00:00If I asked the people of my who I am, I'm a believer, I'll live a day of a believer.
00:08Strengthening one's inner and outer self, developing a sophisticated Islamic personality and becoming a better Muslim.
00:17This is Naseer Reflections.
00:25Assalamu alaikum and welcome to Hizb al-Tahrir's English podcast.
00:29Between the past and the present, as we walk through the echoes of the past, we see the light, the glory, and the divine strength that once flowed through the hearts of the Islamic ummah.
00:38A strength born from faith, unity, and purpose.
00:41Yet standing in the silence of the present, a question stirs within the soul.
00:45What has dimmed that light?
00:47What has veiled the hearts that once led this ummah with wisdom and devotion?
00:51What have we lost that left us wandering in the shadows, longing for the spirit that once lifted us so high?
00:56Journeying back through time, wandering among the story of remarkable leaders who lifted the ummah to its glory,
01:03their names remained like sacred fingerprints in the heart, in mark of faith, strength, and eternal inspiration.
01:09Among the shining figures in the journey of the Islamic ummah stands Sultan Muhammad al-Fatih.
01:14At the age of 21, he fulfilled the prophecy of the Prophet peace be upon him by conquering Constantinople.
01:20While Constantinople was not an ordinary city, its mass of walls had stood unbroken for nearly a thousand years.
01:27Empires had tried and failed to capture it.
01:29However, Muhammad al-Fatih looked at those walls with the eyes of faith.
01:34His greatness wasn't only in victory, it was in vision.
01:37He was beyond description.
01:39Yet the words of those who spoke about him reflect the greatness that lived within his soul.
01:43Faith was his map, and patience was his weapon.
01:47He conquered not only a city, but the hearts of his people.
01:51While others so was, he saw a door that faith could open.
01:54He was young in age, but great in spirit.
01:56A soul that carried the dream of the ummah and turned prophecy into reality.
02:01We both remember another noble leader of this ummah.
02:04A man whose strength and faith left a mark, Sultan Abd al-Hamid II.
02:08At a time when colonial powers were aggressively dividing Muslim lands,
02:13Abd al-Hamid II sought to revive unity among Muslims across the world.
02:16He strengthened ties with Muslim communities far beyond Ottoman borders,
02:20from India to North Africa, reminding them that they shared a spiritual bond
02:24stronger than any political division.
02:26Under his caliphate, once again, become a symbol of identity,
02:29pride, and resistance against colonial oppression.
02:33Sultan Abd al-Hamid II is remembered for his unwavering stance regarding Palestine.
02:37When he was offered 150 million sterling in gold to sell Palestine,
02:42he emotionally replied,
02:44I cannot sell one fruit of the land, for it does not belong to me.
02:47It belongs to the ummah.
02:49He was a leader who loved this ummah, protected its lands,
02:52defended its honor, and worked tirelessly for its future.
02:56Both leaders carried the same flame, faith in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala,
03:00justice for all, and love for the ummah.
03:02The rise wasn't built on wealth or numbers,
03:04but on sincerity and obedience to the one who grants victory.
03:07Looking at the state of our ummah today,
03:09our eyes filled with tears.
03:11We remember the greatness we once lived,
03:13the honor that wrapped this ummah from east to west,
03:16when Muslims stood as one body,
03:19one heart, united against oppression.
03:21The glory we once had,
03:23the strength we had carried,
03:24a light we shared with the world.
03:26We then ask ourselves,
03:27what happened to this ummah in the absence of true leaders?
03:31What happens when Kerry traded,
03:32and those who called themselves leaders,
03:34stood silent while the cries of the oppressed filled the earth?
03:37We look around,
03:38and see Muslims suffering in every corner of the world.
03:41Their homes destroyed,
03:43their futures stolen,
03:44their voices trembling,
03:45yet no leader rises,
03:47no protector stands,
03:48no strength response.
03:50Their pain echoes in the empty halls of power,
03:52unanswered and unheard.
03:54How can we forget the story of al-Mu'tasam,
03:56when a single woman cried,
03:58O Mu'tasam,
03:59where are you?
04:00Her voice reached the heart of a leader whose sense of honor shook the world.
04:03Due to her cry,
04:04he moved armies for her dignity.
04:06He opened the nation.
04:07This story falls upon our hearts like a sharp blade,
04:10reminding us of the giants who once woke this ummah,
04:13leaders whose heart burned with justice,
04:16faith,
04:16and courage.
04:17And today,
04:18today hundreds of thousands of Muslims cry out.
04:21Not one voice,
04:22but countless voices.
04:24Not one tear,
04:25but oceans of tears.
04:26They call for help,
04:27they plead for mercy.
04:28They wait for someone to rise,
04:29but their screams dissolve into silence.
04:32No leader answers,
04:33no Mu'tasam appears.
04:35This pain is not just a memory,
04:37it's a wound in the heart of the ummah.
04:39Yet,
04:40with every tear we shed,
04:42we pray to the one who never abandons,
04:43his servants.
04:44We pray that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
04:46restores this ummah with leaders of truth,
04:49courage,
04:50and sincerity.
04:50Leaders who will rescue the oppressed,
04:53protect the weak,
04:54and revive the glory that once made this ummah
04:56a beacon for the world.
04:57May this beacon rise sooner than we may imagine.
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