Fifteenth Ramadan Lecture Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi, 1443 A.H.
I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the outcast.
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
Praise is to Allah, the Lord of Worlds. I believe that there is no god but Allah, He is the Sovereign and the Manifest Truth; and that Muhammad, our master, is His servant, messenger, and last prophet.
O Allah, confer Your Salat (prayers) and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad just as You conferred Your Salat (prayers) and blessings upon Ibrahim and the Family of Ibrahim. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahedeen.
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you, as well as the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
O Allah, guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are the All-Hearing and the All-knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Most Relenting and the Most Merciful.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says in the Holy Quran, {‘Cooperate with each other in righteousness and Taqwa, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression. And be mindful of Allah. Surely, Allah is severe in punishment’}[Al-Ma’idah 5:2].
The saying of Allah (Glory be to Him) has included {‘Cooperate with each other in righteousness and Taqwa’} as He is talking to believers, talking to us, all Muslims. This is a great, important principle of Islam, which the Ummah needs for its religion and the wellbeing of its life.
Islam is a collective religion that builds the Ummah and unifies it in holding to the greatest, most sacred, and loftiest values, morals, and goals. It also identifies the collective responsibilities of the Ummah that require the Ummah to join forces, organizes its movement in the march of its life in a way that matches its affiliation to faith, maintains its human dignity, and eventually produces fruitful, great results: righteousness and Taqwa, which leads to the wellbeing of the Ummah’s life.
In general, cooperation means joining collective efforts to accomplish a specific goal, to perform a specific work, or to discharge a specific responsibility. It is well known to all humans that collective effort is (in terms of the level of accomplishment, the level of integration, the level of reducing the individual cost, and at the level of ability and capability) is greater [than any other effort] and essential for accomplishing most duties, responsibilities, and major activities that require collective effort.
Individual effort is limited to a person’s abilities and capabilities, at the level of one person. These capabilities differ, whether at the material and moral levels, the mental and physical levels, or the level of capabilities and means. They [these levels] differ from one person to another, and in all cases, individual effort remains limited: A person's ability to accomplish work and to discharge duties cannot go beyond a specific level. However, in the reality of people, because life, the life of human society, is an interconnected life, and it contains general, common interests, general, common responsibilities, and great goals, there is no way these can be accomplished through individual effort. It is impossible for some to be accomplished through individual effort: They require cooperation, and this is a realistic matter which is noticed in the life of human societies.
Human societies are organized and come in the form of states, entities, communities, tribes, or other forms. People in every human society, regardless of its form, have common goals, common life, and common interests and share collective effort and collective concerns, so they even coordinate individual effort according to a collective policy and orientation. This is of a real-life occurrence; however, it varies from one society to another in its occurrence and its fruit.
The most successful, strongest, and most achieving societies are those which have been able to raise the level of cooperation and orient the state of cooperation to a better level, a stronger level, and a greater level, in accordance with a correct vision. When there is a correct vision backed by collective effort and general activities coordinated to serve a common goal, great results will be achieved in the end. This is a well-known matter in the human reality, and it is applicable (as we mentioned) in our era as well as in all the past periods of time.
The negative state in the reality of Muslim society is that it's less cooperative in everything (at the level of what is beneficial for it in its life, what is in harmony with its religion, and what helps it achieve great benefits in all fields). The current state that suffers from dispersal of efforts, fragmentation, and division, as well as from encouraging individual effort and selfishness and seeking to make the Ummah lose its social connections and its collective emotions, orientations, attitudes, responsibilities, and concerns has helped to a great extent strengthen the individual vision and orientation to many people in the Ummah. This is what weakened Muslims in an era where they could possibly be of the strongest nations, if not the strongest. That is because they [the people of the Muslim Ummah] have capabilities, abilities, wealth, and manpower, besides the light and guidance of Allah, which is the best of what the Ummah can gather around. It [the guidance and light of Allah] is the most perfect, the most elegant, the highest, and the most guiding thing the Ummah can gather around so that it obtains goodness in its life and the Hereafter and plays a constructive, fruitful, positive, and righteous role in leading other human societies and having influence over them.
