The Importance of Thinking About Change
(Translated)

For many years, the Muslim Ummah has been living through the worst period in its history since its inception; a period in which it has suffered, and continues to suffer, under the weight of humiliation, subjugation, division, and dependency, living a miserable life that is fundamentally unworthy of its status as the best Ummah brought forth for mankind.

The Ummah has had, and still has, only two choices, not three: either to continue down a path of accepting its reality and continue its surrender, submission, and subservience, or to change its course and choose the path to return to its glory and honor! It should be noted that choosing to accept the current reality, attempting to adapt to it, and assimilating into it is a declaration of the Ummah's slow death and a continuation of its decline, fall, and tumble from the highest peak to the lowest depths!

The Learned Sheikh Taqi ud-Din An-Nabhani, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his book, “Thinking”: “Thinking about change is necessary for life, because stagnation of life and submission to the destiny is one of the most greatest evils that make the people and nation extinct and disappear with the incidents and days. That is why thinking about change is one of the most important types of thinking.”

The Ummah has indeed experienced, for a considerable period, what we have discussed: surrender, immersion in reality, and attempts to patch things up, among other things. But all of this only exacerbated its tragedies, humiliation, and degradation, leaving it tossed about by raging waves that repeatedly plunged it from one abyss to another! Then it began to find a new path, but it neither considered nor chose a route that would lead it to its desired goal, nor did it define its objective or the purpose it hoped for. Therefore, it was unable to achieve any real change that would bring its revival.

Therefore, the Ummah must first be aware, before making any choice, of the danger of realism, accepting the status quo, and attempting to coexist with decline. As we mentioned earlier, this means signing its own death certificate and accepting to remain in the intensive care unit, clinically dead. Were it not for some medical equipment, it would have already passed away.

Accepting the status quo, submitting to it, allowing minds to become numb and lethargic, not thinking about a lifeline, and even trying to merge with reality and adapt to it, is nothing but the choice of the weak who flee from the heart of the battle and accept submission and taking a defensive position, and even more than that, making peace with the enemy and groveling to him while he continues his attacks and blows without respite!! The matter is settled in that position, defeat is inevitable, and the knockout blow is only a matter of time.

The second path, the path of confrontation, is fraught with thorns, a path of restlessness and revival. After sensing the dire situation the Ummah was experiencing, it became imperative to strive to halt the decline and even find a way to revive the giant! Indeed, it tried this repeatedly, but its initial actions were haphazard, as it did not think carefully before proceeding, nor was its movement based on a solid intellectual foundation, research, and knowledge.

It was akin to floundering, and the tragic reality remained unchanged! This led to the emergence of unideological Islamic groups and nationalistic calling movements, and even the Arab Spring revolutions. However, because the pursuit of change did not stem from a sound, well-defined ideology and profound research, and because goals and objectives were not clearly defined, the sought-out result was not achieved, nor did it lead to the desired outcome!

What the Ummah must realize, secondly, after its initial awareness that the path of surrender and acceptance of the status quo means its suicide and eventual disappearance, is that it must think deeply about its revival and adopt a comprehensive, well-defined project, specifying its aims and objectives before embarking on it. This is essential to ensure it does not stray from its path and that its movements are not like those of a slaughtered animal, stumbling aimlessly! Deep and enlightened thinking leads to the conclusion that the only project capable of changing the state of the Islamic Ummah today and restoring it to its former glory and peak of power is the Islamic project alone. However, we are not speaking here of mere empty, emotional slogans stemming from our nostalgia for the past, but rather of a complete and integrated project that overlooks no detail—a solid intellectual foundation from which solutions, concepts, and convictions emanate. Our glorious history confirms that this was the reason for our past prosperity, elevation, and revival, and it will undoubtedly be the reason for our revival once again!

When a project of change is started from the ground up, it is solid and deeply rooted in the ground. It is adopted by a group of aware individuals who carry it strongly and are determined to change the state of the Ummah and its dire situation through it; by changing its standards, concepts, and convictions and reminding it of its reality and role. The thought of change is initially found among individuals, then the Ummah is affected by it and adopts it in turn to proceed with clarity about its affairs, aware of its direction and goal, and offering all the necessary sacrifices to ensure the success of its revival project.

The path to revival is fraught with many dangers and obstacles. Therefore, correct thought is the compass of the Ummah that guides it to the appropriate direction and leads it to its ultimate goal. It was of utmost importance for the Ummah to be aware that the Islamic Aqeedah (creed) is the intellectual foundation by which every thought must be measured, the basic standard by which all standards are measured, and the only conviction by which other convictions are rejected.

The Muslim world has tried many times and failed, and the desire for change through Islam was evident in the rise of moderate Islamic groups to power in Tunisia and Egypt, in the demands of the Syrian revolution, and elsewhere.

However, the failure to fully embrace the Islamic project in all its clear aspects led to these failures and prevented the Ummah from achieving its goals. It is therefore imperative that the Ummah learns from its experiences and researches, reflects, scrutinizes, and refines its own project in order to succeed next time and reach the safe harbor!

Within the Ummah, there are many individuals who have dedicated themselves to the in-depth study of Islam, refuting misconceptions, clarifying concepts, establishing and detailing the Islamic project, and presenting their Ummah with a golden opportunity for its revival. Shouldn't Muslims recognize this, embrace it, and act with awareness and confidence, thus pleasing Allah (swt) and becoming the best Ummah brought forth for humankind?

The Muslim Ummah must rally around its sincere sons and daughters, moving together in a unified and productive movement to overthrow these rulers and establish an Islamic state. Only such a state can set them on the path of true revival.

Islam is the only true ideology by which Allah has commanded us to live, to manage our affairs, and to organize our lives. Establishing a state that implements Islamic law is the only practical way for solutions to emerge from the Islamic creed residing in the hearts and minds of Muslims. This will shape a distinctive and unique Muslim society, among other solutions. Of course, this will inevitably lead to a constant clash between the seed of the creed sown in hearts and the man-made laws, hindering the desired change and the hoped-for revival.

O Ummah of Islam: Hizb ut Tahrir has called you and is still calling you to that which pleases your Lord and brings you glory. It has called you and still calls you to think and understand the path to your salvation and to hold fast to Islam and nothing else. It has called you and presented to you the complete and detailed constitution of Islam on a golden plate, and it still calls you and calls you to that which brings you glory in this world and the Hereafter... So, will you respond and rally around it, rise up, and shake off the dust of weakness? Will you respond to it and return to your former glory as a witness to all nations, so that the page of humiliation and disgrace may be turned?! We are certain that your response is closer than ever before.

[وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَى هُوَ قُلْ عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ قَرِيباً]

“They will ask, ‘When will that be?’ Say, ‘Perhaps it is soon!’” [Al-Isra: 51]

Written to the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
Minnatullah Taher

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