The Muslim countries are at the forefront of the world in terms of military expenditure, spending tens of billions of dollars annually upon their armies. In spite of classifying the Muslim countries as Third World countries on the grounds of poverty, military spending is many times more than current economic capabilities. The questions that come to mind are: What is the need for the Muslim countries for such high spending on armies? What are the threats that face these countries that mandate the allocation of such a large part of current budgets for armies and security forces?

In origin, armies are to protect the people and countries and in the case of the ideological states, the army's duty is to also carry the ideology to the world. Indeed, when the armies were under the rule of Islam in the Islamic state, the Islamic armies' were posted on the frontier borders and it was as if they did not know what defeat is. They continuously roamed the lands, opening countries for Islam, the mercy to the world, and the Muslims prioritized this task in the history of the Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate" State during its thirteen centuries.

This was in stark contrast to the armies of the Kafireen who acted, both in history and currently, in a hostile and brutal manner in their occupation of lands, conquering and pillaging resources, with rank hatred uttering from their mouths against the Muslims in particular, and what is concealed in their chests of animosity towards Muslims is much greater. This brutality is in order to preserve and defend the contemporary manmade systems, and the interests of a handful of corrupt tyrants, who terrify the oppressed people.

Regrettably, this is similar to the case of the armies in the Muslim world today. They are reluctant to, or prevented from, carrying the message of Islam as a guidance and mercy to the worlds. Their role has become reduced and corrupted to protecting the regimes that suffocate the Muslims, regimes that rule by Kufr, who are loyal to the Western Kafireen. In return, the Kafireen give "legitimacy'' to these regimes as long as they rule by Kufr which was exported to them from foreign lands, and as long as they serve the principle economic, military and political interests of the colonialists.

In this desperate situation of the Muslim countries with the debased role of the Muslim armies and Muslims spending upon from the pockets of the crushed in the Muslim world, the call to the sincere and experienced minds in the armies to correct their status, resume the mission of the armies to carry the message of Islam to the world and liberate the occupied Muslim countries unifying them under the Islamic state, as well as assisting the oppressed in the world, Muslims and non-Muslims, has become the greatest priority for the Muslim armies.

However, these noble acts can never be realized whilst the armies are commanded by the current military and political leadership. For this leadership is controlled by Kafir colonialists and so rebellion against such military and political leaders is obligatory so as to overthrow them and hand the authority over to the faithful sons of the Ummah, people of the enlightened Islamic thinking with an alternative way of life. This obligation upon the armies in the Muslim world demands that the armies hand over their leadership to a Khaleefah, who will rule by the book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger (SAAW) and command them to the fields of victory over the enemies of Islam and Muslims.

Unless this is done, the Ummah will continue to spend on those armies from the sweat of her brow, with great harm upon her, without any benefit towards her. In fact, the Muslims will keep spending on these forces to suppress and kill, muzzle their mouths which call to the Truth to the extent of even banning their call to Islam. Thus these forces will use their capacity to implement the Western plans in the Islamic world. Armies will continue eating and drinking from the inviolable wealth of the Ummah and their best case scenario is soldiers working just as any other state employee; who depart in the morning and return in the evening, as if the noble officer and soldier was a mere teacher at a school or engineer in a government works institution!

The current regimes in the Muslim world are keen to train the armies in absolute obedience to the Kufr policies, thus ensuring that they don't overthrow them and establish the system of Islam that rules by the Quran and the Sunnah. However, its Wajib upon the Muslim armies to be Legally Knowledgeable (Faqeeh) in the matter of obedience to the rulers and their military commanders.

When Allah (swt) imposed on the Muslims to obey legitimate People of Authority (أولي الأمر Oolil Amr), He begins with obedience to Himself and His Messenger, before obeying the rulers. He said:

((يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ))

"O you who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger and the People of Authority from you" [An-Nisaa'a 4:59]

and this is about obeying the Legitimate (Shari شرعي) People of Authority so what of the Illegitimate People of Authority?!

Moreover, Allah (swt) stipulated that solving the conflict that arises between the ruler and the ruled, is by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, for he said:

((فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِنْ كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ))

"And if you dispute in a matter then refer to Allah and His Messenger if you believe in Allah and the Day of Aakhira (Hereafter)." [An-Nisaa'a 4:59]

And the Sunnah defined the limits regarding the concept of obedience for the ruled. The Prophet (saw) said

«لَا طَاعَةَ لِمَخْلُوقٍ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ الْخَالِقِ»

"There is no obedience of the Created in Disobedience of the Creator." And he (saw) said, «الطَّاعَةُ فِي الْمَعْرُوفِ» "Indeed obedience is for Good (معروف Ma'roof) only."

Thus the Obedience that was mentioned in the Holy Quran is the foundation of the structure of the state and the Islamic Ummah's entity. It is at the same time a command for obedience when it is obliged, and forbids obedience when it becomes Haraam (حرام Forbidden). We find in the Quran that Allah makes obedience a must, when He says

((وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّـهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ))

"Obey Allah and His Messenger" [Al-Maida 5: 92]

((فَاتَّبِعُونِي وَأَطِيعُوا أَمْرِي))

"So follow me and obey my command" [Ta Ha 20:90]

((وَاسْمَعُوا وَأَطِيعُوا)) "Listen and obey" [Taghabin 54:16]

((وَمَنْ يُطِعْ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ يُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا))

"and whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, will be admitted to Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise)" [An-Nisa'a 4: 13]

((مَنْ يُطِعْ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ)) "He who obeys the Messenger, has indeed obeyed Allah" [An-Nisa'a 4: 80]

((وَمَنْ يُطِعْ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُوْلَئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ)) "And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His grace" [Nisaa'a 4:69].

