The Ummah today does not suffer from a shortage of those who pray, nor does it lack those who fast, or those who have memorised the Qur’an. It is not void of those who make the minor and major pilgrimages (Umrah and Hajj), which are, in fact, the busiest they have ever been. The Ummah does not suffer from those who give in charity. In the UK alone, it is reported that British Muslims donate £1.79 billion a year to charitable causes; four times more than the national average. The Ummah does not even lack in new Muslims entering into the Deen of Allah. The rate of people accepting Islam in Europe has increased by a staggering 400% since the beginning of Israel’s assault on Gaza, on October 7 2023. Indeed, if the entirety of the Ummah were to line up in congregation for prayer, the first row would start in Makkah and the last would extend across oceans, and continents. Such is the quantity of those who stand before their Lord.

But all this, alone, does not defeat an enemy, nor liberate a land, nor does it protect the life and honour of the Muslims. Has any of this stopped the bombs from falling on Gaza, or ended the famines in Yemen? Has it lifted the siege on the Rohingya, or the Uyghur camps in Xinjiang? Has it ended the suffering in Sudan, or the humiliation in Kashmir? If these sheer acts of worship alone were the key to victory, would not this Ummah have triumphed long ago?

We must therefore understand that the issues facing the Ummah are not because of a lack of individual ibadaat (worship). The real calamity is in our mistaken belief that these acts of individual worship alone, will bring about ʿizzah (honour) and nasr (victory) from Allah ﷻ.

If that were truly the case, then the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would not have been what it was. He ﷺ would not have endured persecution in Makkah, nor would he have left the safety of his home to face humiliation in Taʾif, seeking support not for protection, but for nusrah, i.e., political support to establish the Deen. He would not have formed the first Islamic state in Madinah, laid down its constitution or prepared armies for Jihad, fisabilillah (in the path of Allah ﷻ). He would not have sent letters to emperors, such as Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor, inviting him to embrace Islam. The Seerah (the Prophet ﷺ’s biography) itself is a testimony that Islam was never a private affair, full of ibadaat alone, but a public mission to change the world.

The reality is that we, as an Ummah, have abandoned the collective obligations (fard kifayah), and focused solely on the individual obligations (fard ʿayn). Fard ʿayn carries benefit or harm, reward or punishment for the individual only, while fard kifayah carries reward or punishment for the entire Ummah. Indeed, it’s abandonment, has led to the weak state of the Muslim world.

But, did you not hear the warning of Allah ﷻ in the Qur’an?

وَٱتَّقُوا۟ فِتْنَةًۭ لَّا تُصِيبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ مِنكُمْ خَآصَّةًۭ ۖ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ

“Beware of a trial that will not only affect the wrongdoers among you. And know that Allah is severe in punishment.” [Sarah al-Anfal, 8:25]

And did you not hear the words of the Prophet ﷺ:

وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَتَأْمُرُنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَلَتَنْهَوُنَّ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ أَوْ لَيُوشِكَنَّ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَبْعَثَ عَلَيْكُمْ عِقَابًا مِنْهُ ثُمَّ تَدْعُونَهُ فَلاَ يُسْتَجَابُ لَكُمْ

“By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! Either you command good and forbid evil, or Allah will soon send upon you a punishment from Him, then you will call upon Him, but He will not respond to you.” [Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Fitan, 2169]

And he ﷺ said:

إِذَا رَأَيْتَ أُمَّتِي تَهَابُ الظَّالِمَ أَنْ تَقُولَ لَهُ أَنْتَ ظَالِمٌ فَقَدْ تُوُدِّعَ مِنْهُمْ

“When you see my nation afraid to tell the oppressor that he is an oppressor, they have been forsaken.” [Musnad Ahmad, 6784]

Our crisis therefore lies in the abandonment of Islam, on a comprehensive, political, economic and social level, and in forsaking the obligation to command good and forbid evil, to speak the truth against oppressive rulers, and to uproot the treacherous regimes that have replaced Islam with nationalism and secularism; systems inherited from colonialism.

Look at the reality today. What is Egypt but a prison for ʿulamaʾ and activists? What are the regimes of Jordan, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Pakistan doing for Islam besides protecting borders drawn by their former colonisers and paying homage to the same colonisers’ financial institutions, such as the IMF and World Bank? The flags we carry today are not symbols of unity, but relics of division. ‘Independence’ has been granted, but not from these colonial bodies, which still influence our lands, but from the implementation of the Shari’ah, and a unified Ummah. The flags have replaced the banner of la ilaha illa Allah and become substitutes for the very concept of an Ummah.

