International Affairs

Libya: The Promise of Allah is Always True

by AmatuRahman

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar!                    God is Greater, God is Greater, God is Greater!

Allahu Akbar kabira!                                                          God is Greater

Walhamdu lillahi katheera                                               and praise be to God

Wa subhana allah bukratan wa asila!                           and glory be to God, in the evening and the morning

These are the words I could not stop chanting loudly in my car as I drove home from work last Monday. These are the words the fighters for freedom in Libya chant as they march from city to city and town to town and village to village, risking and giving their lives for the sake of those who will come after, so that they may taste life in true tawheed, where one fears none but Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala – Exalted is He), where idolatry in the form of fear of an ‘omnipresent’ dictator no longer tarnishes one’s pure belief.

I pointed to the calendar the other day, telling my mother that the 20th of Ramadan was the Historic Opening of Mecca. Something will happen in Libya. Something big. Insha’Allah (God willing) the Opening of Tripoli, in the same peaceful way that Mecca was opened. Unbeknownst to me, I wasn’t the only one thinking along those lines. The revolutionaries from East, West, and South of Tripoli, having freed most major cities and towns on the way to the capital, literally had the Mediterranean port surrounded. Ships of trained men were on their way from Benghazi, fighters were ready from nearby Zawiyah to the South and Misrata to the East, and their brothers were coming down from the mountains in the West . They selected the 20th of Ramadan as the day they would begin freeing the capital, for its blessed marking of the historic opening of Mecca. They could not have chosen a better day, nor could they have selected a better example than that of our Beloved, the Messenger of God, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him).

At Maghrib (sunset), cries of takbeer (‘Allahu Akbar’) were heard from all the mosques in Tripoli, giving the signal for the revolutionaries to go out and initiate the plan to free the Capital. Eyewitnesses reported mercenaries fleeing in fear from the sound of ‘Allahu Akbar.’ Announcements poured through to the Tyrant’s men: “Drop your weapons, and you will be safe. Enter your homes and you will be given amnesty.” The leader of the Transitional Council urged everyone to act in a calm and controlled manner, to protect all property, and to give amnesty to all who seek protection and surrender. This was not a time for revenge, he said. In the freed city of Benghazi, the streets and city center were filled with people: praying, weeping, making du`a’ (supplication). Shuyookh (pl. of shaykh, scholars) requested that every Muslim in the world fill their prayers that night with du`a’ for the Libyan capital.

Surely, with the intense du`a’s, patience, and sincere tawakkul (reliance) on Allah (swt)—Victory and Help came swiftly from Allah (swt). Shortly after Maghrib, many regions of Tripoli were quickly cleared of the Tyrant’s men. The revolutionaries armed and protected these cities. Shortly thereafter, the wave of revolutionaries from the South and East had begun to arrive. They managed to enter the Center of Tripoli with no resistance. Within a matter of 24 hours, all of Tripoli was cleared with the exception of the Tyrant’s compound in Bab al-Aziziyah.

Every man and woman that called Al Jazeera to share reports of the astonishing victory began by reciting prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ, followed by thanking Allah (swt) for His Victory.

“And incumbent upon Us was support of the believers” (Quran 30:47).

This is the revolution in which the Prophet ﷺ was seen many times in visions—giving the believers glad tidings of victory. This is the revolution that started with heavy rain, as did all the battles in which the Prophet ﷺ was victorious. This is the revolution whose momentum, weaponry, and cries were that of ‘ALLAHU AKBAR’. This is revolution that had the enemies fleeing and trembling in terror from the chants of ‘Allahu Akbar’ emanating from the tongues and hearts of those with deep conviction.

As I drove to work that Monday reciting my morning dhkir (remembrance of God), I could not stop the silent tears streaming down my face as I read the salah `ala annabiyy (prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ). I could almost picture Rasul Allah ﷺ and feel what he felt as he returned to Mecca on the Day of its Opening. Ya Rasul Allah (O Messenger of God) ﷺ, it is your example we strive to follow, both openly and privately, outwardly and inwardly, and it is our hope that this Victory from Allah (swt) is our reward for that struggle. Are you proud of us?

