Bismillah wal-Hamdu lilla wal-Salatu wal-Salamu ‘ala Rasulillah
“Allah sent back those who disbelieved in their rage without their achieving any good at all. Allah saved the believers from having to fight. Allah is Most Strong, Almighty.”[1]
In light of the Turkish coup event on the 15th of July, 2016, we will not be following the normal political custom of starting with political analysis but, rather, we begin by thanking Allah, the Most High, and praising Him that he caused this coup attempt to turn on its head after it could have attained the same success as the disastrous coup against the government and people of Egypt.
Today we remind ourselves that Allah is the All Just. Allah is above all, and never lets down those who are sincere in upholding true Islamic values. Allah did not let down Erdogan and his party, nor the people who elected him knowing that he is the most astute, competent and suitable person to lead Turkey in the right direction. In the last election, his party secured a landslide 49.4% of the vote, never losing since it was formed. Whilst Erdogan, as an individual, gained 52% of the vote in 2014[2] as a result of his concurrent achievements for the local people and the Muslim world in general. An authority, not authoritarian, authorised by the vast majority of Turkey.
Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, in response to this morning’s news and in reference to President Erdogan, reminded us of when Khadijah (radiy-Allahu ‘anha) comforted the Prophet (sala Allahu ‘alayhi wasalam) following the first Wahy saying:
“By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones.”[3]
The Turkish government did the same for its citizens, saving them from the murky and impoverished, morally and economically bankrupt era of Ataturk, and likewise aided the Syrians by accommodating nearly three million in humanitarian conditions which are the best best available Syrian refugee camps in the world. This is not to mention its immeasurable service to Africa and the Muslim world. Note, it is only following the coup attempt that the world feared for the fate of these needy people![4]
The Prophet (sala Allahu ‘alayhi wasalam) further said:
“…Allah helps His slave as long as he helps his brother.”[5] And he (sala Allahu ‘alayhi wasalam) says: “recognise and acknowledge Allah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will remember you in times of adversity.”[6]
Erdogan and his government knew the Syrians and many others in times of ease, and thus Allah, All-Mighty, in turn supported him in the most dire of tests and the most difficult times, and did not allow him to be overcome by the plotted schemes of his adversaries and the evil schemers.
People and the social media went wild following the events in Turkey, full of passion and emotion over what was happening. Thousands upon thousands of messages enticing one another to make Du’aa for Turkey, others of denunciation and solidarity with the legitimate government, others encouraging people to descend to the streets. Huge, momentous support by all segments of the Ummah which acted as one body and force.
Dr. Salman al Oudeh tweeted: “‘So the last remnant of the people who did wrong was cut off. Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds!’[7] How fast is the relief of Allah?! And how fast is the showing of desperation of His slaves (Qunut)?!”
Without doubt, this is a positive sign that the Ummah is wide awake and wants to help those sincere in helping the Ummah and those sincere in following the religion as much as they can. We need to acknowledge the significance of people collectively supporting sincere leaders by distinguishing them from the crooks, and distinguishing Erdogan as being of one of the former category. All of this happened despite the criticisms levelled at him and his government by so many mouthpieces with vested interests. The collective commendation of the Ummah to a person carries so much significance to the extent that the Prophet (sala Allahu ‘alayhi wasalam) said:
“The angels are the witnesses of Allah in heaven, and you are the witnesses of Allah on Earth.”[8]
This further actualises the Ayah:
“If Allah helps you, no one can vanquish you. If He forsakes you, who can help you after that? So the believers should put their trust in Allah.”[9]
What happened shows starkly that real power and change, after the power of Allah and change Allah decrees, lies with people, not the military or any other group. We saw how the people instinctively and immediately took to the streets, so willing to sacrifice their souls and efforts to save the face of Turkey, following a single Facetime call by the much loved President Erdogan, encouraging people to occupy the streets. Pictures appeared of men grabbing tanks with their hands, hurling at them whatever they could, hitting them with sticks and confronting swarms of gunfire with their bare chests. All for their confidence in the sincerity of their leadership, a fact that cannot be distorted by any gloating outsider.
All the while the BBC and other local mouthpieces warped pictures as clear as daylight, ‘experts’ on the BBC claimed that this is a situation of an ‘ousted dictator’ who cannot get back into the country, just like any other ousted ‘dictator’. Glorification of the coup was clear by publically funded outlets like the BBC that speak loudly about their loathing of democracy that results in ‘Muslim governments’. A BBC radio presenter outrageously mentioned to a commentator: “there is a suggestion that Erdogan may have staged this coup to strengthen his grip on the country.” Can you imagine any media outlet repeating such conspiracies about terrorist attacks on a western targets?
