WHY DO WE KEEP CALLING ON MUSLIM ARMIES TO DECLARE JIHAD AGAINST ISRAEL?!
Whenever we speak out about the brutal oppression faced by Muslims in Gaza and call upon Muslim armies to declare Jihad against the illegitimate Zionist entity, some people object or question us.
They ask: “With what strength?” Or “Why don’t you go to Gaza yourself?” These questions are neither rational nor rooted in Islamic legal principles.
First and foremost, when we talk about Jihad, we are not urging ordinary civilians to pick up arms and head to the battlefield. Our call is directed specifically to the Muslim armies—those with weapons, training, and military capability found in countries like Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan and others.
These are the ones who bear a clear responsibility before Allah to support their brothers and sisters in Gaza and across Palestine. How, then, can it be wrong for us to remind them of their sacred duties?
Do you have to be a military spokesman to speak the truth? Is it forbidden for a scholar, teacher or even an ordinary Muslim to call upon these forces to fulfill their Islamic obligations? If you think so, you have misunderstood the duty of the Ummah. Islam commands us to enjoin good and forbid evil, even when addressing rulers and armies. That is how the Ummah safeguards justice and stands for what is right.
Sadly, whenever we mention the need for Muslim armies to go and liberate Gaza, some react with anger.
They retort, “Why don’t you do it yourself?” This is a deflection, not an argument. If someone speaks against government corruption, must they be the president?
If someone critiques religious leadership, must they be a scholar? Likewise, if I call on armies to fulfill the obligation of Jihad, I don’t have to be a soldier myself.
Some skeptics ask: “Don’t these armies see the suffering in Gaza?”
This is a hypocritical question. If the armies are being held back by puppet rulers who are indifferent to the blood of Muslims, then it is our duty as citizens to continue urging them, awakening them and pressuring them, until they realize that the Ummah is awake and will no longer remain silent.
When we say Gaza needs Muslim armies, we are not talking about food aid or political speeches. We seriously mean an Islamic army that comes with strength, weapons and the will to liberate Masjid Al-Aqsa and the land of Palestine.
But because this message pierces the hearts of hypocrites, they will rush to suppress it, oppose it, and even mock it. Some might even sarcastically say, “If you feel that strongly, then go to Gaza yourself!”
As if caring about the Ummah is a crime, or as if calling for Jihad is foolishness. The real ignorance lies in those who oppose this call without evidence, without sound reasoning, only out of loyalty to the tyrants.
So let it be known: we will not remain silent in the face of oppression. We will continue to speak out, to urge, and to awaken the Ummah. Gaza is not just crying for prayers, it is crying for armies. Palestine does not need speeches, it needs a Muslim army with faith and strength.
And finally, to those who feign to follow the Salafi approach but turn a deaf ear to the cries of Gaza, know this: claiming to follow the Manhaj (methodology) of the Salaf while opposing the Jihad to liberate Al-Aqsa is the height of hypocrisy. The true Manhaj (methodology) of the Salaf is to stand with truth, defend Muslims and to wage Jihad when the situation demands it.
Do not align yourselves with the ranks of oppressors. Do not abandon the responsibilities of this Ummah. Gaza is calling, where are the armies of Muhammad?
Written by Ustadh Mahdi Ali,
Chairperson Of The Central Communications Committee,
Hizb ut Tahrir, Kenya.