Brothers and sisters, Allah (swt), the One who gave Victory to all the Prophets, is ever-Living, ever-Watching, ever-Aware. His promise to bring Victory to the Believers continues to hold true as strongly as it always has. It is only up to us to have that firm and unwavering belief in Him, that complete and total reliance on Him Alone; and surely, He will not turn away from our call.

In these beautiful days of this blessed month of Ramadan, turn to Allah (swt). Express your incapability, your weakness, your absolute dependence and reliance on Him. And He will hold you up. He will grant you strength. He will Plan for you. And He will lead you in ways you have never imagined. Never lose hope in Allah’s (swt) promise. With imaan (faith), reliance, and patience, we can never go wrong.

Please do not forget to keep the entire Ummah (community) in your du`a’s this month, particularly for our brothers and sisters in Libya, Syria, and Yemen—that they remain steadfast in their faith and practice, grateful and humble to their Lord, and ever obedient to Him.

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27 Comments

  • Jazakallah Khair for including the religious perspective to this story of the Libyan revolution. We just don’t hear this stuff from the regular news channels.

  • Asalamu Alaikum Shaikh Suhaib

    Interesting perspective – difference between Afghanistan war and Libyan war is that Muslims Were fighting Soviet Occupation and in Libya case a so called dictator .

    In Afghan it took another war with the West in the quest for freedom

    With Libya , we shall wait and see how western interests are negotiated with rebels and how real freedom is brought to all citizens

    Hussein

    • Just a clarification. This was written by Sister AmatuRahman and not Imam Suhaib. The sister has done a wonderful job expressing her very sagacious perspective regarding the revolution in Libya in written word, ma sha’ Allah.

    • ASA, I agree, Insha’Allah I certainly hope that the rebels will institute the shariah according to the regulations of the Quran and Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad(PBUH)and keep the west beliefs completely out of the equation, because there ways do not work.

  • Subhanallah, the feeling the over took me while reading this article in beyond explanation. May Allah help and guide our beloved sisters and brother in Libya, ma He have mercy on their souls and ease their way. Ameen

  • assalamu aliekum,
    jazaki Allah alf khair for this sister…
    so beautifully written & very much needed…
    absolutely and simply beautiful- barak Allah feeki ^_____^

    • This article demonizes the rebels when the fact of the matter is that Sub-Saharan Africans have been mistreated by both groups.

      ‘Amnesty International Both sides to the ongoing conflict in Libya must ensure that detainees in their custody are not tortured or otherwise ill-treated Amnesty International said today. The call followed reports from Amnesty International’s delegation in Libya on Tuesday, which has gathered powerful testimonies from survivors of abuse at the hands of both pro-Gaddafi soldiers and rebel forces, in and around the town of Az-Zawiya.’

      Also, see–> http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/08/28/libya.gadhafi.nanny/index.html?iref=NS1

  • ASA
    Do you think NATO and the drones of the Americans are an answer to your dua too. Just remember that its not the revolution, but what comes after. If you think the TNC represents the sunna of the Prophet then you are really naive.

  • “This is no revolution. This is not even a popular uprising. This is a ruined revolution. Who but NATO can turn a popular uprising with revolutionary potential into a reactionary political puppet movement headed by former lieutenants of Gaddafi? Who but NATO can smash the concrete revolutionary actions of Arab youths? The dreams of those who expected a real revolutionary moment in which the entire bizarre model of government of Jamahiriyyah were trampled upon by the boots of French and British special forces.

    Here was the brave people of Libya acting on their own to throw off the shackles of Gaddafi’s tyranny before sinister forces with colonial nostalgia interfered. There Western forces were the same one totally infatuated with Gaddafi. The “freedom” president, George W. Bush, was paradoxically–the paradox of rhetoric only–the US president who earned the honor of normalizing relations between the Libyan dictator and Western powers. A Saudi prince, the notorious Bandar Bin Sultan, had aided Libya in reaching out to Western countries.

    How could this be a revolution when NATO is now in charge?
    If Egypt and Tunisia can’t be said to constitute a real “revolution” in a Marxist sense, in which political and social powers are dismantled, the Libyan situation falls far short of such a criterion.

