«إِنَّمَا الْإِمَامُ جُنَّةٌ»
“The Imam is but a shield”
(Translated)

News:

US President Donald Trump made shocking statements announcing that he had directed the US Department of War to prepare for any potential military operation in Nigeria, under the pretext of protecting Christians from armed Islamic groups. The US Secretary of War confirmed in a follow-up statement that America would not stand idly by in the face of what he called Islamic terrorism threatening Christians, demanding that Nigeria either protects them or the US would intervene directly to eliminate the Islamic terrorists.

Meanwhile, observers considered the American rhetoric to reflect a clear religious bias under the guise of combating terrorism. These statements sparked widespread criticism, with many considering them a manifestation of the policy of the West policy of protecting its allies in the name of humanity, while remaining silent in the face of the bloodshed of Muslims in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, the Uyghurs, Burma, Kashmir, the Central African Republic, and elsewhere. (November 3, 2025)

Comment:

Isn’t it time for Muslims to learn from the positions of the West and its leaders?! Here is the leader of secularism abandoning the secularism he so loudly proclaims day and night, vowing to defend Christians with his army, solely because of their enmity and hatred towards Islam and Muslims. Meanwhile, Muslims are being slaughtered across the globe, and not a whisper is heard from the rulers, leaders, and armies who swore to protect them!

This scene reveals the glaring contradiction between those who possess a state that compels them to defend their creed, however false, and to fight against all others, and the Muslim Ummah, divided by the infidel West and its installed rulers who have subjected it to humiliation and blatant subservience to the West.

The absence of a Khalifah (Caliphate) to defend Islam and the Muslims is the root of the problem. The Ummah will not regain its glory until it has someone to lead it with Islam and unite its scattered people under its banner. As for those rulers subservient to the infidel West, they are the cause of weakness and loss, and no good can be expected from them for their Ummah as long as they follow in the footsteps of their masters.

Thus, Trump’s words and the stance of Crusader America are nothing but a reflection of a distorted reality. The lesson to be learned from Trump’s statements and those of his Department of War is not in their threats, but in their zeal for those they consider to be of their faith, even if they do not endorse it, in contrast to the abandonment of the Ummah by those who are supposed to be the guardians of the Muslims. This is the difference between a nation that has a leader to fight for, and a nation that has neglected its leader and is thus lost amidst the currents of other nations. The West is zealous for its religion, while Muslims have no protector to defend them. Between zeal and negligence, the balance of power continues to favor those who possess will, unity, and authority. So where is the protector who will safeguard the Muslims? Our Prophet (saw) said, «إِنَّمَا الْإِمَامُ جُنّةٌ يُقَاتَلُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ وَيُتَّقَى بِهِ» “The Imam is but a shield, they fight behind him and are protected by him.”

This situation reveals the Ummah’s lack of sincere leadership that carries its Aqeedah (doctrine) with political responsibility, embodying the Prophet's (saw) saying,

«الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ لَا يَظْلِمُهُ وَلَا يَخْذُلُهُ وَلَا يُسْلِمُهُ» “A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim; he does not wrong him, nor does he abandon him, nor does he betray him.”

However, Muslims today have been left prey to the competing interests of the great powers, governed by systems designed to serve Western interests, not their own or their religion's. They have disregarded the words of Allah (swt),

[وَإِنِ اسْتَنصَرُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ فَعَلَيْكُمُ النَّصْرُ] “And if they seek your help in Deen, then you must help them.” [TMQ Surah Al-Anfal 73].

So where is the support for our people in Gaza, all of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and the Muslim world in general? Who will carry the banner of defending the oppressed as Ali and Umar (ra) did, following the example of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and acting according to his teachings?

The absence of a guardian state that protects Muslims and unites their ranks is the deepest wound in the body of the Ummah. This wound will not heal until the Ummah regains its awareness and dignity and works with Hizb ut-Tahrir to resume the Islamic way of life in reality by establishing the Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly GuidedCaliphate). Then, it will reject subservience and rise up on the foundation of its Deen and justice, so that those who truly wield its sword with justice and mercy will return to it.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Saif Marzouq – Wilayah Yemen