Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s (real name Ali Ibrahim al-Badri al-Samarrai) proclamation of the Khilafah (Islamic State) and declaring himself the Khalifah has evoked widespread revulsion and derision. It is clear that the leader of a gang of mass murderers, plunderers and rapists is out of his mind.
Even his closest ideological allies in the Jabhat al-Nusra have rejected his call, not to mention the opportunist Iraqi Ba‘athists and greedy tribal leaders that have used this bunch of thugs to advance their own narrow interests.
Far from accepting al-Baghdadi’s claim to being a khalifah, al-Nusra Front has compared the group to the Khawarij, a band of extremist rejects during the time of Imam Ali (ra) who were responsible for his killing and spreading much fitna in the Ummah. The Khawarij have been roundly condemned in Islamic history as outcasts.
Al-Baghdadi’s thugs are no different and behave no differently even if they hoist the black flag with the kalima written on it.
It is not surprising that he has attracted alienated youth from Europe—Britain, France, Germany etc—that cannot fit in those societies and extremists elements from Muslim countries because they are frustrated with the prevailing order there.
No doubt, the rulers of most Muslim countries are corrupt and incompetent people and beholden to imperialism and Zionism but the solution to Muslims’ problems does not lie in throwing one’s lot with mass murderers and plunderers.
They will bring nothing but death, destruction and shame to the Muslim Ummah even if they couch their proclamations in Islamic terms using verses from the Qur’an and hadiths of the noble Messenger (saws).
After all, this is precisely what the Khawarij also did only to bring disaster to the Muslim Ummah.
One can almost predict what will happen now. After killing a lot of innocent people, the thugs led by Baghdadi will be defeated. Their misguided romantic notion of the Khilafah will collapse and die with perhaps Baghdadi’s gory death sometime soon.
This will cause great disillusion among most Muslim youth that are already alienated from society. They will lose faith in the noble concept of the Khilafah and will turn their backs on Islam.
This will be a real tragedy for the Ummah since Muslims do need to strive and struggle for the restoration of the Khilafah. Living in the Islamic State is an Islamic obligation but such a state would not be established by perpetrating crimes against innocent people.
We need to study the Sunnah and the Seerah of the noble Messenger (saws) who was the embodiment of mercy and compassion. The thugs led by al-Baghdadi are filled with hate that is far removed from the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah and Seerah of the beloved Prophet of Allah.
The alienated Muslim youth need guidance and hope for the future. Their lives must not be wasted for the advancement of such criminal enterprises.
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