“Do not give up and do not be downhearted. You shall be uppermost if you are believers.”

وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

“Do not give up and do not be downhearted. You shall be uppermost if you are believers.”

(Aali ‘Imraan, 3:139)

The recent period has witnessed a host of bloody attacks that have led to the deaths of civilians, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, including many women and children. Even though the vast majority, if not all the Muslims, reject these actions because they violate their Deen, the general European position and particularly the French one, focuses in its media and upon the lips of its politicians using the term “Islamic terrorism” linking it to the concept of Jihaad in Islam. Consequently, Islam has become associated with savagery, barbarism and blood spilling while the Muslim community as a whole has become accused and asked to declare the washing of their hands of their Deen and declare their loyalty to secularism and western values.

The colonial states occupy some of the Muslim lands and dominate other lands, and are engaged in the killing of Muslims and attacking the innocent without any regard or consideration to any legal or moral binding ethics. What happened in Iraq and Afghanistan when hundreds of thousands of people were killed is not far from our memories. Just as the colonial states plunder the resources of the Muslims and destroy their lands to secure their greedy capitalist interests, Islam has made it obligatory upon the Muslims to defend their lands, sanctities and resources, and it has obliged them to oppose the colonialists. Despite that the Ahkam (rulings) of Jihaad in Islam – contrary to what the so-called civilised colonialist states do – makes treachery Haram and has prohibited the killing of non-combatants or attacking women and children in addition to the person under the covenant of security. This is in accordance to the statement of the Messenger ﷺ:

«… وَلاَ تَغْدِرُوا، وَلاَ تَغُلُّوا، وَلاَ تُمَثِّلُوا، وَلاَ تَقْتُلُوا وَلِيدًا»

“…And do not betray, and do not be excessive, do not mutilate and do not kill a Child” and his ﷺ statement:

«… فَلَا تَقْتُلُوا ذُرِّيَّةً، وَلَا عَسِيفًا [أجيرا أو عاملا لا علاقة له بالحرب]»

“… Do not kill progeny or the ‘Aseef [The hired hand or worker who is not related to the war]”.

Ibn ‘Umar said: A slain woman was found in one of the military battles of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and so the Messenger forbade the killing of women and children.

Shafi’i said in regards to the Musta’min (the one provided with security): “If they provided him with security then their security in respect to him includes: Security for them from him, he cannot murder them and he cannot betray them.”

Ibn Mawdood Hanafi said: “And if the Muslim enters Dar ul-Harb (the land at war) with a protection and security, he does not engage in anything against their blood or properties and that is because it would mean betraying them which has been forbidden”.

These then are the Ahkam (rulings) of Islam in respect to Al-Jihaad and Al-Harb (war) in addition to the Musta’min, and they represent great and elevated rulings.

The European politicians know this with all certainty and yet they are exploiting the mentioned events to attach barbarism with Islam and savagery to the concept of Al-Jihaad and that is to portray those calling for the application of Islam in the Muslim lands as being bloodthirsty terrorists.  This is so they can provide cover for their horrendous colonialist actions before their own people and for it to be a pretext to implement their project based upon the idea of reforming Islam by changing its concepts, rulings and shaping a new generation upon what they call “European Islam”. We warn the Muslims of these schemes, and we call upon them to have pride in their Deen, to hold fast to their Shar’iyah and to have pride in their concepts including the concept of Al-Jihaad. And they must know that however severe the trials become and however many the ordeals, that the future belongs to Islam. Allah سبحانه وتعالى said:

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا اسْتَيْأَسَ الرُّسُلُ وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ كُذِبُوا جَاءَهُمْ نَصْرُنَا فَنُجِّيَ مَن نَّشَاءُ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَأْسُنَا عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ

“Then when the Messengers despaired and thought themselves denied, Our help came to them, and those We willed were saved. Our violent force cannot be averted from people who are evildoers.”

(Yusuf, 12:110)

Hizb ut Tahrir Europe

20th Shawwal 1437 AH

Corresponding to 25th of July 2016 CE