Western societies, for example, European countries and the USA, and some other societies in other continents, such as Asian societies like China, have taken the concept of cooperation to heart and shared the same concern, orientation, attitude, and interests. That is despite the fact that societies in the West are capitalist societies that prioritize the individual and the interest of the individual. Although they have this belief and principle of capitalism, which hugely concentrates on the individual and acts according to what is in the interest of the individual without paying attention to the public interest, they have recognized that even when seeking to achieve the best interest of the individual, the benefits and advantages the individual can gain through collective effort and cooperation are much greater than what s/he can gain when following an individual approach. They have also recognized that the interests of all societies (economic, political, security, and social interests) are connected in reality. Therefore, it is clear that it is possible to coordinate cooperation and to organize collective effort in a way that ensures individual privacy and doesn’t ignore other considerations such as Islamic family-related instructions: {‘But blood relatives are nearer to one another in the Scripture of Allah’}[Al-Anfal 8:75].
They have recognized that and benefited a lot from it. Therefore, huge entities were established, and their abilities and capabilities have increased, making them hugely productive. They always have a lot of firms and foundations in all fields, even at the level of research where thinkers and theorists join their efforts as well as at the level of economic activity—different foundations and firms. Most activities in all various fields depend on foundations, firms, and groupings where capabilities, abilities, and talents are joined, leading to the best, greatest results.
In contrast, we, as Islamic society, live in a state of chaos where orientation towards individual effort is at its highest. We no longer share the same concern and cause that make all people should join forces. We have also lost our common responsibility that we recognize it is a burden that we should shoulder and move to fulfill it in an appropriate way.
Nowadays, in Western society, even at the level of huge projects, different countries cooperate together. You can notice how many countries have cooperated in space-related activities, for example, and the international station: space exploration, satellites, space-based observations, and activities that have to do with monitoring geographical and environmental changes on the earth, etc.! They cooperate in many things despite the capabilities of each country of them. Each country has great capabilities, but each prefers to cooperate with other countries on many expensive matters. This has a great importance in reducing expenses so that no single country has to bear what is a heavy burden and can affect its other interests and concerns.
Anyway, the other countries, societies, and entities in the world did succeed in benefiting from the principle of cooperation with each other in the interests of their lives, even in building their conspiracy against our Ummah, and even in their cooperation in sin and transgression. They succeeded in that to a great extent in a way that cannot be compared to the state our Ummah has fallen into by not cooperating in righteousness and Taqwa for the good of its religion and life. This is really regrettable, and its consequences have harmed the Ummah and led it to what it is now: disintegration, chaos, loss, and division, as well as many obstacles that reinforced the state of separation between the people of this Ummah, between one another, and between their efforts as well! So, Kuffar [those who reject the diving message] have benefitted from cooperationin everything.
However, as a Muslim Ummah, Allah speaks to us, saying, {‘And cooperate in righteousness and Taqwa’}[Al-Ma’idah 5:2]. We are those for whom Allah has prescribed and presented the greatest principles, which are the best for Ummah to gather around and the best for all humans as well: great principles, sacred goals, and great, noble values and morals. He also provided us with what can help us educationally to achieve brotherhood, cooperation, harmony, understanding, and closeness and so we gain the highest level of cooperation. Allah tells this Ummah, {‘And hold firmly to the rope of Allah and do not be divided’}[Ali ‘Imran 3:104]. Our Ummah has this responsibility, {'Let there be a group among you who call [others] to goodness, enjoin what is good, and forbid what is wrong—it is they who will be successful'}[Ali 'Imran 3:104]—collective responsibilities, but we didn’t benefit from them, nor did collective principles, and so on. A lot of instructions [given by Allah] show us the fruit of collective effort, cooperation, and its results and benefits in this life and the Hereafter.
However, the effort of those who seek promoting division with the use of all means and all banners (at the intellectual level, cultural level, political level, and all other levels) is huge, and it has a considerable impact on the reality of the Ummah, leading our Muslim society into a state that is completely different to the state of other societies. It did not benefit from cooperation in anything. [It is] a huge Ummah: Muslims are more than a billion Muslims; their abilities, capabilities, and wealth are great; and they are not an Ummah that Allah has left without wealth or resources in its land, left it without anything, left with zero provision, or given it nothing. It has its share of Allah' generosity: {‘We provide both these and those from the bounty of your Lord. And the bounty of your Lord can never be withheld’}[Al-Isra 17:20]. Allah bestowed His bounty upon the Ummah, and even Allah provided it with a lot of resources. Indeed, it has a lot of capabilities and human and material wealth. It has (if it goes back to its correct vision) the great, blessed light and guidance from Allah, which could have raised the Ummah to the highest levels.
