- Our Message
- February 15, 2024
- 13 minutes read
The Changing of the Qibla: The Distinction of the Ummah and the Unity of Its Sentiments
All praise is to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, and upon his family, his companions, and those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows,
Allah the Almighty says: “The fools among the people will say, ‘What has turned them away from their Qibla, which they used to face?’ Say, ‘To Allah belong the east and the west. He guides whom He wills to a straight path’” – (Al-Baqara: 142).
In the middle of the month of Sha’ban in the second year of the Hijrah, a significant event took place: the changing of the Qibla from Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa to Al-Masjid Al-Haram. On this anniversary, the sentiments of the Muslims unite, and their spiritual, religious, and emotional belonging towards this sacred direction deepens. The spiritual and material communication among them is strengthened, the sense of empathy among all increases, and cooperative efforts in all fields are facilitated among those who face this one Qibla. This realization embodies the concept of the Ummah being one body: “The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion, and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever.” The Ummah will not achieve leadership and status in today’s world except by realizing the meanings of unity and practical cooperation among its states and peoples.
The incident of the changing of the Qibla completely translated the companions’ – may Allah be pleased with them – absolute obedience to the commands of Allah and His Messenger, as reported in Sahih Al-Bukhari: “While people were in Quba performing the morning prayer, a man came to them and said: ‘The Prophet ﷺhas been revealed Qur’an tonight, and he has been ordered to face the Kaaba, so face it.’ Their faces were towards Sham, so they turned towards the Kaaba.”
A single word and a testimony of truth leave no room for denial or doubt; because the pure, unblemished society knows only the truth, and knows only the immediate action after the divine command. It is a purification for the believing souls, a dedication for the sincere hearts, a distinction for the blessed nation, a silencing of the arrogant tongues, a revelation of the sick souls, and an exposure of the foolish of today and every day.
On this occasion, we remember what Professor Dr. Muhammad Badei, the General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood – may Allah free him – said: “The event of changing the Qibla from Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa to the Kaaba reminds us of Jerusalem, the blessed city around which this great event revolves, and which cries out to the consciences of Muslims and the free people in this world; to rescue it from the hands of the Zionists, who are changing its landmarks, expelling its people, attempting to falsify its history, and erase its Arab Islamic identity, and they will not achieve their goal – by Allah’s permission – as long as the mujahideen in Palestine hold onto their weapons, and as long as the nation supports and endorses the original right.”
Undoubtedly, what has happened in recent months from the Al-Aqsa flood in defense of Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa and stopping attempts to change its landmarks confirms that the Ummah is still in good health, and that the followers of Al-Banna, Al-Qassam, and Ahmad Yassin continue on their covenant with Allah to protect the nation’s sanctities and defend them with their lives.
Moreover, the Muslim Brotherhood reaffirms its commitment and continuity in following the path of the founder Imam martyr Hassan Al-Banna – may Allah have mercy on him – and his brothers after him, that the Palestinian cause is the foremost cause of this call and will remain so until liberation, by Allah’s will. We always recall and remember what the Honorable General Guide, Professor Dr. Muhammad Badei – may Allah release him and his brothers with dignity – said: “What the group in Egypt is subjected to is because of the attempt to complete the ’Deal of the Century’ and end the Palestinian issue, and we all chant: Life and everything in it can be sacrificed, but our Islam, our Palestine, our Jerusalem, our Al-Aqsa will never be trivialized.” Hence, we affirm from Egypt – which anticipates an imminent dawn by Allah’s will – our continued path with you, striving and struggling for the cause of the blessed Al-Aqsa; we were not delusional when we said (Jihad is our path, and death in the cause of Allah is our loftiest aspiration).
In the month of Sha’ban, we also affirm and remind of the necessity for us to take a moment to equip ourselves with provisions that will change the reality of the Ummah, elevate its status, restore its dignity, retrieve its honor, and enable it to attain the position Allah intended for it. This is in emulation of our Prophet – peace be upon him – who used to fast more in preparation for the month of fasting, and because it is a month in which deeds are elevated. So, let us take provision in it and increase in righteous deeds in hope of forgiveness of sins and elevation of ranks.
The Al-Aqsa Flood: Where To?
The ongoing resilience of the resistance in Palestine, after more than four months, serves as a vivid model of the jihad of the patient, believing group that the noble Messenger informed us about. Despite the betrayal and conspiracies by most Arab and Western regimes, Allah’s support for them is stronger than all the hardships they endure in their quest to liberate the blessed Al-Aqsa and all Palestinian lands, by Allah’s permission.
There is no doubt that the battle of the Al-Aqsa Flood is a link in the history of jihad that extends from the era of the Prophet – peace be upon him – until the end of time. This Ummah’s sacrifices are inexhaustible, nor does it lack men of truth and lions of battlefields through the ages. History bears witness to the heroism of the Ummah’s sons, and by Allah’s will, the processions of martyrs will not stop until our mosque, Al-Aqsa, and our occupied lands are liberated, and then the believers will rejoice in Allah’s victory.