    Liberals and conservatives (and former leftists) who utter NATO and “revolution” in the same sentence seem to take little note of this fact. But it is not the first time they come together to bless yet another Western military intervention. Hillary Clinton went–in a matter of weeks really–from meeting with the head of the Libyan secret police, Mu`tasim–one of Gaddafi’s sons, to counting the regime’s the human rights violations, and reminding he world of its brutal nature. Obama did the same. Both flip-flopped because they have utter contempt for their Arab audiences. They really don’t think that Arabs are smart enough to notice or to recall their recent stances from weeks ago, when they embraced the dictator.

    The Libyan people deserve congratulations for overthrowing a dictator, but they deserve truthful warnings: that the new Libya may not fulfil the promises of freedom and prosperity. Western oil companies are scrambling to get a foothold in the new Libya, just as they competed to win favor with Qaddafi’s’s regime. The Libyan Transitional Council does not bode well: it is headed by Qaddafi’s Minister of Justice and his second-in-command is the former mentor of none other than Gaddafi’s son Sayf Al-Islam. The Gaddafi era may have ended, but with NATO in charge, it is likely that the new leader of Libya is another Hamid Karzai or an even more compliant client of Western powers. Mustafa Abd al-Jalil will be the weakest leader of any Middle East country; With NATO in charge, it is certain that Libya won’t be free. For that to happen, the Libyan people have to rise up again, this time against the external forces of colonial powers, and against the reactionary ideologies that the new Libyan government will bring along with it.”

    • What you described towards the end of your citation could be true, but it would be an example of history repeating itself. Libya was colonized by Italy and struggled against it for years. But it took the “Allies” (i.e. British) intervention to oust the Italians. Libya was then occupied by the Allies from 1943-1951 until it was turned into a Kingdom under King Idris. The parallels are as follows:

      Gaddafi Regime ~ Italians
      British ~ British
      Libyans ~ Libyans

    • anon,
      you seem to have a notion that any civil war (as in the case in libya) is a clean war with clearly known interest groups and objectives. if you look at the war of independence of Bangladesh when the world was bipolar, the country was bound to be part of the marxist sphere of influence, and clearly played into Indian geopolitical interest but to the surprise of many with CIA backed coup detat it was brought back into the capitalist camp. The major backers in the libyan civil war so far seems to be NATO, UK and France with a weak front of TNC but its anybody’s plain to see that TNC would not be able to lead the country into its next phase of economic liberation from its old alliances. i am not so sure that libyan self-reliance would call for another miliary conflict, but it would very well test its democratic institutions (independent media, parliament, civil society) which are absent in the case of libya. this brings back to the the original blogger’s optimism, who sees potentiality and endearing faith in the opening that was made by the “revolution” as he sees fit. as a non-libyan i cannot underestimate the political will of a libyan who knows what it was like living in “shirk” and oppression, as he calls it. Even the people of free makkah were belligerent to the point till amnesty was announced to them, they made a conscious decision to cease warfare because even they could see the benefit of being party to the new political process in makkah. so all i am telling is that, let us pray for the cesession of killing in libya and hope that the tyrant is replaced with a lessor evil, then have faith on the judgement of the libyan people and pray that Allah (swt) put out the lights of those who scheme against him.

  • Victory comes only from Allah and it is given to those who fight in the course of Him. With their steadfast and firm in the name of Allah Victory is theirs.

  • Wow Anon..I feel exactly the same way but yet very people seem to understand or know this..its really odd..everyone is so obsessed about Libya and it being free but yet no one has really thought about the long term consequences of such an uprising. It’s a shame really because once the reality hits, it will be too late.

  • سبحان الله
    Truely Allah has spoken the truth.

    After reading I got an Imaan boost.

    May Allah bless our muslim brothers and sister everywhere. May Allah increase the honour and glory of the Ummah.

  • Salaams

    The devastation wreaked on Iraq(based on fabricated evidence) and Afghanistan and other parts of the World is a reality .

    Also the Colonial legacy of installing Dictators and carving out nation states is another reality .

    The very same colonial masters claim to now free the countries that were chained .

    Interesting debate- May Allah guide towards the truth.