We notice how great the loss of the Islamic Ummah is when it abandoned this principle in its reality.
At the military level, the Islamic Ummah seems to be too militarily weak before its enemies even to address the Palestinian issue. We all know that if the efforts of Muslims as well as their capabilities combined, and [if they had] an honest will, serious efforts, and dependence on Allah (Glory be to Him), Palestine would not be usurped, [our] enemies would not be defiling the blessed Aqsa Mosque, which is one of the Muslims’ sanctities. Also, the Palestinian people, who are part of Muslims, part of the Ummah, and part of the Arabs, would not be suffering persecution, injustice, and oppression, suffering what is practiced against them of unjust procedures, abused every day by their enemies as well as the enemies of the Ummah: daily suffering, daily persecution with all kinds (killing, wounding, jailing, destruction, indecent assault, uprooting olive trees, destroying farms, usurping the territory, looting of property, and beating, etc.). All kinds of persecution exist and are practiced against the Palestinian people for decades now.
The Ummah stands helplessly as if it could not end this injustice, save that people, regain part of what belongs to it [the Ummah, part of its sanctities, part of its territory and land, and save part of it, part of its entity, people, and sones. In the face of the great collaboration the Israeli enemy enjoyed (the clear Western collaboration with the Israeli enemy), the Muslims showed much less cooperation among themselves. This is just one example! In the face of other challenges and dangers, we all know that if Muslims join forces and cooperate to push dangers away, they would have been a great power in the world, and their state would be different.
At the economic level, Muslims do not have a single currency. Europeans have made themselves a single currency (Euro), so it has become a significant currency with great value and an international importance. Western society has, to a great extent, adopted the dollar, and then Arabs and oil-producing Arabian countries adopted the dollar [as well], making it an international currency. They made the English language an international language, and they made their policies international due to the division of Muslims and the complete subordination of some [Arabian] regimes to them, to the enemies of the Ummah. They [Arabian regimes] have followed Western society and cooperated with it instead of cooperating with their Ummah.
There is no common market for Muslims: Indeed, Muslims do not have a common market. Their economic relations and trade exchange cannot go beyond the roof determined by the USA and do stand ready to act according to the US's instructions, sanctions, and blockade against any people of the Islamic Ummah peoples. So, Muslims have lost a lot of what they would have gained if they had cooperated and had had understandings at the economic level, at the military level, and at the political level. Furthermore, the Ummah does not have political influence compared to its size, its capabilities, and its abilities. At all levels, at the charitable level, misery would not have spread in any country of the countries of this Ummah if they [countries of the Ummah] had cooperated at the charitable level. The same is true for every field: The loss of Muslims is great. That is because they have turned away from the principle of {‘And cooperate in good and Taqwa’}.
Instead, some regimes, countries, and entities turned to cooperate with their enemies, and to subject their powers, capabilities, wealth as well as their attitudes and positions to serve the enemies of the Ummah. This is a clear issue about some regimes in their total subordination to the USA, in their service to the USA, and in their service to the West, and eventually to Israel, the Israeli enemy. They have gone into declared relationships and the so-called normalization, lifting many restrictions—the same kind of restrictions they impose on other Islamic peoples and Arabian countries. They have provided nationalities to Israelis and removed customs duties. Also, they have opened the doors for them to come in, go out, or move into their countries without restrictions, with all facilitations, and even trade facilitations, etc. They have even directed their efforts into investment activities to support them. This way, they have done with them what they have never done with the peoples of their Ummah or with the countries of the Islamic world. This is a clear state of great deviation. Today, talking about Muslims cooperating altogether or hoping for it has become like talking about impossible. That is, this issue is no longer hoped for due to the Muslims’ state of problems, obstacles, differences, division, hollowness, chaos, and separation as well as obstacles and boundaries imposed by regimes and governments, who perfectly play this role along with misleaders and spoilers who direct their negative efforts to to strike the Ummah from the inside. People should not depend on the occurrence of cooperation and unity among all Muslims when seeking to achieve great or important work or great because this is almost impossible.
