[From the speeches of the Annual Khilafah (Caliphate) Conference organized by the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir on Saturday, 21 Rajab 1447 AH, corresponding to 10 January 2026 CE, broadcast via the TV channel of the Hizb, Al-Waqiyah TV under the title, “The Khilafah (Caliphate): The Vital Issue of the Ummah”]
The Culture of Defeat and Submission
Ustadh Abu Nizar ash-Shami

The most dangerous diseases that afflict the body are those that attack the immune system. When the immune system is weakened, the body’s pathways open their gates to hordes of germs, which wreak havoc without restraint or countering. Among the most prominent features that distinguished life under the Khilafah (Caliphate), and whose loss we suffer and bitterly endure today, are two:

The first: the state of immunity, which was embodied in the kind of iron dome of thought with which the Khilafah surrounded society, protecting it from impurities and doubts, and keeping the Islamic ideology fortified, pure, and pristine. How many famous debates did Islamic history and its eminent ulema witness, that crushed the instigators of sedition, buried them, and silenced their supporters.

The second characteristic is the general feeling of pride, belonging, and empowerment among the people. A Muslim walking the streets of the Khilafah feels he has a strong support, his heart swelled with pride upon hearing of the Ameer Yusuf ibn Tashfin's victory over Alfonso's army, which liberated Toledo. He witnesses the songs of joy and the decorations of victory celebrating the triumphant return of the commander Alp Arslan after the Battle of Manzikert, which opened up Anatolia.

Children and women stand firmly before their rulers, holding them accountable, or questioning them without being broken by the aura of grandeur, magnificence, and sublimity. They view the ruler as someone subject to accountability, not above it; an implementer of the law, not its master. Indeed, the law is what governs him and them all. For this reason, most Khulafa’a (Caliphs) were disciplined, and a generation of leaders, ambassadors, and conquerors emerged who knew neither bowing their heads nor flattering individuals, but rather a pride that corrected the crooked and deterred the deviant. These two noble qualities — intellectual immunity that purifies the concepts of Islam from all blemish, and a sense of pride in a Deen that achieves victories every day — have accompanied our Islamic history and strengthened the Muslim character, making it powerful, formidable, and resistant to weakening and misguidance.

The conspiracies of the disbelieving (kuffar) colonialists, after destroying the Khilafah, did not overlook these two qualities, nor their ability to quickly awaken the Muslim giant after its fall.

Therefore, they focused their entire intellectual arsenal against it, deploying their media and cultural fleets, reinforced by an army of corrupt ulema, political opportunists, and instigators of sedition.

The aim behind all this is to produce a model of a Muslim devoid of self-confidence, lacking confidence in his Ummah, and with a shaky understanding of his Deen. Consequently, this Muslim becomes easily misled and deceived, readily swayed, quickly absorbed into Western civilization, and devoid of any zeal to protect the sanctity of his Ummah. As for the perpetuation of a culture of defeat, this was primarily the work of ulema who were themselves defeated from within, or self-serving individuals who profited from the patronage of rulers in exchange for promoting this culture of defeat among the people.

The young Muslim man performs wudu (ablution) and heads to the Salah of Jumuah on Friday, his heart heavy with sorrow for the Muslim victims in Burma, or the massacres perpetrated by China against the Uyghurs. He enters the masjid hoping to hear something that will lift his spirits or alleviate his despair, only to find the preacher on the minbar (pulpit), holding a thick whip, mercilessly lashing the worshippers, “We are an Ummah without merit! You are a generation unworthy of victory! All other nations are more advanced than you!” And so, the Muslim leaves the masjid, his skin flayed by the sheikh’s whip, his despair deepening and his frustration intensifying. Even if a glimmer of hope remains, the media then extinguishes it completely.

The media and ulema of Deen, along with their educational programs, corrupt social media platforms, and caravans of intellectuals indoctrinated by the West and its poisons, all work to entrench a culture of defeat from within, spreading doubts that lead Muslims astray from their Deen.