    Hussein

  • Eid Mubarak,

    Let me start by saying that the following remarks are not those I had planned to be my first contribution to this excellent website. Nor are they the kind of thing I would have liked to say to fellow Muslims after my first ever Ramadan fast. All the same, in humility and with the best intentions, I feel compelled to make them.

    Does anyone not utterly lost in wishful thinking really believe the disinformation filling the airwaves about “freedom fighters” and true future democracy in Libya?

    Unfortunately for most Libyans, I’m afraid that anyone suggesting that post-Ghadaffi Libya will be any more free and/or Islamic and/or democratic than is post-Saddam Iraq, or is post-Taliban Afghanistan, is either deeply mislead by the mass media, or is cynically planning to mislead the rest of us.

    When the dust has cleared, I suspect that there’ll be rather less of the romantic nonsense as given in the above article, and rather more bleak and hard reality. That reality will have nothing to do with Islam, and everything to do with conflict at home, and exploitation by those abroad.

    The war in Libya was planned and paid for by the very advanced capitalist, not very democratic, and very un-Islamic, states who will be milking (or should I say oiling) the country’s wealth for years to come. Without weapons, training, and materiel supplied by these states it wouldn’t have lasted a month. Add to that the likely terrorist attacks by the sizeable Ghadaffi loyalists, and the inevitable future structural readjustment of the Libyan economy to make it fit into the plans of NATO and the IMF, and I see only more pain for those in Libya who need freedom and democracy most.

  • I am shocked by the pessimism seen in some of these comments, as well as unfortunately, the ignorant understanding of the true nature of the Libyan revolution. This was and is a people’s revolution. Victory only comes from Allah—and if you see and hear of the on-the-ground situation in Libya, you would come to understand that the Libyan people sought and received this Victory from Allah. Allah (swt) uses whomever He wills and however He wills to grant victory to those that rely on Him. If anyone is confused about the energy and momentum behind this revolution, please listen to the two Eid Khutbas this year, both from Tripoli and Benghazi. You will get a feel for it firsthand. Also, please never forget Allah (swt) ALONE is in charge of the affairs of this world, and those of us who turn to Him both individually and collectively, will enjoy His response. I pray with all my heart that Allah (swt) does not fulfill the pessimistic and ungrounded expectations of some of these comments. Ameen!

  • Well Libya is going the Iraq way.The Europeans are signing contracts for usurping Libya’s oil wealth.France,Italy,Britain have already signed.France has been given the control over 35% of Libya’s oil. Gaddafi has survived and will launch a bloody guerilla war in which only Muslims will be killed. So all in all,Libyans are not the winners,sadly,its the Western Countries.They wanted Oil,they got it. Libyans will get only bloodshed and a Destroyed country……..As Usual the destruction of the Ummah continues…….Libya is just the most recent part of Ummah to go down the drain…….I feel sad that i can do nothing as I see another Muslim country getting engulfed in Civil war,anarchy,Chaos while its resources go to the Crusaders…..Sad 🙁

  • the Rebels are not angels either. Al Jazeera and other News networks are reporting mass rapes by Rebel forces! the Black African workers are being racially discriminated against and Nigerian women migrants in Libya have been raped by rebels too…… It gives me a lot of Pain to see racist behavior among muslims…..its so painfull. Our Black brothers are equivalent to us and aren’t inferior! When will Arabs give up their Superiority Complex?

    • Al Jazeera reporting that ‘rebels’ are involved mass rapes?!?!? Not once. Let us please get our facts and information straight before spreading such lies. Racial discrimination? Are you aware that Libyans are both ‘white’ and ‘black’ and have lived together as brothers and sisters for centuries?

  • As long as Muslims remain divided, they will meet with successive failures, defeats and decline.
    They will suffer uninterrupted humiliations
    Their lands and wealth will be plundered
    Their enemies will use bluffs and propagada to legitimize their aggressions in order to perpetuate increasingly bloody crimes and genocide

  • When will we step out of this victimized mindset? We do, as Muslims, have the power to change our situation with the help of God. Let us not discredit the struggles and sacrifices thousands of Libyans have made to win their freedom. Please step out of your assumptions and perceptions and learn about the struggle from primary sources. You will be pleasantly surprised. There is reason to be optimistic, Alhamdulillah.

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