What can be relied on and can produce [fruitful results] is what the free and the conscious of this Ummah do. However, this, in the beginning, requires raising this kind of awareness among the Ummah, enhance Islamic affiliation among Muslims, which serves a common title for Muslims to gather around as one Ummah that has collective responsibilities and shares the same destiny and concerns. Then comes cooperation, as well as coordination and coming to understanding regarding the most prominent issues. Any level of cooperation that can take place at the current circumstance is an important, required level: It is required at the level of the people of charity among this Ummah, who have a sense of responsibility; the righteous among the people of this Ummah; and the people of awareness among this Ummah, who carry the burden of the Ummah, the reality of the Ummah, the suffering of the Ummah, the destiny of the Ummah, and the future of the Ummah, and who put their trust in Allah (Glory be to Him) and recognize and believe in the greatness of the Islamic and Quranic principles. Whatever cooperation occurs between them in all fields related to the great questions of the Ummah and the collective responsibilities of the Ummah, is required. It also exists now after Allah distinguished between Munafiqin and the righteous among this Ummah—{‘Allah would not leave the believers in the condition you were in, until He distinguished the evil from the good’}[Ali ‘Imran 3:179]—in the midst of it is recently taking place regarding the normalization of ties with the Israeli enemy and other issues.
Therefore, at the level of the people of awareness among the Ummah, cooperation can be enhanced, as well as at the level of the people of charity, at the level of the countries, and at the level of active actors among the Ummah, who share this kind of direction that is principal, ethical, and humanitarian in its nature. This direction is the wise and correct direction that goes in line with human nature and should be adopted by the people of the Ummah.
Then at the internal level, at the level of every nation, we, the Yemeni people as an example, are a Muslim society, and our identity is a faith-based identity: ‘The belief is that of the Yemenites, and sagacity is that of the Yemenites’. Our society (Thanks to Allah) still holds to its principles, values, and morals to a great extent. It interacts with the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him) and is aware of the greatness of the instructions of Allah (Glory be to Him), although to different levels among people, for they are not all the same in their awareness of these matters nor in their reactions to them.
Today, as we remain faithful to our principal, moral, and value-based position that calls for independence and refuses subordination to Kafirin and Munfiqin (our position that calls for independence out of our awareness that we are an Ummah that has its principles, values, morals, and the cultural project based on which it should move), we have to thoroughly recognize that, especially as we have seen and lived the result of cooperation in the face of challenges: the great challenge which is the aggression (the aggression of the coalition of sin and transgression). The American and Saudi aggression against our county is an international, regional aggression that enjoyed the participation of Munafiqun and traitors among the people of our nation and launched its attacks and massive aggression on our country with clear goals: occupying our country as a whole, completely taking control over it and its people. It [the coalition] used all means of destruction in its aggression against our country, and it was keen to break the will of this people through committing the most horrible crimes against this people and through the suffocating, tough blockade against this nation. However, what was it more than depending on Allah (Glory be to Him) and putting trust in Allah (Glory be to Him) that contributed to the steadfastness and unity of our people till today? [It has been] seven years, in which the coalition of the aggression has only met hopelessness, inability, failure, and the acknowledged defeat, the defeat that different countries have talked about, even as well as the entities sponsoring this aggression. It has become well known that they have failed in their aggression, in achieving their goals. This is the fruit of the cooperation between the people of this nation when they cooperated in discharging their collective responsibilities in Jihad in the cause of Allah and defending against this aggression.
At the military level, the positive result of this aggression appeared when the free people and heroes among our people from all different governorates and tribes mobilized enormous efforts, rushed into the battlefield, shouldered their responsibilities. That cooperation has led to a great outcome.
Cooperation at the level of charitable activities has also led to great results. Similarly, the cooperation in finding solutions for social problems has had substantial outcomes in reality. In all fields where cooperation took place, there have been good and positive results.