What we see and witness of exceptional models of mujahideen in Palestine, who fear no blame for Allah’s sake, is undoubtedly an extension of the procession of heroes and men in this Ummah from its dawn to our present day. What an excellent succession for an excellent predecessor; to continue the processions of glory and dignity until Allah wills it to proceed.
In this context, we emphasize that the Arab and Islamic peoples and all the free people in the world – regardless of their affiliations, thoughts, and beliefs – are required today to continue their roles and fulfill their duties in support of the people of Gaza without hesitation or interruption. The event is significant, and the need is urgent to provide aid and exert effort to rescue more than two million Palestinians whose borders have been closed, aid blocked, and who have been deprived of their basic needs for survival and medical care, and denied all essentials of life.
We affirm that our duty towards our brothers does not diminish over time; rather, the need for it increases to substitute for them in their families and continue doing what is obligatory towards them, by all available means, and exerting popular pressure to open the crossing and fulfill obligations, coupled with sincere prayers for Allah to relieve their distress and grant them victory over their enemies, supported by all efforts to reach them with every possible aid and support: “And those who strive for Us – We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good.” – (Al-Ankabut: 69).
The group, along with the general Egyptian populace during the past period, has experienced and observed an unprecedented state of interaction, pride, and support for Palestine, despite security restrictions and governmental repression. There have been unprecedented successes in responding to boycott calls and other forms of interaction that do not appear on media screens! We believe this is proof of the breakdown of normalization and surrender calls, and the Egyptian people’s sympathy and support for the resistance and its figures have returned after years of distortion and betrayal by the coup authority’s media; the street was present with unexpected awareness, where the spirit of freedom and dignity revived, and the group touched upon what confirms that Allah’s favour on this call is everlasting despite the trials, and this is the beginning of good tidings of victory in this decisive battle that carried the name (Al-Aqsa Flood).
Our Beloved Egypt.. Between the Bitterness of Reality and the Will to Change
In Egypt, where the suffering of the people has reached its extent, and the land has become constricted for them as well as their own souls, in an economy that has reached the brink of an abyss, with an unprecedented collapse in the currency value, a rapid increase in prices, with fixed incomes, a dangerous widening in unemployment rates, and a significant paralysis in the industry; due to the inability to obtain dollars and provide production tools.
The reality has become more dangerous than economic experts had anticipated and more fierce on the citizens than everyone feared. The middle class has almost disappeared, its members have tasted the bitterness of poverty and need, the poor have been crushed and are waiting for their fate to be known, and even the rich are watching the value of their savings decline amid an inability to maintain their properties.
These severe economic repercussions are not isolated from the comprehensive and systematic dismantling attempts practiced by the coup authority since July 3, 2013, against all aspects of life in Egypt. The pace of injustice and aggression has increased, affecting all layers of society across its various components. The political space has been confiscated, and with it, all forms of party activity have disappeared except for faint images. The role of the citizen in public life has vanished, Egypt’s regional and international role has been minimized to its lowest limit, and national security is threatened from all directions. The youth have lost their enthusiasm for the future, rushing to leave their country by land, sea, and air in search of salvation. The Egyptian decision-making has become dependent on those who pay and purchase the country’s assets, as they began selling companies, lands, and strategic institutions under the pretext of the economic crisis created by the coup systematically.
The Egyptian people today have realized the glaring truth that the illegitimate coup regime is the one that has wronged them, confiscated their freedoms, mortgaged their will, squandered their wealth and economy, and it is primarily responsible for what has befallen the people. This truth can no longer be hidden or beautified by the coup’s media, and everyone realizes that the starting point and effective solution to what the situation has come to, is to rid of this era from that which has disfigured Egypt’s history, ruined its present, and mortgaged its future.
The Muslim Brotherhood emphasizes the urgent need, during this stage, for cohesion and compassion among all components of the society and for exerting energy to alleviate the suffering of those affected by this disaster. The group, being an integral part of the Egyptian social fabric, neither ahead of nor behind it, asserts that working to end this miserable era in Egypt’s history requires the cooperation and solidarity of all societal forces, including political elites, intellectuals, popular and religious institutions, with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif at the forefront, supporting the Egyptian people in their ordeal and undertaking the due role to rescue them from their predicament, until the people choose the decisive moment to declare their stance, reclaim their will, shake off the dust of injustice and corruption, and retrieve what the coup has robbed them of the precious and dignified meanings of life: “Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent.” – (At-Talaq: 3).
From the Group’s News
– On January 24, the Muslim Brotherhood announced the January 2024 document titled “Political Vision of the Muslim Brotherhood,” outlining its political vision and the foundations of its project, which received clear public support in several constitutional entitlements. The document also defined the starting points of the group’s political work, calling for the establishment of a future state that transcends all forms of political, ideological, religious, and social polarization, and unites all efforts to remove authoritarian military rule.
– The Muslim Brotherhood announces the cancellation of the annual Ramadan Iftar this year due to the criminal war on Gaza and in solidarity with our people in Palestine, directing all efforts and expenses to support our brothers in the sector. The group also calls for exerting energy and effort for more spending and support for them.
Dr. Mahmoud Hussein
Acting General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood
Saturday, 29 Rajab 1445 Hijri, corresponding to February 10, 2024