Early in the morning on February 6th two major 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes devastated Southern Turkey and Northern Syria—leaving the densely populated areas in rubble, the populace in shock, and with a death toll that keeps rising.
We send our deepest condolences for the Muslims that have lost loved ones. We send our deepest sympathies to those that have been injured, lost their homes or their livelihoods.
May Allah سبحانه وتعالى shower His Mercy and Forgiveness upon those that have passed away and count them as shuhada!
May Allah سبحانه وتعالى soften the hearts of those that have lost loved ones and cover them with the cloak of Iman and Sabr!
May Allah سبحانه وتعالى provide ease for the rescue and aid efforts of those responding to the pain of the Ummah!
This hardship is a test. Allah سبحانه وتعالى addresses the Muslims accordingly:
“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, Who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.” (TMQ Al-Baqarah 2:155)
Hence, if the Muslim has patience and perseverance upon Islam alone, then the hardship reduces his bad deeds and increases his good deeds on the Day of Resurrection.
Muslims globally are reeling with pain and horror at the sight of their brothers and sisters suffering and are scrambling to do what they can to help. The hearts of the Muslims ache, eyes are swollen from tears, and hands are raised in supplication to Allah (swt). Like other tragedies that have befallen and continue to afflict the Muslims, we are given the constant reminder of the irrelevance of the political borders and nationalism that serve to divide the Muslims. We will always be characterized as one Ummah.
The Prophet (saw) said, “You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness and fever with it.” (Bukhari)
While Muslims have scrambled globally to organize and send what they can in terms of aid in their individual capacities, there remains painful silence from those that have the responsibility, capability, and duty to respond to this disaster.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Beware, every one of you is a shepherd and everyone is answerable with regard to his flock. The ruler is a shepherd over the people and shall be questioned about his subjects. A man is a guardian over the members of his family…Beware, every one of you is a guardian and every one of you shall be questioned with regard to his trust.” (Muslim)
The extent and magnitude of the calamity that has struck Turkey and Syria is undeniable—as is the extent and magnitude of the resources, effort, and time needed to manage this disaster. The reality is this requires the mobilization and distribution of the vast resources in the Muslim world from Indonesia to Morocco. This is how it was managed under the Khilafah when Khaleefah Umar (ra) received assistance from the wilayahs (provinces of the Khilafah) on an emergency basis. It is narrated by Ibn Kathir in his book ‘Al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya’, “Umar (ra) wrote to Abu Musa (ra) in Basra, “Assist the Ummah of Muhammad (ﷺ) .” And he wrote to Amr bin Al-Aas in Misr that “Assist the Ummah of Muhammad (ﷺ) .” So, each of them sent to him a huge caravan laden with grain and all manner of foodstuffs.”
It was also narrated that Khaleefah Umar (ra) said, “If an animal, in the land of Iraq trips, I would be afraid that Allah would account me, for not fixing the road for it.”
This is the leadership, this is the care, this is the mobilization that is needed.
Not a leadership that spends $230 Billion on a World Cup.
Not a leadership that is spending $1 trillion for a 2030 vision that is purely to promote moral corruption and the further secularization of the Muslims.
Not a leadership that spends to maintain ties with the illegal Zionist entity that occupies the blessed land of Palestine.
Not a leadership that spends on vanity projects, on the enemies of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, on themselves, on their colonial masters, while the Muslims from Indonesia to Morocco struggle with poverty, hardship, and disaster!
We ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to support and accept the effort of the Ummah in responding to the plight of their brothers and sisters in Turkey and Syria and we ask Allah (swt) to bless the ummah with sincere and real Islamic leadership that will mobilize the resources of the Muslims and rise to assist the Ummah of Muhammad (ﷺ)!
Hizb ut-Tahrir America
Rajab 19, 1444
February 10, 2023
