In the Name of Allāh,

the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful

Praise is due to Allāh, Lord of the worlds, may the blessings and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, the last of prophets, on his family, and all his companions.

Resolution No. 125 (7/13) Incidents in Palestine and Other Events

The Council of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, holding its 13th session in Kuwait City, State of Kuwait, on 7–12 Shawwāl 1422h (22–27 December 2001),

Observing the realities and the Ummah, and the tendencies of enmity and aggression against Islam and Muslims, with the aim of:

• Distorting the image of Islam through degrading the Muslims’ faith and rais- ing doubts about the rulings of the
• Desecrating the sanctities of Muslims, occupying their territories, shed- ding their blood, seizing the wealth of their countries and damaging their economies,

It is incumbent upon the Academy’s scholars to shoulder their sacred respon- sibility of clarifying to Muslims the Shariah rulings that relate to their affairs. They should not keep the word of truth they come to know and ought to dis- close because Allāh The Almighty has taken a pledge from those who are knowledgeable not to conceal their knowledge and threatened anyone who attempts to do so by saying, «Ah! who is more unjust than those who conceal the testimony they have from Allāh? But Allāh is not unmindful of what ye do…» (al-Baqarah, 140). The ancient Israelite scholars were duly cursed and excluded from the Grace of Allāh because of concealing what they had been taught. In this regard, Allāh The Almighty says, «Those who conceal the clear (signs) We have sent down, and the guidance after We have made it clear for the people in the Book, on them shall be Allāh’s curse, and the curse of those entitled to curse…» (al-Baqarah, 159). The ruling in this verse is stated in general terms so as to include everyone who conceals knowledge that he should disclose. The Prophet SAW said, “Anyone who acquires knowledge and conceals it shall come in the Day of Hereafter with a bridle of

fire.” (Narrated by Ibn Mājah).

Considering that such a declaration should not be delayed when it is time to be declared or need arises since among the most pressing issues of the Ummah that need clarification is the Palestine issue and other similar events in some Muslim countries,

Resolves

First: The land of Palestine is the land of Al-Aqṣā Mosque – the first of the two Qiblas and the third Holy Mosque of Islam – which Muslims are encour- aged to visit for prayers. This land from which the Prophet Muhammad, started his Midnight journey to Skies (Isrāʾ wa Miʿrāj), the Prophets’ cradle, belongs rightly to Muslims.

This right of ownership makes it incumbent upon every Muslim to provide the form of support he affords to the cause of protecting this right despite the efforts that deceivers may exert to provoke regressions and tendencies of sur- rendering. Justice will always prevail for those who have the lawful rights, and against those who serve and support the cause of oppression.

The Fuqahā (Fiqh scholars) of the Ummah have unanimously declared non-permissibility of acknowledging the stay of an extorting enemy in any part of the Muslims’ territories that he seizes because doing so amounts to en- couraging the extorters to continue their trespassing and aggression. In Islam, it is the duty of those who face such aggression to fight their oppressors till they drive them with humiliation out of their lands.

Second: It is, therefore, the duty of the governments and people in the Muslim countries to exert efforts to get back the extorted Muslim land of Palestine to its rightful people and preserve Al-Aqṣā Mosque from being dese- crated by the occupying Jews, who have continued to show nothing but hatred and hostility towards Islam and Muslims since the early days of the Islamic religion and they still create animosity for them and have become now more powerful and more arrogant.

Third: It is mandatory upon all Muslims to spare no effort in funding and in persons, according to their individual means, in providing moral and material support to the Palestinian people so that they can defend their land, preserve their Holy Places, and resist the Zionist arrogance which has been shedding blood, killing innocent people, including women and children, wrecking houses, and use their most lethal war arsenal, such as missiles, heavy tanks, military helicopters and planes, in addition to the economic war they launch against the Palestinians by dredging agricultural lands uprooting trees and plantations and preventing delivery of food supplies to the blockaded Palestinian territories. Supporting the Palestinian people is the duty of Ummah as a whole, includ- ing governments of the Muslim countries and Muslim people. Muslims are one hand in supporting each other and facing their enemy, just like the building

blocks of a solid wall, which support one another.

Fourth: The governments of Muslim countries must also exert every effort, through international organizations and all other political and economic forums,

to stop the influx of political and military help, which the enemy receives from external sources.

Fifth: The Palestinian people have every right to establish their independent state that comprises all their lands, including Al-Quds as its capital city. They have the right to defend themselves against the enemy using all lawful means of resistance. It is, in fact, a great honor and an incommensurable gain for a Muslim to die as a martyr in serving the cause of Allāh The Almighty.

Recommendations of the Academy

to the Ummah as Governments and Peoples

First: Commitment to Islamic Faith and Shariah

The underlying cause of the internal and external hardships, crises, and wars that the Ummah is facing nowadays is the lack of observance of the Islamic faith and the Shariah, which constitute the quintessence of the Message and of guidance from Allāh The Almighty who says, «But whosoever turns away from my message, verily for him is a life narrowed down» (Ṭāhā, 124). A long period of non-observance of the Shariah results in widening the gap between governments and their peo- ple and increasing tendencies towards faulty interpretations and individual and group deviations of thoughts and behaviours.

