Press Response

Dear honourable brother, Editor in Chief of The Next Day Newspaper
As-Salaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Bararakaatuhu...

Regarding: Response to the writer of the article:
Political Islamic Groups, Secular Parties and Self-Criticism
(Translated)

We came across the article of the writer Nasir Al-Hazimi in your newspaper edition number 1174 dated on Saturday, 14th of Sha’ban 1437 AH, corresponding to the 21st of May 2016 CE in which he presented a critique of Hizb ut Tahrir. We ask you to please publish our response to his article: That is in the case where the author of the article said: “As for Hizb ut Tahrir Al-Islamiy, it has gathered, due to a lack of review, to sanctify stances that have led to it being distanced from the reality of living... And the strange thing is that they stop at a specific text and go on about it. Take for example their verdict that prohibits, wrongly, the use of devices that kill flies by electricity bolts, which is burning, and as such they made them Haraam. That is in addition to other strange verdicts that they stand by and even if it hurts the reputation of the group. As for when someone discusses with them on the social media sites, then they practise a form of arrogance, condescension and reproach against you.

It is as if they have reached that which no one else from the people have reached. The strange matter, is that they present themselves as a political party that is open to every new suggestion whilst they speculate with backward thoughts like specifying the time period to reach the position of the rule to ten years since the founding of the group; ten years have passed and another ten years has passed, and they haven’t established the Khilafah "Caliphate" whilst they are not sad (about that), which has led to many desertions from the Hizb which has branched out into six other parties seeking to develop the Hizb and its future path. That is with the existence of traditional authoritative structural organisation and historical cadres like Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah”.

And we will respond to this talk with the following:

Firstly: Hizb ut Tahrir is a political party working for the resumption of the Islamic life via the establishment of the second rightly guided Khilafah "Caliphate" (Caliphate) upon the methodology of the Prophethood. Its Shabab live amongst the Ummah and they are part that cannot be separated from it. They therefore live the reality of the people and they do not talk about imaginary or far off matters. Rather they treat this miserable reality by the witness of all. However, they do not do this by taking the solutions from it (the reality) but rather from the ideology that the Ummah has embraced, the great ideology of Islam. Consequently, Hizb ut Tahrir makes the reality the object of change by the ideology of Islam and it does not make it a source for its thinking to bring the solutions, otherwise it would become a part of the bad reality that the Ummah is currently living. This is something the Hizb should be commended for and not found blameworthy in. that is because the nations do not revive except by an ideological thought and so how would that ideological though be when its source is the Wahi (divinely inspired Revelation)?

Secondly: The author did not mention the specific text that we have been going on about and that is whilst everyone is aware that Hizb ut Tahrir has a clear vision in respect to all the systems of life; the political, economic, social and others, and that all go back to and rely upon the Noble Quran and the pure Sunnah. If, however, he means by that, the Khilafah "Caliphate", then the Khilafah "Caliphate" is a Fard that numerous obligations rest upon, whilst through its absence the Ummah has been lost and its lands have been fragmented becoming a source of plundering for the Kafir West and the Ummah has lost its might and glory. It therefore represents an Islamic obligation that is missing and a necessity that the reality of the Ummah today demands to be existent.

As for the example that the author mentioned about the devices that kill flies with electricity bolts which the author considered to be a strange Fatwaa (verdict), then we do not know where the angle of strangeness is within this verdict. That is whilst it is known that the verdict was an answer to a question about a reality that Ijtihaad was undertaken in after the ascertaining of its reality (Tahqeeq ul-Manaat). What is more strange and wondrous is the statement of the author: “Take for example their verdict that prohibits, wrongly, the use of devices that kill flies by electricity”. For the benefit of the reader, the author was not trustworthy in regards to his mention of this Fatwa (verdict). That is because the Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir the eminent scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah – May Allah protect and aid him – had received a question about this subject area, and so he explained the matter by the (Shar’i) evidences and summed up by saying: “And the conclusion is, that the Hukm Ash-Shar’i rests upon the Tahqeeq ul-Manaat (ascertaining of the reality) of killing with an electric fly swat, in order to know whether it kills the insects by burning or that the burning takes place after the bolt (of electricity) strikes the insects causing them to die and thereafter the electricity causes the body to burn. This requires a greater level of study from the specialists and then based upon that the Hukm is deduced”. And so where is the Tahreem (making of Haraam) here and wrongly as the author stated?! The Hukm Ash-Shar’i has most right to be followed and when new matters arise then it is necessary to ascertain its reality and then deduce the Hukm of the Legislator (swt) in respect to it, from the Shar’iah evidences.

Thirdly: Hizb ut Tahrir, since its formation in the year 1953, and until this day, the Hizb has never been more than one single Hizb, and I have no idea where the author came up with the statement of ‘six other parties’?! As for some exiting from the Hizb, then this is a natural matter. That is because the Hizb is like a living entity of which cells die away, whilst others are generated. This does not malign the Hizb as an ideological party. That is because people even apostatize from Islam and even from the first generation those who apostatized did so, so does that mean that Islam is not the truth and as such people left it?!

No one would say that except for the one who follows desires.

Finally: We had hoped that the author would have discussed the thoughts of Hizb ut Tahrir, related to the systems of ruling, economics, social, education, foreign policy and all of the newly occurring events related to the life of the Islamic Ummah. That is so that he could know what Hizb ut Tahrir has deduced from Islam by a sound and valid Ijtihaad, is the truth that must be followed, and that he discusses these thoughts objectively until he stops at the true reality of what Hizb ut Tahrir is. That is because it is clear from what he mentioned about the Hizb that he took his information about it by ear and second hand. For that reason, we invite him to enter upon the website of the Hizb on the internet or to come to us, so that we can inform him and make him aware of the thoughts of the Hizb first hand. That is because, as they say, and say truthfully: “The person is the enemy of what he doesn’t know”.

And by Allah, we ask Him to guide us all to the Haqq and the straight path.

Ibrahim Othman (Abu Khalil)
Official Spokesman of Hizb ut Tahrir
in Wilayah Sudan