The Return of Khilafah in Al Quds (Jerusalem)

​Prophet’s prediction of return of the khilafah.

As per Islamic scholars there are many ahadith that speak about the return of the Khilafah in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) such as a famous narration of Abdullah Ibn Hawwala Al-Azdi (ra) who reported that the Prophet ﷺ put his blessed hand on his head and said, “Ibn Hawwala if you see that the Caliphate has taken abode in the Holy Land (Palestine) then the earthquakes and tribulations and great events are at hand. The last Hour on that day will be closer to people than my hand is to your head”. [Ahmad, Abu Dawud]. In another narration the companion Abd Al-Rahman Ibn Abi Umayrah (r.a) relates that the Prophet ﷺ said, “There will be a Bayah (oath of allegiance) according to guidance in Al-Quds (Jerusalem)”. (Bukhari, Muslim) This oath of allegiance is given to an Islamic Ruler, an Imam or Khalifa such as it was given to the successors of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ the rightly guided caliphs Abu Bakr (r.a) or Ali ibn Abi Talib (r.a). 

The khilafah will be reestablished on the footsteps of Prophethood as stated in another narration in which the Prophet ﷺ explains how rulership among Muslims will begin after him and go through different stages till Akhiruz Zaman (end of times): “Prophethood will last among you for as long as Allah wills, then Allah will take it away. Then it will be (followed by) a rightly guided caliphate (khilafah rashida) on the pattern of the Prophethood. It will remain for as long as Allah wills, then Allah will take it away. Afterwards there will be a hereditary leadership (Kingdoms) which will remain for as long as Allah wills, then He will lift it if He wishes. Afterwards, there will be biting oppression (our modern times), and it will last for as long as Allah wishes, then He will lift it if He wishes. Then there will be a rightly guided caliphate (khilafah rashida) according to the ways of the Prophethood.’ Then he kept silent.” (Musnad Ahmad)

What does return of Khilafah in Al-Quds mean?

It means that Al-Quds (Jerusalem) will be the Darul Khilafah (capital) of all Muslims, the khilafah which was abolished in 1924 by colonial powers when Turkey became a secular republic and ended the Ottoman Caliphate. For centuries the Ottoman Caliphs in Istanbul held political authority over Muslims which came to an end. This resulted in formation of Muslim nation states with individual flags and passports, the colonial aim of 'divide & rule' succeeded. As per prophetic ahadith the reestablishment of the system of khilafah will now happen in Jerusalem, and its leadership will be held by those who live in Al-Quds and the surroundings i.e Palestinians.

The Prophet's praise for people of Al-Quds and their Jihad

Allah's Messenger Muhammad ﷺ said “There will always be a party from my Ummah triumphant upon the Truth, victorious over their enemies; there will be no harm from those who oppose them and they will not be harmed until the order of Allah comes and they will be like that [victorious].' They (companions) asked ‘Messenger of Allah! Where are they?’ He replied, “’In Bayt al-Maqdis (Al Aqsa Masjid) and the surrounding areas of Bayt al-Maqdis’…” (recorded in Musnad Ahmad & Al Mujam Al Kabir) - This is a clear reference to the jihad that the Palestinians have been fighting against Zionist oppression for almost 75 years, especially the Palestinian intifada (uprising) that began in the 1980s and continues to unfold in various forms such as second intifada of early 2000s and all small and large uprisings by resistance in occupied Gaza, West Bank and Jerusalem. Despite many neighboring Arab nations with strong militaries the Palestinians have been fighting solely for their existence while powerful Western countries stand firmly behind the Israeli crimes.

