Concepts of Hizb ut Tahrir

From the Publications of Hizb ut Tahrir 

Sixth Edition (Certified Edition) 1421 AH - 2001 CE

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Since the middle of the Twelfth Century Hijri (Eighteenth Century CE) the Islamic world has been rapidly declining from its correct status and sinking horribly to the abyss of decline. Numerous attempts have been undertaken to revive it, or at least to halt the decline, but not a single attempt of these attempts has succeeded. The Islamic world remains in a state of darkness, chaos and decline (inHiTaaT), and it still suffers the consequences of such backwardness and disorder.

The reason for the decline (inHiTaaT) of the Islamic world is due to a single factor, the severe weakness afflicting the minds with regards understanding Islam. The cause for this weakness was the detachment of the capacity (Taaqah) of the Arabic language from the capacity of Islam, when the Arabic language was neglected both in understanding and carrying Islam, from the beginning of the Seventh Century Hijri onwards. Accordingly, unless the capacity of the Arabic language is intermingled with the capacity of Islam, by making the Arabic language the language of Islam, as a fundamental and inseparable part of it, the decline will continue to drag Muslims down. This is because it is the linguistic capacity that carried the capacity of Islam, consequently intermingling with it, such that the perfected carrying of Islam cannot be undertaken without it. If Arabic is neglected, Ijtihad in the shar’a (Islamic Law) cannot be performed. Ijtihad is not possible in the shar’a (Islamic Law) except in the Arabic language, because it is a fundamental condition (SharT) in Ijtihad. Furthermore, Ijtihad is necessary for the Ummah, since progress within the Ummah cannot occur without Ijtihad. There are three reasons why the attempts undertaken to revive the Muslims with Islam failed; the first is the lack of an accurate understanding of the Islamic Fikrah (Thought) by those who assumed the burden of revival. The second is the lack of clarity of the Tareeqah (Method) of Islam in completely implementing its Fikrah. The third is the failure of those who assumed the burden of revival to link the Islamic Thought with the Islamic Method tightly and inseparably.

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Accordingly, all the reformist movements, established to revive Muslims and to restore the glory of Islam, failed. It was expected that such movements would fail. This was because although they were Islamic movements, due to their misunderstanding of Islam they created even more complex issues, complicated the problems and distanced the society from Islam, instead of working to implement Islam within society.

It thus became obligatory to have an Islamic movement that understands Islam as both a Thought (Fikrah) and Method (Tareeqah), maintains the link between them both and works for the resumption (isti’naaf) of the Islamic way of life, in any country (quTr) of the Islamic World. This would then become the Starting Point (nuqTat ibtidaa), from which the Islamic call arises and then becomes the Departure Point (nuqTat inTilaq) for the Dawah to Islam.

It is upon this basis that Hizb ut Tahrir was established and started to work for the resumption of the Islamic way of life in the Arab lands, which naturally results in the resumption of the Islamic way of life in the Islamic World. This is by establishing the Islamic State in one or more of its countries, as a support point (nuqTat irtikaz) for Islam. It would become a nucleus for the greater Islamic State, which resumes the Islamic way of life by the application of Islam completely in all Islamic lands and conveys the Islamic Dawah to the entire world.

After study, thinking and investigation, Hizb ut Tahrir adopted Shariah rulings (aHkaam shar’iyyah), some of which relate to the treatment of individualistic problems that occur between individuals and in their relations with each other, such as the prohibition of leasing land for agriculture. Some rulings are relevant to the general opinions (araa’a) that are between Muslims collectively and other than them (non-Muslims) and in the relations of Muslims collectively with other than them, such as the permissibility of emergency treaties (mu’aahudaat idtirariyyah) and the Dawah for Islam before starting the fighting, and other similar rulings. Some are related to the thoughts (afkaar), which are Shariah rulings (aHkaam shar’iyyah) like the generalized (saa’ir) Shariah rulings, such as collective principles (qawaa’id kulliyah) and definitions (ta’aareef), for example, the principle (qaa’idah) which states, واجب فهو بهّ is which That “ما ال يتم الواجب إال necessary to accomplish a duty (wajib) is itself a duty (wajib),” as well as the definition (ta’reef) of Hukm Shar’i as being, بأفعال المتعلق الشارع خطاب العباد” the speech of the Legislator related to the actions of the servants” and similar.

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The goal (ghaayah) of the structure (kotlah) must the resumption of the Islamic way of life in the Islamic Lands and carrying the Islamic Dawah to the world. The Method of the structure for achieving this goal is the ruling authority (al-Hukm). Within its method to arrive at the ruling authority, is the studying (diraasah) and comprehension (tafaham) of Islam and culturing (tathqeef) of the people with Islam to evoke the generation of the Islamic mentality (‘aqliyyah) and the Islamic disposition (nafsiyyah), thereby constituting the Islamic personality (shakhsiyyah). The same applies to interaction (tafaa’ul) with the Ummah in terms of its understanding of Islam, its realization of the truth of its interests, Islam’s treatment of these interests, ensuring their achievement and adopting the Ummah’s interests (maSaalaH), provided that the interaction (tafaa’ul) and the struggle (kifaaH) in the path of Dawah takes place along with the simultaneous studying (diraasah).

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It is from this that Hizb ut Tahrir, an Islamic party, a political party, engages with politics. It works to culture the Ummah with the Islamic culture (thaqaafah), in which the political aspect is prominent. The Hizb condemns what the colonialists and their agents are doing by preventing the students and employed from engaging in politics and attempting to distance the masses from that as well. The Hizb views that is an obligation for the masses to be acquainted with politics and that political nurturing (tarbiyyah) dominates them. The political work does not mean clarifying that Islam includes politics or that the political principles in Islam are such and such. Instead, politics means guardianship of the interests (maSaalaH) of the whole Ummah, domestically and externally, whilst the Ummah advances upon Islam and nothing else. This must all be by the state and by the Ummah which accounts the state over Islam. In order for this to occur in practice, the Hizb must be the one who undertakes this both within the Ummah and within the ruling authority. Hizb ut Tahrir carries the Dawah to Islam as a comprehensive Dawah and clarifies the Shariah rulings that treat the problems of life. The Hizb works in order to rule by Islam alone and strives against the kaafir colonialists to uproot their influence. It also struggles against the agents of colonialism, whether those who adopt its intellectual leadership and its ideology or those who implement its policy and thoughts.