Islam pushes us to cooperate with one another to the degree that it points out collective responsibilities that require cooperation: Jihad in the cause of Allah, for example, is a collective responsibility that requires cooperation; enjoining what is right and forbidding what wrong is also a collective responsibility that requires cooperation; and doing good contains collective responsibilities that require cooperation. Cooperation is beneficial and has great fruits; therefore, what if it occurs at a broader level that covers all fields in addition to our collective responsibilities like Jihad in the cause of Allah! It [Jihad] depends on cooperation: the better cooperation is achieved within Jihad, the greater the results harvested. This is a very essential issue that we have to understand and be aware of. Prosperity lies in collective efforts and cooperation; whenever cooperation is available at broader and larger levels, it has greater and more enormous results.
Therefore, we—as Yemeni people in particular and the Ummah in general— have to realize the importance of the principle of cooperation on righteousness and Taqwa, be aware of the fact that accomplishing our collective responsibilities requires cooperation, so we need to work seriously to achieve it in reality.
When we come to all fields, the economic field—the economic field has become one of the main fields of conflict, where paying efforts with good and conscious intention and sincere devotion is a kind of Jihad in the cause of Allah. That is because the enemies are launching a multi-faced and comprehensive war against our people and Ummah in all fields and focus a great part of their efforts towards the economic field through blockade. The issue that helps them in our blockade is the people’s reliance on importing goods, which poses a problem in having foreign currency (dollar) and decreases the value of local currency and increases prices. Another problem is transferring commodities into the country, in addition to the problems caused by the international and regional instability, which can bring about an extra rise in price and increases the people’s suffering. What can we do to strengthen the economic situation in our country? [It is] our reliance on Allah (Glory be to Him), trust in Him, and cooperation, for individual efforts can go nowhere. Local capital is low because the majority of our people are poor or from the low-income who may not able to provide for the basic needs of their families. So, how can they participate in commercial or investment activities in order to solve their economic problem? The solution is capital accumulation through cooperation. The cooperative effort in the economic field is one of the most important strategies that improves economy and solves the problem of living, which is a source of grief and pain for lots of families and paterfamilias whose primary concern is to meet the basic needs of their families and to work hard to achieve that.
What do people around the world do? They establish commercial, economic, and investment institutions and share-based companies, where capital can be collected from a million citizens, for example, five hundred thousand citizens, fifty thousand citizens, or any number of people till it becomes huge capital to be effectively invested in any field; this helps addressing the economic situation on one hand and strengthening domestic production, addressing the problem of unemployment, and benefiting from labour on the other. In some frauds that happened in our country, swindlers were able to collect billions. In one of these cases, as we were told, the total sum mounted to more than forty billion riyals, collected under the title of investment and commercial activity; they had been collected through fraud and deceptive ways from the low income people who participated by shares—some paid five thousand riyals. Thus, very huge sums were collected.
However, when it comes to the investment activity that depends on investment companies, institutions, and projects, it should be established on a solid foundation under official sponsorship or initiatives sponsored by well-known, reliable, and trustworthy entities from the sons of the Yemeni people so that a person won't become a victim of frauds respond to unknown or anonymous any person who might be a swindler or a fraudster calling for any investment or a cooperative activity.
Share-based investment can solve the problem of poverty in our country to a large extent, improve the economic situation, increase domestic production, and gather a lot of capital, even from the people of low income. This is an easy way for them; it is used abroad as well.
There are some fields, where the government may also cooperate with merchants and citizens who are shareholders. There is huge room for citizens to participate in investment fields of large income and boost the trade movement. This is what the official side and people should work on. There are a lot of good people who have high spirit and great care and are aware of the importance of these matters and of the need to work and pay efforts. What harms people is laziness. Whatever potentials our nations have, they always complain about poverty, as if they did not have any resources. Notice, for example, the situation in Yemen and Sudan. Even though it [Sudan] is one of the best countries in terms of agriculture and the agricultural production potential that can make it exceeds all Arab nations in agricultural production, it suffers severely, for there is no one to establish a good system or care about the interests of this nation through beneficial activities.
Here in Yemen, the aggression has come as a very big pressure. The economic field has become one of the fields of conflict, where we should pay efforts with reliance on Allah, turning to Him (Glory be to Him) for relief, and with adherence to His instructions and commands. This is what can help people obtain blessings and providence from Allah (Glory be to Him).