And the Messenger (saw) said:«مَنْ أَطَاعَ أَمِيرِي فَقَدْ أَطَاعَنِي» "Whosoever obeys my Ameer has obeyed me" [Ahmad].

Therefore, Allah (swt) orders us obedience in these verses and Hadeeths. But the Messenger (saw) clarified that the obedience of the Ameer is the aware obedience not blind obedience, for he said: «لَا طَاعَةَ لِمَخْلُوقٍ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ الْخَالِقِ» "There is no obedience of the Created in Disobedience of the Creator." Therefore, the conscious obedience is obedience within the limits of Islam, and this is the meaning of the Hadeeth.

With regards upon the obedience of the soldier to his military commander; the Messenger (saw) has stated in the hadith that :

حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ حَدَّثَنَا الْأَعْمَشُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي سَعْدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ بَعَثَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَرِيَّةً فَاسْتَعْمَلَ رَجُلًا مِنْ الْأَنْصَارِ وَأَمَرَهُمْ أَنْ يُطِيعُوهُ فَغَضِبَ فَقَالَ أَلَيْسَ أَمَرَكُمْ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ تُطِيعُونِي قَالُوا بَلَى قَالَ فَاجْمَعُوا لِي حَطَبًا فَجَمَعُوا فَقَالَ أَوْقِدُوا نَارًا فَأَوْقَدُوهَا فَقَالَ ادْخُلُوهَا فَهَمُّوا وَجَعَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ يُمْسِكُ بَعْضًا وَيَقُولُونَ فَرَرْنَا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ النَّارِ فَمَا زَالُوا حَتَّى خَمَدَتْ النَّارُ فَسَكَنَ غَضَبُهُ فَبَلَغَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ «لَوْ دَخَلُوهَا مَا خَرَجُوا مِنْهَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ الطَّاعَةُ فِي الْمَعْرُوفِ». صحيح البخاري))

Sahih Bukhari, Musaddad told us from Abdul Wahid who told us from A'amashq who said Saad bin Ubaida told me about Abu Abdul Rahman from Ali (ra) who said the Prophet sent an army unit (for some campaign) and appointed a man from the Ansar as its commander and ordered them (the soldiers) to obey him.

(During the campaign) he became angry with them and said, "Didn't the Prophet order you to obey me?" They said, "Yes." He said, "I order you to collect wood and make a fire and then throw yourselves into it." So they collected wood and made a fire, but when they were about to throw themselves into it, they started looking at each other, and some of them said, "We followed the Prophet to escape from the fire. How should we enter it now?" So while they were in that state, the fire extinguished and their commander's anger abated. The event was mentioned to the Prophet and he said, «لَوْ دَخَلُوهَا مَا خَرَجُوا مِنْهَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ الطَّاعَةُ فِي الْمَعْرُوفِ» "If they had entered it (the fire) they would never have come out of it, for obedience is required only in what is good."

Thus, the obedience was ordered by Allah when it's for the sake of Islam, including the obedience of the soldier to his military commander. But when this obedience is against Islam, Islam has forbidden it. For such obedience Allah has forbidden us openly, for He (swt) said:

((يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تُطِيعُوا فَرِيقًا مِنْ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ يَرُدُّوكُمْ بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْ كَافِرِينَ))

"O you who believe! If you obey a group of those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians), they would (indeed) render you disbelievers after you have believed" [Aal-Imran 3:100]

وَلاَ تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فُرُطاً

"and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, and who follows his own lusts, and whose affair has been lost." [Kahf 18: 28]

((وَإِنْ تُطِعْ أَكْثَرَ مَنْ فِي الأَرْضِ يُضِلُّوكَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ)) "And if you obey most of those on the earth, they will mislead you far away from Allah's path" [An'aam 6:116],

((فَلاَ تُطِعْ الْكَافِرِينَ)) "So obey not the disbelievers" [Furqan 25:52]

((فَلاَ تُطِعْ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ)) "So, do not obey the deniers." [Qalam 68: 8]

((وَلاَ تُطِعْ مِنْهُمْ آثِمًا أَوْ كَفُورًا))"obey neither a sinner nor a disbeliever among them." [Insaan 76: 24]

((وَلاَ تُطِعْ كُلَّ حَلاَّفٍ مَهِينٍ)) "And do not obey every Hallaf (one who takes oath often) Mahin (liar or worthless person).)" [Qalam 68: 10].

All these verses forbid obeying certain people for their respective characters, and when examined, it is apparent that they are against Islam.

Therefore, the failure of the sincere in the Muslim armies in performing their duty as defined by the Shara, as well as not granting Nussrah to the call for the establishment of Khilafah "Caliphate" on the ruins of the current regimes is an act of disobedience to the Creator. It is this failure which will prevent them from any excuse when they are presented to the hands of Allah (swt)

((يَوْمَ لاَ يَنْفَعُ مَالٌ وَلاَ بَنُونَ، إِلاَّ مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ)) "The Day whereon neither wealth nor offspring will avail, Except him who brings to Allah a clean heart." [Shu'raa 88-89]

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Naseer AI-Islam Mahmoud - Pakistan