Ultimately, everyone celebrates the creation of a model of the defeated Muslim, devoid of Islamic pride, ignorant of the politics of their Deen and their role within it, viewing rulers as infallible, justifying every transgression they commit, even if they don’t understand the justification.

Not only that, but this culture of defeat has molded a generation incapable of even perceiving the countless instances of glory in the life of the Prophet (saw) of glory. They read his seerah (biography) but are only struck by perceived dispensations and exceptions. All we hear from them are phrases like, “We can’t,” “We are forced,” and “The West is stronger than us.” They see in the pages of pride only (امحها يا علي) “Erase it, O Ali (ra),” or (تتقوا منهم تقاة) “Take precautions against them,” without any insight into the meanings of the Shariah texts, their conditions, their context, their principles, or their overall meaning. Thus, all the constants of Shariah loyalty (wulaa) and principles of emulation are disregarded, and the very foundations for which the Companions (ra) shed their blood are neglected. Even the most patient Dawah carriers are left bewildered, finding themselves needing lectures and sermons to evidence that what is forbidden (haram) is forbidden, and what is obligatory is obligatory (wajib)!

I ask you, what more could tyrants wish for than this generation?

Young men and women who see normalization with murderers as political shrewdness, submission to the West as a tactical maneuver, and the suspension of Shariah as a Machiavellian permit.

Yes, brothers and sisters:

The defeated are the best allies of tyrants; they are their crutch, the narcotic that paralyzes the resolve of the honorable and aborts their awakening.

O defeated ones, awaken and open your eyes wide! Awaken, for history does not favor the intoxicated.

Ask your media: Where is the media coverage of the sweeping spread — by the Grace of Allah (swt) — of the Dawah for the Khilafah (Caliphate) across the six continents of the earth?! Where is their coverage of the results of global public opinion polls conducted by strategic studies centers like the Pew Research Center and the Princeton Center, whose statistics confirm the yearning of Muslim populations to live under Sharia law? We don’t hear about this enough, but we do hear this media eagerly reporting on the arrests and persecutions of these Dawah carriers. Why? Because news of arrests weakens morale and reinforces a sense of defeat.

Where is this media coverage of the tens of thousands of Christians, Jews, and atheists who decide to abandon their lives of misguidance and stand to bear witness that there is no god but Allah (swt) and that Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah? Even the British newspaper, “The Guardian” has published repeated warnings that Islam is the fastest-growing religion, and their calculations estimate that within just four decades, our Deen will seize the position of the world’s largest and number one religion. All of this is while Muslims lack a Khilafah, a unified Shariah authority, and leadership. Moreover, we face a systematic global war aimed at distorting Islam and terrorizing its followers.

We implore you, by Allah (swt), we implore this blind media and these oppressive sheikhs: Are not the stories of the memorizers of the Quran, the ulema, the mujahideen, the Dawah carriers, and the legions of heroes in our Ummah today, more deserving of your attention than the tales of the corrupt, the capitulators, and the worshippers of the West? Wouldn’t focusing on our strengths, of which there are many, be better for you than playing the role of the bereaved mourner on screens and minbars every day?

And of course, the chapters of defeat will not be complete without spreading doubts that shake the Muslim mind and confuse its understanding. These are doubts we go to sleep with and wake up to, doubts and falsehoods that aim to secularize Islam, emptying it of its dignity, strength, and essence, and transforming it into a set of domesticated, ritualistic, priestly practices — so far removed from the path of the Prophet (saw), the Seerah of the true leader of Muslims, and the policies of his great successor Khulafa'a (Caliphs). Doubts akin to intellectual drugs paralyze the senses and render them inactive, such as: “Abandon the Dawah for change and sit waiting for the Mahdi,” “Sit and abandon political action,” “Sit and forsake partisan structuring with your brothers,” “Sit, for there is no political system in Islam,” “Sit, for your tyrannical rulers are your leaders, and it is impermissible to challenge them,” “Sit, for the blame lies with you, not the rulers,” “This generation is not the generation of victory,” “Sit and watch as the bonds of Islam are unraveled, one by one...”