In addition, at the level of orientations and policies, one of the most important things we need with regard to domestic production is attempting to reduce costs and improve quality. Farmers need to be aware of this, and production companies and institutions that might be established [in the future] should seek to achieve this: How to reduce the cost lower and ensure a good quality capable of competing foreign products.
Then come the policies that oblige merchants to focus on supporting and marketing domestic products and keep away from causing any harm to the internal production through foreign products. In such a case, cooperation, being supported by policies, orientations, and procedures at the official level and the popular level, becomes fruitful and useful and addresses lots of problems at the economic level: It addresses misery and deprivation, reduces the level of unemployment, and tackles the phenomenon of beggary without neglecting Zakat, alms, and spending. All of this requires work, production, and economic investment effort. So, if cooperation is applied in the economic field in accordance with Allah's instructions, it will have marvelous and big results.
When it comes to services and service projects, cooperation is one of the most important things that we need. It helps in solving a very big problem in this field. There are lots of villages in need of paved roads. How has this problem been solved in some areas? It has been solved through social initiatives, where people cooperate, work, and pay efforts together, funding and contributing as much as they can. Then, they enjoy official or philanthropic support. This way makes many important projects succeed and greatly gets many problems solved. More effort can be made in this particular, and more cooperation can be sought to expand its range beyond the village, tribe, and district—in some cases, it may cover a governorate. Sometimes, the range may get broader when good and righteous merchants cooperate with official entities to reduce the costs, raise the production, and achieve great, enormous, and substantial results.
Social initiatives are a successful way and need to be enhanced, strengthened, expanded, organized in a better way, more supported, and taken care of based on the principle of cooperation due to its importance and great results. At the social level, when it comes to social problems, cooperation is a must. Indeed, it is fruitful in solving social problems and in promoting Taqwa, as it helps reducing the negative phenomena and behaviours that usually aim to corrupt society. When there is social awareness to reject such phenomena, to fight, prevent, and limit them through cooperation and understanding of all the people in society, this protects the society from hostile intrusion.
In this period of history, our Muslim society is targeted in its ethics, values, chastity, purity, and righteousness. It is highly targeted by various means, such as the Internet, social media, and many different means. So, if the society itself cooperates in righteousness and Taqwa, it will limit (with its cooperation and understanding) corruption and negative phenomena. This is how it can immunize itself.
In addition, [it will be immunized] by preserving deep-rooted values and good habits in society. Our society (thanks to Allah) has a great inheritance of deep-rooted values, which are tribal, Islamic, and innate values. If society protects them, they will protect, immunize, and preserve it [Yemeni society] from infiltration. They preserve its identity, strength, unity, and affiliation to faith.
Also, with regard to facilitating marriage, it is part of cooperation in righteousness and Taqwa; it requires cooperation: There needs to be a certain limit that should not be crossed. In addition, the poor who are married need to be supported. Cooperation at the tribal level is a well-grounded habit in our Yemeni society, and there are norms for each tribe that requires it to cooperate and to shoulder financial burdens. This solves many problems, and it has important results. We must protect most of them [tribal habits] if they are in line with Islamic teachings, and rectify what does not go in line with the Sharia (law) of Allah, Allah-prescribed way of life, and the instructions of Allah (Glory be to Him).
Cooperation expresses great values such as mercy, the will to do good to others, and a state free from selfishness. It also expresses awareness: a person who is aware of the importance of cooperation definitely realizes that it is a profit for society in every respect. Even selfish people who only care about themselves, they realize that cooperation benefits them. Cooperation does not deprive a person of his/her privacy nor the individual’s ownership of his/her personal properties. Cooperation is not like communism or socialism, which existed before and deprived the person of the right to ownership; cooperation is in the best interest of the individual, as well as the interest of the society. It includes direct contribution and coordination of efforts to arrive at one destination. So, cooperation has its fruits, importance, and value in everything (that is cooperation in righteousness and Taqwa).
After that, Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'And do not cooperate in sin and transgression'}[Al-Ma'idah 5:2]. As much as cooperation in righteousness and Taqwa has its importance, human and moral value, great positive impact, good outcome, and great blessed result as well as positive effect for the benefit of society in its religion and life, there is on the other hand a great danger, great negativity, and too bad consequences for cooperation in sin and transgression.
