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This content has been automatically translated. View original in Arabic
Peace be upon you. In an era where world politicians submit to American arrogance and conspire with it to humiliate peoples and slaughter Muslims in Gaza and elsewhere, and where many submit to the Zionist entity and grovel at its feet in abject humiliation, people have come to crave seeing any model that outwardly breaks free from this iron grip and repugnant control.
They thirst to see the Zionist lobby in America fail even once in securing the election of its preferred candidates. As the wealth of Muslim lands is plundered and spent to fund the slaughter of Muslims in Sudan and to support every evil across the globe, they thirst to see someone who promises their voters a better life and economic and social reforms. Amidst the schemes against every Muslim attempt to rise, they thirst to see someone affiliated with Islam succeed in something—searching for any glimmer of hope in this bleak landscape.
All of this is understandable, my brothers and sisters. However, as Muslims, we are required not to let our emotions sway us like leaves in the wind. Instead, we must adhere to divine standards and criteria by which we discern the truths of things, and we must base our stances on the divine Book.
I will not discuss with you the political dimensions of Mamdani’s rise to the position of Mayor of New York, nor the possible or impossible actions he could take in a country like America with its entrenched policies, regardless of the nature of the individuals elected to implement them. Nor will I deny anyone the right to rejoice in the indication that this event reflects a loosening of the Zionist political grip and the growing unease of American public opinion with the Zionist media stranglehold. What concerns us here, however, is addressing the distortion of concepts that emerges in how such events are treated—specifically, the distortion of the concept of Islam and the normalization of grave sins.
Therefore, the discussion of “he is better than others” is irrelevant to us. We are not comparing individuals but correcting ideas.
Though they are aware that he describes himself as a “Muslim socialist democrat who supports homosexuality,” combining Islam with these descriptors is an impossible contradiction. Anyone who believes such a combination is valid has not understood the true meaning of Islam. Adopting socialism and democracy, and accepting the actions of the people of Lot as a legitimate right, is an embrace of what contradicts Islam in its economic, social, legislative, and moral dimensions. So what remains of Islam after that?
The act that God Almighty in the Quran describes as committed by criminals: They said, “We have been sent to a criminal people, that We may send upon them stones of clay.” (Quran 15:58-59)
And in another verse: “We will bring down upon the people of this city a punishment from the sky for their defiance.” (Quran 29:34)
And God Almighty recounts the words of Lot: He said, “My Lord, grant me victory over the corrupt people.” (Quran 23:26)
An act that God describes as committed by criminals, the defiantly sinful, and the corrupt—and yet someone says, “Rather, it is a legitimate right of theirs” and marches in their parades waving their flags—such a person is a denier of God Almighty and His verses. In Surah Al-A’raf, God says: “Rather, you are a people prone to excess.” (Quran 7:81) Yet these people say: “Rather, they are exercising their rights!”
In Surah Ash-Shu’ara, He says: “Rather, you are a people who transgress.” (Quran 26:166) And they respond: “This act involves no aggression as long as it is consensual!”
In Surah An-Naml, He says: “Rather, you are a people lacking understanding.” (Quran 27:55) And they say: “This act is harmless!”
God Almighty declares: “We rained down upon them a rain [of punishment]. So observe how was the end of the criminals.” (Quran 7:84) And they reply: “There is no crime here. Rather, those who criminalize it should be punished, and anyone who attacks them should be punished by law!”
Here, my brothers and sisters, we are not discussing a minor sin but the very essence of surrendering to God Almighty upon the path of Abraham, peace be upon him, who said: “I have submitted to the Lord of all the worlds.” (Quran 2:131)
We may fall into sins and acts of disobedience, but we acknowledge before God Almighty that they are sins and acts of disobedience: “And others have confessed their sins, mixing good deeds with others that are evil. Perhaps God will turn to them in mercy.” (Quran 9:102)
Among the essential beliefs of the heart that make one a Muslim is the submission of the Muslim to God’s command, such that even if one acts contrary to it in practice, one still acknowledges that God’s command is the truth and justice, while anything else is falsehood and oppression.
We recognize that many Muslims are disheartened and grieving over the state of the world and yearn for a glimmer of hope. However, this does not mean, dear ones, that we distort the concepts of Islam or strip it of its very definition at its core. By God, this will only distance us further from honor, victory, and empowerment. If we belittle God’s rights, we become of little worth in His sight.
Praising someone who defends an abomination that God has described its practitioners as we have heard is a normalization of that abomination—indeed, it is a destruction of the entire moral framework of Islam. It becomes acceptable for people to say: “It is true that so-and-so defends the rights of [the group in question]—a term we cannot even utter on social media—but despite that, he supports the Palestinian cause, opposes American politicians and the Zionist lobby, works for the benefit of his city and community, and is a beloved, humble person.” And then empty comparisons begin between the bad and the worse.
If I were to say to you: “It is true that so-and-so kills children and burns them alive, it is true that he steals our wealth and drives us from our homes, but he has good qualities for which I respect him,” I believe you would find such words repulsive and would not describe them as balance, wisdom, moderation, or restraint. So how has the replacement of God’s law and the trivialization of what He has forbidden become a relatively minor matter in the face of a person’s good deeds, as long as they support the Palestinian cause and strive for the welfare of their societies?
No, by God, Palestine will not be victorious as long as Muslims remain like this. Neither will they be spared the domination of the people of disgrace and shame, nor will they attain honor, prosperity, or dignity in this world or the next as long as they persist in this way. Once again, we do not deny anyone the right to rejoice in the indicators of events, but this does not mean you should consider them a victory and honor for Islam or that this person represents Islam or is a role model.
Furthermore, breaking free from American and Zionist hegemony is not something we merely rejoice in its indicators and then stand as mere spectators. Rather, we must work toward it with all our might. The events in Gaza and the subsequent shifts in public opinion are an opportunity that God has granted us, and we must invest this opportunity through every lawful means. Diluting concepts and belittling the sanctities of the Lord of the Worlds is not part of this required action—it only increases our humiliation before God and causes us to lose opportunities.
Observe, dear ones, that in all of this, we have addressed only one aspect. Mamdani’s adoption of socialism and democracy is no less invalid or reprehensible than his support for the perpetrator of the abomination. Here, we are not discussing participation in democratic elections in pursuit of certain benefits while acknowledging that legislation belongs to God Almighty—so let no one say that there are scholars who permit participation in such elections; that is not our topic here—but rather, we are discussing a person who declares his adoption of democracy and socialism as a way of life, which cannot be reconciled with Islam under any circumstances.
The rejection of the reference of Islamic law is the root of all moral, social, political, economic, and every other kind of corruption. In conclusion, dear ones, remember: as a Muslim, you refer all matters to the judgment of God and His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. Otherwise, what is known to be good becomes evil, and what is known to be evil becomes good.
And God is the source of all strength. Peace be upon you, and God’s mercy and blessings.