These drugs have weakened resolve and eroded honor and zeal, until the young men and women have become bewildered and lost, fearing even their closest brothers, unable to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

This is especially so since the purveyors of this worthless merchandise are given wide-open platforms by television channels, millions of dollars are spent on them, and they are presented under titles such as Islamic thinker, eminent alim, and profound faqih. They all pursue this poor Muslim on his television, his mobile phone, between the pages of his books, and within the walls of his university and masjid!

O Shabaab, O brothers and sisters:

This distortion of our Deen — who but you can defend it? Who but your efforts can ward off this harm from Islam? The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said,

«يَحْمِلُ هَذَا الْعِلْمَ مِنْ كُلِّ خَلَفٍ عُدُولُهُ يَنْفُونَ عَنْهُ تَحْرِيفَ الْغَالِينَ وَانْتِحَالَ الْمُبْطِلِينَ وَتَأْوِيلَ الْجَاهِلِينَ»

“This knowledge will be carried by the just ulema of every generation, who will refute the distortions of the extremists, the fabrications of the liars, and the misinterpretations of the ignorant.” [Al-Bayhaqi]

Would you not love to be the just ulema of this generation? Learn your Deen from its true ulema. You will not find most of these true ulema on television or at the tables of rulers. Beware of any call that incites you to inaction, despair, or the undermining of the established principles that your forefathers, the ulema, memorized with their ink and that your Khulafa'a (Caliphs) defended with their blood. Your Messenger (saw) says, «لَا تَفُتُّوا فِي أَعْضَادِ النَّاسِ» “Do not weaken the people’s resolve.” [The Prophetic Seerah by Ibn Hisham].

Your Messenger (saw) says,

«بَشِّرْ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ بِالسَّنَاءِ وَالرِّفْعَةِ، وَالدِّينِ وَالنَّصْرِ وَالتَّمْكِينِ فِي الْأَرْضِ»

“Give this ummah glad tidings of glory and elevation, of Deen, victory, and empowerment on earth.” [Ahmad, Al-Hakim, Al-Bayhaqi]

We, by the will of Allah (swt) and no other, and our generation and no other, are the ones who will witness change, by the power and might of Allah (swt). Put your reliance (tawakkul) upon Allah (swt) and trust in your Ummah, whose awakening terrifies the West and its allies, for they know how many heroes and righteous people it possesses.

You are not worthless; otherwise, why would the West and its agents fight you and fear your unity? You are the ones who defeated America and repeatedly humiliated it in the dust of Afghanistan. You are the ones who toppled four regimes that people thought were sturdy, with no end. You are the ones who make sacrifices in Palestine, and whose mujahideen have humiliated the Jews in the dust of Gaza.

How great you are, and how great your Ummah is! How great it is in its unifying, compelling, and convincing Aqeedah, the loss of which has caused the world's order to stumble and fall.

How great our Ummah is in its young men and women! How the West, whose backs are weary with age, longs to possess the vigor, energy, and vitality of your young men and women!

How great our Ummah is in its strategic location, and the riches of its land and sea, which Allah (swt) has bestowed upon us, and denied to the wretched and the deviant of the earth.

How great we are in the Shariah of our Lord, Allah (swt), which guided humanity in the past and is the only one capable today of saving us, and indeed saving America, Europe, and Russia, from the quagmire of capitalism, which even its own people suffer under.

By Allah (swt), you lack nothing but a leader upon true guidance, around whom you will rally in a Bayah pledge based on the Book of Allah (swt) and the Sunnah of His Prophet (saw), transforming this earth into light and justice after it has been filled with oppression and injustice.

O Allah (swt), do not delay this era for us longer, and make us among its witnesses, its soldiers, and its allies. All praise be for Allah (swt), Lord of all humanity.