History bears witness to the fact that Islam was at its strongest when the Ummah was united under one banner, one state, and one leadership. During the Golden Age, knowledge flourished, justice was upheld, and the enemies of Islam feared the might of a single, unified Ummah, spanning from Andalus (Spain) to Baghdad to India. The unified Ummah led the world in science, medicine, trade, and governance. It was not through Western democracy or nationalism, but through obedience to Allah ﷻ and the implementation of His Shariʿah. Disunity has only brought decline; but unity, as Islam had preached, brought strength, dignity, and honour. And so, it is clear, the Ummah must once again establish the command of Allah ﷻ collectively, by establishing His rule (ḥukm) and restoring the authority of Islam over all affairs.

And to those who say, “But we are weaker in military power and technology”, you should know that we are not defeated by the military strength of the enemy, nor by their tanks, jets, or drones, nor by their surveillance satellites or AI systems, nor by their billions in defence budgets. We are defeated the moment we disobey Allah ﷻ, the moment we abandon His collective commands, the moment we trade His Deen for pragmatism, nationalism, and foreign alliances.

Have we forgotten the Battle of Badr, where the Muslims were outnumbered more than three to one. Yet, Allah ﷻ revealed:

وَلَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِبَدْرٍۢ وَأَنتُمْ أَذِلَّةٌۭ ۖ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

“Indeed, Allah made you victorious at Badr when you were ˹vastly˺ outnumbered. So be mindful of Allah, perhaps you will be grateful.” [Surah Al ʿImran, 3:123]

And have we forgotten the Battle of al-Yarmuk, where 40,000 Muslim soldiers under Khalid ibn al-Walid (رضي الله عنه) crushed an army of 200,000 Byzantine soldiers?

What gave the Muslims these victories? Was it weaponry, technology or their numbers ? No. It was that the Muslims stood as a single body, under a single banner, with a single goal. And more importantly, they trusted in Allah ﷻ when He said:

إِن يَنصُرْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِن يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَنصُرُكُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ ۗ وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ

“If Allah helps you, none can defeat you. But if He denies you help, then who else can help you? So in Allah let the believers put their trust.” [Surah Al ʿImran, 3:160]

And are we not reminded of this reality, when Allah ﷻ says:

كَم مِّن فِئَةٍۢ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةًۭ كَثِيرَةًۢ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ

“How many times has a small force vanquished a mighty army by the Will of Allah! And Allah is ˹always˺ with the steadfast.” [Al-Baqarah, 2:249]

The path is clear. We gain victory through this religion and by holding firmly to His strong rope. And we are defeated when we turn to international legitimacy and lean on the oppressors. Have you not reflected on the words of Allah ﷻ, when He says:

وَلَا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُم مِّنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ

“And do not incline towards those who do wrong, lest the Fire touches you. And you will have no protectors besides Allah, then you will not be helped.” [Surah Hud: 113]

In our time, how many governments in the Muslim world seek alliances with the very powers who have harmed our people, occupied our lands, and undermined our faith? How often do we look for safety, validation, or support from the same hands that feed weapons for our demise. Why do we hand over trillions in dollars to the regimes who are responsible for the annihilation of our people. Does this verse not remind them that true protection lies only with Allah ﷻ, and that the more we align ourselves with oppressors, the more we distance ourselves from His help.

And Allah ﷻ says:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ

“Indeed, Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves.” [Surah al-Raʿd: 11]

We often quote this verse personally, as if it only refers to our own habits or private behaviour, but in reality, it speaks to the condition of a people (i.e., in the plural). It speaks to the Ummah. If we want to see a change in our situation, an end to humiliation, occupation, and bloodshed then we must take collective steps: by rejecting systems that oppress us, by standing up for truth, and by building toward a unified political future that reflects Allah ﷻ’s guidance.

It is clear what the path to our honour and victory is. The strength of this Ummah has always come from its unity, its true submission to Allah (not just acts of Ibadaat), and its true commitment to His commands.

اللَّهُمَّ أَصْلِحْ أُمَّةَ مُحَمَّدٍ، اللَّهُمَّ انْصُرِ الإِسْلَامَ وَأَهْلَهُ فِي كُلِّ مَكَانٍ

 Allahumma aslih Ummata Muhammad. Allahumma nsuril-Islama wa ahlahu fi kulli makaan

O Allah! Rectify the Ummah of Muḥammad ﷺ. O Allah! Grant victory to Islam and its people wherever they may be.