one of the consequences of this disaster is that we have come to hear that quarters among those who are considered fruits of Islam have been confused in the matter; they have been confused in the matter, so that from them you may hear what you hear on the radio stations. Yes.
First: Some of us took up arms against one another. If we had taken up arms against enemies who truly bear us enmity, like the Jews for example, that would have been on our eyes and heads. But the problem is that we became what? Some of us took up arms against others, and this is one of the worst consequences. It is as if one of us rejoices that he has lost the one who took up arms against him, is that not so? Every one of those who took up arms wants to kill his brother; every one wants to kill his brother. And this is an extremely bad consequence.
Second: The disunity of the Muslim ummah and the Arab ummah. As you know, more than I do in this matter, there is disunity, scattering, and fragmentation, until every person, especially at the governmental level, sees himself as an enemy of the other. Whereas it is obligatory for us to make every one of us a brother to the other. To which religion do we all belong? To the religion of Islam. And in the Arab circle, we belong to a race of the children of Adam, namely the Arabs.
So how did this fitnah, or this trial, cause us to become divided? We became divided until a person would hear from certain quarters things that disturb him, such as media campaigns. If only they had been from the governments. The governments have a strange matter and a strange policy, but they became from certain specific quarters. A person draws near to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) by loving the sincere ones among them.
So they began to speak a great deal of talk that may lead to the tearing apart of the Muslim ummah.
Among these bad consequences, I think there are three, or perhaps two, of the bad consequences: that we forgot important issues in Islam. What are they? Like the issue of Palestine, for example. The issue that was on the verge of flourishing has now withered; it has withered, and people no longer speak about it. Whereas people used to speak at first about the Palestinian Intifada. And there was a movement among the Muslims toward this Intifada. People have now fallen silent about it, and it is not on their minds, because they have been preoccupied with what is greater and more significant among the Muslims themselves, indeed among the Arabs themselves. Every one of them takes up arms against the other. Why? Is it the pre-Islamic age of ignorance? Are we going to bring it back? Are we not Muslims? We also forgot the issue of what? Afghanistan. We forgot it as if there was nothing called Islamic jihad in Afghanistan. It was forgotten.
We also forgot our brothers in Eritrea who want to establish Islamic jihad so that they can liberate this part of the world from disbelief. This too was forgotten. The many associations that rescue Muslims from hunger, nakedness, thirst, and the destruction of wealth, all of these were also forgotten.
No, rather, a person forgot many of his personal circumstances. Students of knowledge became preoccupied with this issue to the neglect of seeking knowledge. Worshippers became preoccupied with this issue to the neglect of worship. A person stands to pray while thinking about what happened and what occurred. So this calamity caused the Muslims to forget many public and private interests, some of which are existential and some are not. And the matter can be resolved by handing over the lands to their people, and then everything ends. Everything ends.
Also among the bad consequences: that some of the peoples, some of the peoples belonging to governments whose policies differ, began to follow these governments. And this is a great error. The Muslim peoples must be one, regardless of the policies of the governments and states. We see that the Muslim man in Iraq, the Muslim man in Syria, the Muslim man in Yemen, the Muslim man in Egypt, the Muslim man in Morocco, and in Tunisia, and in Algeria, and in any part of the earth, and in Afghanistan, and in Pakistan, and in Bangladesh, and in every place on earth, we see that the Muslim in any place is like the Muslim here with us in Madinah, or in Makkah, or in Riyadh, or in al-Qasim, or in any place in the Arabian Peninsula. By Allah, this is what I testify to Allah, and I believe that you are like me in this. The Muslim is what? The brother of the Muslim. But on the condition that he be Arab? No. On the condition that he be from the Arabian Peninsula? No. The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim, even if the Muslim is a non-Arab from the farthest people from the Arabic language, even if he is European, even if he is Russian. By Allah, we believe that Islamic brotherhood is not severed by lineage, or race, or place. We believe that the people who followed Musa in his time are our brothers, is that not so? The disciples who said to 'Isa, "We are the supporters of Allah":
And a faction of the Children of Israel believed and a faction disbelieved. So We supported those who believed against their enemy, and they became dominant.
فَآمَنَتْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَكَفَرَتْ طَائِفَةٌ فَأَيَّدْنَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَى عَدُوِّهِمْ فَأَصْبَحُوا ظَاهِرِينَThese believers whom Allah supported against their enemy, what is our position toward them? Are they enemies to us, or brothers? They are our brothers. We do not distinguish between one person and another, between male and female, between Arab and non-Arab, as long as we are Muslims, we are brothers. So what is our concern with the governments? We must love one another and advise one another, no matter which government we are from. Whether in Saudi Arabia, in Iraq, in Syria, in Egypt, in Yemen, or in any place on earth. Do you share this principle with me? Yes? Do you pledge to Allah to do so? Yes. Then convey it to as many of our brothers in other countries as you are able. And tell them: Fear Allah. What do you have to do with the governments? You are Muslim brothers; you must be Muslim brothers, and there is no difference. If a person came from the Muslims, a full brother of mine, I would not distinguish between him and a man from the Muslims whom I do not know, except by the right of kinship. But in Islam, they are what to me? Equal. This is how it must be, my brothers. Why do we go far? The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim. Salman al-Farisi, where is he from?
The student: Persian.
The Shaykh : Thabit?
The student: Roman.
The Shaykh : Bilal?
The student: Abyssinian. They were all with the Companions; they were all Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and they were of various races, because the religion is one and the ummah is one. Therefore, I call upon you from this place, from the Prophet’s Mosque (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him), to convey to every Muslim you are able to that Islam is above all considerations, and that it is absolutely not permissible for the Muslim ummah, meaning its peoples, to submit to the policies of their rulers, ever. We are Muslims, brothers. We say "by the truth," and we say "for the truth," and we say "in the truth." Three words: we say "by the truth," the second is "for the truth," and "in the truth." This is our position, which we ask Allah to cause us to die upon. And we do not harbor enmity toward any of the Muslims in any land on earth. But with great regret, one of the consequences of this disaster is that we have come to hear that quarters among those who are considered fruits of Islam have been confused in the matter; they have been confused in the matter, so that from them you may hear what you hear on the radio stations. Yes.