Pragmatism - Syria’s New Direction

News:

On August 25, 2025, Syria’s president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, in a meeting with a senior Arab media delegation, declared that he does not view himself as an extension of any Islamic parties or movements—whether jihadist, the Muslim Brotherhood, or even the Arab Spring. According to Nadim Koteich, General Manager of Sky News Arabia, Al-Sharaa also disclosed that high-level talks are underway regarding a security agreement with the Zionist entity, backed by the United States and Gulf States. While acknowledging that conditions are not yet in place for a full peace treaty, Al-Sharaa stated he would not hesitate to pursue such an accord if it served Syria’s “interests.” (The Syrian Observer)

Comment:

Al-Sharaa’s disavowal of Islamic parties and movements is unsurprising given his trajectory: abandoning the vision of Islamic governance, granting impunity to Bashar al-Assad’s loyalists under the banner of “national reconciliation,” and now engaging in negotiations with the Zionist entity. These steps make clear that his political inheritance is not from Islam or the Arab Spring, but from the secular nationalist tradition that has long dominated Syria’s ruling class.

In contrast, the people of Syria and their blessed revolution consistently expressed an Islamic identity and aspiration. Their slogans captured both Iman and resolve: “This revolution is only for Allah, not for power or status,”“Ya Allah! We have no one except You,” and “Khilafah till the end… in spite of you, Asad.” While the people embodied sincerity, sacrifice, and idealism, Al-Sharaa’s statements and actions reflect political pragmatism, concessions, and neglect of the revolution’s Islamic vision.

It is profoundly tragic to witness a revolution that endured immense sacrifice—families, livelihoods, and lives given purely for the sake of Allah and His governance—being usurped by a regime now seeking legitimacy through the approval of the United States and the Zionist entity. These are the very powers complicit in the devastation of Syria and the ongoing genocide against our Ummah in Gaza and Occupied Palestine. The words of the Prophet (saw) resonate powerfully in this context:

«مَنِ الْتَمَسَ رِضَا اللَّهِ بِسَخَطِ النَّاسِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَأَرْضَى عَنْهُ النَّاسَ، وَمَنِ الْتَمَسَ رِضَا النَّاسِ بِسَخَطِ اللَّهِ سَخِطَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَسْخَطَ عَلَيْهِ النَّاسَ»

“Whoever seeks the pleasure of Allah at the expense of people’s displeasure, Allah will be pleased with him, and people will be pleased with him. But whoever seeks the pleasure of people at the expense of Allah’s displeasure, Allah will be displeased with him, and people will be displeased with him.”

As followers of our beloved Prophet (saw), Muslims never succumb to despair. The Battle of the Trench is a timeless reminder: when Quraish and their allies besieged Madinah, hunger and hardship pressed upon the Muslims, yet in that moment of trial, the Prophet (saw) gave glad tidings of victory—the keys of al-Sham, Persia, and Yemen. This history teaches us that even in the eye of the storm, believers remain steadfast and hopeful, recognizing that calamities are temporary and that the Nasr (victory) of Allah is certain.

The Ummah’s duty, then, is to continue building momentum toward that inevitable victory by uniting upon Islam and rejecting compromises that dilute our principles. True liberation for Syria—and for the entire Muslim world—will only come through the re-establishment of the Khilafah (Caliphate) upon the method of Prophethood, the system that ensures justice, accountability, and dignity for the Ummah.