The Academy reiterates the recommendation adopted in its 7th session which calls upon the governments of the Muslim countries to defend and strengthen the cause of the Islamic faith, pave the way for empowering it in its pure form, and warn against any act that could lead to its violation, or raise doubts about its sources, or endanger the overall Muslims’ unity and plant divisions and con- flicts among them.

The Academy also reiterates its call to the governments of the Muslim coun- tries to “pursue the application of the Shariah, and use it as a guide for devel- oping policy frameworks of their internal and external political relations.”

Second: Supporting Muslims

Muslims anywhere are one nation, united by their faith in the Oneness of Allāh and by the Shariah and one direction in prayers. As the Prophet SAW said, “… they are like a single body when a part of it aches, the whole body feels pain.” Therefore, it is the duty of every Muslim to support other Muslims, wherever they are, when they face aggression, seizure of land, or any other type of calamity. In this regard, Allāh The Almighty said, «The believers, men and women, are protectors, one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil.» (Al-Tawbah, 71). The Prophet SAW also said, “A Muslim is the brother of the other Muslim, he neither oppresses him nor does he hand him over (to the enemy), and when

a Muslim attends to the need of his (Muslim) brother he will get his own need attended to by Allāh, and when he dispels the agony of his (Muslim) brother Allāh will dispel one of the agonies of the Day of Resurrection for him.” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 1830).

Support could be personal, financial, moral, or political, depending on abil- ity, surrounding situation, and changing circumstances.

Furthermore, the Academy reiterates the recommendation of its 7th Session in which it “urged the Arab and Muslim countries to support Muslims who are facing persecution in the various parts of the globe and to use all possible means to defend their causes and ward off the assault they are suffering.”

Third: Prohibition of Aggression in Islam

Islam strictly prohibits unjustified aggression, such as terrifying safe and inno- cent people and those whose blood is protected. Any aggression of this type amounts to prohibited terrorism.

Preparation of means of strength for frightening the enemy is a Shariah re- quirement as has been indicted by Allāh The Almighty Who said, «Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies of Allāh and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know.» (Al-Anfāl, 60)

There is no doubt that a person who resists, with all his means and strength, those who have extorted his land and occupied his country, is discharging a lawful duty. This is precisely the situation of the Palestinian people when they resist the occupying Zionists who seized their lands and violated all their rights. It is regrettable to note that some great powers use double standards when dealing with the Palestinian issue. They consider the lawful owner of the land who defends his life and property as a terrorist, whereas the aggressive invader who violates all human rights and values and uses the most powerful weapons of destruction to shed blood and stands against all international laws and tra-

ditions, as an underdog self-defender.

It is one of the bitterest forms of oppression and terrorism to go on associ- ating Islam with terrorism. In contrast, in reality, it is the religion of justness and moderation, or to keep fighting many missionary and charity organizations and Islamic financial institutions in the name of fighting terrorism, without the slightest proof against such institutions.

Fourth: Islamic Ethics

Today’s world is in dire need of the Islamic ethics of peace and war in order to enjoy the predominance of justice that underlies the existence of earth and skies and discard oppression, arrogance and depravity that prevail over today’s

world. In fact, the underlying reason for rebellions and afflictions is the division of the world into classes, and the state of monopoly that rich countries assume on power and wealth, and on knowledge which Allāh The Almighty has celebrated in His Holy Books and sent his messengers to promote among all mankind so that they can maintain right and justice. Allāh The Almighty said, «We sent our apostles with clear signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance (of right and wrong) that men may stand forth in justice.» (Al-Ḥadīd, 25).

Fifth: Closing Remarks

The Academy expresses its appreciation for the comprehensive and impor- tant speech of H.E. the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference delivered on his behalf by the Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Muslim Minorities, in which he said:

Your respectful session is being held in very critical and sensitive circumstances, in which the challenge to our existence has escalated to an unprecedented level. The aggression facing us today is a threat that endangers our fate and surrounds us with a host of gloomy realities, and therefore should make the whole of us, governments and people, stand in one line, with the firm will of defending our sacred places and our religious and cultural heritage.

You can easily see the boastfulness and blustering of the Zionist enemy and the gravity of its crazy impulse of aggression. This enemy pushes the whole region to the edge of a destructive explosion by continuing its genocidal war against the brave Palestinian people, depending in all its egoistic arrogance on the unconditional blind military, economic, and political support that comes to it from external sources.

In addition to Palestine, a fierce war with foggy objectives has also broken out in the Islamic land of Afghanistan to exacerbate the suffering of the aged, children and women who have no offence to be punished for.

Therefore, preservation of the Islamic identity against the external factors stemming from international political developments falls right in the heart of your specialized intellectual work, which has a pivotal role in the formation of public opinion, consolidation of thinking, and deepening of the sense of belonging to the genuine Islamic civilization which can never be rooted out no matter how violent the aggression may be.

That is because the provision of ideological and intellectual guidance to men and women is a central issue that supersedes all other issues due to its close link with the fate of the Ummah. Provision of such guidance deserves to have the due consideration and to be expressed in the form of earnest and productive efforts for

laying down the civilization fundaments of the Muslims’ renaissance.

Indeed, Allāh is the Giver of Success.