The support of 3 groups for Al-Quds

As Israel is brutally invading and massacring men, women and children of Gaza some Muslim groups have decided to stand up and retaliate on behalf of Palestinians from Iraq, Lebanon & Yemen. Hamas, the main ruling and fighting force in Gaza along with PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad) has been on the receiving end of financial and logistics support from Iran since its Islamic Revolution of 1979 that toppled pro-American Shah Iran and brought Ayatullah Khomeini into power. Iran's Islamic revolution was not just for its own country but the aim was to oppose all forms of colonialism in the middle east and larger Muslim world, especially Zionism which had been occupying holy land since 1948. Khomeini saw it as a evil arm of the Western imperialism and believed that Muslim region can never be in peace till this arm is cut off. After its successful revolution Iran decided to take steps to counter this occupation. A major step was the creation of Hezbollah in 1980 Lebanon who resisted Israeli occupation for 20 years before liberating South Lebanon from their control. Simultaneously Iran assisted PIJ formation and full support for both, Hamas and PIJ who were able to become a strong force in Gaza that fight Israel on all fronts today. Additionally Iran has also spread its influence inside Iraq and Syria with formations of fighting groups such as Hash Al-shaabi (popular mobilization forces) that counter Israel and its Western allies when necessary. Iran has also supported the rise of Ansarullah (Houthis) in Yemen that succeeded in defeating a US/Israeli backed Saudi-UAE alliance that attacked Yemen to install a pro-Saudi regime. As Israel continues Gaza massacres, Ansarullah has blocked the Red Sea, attacking and destroying Israeli ships which has significantly hit its economy. Ansarullah also continues to hit Israeli cities in South with guided missiles and missile laden drones. Meanwhile Hezbollah in support of Gaza is attacking Israel from the North inflicting major losses to its illegal settlements, soldiers and military outposts. As for pro-Iran groups in Iraq, they are consistently striking US military bases that are occupying territories inside Syria and Iraq. These groups all have one thing in common: the Liberation of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) from Zionist occupation. It is of these groups that we received news of support to the Palestinian jihad through the same companion Abdullah ibn Hawalah (r.a)  who had also narrated hadith about return of the Khilafah: Abdullah ibn Hawalah (r.a) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ  said "It will turn out that you will be armed troops, one is Syria, one in the Yemen and one in Iraq." Ibn Hawalah asked "Choose for me, messenger of Allah, if I reach that time." He replied "Go to Syria, for it is Allah's chosen land, to which his best servants will be gathered, but if you are unwilling, go to your Yemen, and draw water from your tanks, for Allah has on my account taken special charge of Syria and its people." (Abu Dawud) Ash-Shaam (Syria) here means Jerusalem, Palestine where Prophet Muhammad ﷺ received revelations. Syria also includes Jordan, Lebanon & modern day Syria. 

​Palestinian Resistance in Gaza is Islamic Resistance that Israel fears
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Netanyahu in his latest meeting with Twitter (now X) CEO Elon Musk said “We have to demilitarize Gaza after the destruction of Hamas. We have to de-radicalize Gaza, and that will take some time,” he stated. Expanding on his vision of a “de-radicalized” Gaza, Netanyahu told Musk that “you first have to get rid of the poisonous regime, as you did in Germany. Especially work on the mosques and on the schools, that’s where children imbibe their values. And then we have to rebuild Gaza.” The Zionist aim is not only to attack the Palestinian Resistance but also colonize the Palestinian minds to root out the ideology of Islam that inspires them to continue fighting the occupation which Netanyahu refers to as “poisonous”.

Hamas and its allies like PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad) take their inspiration from Islam to fight jihad against Zionist occupation. They aim to liberate Palestine and establish their state based on Islamic Principles. This explains why Zionist Israel considers them a primary threat and not secular Palestinian Authority (Fatah), that rules some parts of West Bank and cooperates with the occupation. After the planned Oct 7th attack and their ability to inflict heavy losses on Zionist army during Gaza invasion including having several Palestinian captives released, Hamas has gained increased popularity among all Palestinians and even Arabs & Muslims worldwide. This has further diminished the image of Palestinian Authority in West Bank, and Israel is scared that Gaza would eventually inspire all Palestinians with the Islamic mission to liberate all occupied territories and establish an Islamic government.