Videos showed that the people of Turkey, despite what is said about their humble levels of religiosity, came out to prove otherwise, shouting ‘Bismillah‘, ‘Allahu Akbar‘, relying on Allah and raising their voices with Takbeer.[10] Social media reported how the Adhan resonated from Masaajid around Turkey, despite it not being a time of prayer time upon orders from the Minister of Religious Affairs, Mehmet Gormez. It was a way of seeking assistance from Allah. People, in times of calamity return to Allah, admitting that there is no help for them save Allah:
“Victory comes from no one but Allah. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.”[11]
What happened and the response of people ascertains the Islamic identity of Turkey beyond the spiel of any spectator and in contradiction to the defamation spurted by local media, that Turkey is ‘divided’, or that people are fed up with ‘conservative Islam’ and want a ‘liberal’, ‘secular’ democracy and other such nonsense. The Turkish government’s voter mandate of more than 22 million votes trounces that of ‘Brexit’ (17.4 million)[12] and crushes that of the Conservative party altogether (11 million), and obviously the appointment of Theresa May; not even a single democratic vote.
This coup exposed the hypocrites in both the West and across the Muslim world. Media outlets in some Muslim countries showed a huge degree of satisfaction at the coup, then exposed their depression when the coup failed. It has uncovered real faces, and will help Turkey clear up the army, and create a deterrent to any future coup in sha Allah.[13]
“If something good happens to you, it galls them. If something bad strikes you, they rejoice at it.”[14]
Look at the stark difference between Erdogan and his rivals who wished to overturn his leadership. Erdogan’s rivals found no way for the people to be governed under a so-called ‘liberal’, irreligious and secular system but to force it down their throats with military force. They impose a military against the people strategy. Erdogan, on the other hand was defended by the people against the military and this is the true mark of a leader, the one who influences the people and not the tanks.
Although Turkey’s leadership used the approach of democracy to ascend into power, winning one democratic election after another since 2002, it must be understood that ‘leadership’ in general is nothing but a contract between the leader and the people. If the people select a person or party to be their leader, they essentially endorse a contract between themselves and their leadership. Thus it becomes that anyone who breaks this contract has committed an act of impermissible exiting against the Islamically authorised leadership (Khuruj) or the grave sin of wanting to nullify this binding contract which has been ratified by the vast majority of the people. Though it came about through elective ‘democracy’, it is still a religiously binding ‘Shar’ee‘ matter that has such weight.
The Prophet (sala Allahu ‘alayhi wasalam) further said:
“Reconciliation is allowed among the Muslims, except for reconciliation that makes the lawful unlawful, or the unlawful lawful. And the Muslims will be held to their conditions, except the conditions that make the lawful unlawful, or the unlawful lawful.”[15]
Meaning the conditions that they ratify as binding for themselves including how they collectively choose to elect their leader.
A Call for our Sufi Friends
In the events and in their run-up, we noticed that some individuals affiliated to Sufi groups either supported the coup or encouraged their followers to stay silent, and thus refrain from supporting either side.
We do not know the Islamic legal (Shar’ee) basis for these positions. The key question is, what is their problem with Erdogan? Erdogan is not a so called ‘Wahabi’ or anti-Sufi, but rather such sentiment shows that the issue is not that of Wahabism or Sufism at all. In fact it shows that many of these groups are simply enacting the will of the global US-inspired effort to quell any Muslim leader who stands for the rights of Muslims and in opposition to western hegemony, like President Mohammad Morsi for instance. It is far from being an ‘Aqidah-related issue but, rather, what is consistent is that those against western hegemony are always condemned and labelled ‘Wahabi’, even if they do not fall into this categorisation at all.
We would like to see clear statements from the Sufi leaders of the world condemning those who supported this coup attempt including something to the effect that they will never stand or side with them. Furthermore, we request that they clarify that they will not stand or side with Western, anti-Islamic hegemony that has overruled past achievements by Muslim governments in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Algeria and, most recently, their attempts on Turkey, irrespective of the ‘Aqidah proclaimed by those the hegemony is occurring against.
Finally, we must make Du’a that Allah protects the Muslim Ummah, President Erdogan and its people and the Turkish state from the evil-doers and the enemies of Islam.
Those to whom hypocrites said, “Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.” But it [merely] increased them in faith, and they said, “Sufficient for us is Allah , and [He is] the best Disposer of affairs.” So they returned with favor from Allah and bounty, no harm having touched them. And they pursued the pleasure of Allah , and Allah is the possessor of great bounty.[16]
