The Clarification of Contemporary Sects

Introduction Taqi ud-Din an-Nabahani (1909-1977CE) is the founder of the group "Hizb ut-Tahrir", the picture on the right - taken in his early years - indicates the traditional Azhari, Ash'ari early upbringing. He was an Ash'ari in aqidah (mixed with some of usool of the Mu'tazilah, Murji'ah and Qadariyyah). He is of Palestinian origin, coming from a Sufi family background. His maternal grandfather was Yusuf bin Ismaa'eel an-Nabahani, a fervent adherent of Tasawwuf and one who authored a book, "Shawaahid ul-Haqq fil-Istighaathah bi Sayyid il-Khalq", arguing for the justification of seeking and calling upon the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) for rescue from calamity in those things in which only Allaah has power and ability. Given this family background (Ash'ari Sufi with Mu'tazili, Qadariyy usool) it is not surprising to see that in all the books of Taqi ud-Din an-Nabahani, the grandson, the discussion of Tawhid barely extends further than merely affirming Allaah's existence and around nine or ten attributes (which is not the Tawhid that the Messengers came to establish).

Taqi ud-Din an-Nabahani authored a range of books outlining his own political philosophy including "Nidhaam ul-Islaam" and "ash-Shakhsiyyah al-Islaamiyyah". Like those before him such as Hasan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb, an-Nabahani was an Ash'ari, Maturidi in his aqidah and carried some of the usool of the Mu'tazilah, and Ash'ariyyah in his works. His goal, just like previous Ash'arites such as Hasan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb, was the restoration of the khilaafah, and he just like them, considered all Muslim lands to be lands of kufr in which a revolution, ideological or otherwise, was obligatory. All of these ideologies of the 20th century came from Ash'ari, Maturidi, [Sufi] agitators who were far away from the creed (aqidah) of the Salaf, and were influenced - in their methodologies of reform - by the practical elements of the prevailing secular ideologies of their time.

In this series we will be highlighting the (deviant) creed of an-Nabahani, indicating his remoteness from the aqidah of Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah and his agreement with the usool of the Jahmiyyah, the Mu'tazilah, the Ash'ariyyah and his wallowing in the bid'ah of al-Qadr, that of the Qadariyyah, alongside other instances of profound ignorance of the aqidah of the Righteous Salaf (the Companions and their followers). Here are scans of cover pages for two of his (numerous) books which were alluded to earlier:

What al-Qaadee Abdul-Jabbaar has discussed here is the Mu'tazili precursor for what an-Nabahani popularized in the 20th century amongst ignorant cult followers, which is making a distinction between ahkaam (rulings) and aqaa'id (beliefs) with respect to the khabar al-waahid (the solitary narration), such that where these narrations contain rulings it is permissible to act upon them, and where these narrations contain beliefs, it is haraam to affirm such beliefs as one's aqidah. Taqi ad-Din an-Nabahani: The Khabar ul-Aahaad is Not a Proof in Beliefs (Aqaa'id) And an-Nabahani says in "ash-Shakhsiyyah" (1/191), and this is under a chapter heading titled (خبر الآحاد ليس بحجة في العقائد), "The Khabar ul-Aahaad Is Not a Proof in Beliefs", the following:

Finally, at the end of the above passage he says about all those mentioned (the heads of the Jahmiyyah, and of the Qadariyyah, and the Mu'tazilah): For this reason, no deviation at all occurred from them in aqaa'id (beliefs) despite all their variant beliefs, for all of them are Muslims, defending Islaam.

3. That the studies of the theologians are Islamic studies and they are considered, [despite] their divergence and mutual contradiction, as Islamic viewpoints. Every Muslim who embraced a viewpoint from amongst them (those viewpoints) is considered to have embraced an Islamic viewpoint, and whatever he adopted is considered an Islamic aqidah.

From the above, we gather that al-Nabahani (and Qutb and Mawdudi) are all disputants to revelation and to the last and final Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) in that they made revolutions (each one bringing his own flavour of revolution) against tyrannical rule to be the ultimate methodology of rectification. In reality, they simply borrowed from one of the major ideologies of the day (revolution in order to establish social jsutice), that of the Marxists and Communists, and entered it into their field of so-called Islamic activity, and then they innovated principles and methodologies around it to make it more palatable to the Muslim masses. However, the light of revelation, "al-wahy" - in opposition to this "fikr" (ideology) - tells us an altogether different reality as is clear. So whoever made his perception to be based upon this "fikr" which in reality is simply a distillation of the ideas of the non-Muslims in the minds of ignorant 20th century so-called "Islamic thinkers" and ignored the guidance given to him by the Messenger Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) then he is in the mires of misguidance and he is a contender to the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam).