Sin is various types of misdeeds and guilt.
Transgression is aggression against people without any right.
The state of cooperating in sin in order to spread a specific crime, wrongdoing, or corruption by all means, and in any way (by materialism, by media, by practicing, by [any] direct activity, or by any means) multiplies crime, sin, and burden. At the same time, that also represents greater danger. Sometimes, for instance, there are individual activities whose fighting and limiting is easier [than cooperating in sin and transgression]. However, what spreads corruption, what spreads wrongdoing, and what makes it spread widely is cooperation in doing it, promoting it, contributing to it with collective activity, collective effort, and collective coordination, so it is definitely considered terrible, horrible, and too serious.
As for the aggression, we notice entire countries cooperating in aggression in the reality of our Ummah and the reality of our people. States and entities have cooperated in the aggression against our people, so the crime was great, and so was injustice. All that resulted is extremely big, damaging effects as well as too horrible effects that have reached a high level of criminality. Accordingly, we can notice many countries of Kafirin and Munafiqin as well as other entities that cooperate in the oppression of the Palestinian people. In addition, many Arabian regimes contribute to injustice to the Palestinians, in one way or another. As for those who have normalized [with the Zion Entity], they have been directly involved in cooperating in the aggression against the Palestinian people.
Cooperating in sin and aggression at any level (at the level of countries, entities, or communities) and to any extent it gets (at the level of specific tribe or specific community) is forbidden according to Sharia and is not allowed whether commited out of prejudice, ambitions, whims, or relations in any way. Indeed, cooperation in sin is a big burden and has significant damage, and [also] cooperation in aggression is a big burden and has significant damage.
People have to cooperate in Taqwa of Allah, to abide by Allah's instructions, and to carry out Allah's teachings, in any nation, level, entity, field, or work. This principle should be the primary principle that controls your effort with others, your cooperation with others, and your relationship with others that needs to be based on righteousness and Taqwa.
[Outside the principle or righteousness and Taqwa, you should keep away from cooperating with others, whoever they are (your friends, your party, your group, your tribe, or your nation, at any level). Your cooperation with friends should follow the measure of righteousness and Taqwa; do not cooperate with them in sin and transgression. Whoever is the person you are cooperating with (whatever the name and whatever the position), do not cooperate with him/her in sin and transgression. However big or small the state of cooperation is, it is very serious when it is in sin and transgression.
It is important, fruitful, blessed, and positive and enjoys great reward, bounty, and results: Allah is with the congregation when they cooperate in righteousness and Taqwa, because it is a great crime to cooperate in sin and transgression.
The blessed verse is concluded with Allah’s saying, {‘And be mindful of Allah. Surely, Allah is severe in punishment’}[Al-Ma’idah 5:2]. Allah is severe in punishment. If cooperation in sin and transgression makes those who cooperate in in sin and transgression tyrant and violent in their injustice, and leads to widespread effects, the severe punishment of Allah (Glory be to Him) will be what awaits them (it [surely] will be what awaits them). So, we must be aware of the seriousness of cooperation in sin and transgression in everything and every field.
Even in social media, how much cooperation in sin and transgression happens! Anyone can tweet to attack a specific person—s/he may slander him/her or exaggerate in his/her position against him/her. So as a result, many supporting tweets may follow. Even at the level of a certain sin, there are those who support, participate, and contribute. Social media has become of the places in which cooperation in sin and transgression takes place. As a result, most, people commit sins that can render their deeds nothing and render their good deeds, Salat, and their fasting nothing. Also, it [social media] has become one of the fields in which it is necessary to cooperate in righteousness and Taqwa and to coordinate this cooperation in order to ensure strong, active, positive, effective, and useful presence.
Talking about applying what is related to cooperation in righteousness and Taqwa is a very broad subject; it is as wide as our life itself and the field of our deeds. Talking about the negatives, risks, and cases of cooperation in sin and transgression is so broad that it has to do with all fields and every detail. This [lecture] has only to do with drawing attention to the importance of this topic.
We ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to grant us success and lead us to what satisfies Him. O Allah (Glory be to You), have mercy on our martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory. You are All-Hearing!
Peace be upon you as well as Allah’s mercy and His blessings.
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