March to the Holy Land - Part 4

 

Arab Land

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ established the Islamic state in Medinah. After his passing, the baton of leadership was given to Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) as the first Caliph of the Muslims. The caliphate expanded far and wide during the reign of Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him). He was followed by Uthman and then Ali (Allah be pleased with them). It was after this that the next caliph, Mu’awiyah appointed his son, Yazeed, to succeed him. This gave rise to the Umayyad dynasty. They were eventually ousted and replaced by the Abbasid dynasty. Alongside came the Fatimid dynasty, and, for a short while, the Mamluks. The Ottoman empire was the last to hold the caliphate which was abolished with their demise.

You may have your own view of the Ottoman Empire. The debate is not about the religiosity or the beliefs of the Ottomans. Unless you wish to declare them Non-Muslim, a heavy call, then that argument is different. However, they had the caliphate and that was enough for Muslims. It was the goal of the Western powers and the Czar-led Russia to destroy the Ottoman empire and more importantly, the Caliphate. Their meddling in the affairs of the Ottomans led to Sultan Abdul Hamid II to be deposed. While the Ottomans were already reeling from the constant barrage from these foreign powers, the final blow really was the deposing of Sultan Abdul Hamid. The few years it survived beyond him was largely just the last breathes of the empire. Two things happened then. The Ottomans made the mistake of entering World War I. Having already stirred the flames of rebellion in Arab lands, the Ottomans entering the war gave the British more reason to continue on this path and with greater vigour.

Read into it what you will, but your lineage means nothing by Allah, but rather it is your Allah-consciousness. One of the Arabs who rebelled was Sharif Hussein, a descendant of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Perhaps rebellion is one thing, but to enter into an alliance with the British and then kill your fellow Muslims, is quite another thing. This is how the Arab states effectively became colonies of the West. Sure, they have independence and sovereignty for all to see, but I will leave it to you to make sense of it, if only looking the current Middle Eastern situation. The few blanks to be filled in: The Sykes Picot agreement took precedence over any agreement that Hussein had with the British. Palestine was lost and placed under British rule for the establishment of a Zionist state. The British also had an arrangement with the Al-Saud family. The result, Sharif Hussein ended up in Trans-Jordan (now Jordan) where his son, Abdullah, was given temporary rule by the British. Sharif’s other son, Faizal, eventually became king of Iraq. Weird story that. Abdul-Aziz bin Saud took over the Hejaz and proclaimed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The bottom line is that the hand that fueled the flames that lead to the demise of the Ottoman Empire and the Caliphate, is very much still exerting influence in that region. Now, going back to the Balfour declaration and the Sykes-Picot agreement, where is the Arab agreement? With whom were these agreements and what exactly did/does it contain?

 See next:         https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/06/march-to-holy-land-part-5.html

     

See previous:  https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/06/march-to-holy-land-part-3.html

The Line in the sand - Part 10

 

Abandoning Hajj

The world may be in turmoil. But Muslims appear to be in greater turmoil. So much can be read into this last statement, that it begs for deeper understanding. Muslims are to take the lead in calling to good and preventing evil. Generally, Muslims are at fault in their failure to uphold this and then there are specific situations when the general Muslim population may have some excuse.

The re-establishment of the Caliphate is important. Is this merely supposed to happen at the End of time? And how close is the world to that time? As mentioned previously, Quds plays a role in the Caliphate. The devastation caused in those lands are continuing unabated. Does the Muslim world show that it is colonised and hence its subjugation? Do not get carried away with the fanfare of the recent Trump Middle Eastern “tour”. The usual American rah-rah to go with their leader who blows his own trumpet anyway, must be taken with a pinch of salt. This simply means that whatever agreements were reached, go back many years, and is now confirmed as news. The numbers and other details are immaterial. The reflection is upon us that Muslims too, the world over, is subjugated. And therein lies a simple question, “Are Muslims voluntarily being subjugated?”. The answer lies in the line on the sand and whatever lines of deviation Muslims follow. For is it not in our general disobedience to Allah that we are being tested without what appears to be any way to defend Quds and/or to establish a caliphate?

The principles of Islam are five. The rulings concerning these are clear and each and every Muslim must strive to fulfil it. Hajj is one of those pillars of Islam. Corrupt rulers, corrupt Muslim rulers have lived before, and the pilgrimage was never in question. Hajj must continue as it is the one pillar that physically bring people from all over the world together in one place. Hajj is that period that the entire world is focused on Makkah and its precincts. The call to pilgrimage was first made by Prophet Ibrahim – peace be upon him - upon the instruction of Allah. The pilgrimage is one that the enemies of Islam acknowledge as key and a reflection of Islam. While it continues when Muslims are weak, then consider the greater impact when the Muslims are strong. Non-Muslims acknowledge this. Thus, any call to abandon it, is filled with emotion but has no basis.  Even during the misguided lockdown period in 2020, hajj took place (more on the topic of lockdown at another time, but know that the same people who brought the lockdown are massacring our brothers and sisters in the land of Quds). Can you really fix something by abandoning a prescribed act of worship?

The question of which line you are following seems simple, yet you and I may be tainted. You cannot claim to be on the straight path while crawling into the lizard hole. Should you not stick to the basics, and travel along this straight line, light and focused?

See Next: https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-line-in-sand-part-11-task-ahead.html

See previous: https://capemuslimspeak.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-line-in-sand-part-9.html