The various thinkers of the early to mid-20th century, poisoned by the ideology of the Marxists and Communists, all have one thing in common. Their enmity and revilement upon the scribe of the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufyaan (radiallaahu anhu). As for their closeness and accommodation of the Raafidah Shi'ah, we find this in Sayyid Qutb, Abu A'laa Mawdudi, Hasan al-Banna and likewise amongst the followers of Taqi al-Din al-Nabahani.

In this PDF file, we have an invitation from Hizb ut-Tahrir to the Muslims, it is titled, "A Call From Hizb ul-Tahrir To the Muslims in General and Specifically to the Muslims of Iraq and Lebanon" (dated 10/05/2003) and in which they write: Does it not cause tears, that the shia do not enter the sunni mosques, and if they entered, the eyes turn at him. And that the Sunni do not enter the mosques of the Shia, and if they entered, it is as if it is a foreign land?

As a result, Hizb ut-Tahrir and al-Muhajiroun have a specific set of methods they use to rope in and indoctrinate Muslim youth, ways that mimic the ways of those Communists and Ba'thists and this is very clear when one studies how they operate as an elitist network within the UK and elsewhere, where private meetings are through invitation and recruitment only, and there is strict ideological indoctrination upon the books of Taqi al-Din al-Nabahani. They nurture their recruits upon an ideology that assumes all Muslim nations to be apostate states, against which an ideological and then a physical revolution is obligatory - this being the only way to restore the khilaafah as they claim. They started out and failed miserably in Muslim lands and many of them made their way into the West and began their operations here, where they appeared to naive, gullible, and uneducated Muslims as genuine scholars of Islam, when they were nothing but misguided, deviant heretics out to cause mischief and chaos, seeking authority and leadership for themselves, the Arabic tongue being of benefit to them in duping the non-Arabic speaking British Muslims into believing they are scholars.

All of the jamaa'aat (groups) that have appeared in the 20th century, claiming to rectify the Ummah, have fallen into deviation in their methodologies of reform and they have not judged by what Allaah has revealed in their understandings, their methodologies and their calls. They wrongly believe by removing one ruler, or one government they can establish Allaah's law, or that they can do so through political parties that engineer coups and revolutions while turning a blind eye to or belittling the fact that the Muslims are far removed from that Islaam which gave honour and victory to the Companions, but upon an Islaam tainted with innovations, devations, foreign philosophies and ideologies in the fields of aqidah and ibaadah and manhaj and siyaasah. And thus, that tainted Islam they are following does not have the same effect in bringing about the aid and support of Allaah and the granting of success as that pure Islaam, with its purity in aqidah, and Tawhid, that the Companions were upon. The activities of these groups claiming to rectify the Ummah are based upon methodologies that are in opposition to the Book, the Sunnah and the way of the Righteous Salaf whose belief and methodology Allaah has made a criterion of truth in all affairs of the religion.

Abdullaah at-Tall was an Arab Nationalist and Ba'thist, and he writes in his memoirs, referring to his sending of an-Nabahani to Damascus as part of a plan for a military coup, which eventually failed, and this is documented by him in his memoirs (كارثة فلسطين), "Catastrophe of Palestine" (1/591): فاخترت شخصين كانا موضع ثقتي، وتربطهما صداقة متينة وهما: السيد عبد الله الريماوي، والشيخ (تقي الدين النبهاني). وحمّلتهما جواز سفري السياسي ليقدماه للزعيم حسني الزعيم، كإشارة متفق عليها بيننا، وتحرك الرسولان إلى دمشق في 7/5/1949، بحجة شراء ورق لجريدة البعث

I chose two individuals in whom I placed my trust, and who were tied together with very strong friendship, and they are as-Sayyid Abdullaah ar-Rimaawee and the Shaykh, Taqi ud-Din an-Nabahani. I tasked them with taking my political passport so that they can present it to the leader, Husni az-Za'eem, as an agreed upon gesture between us. And so these two messengers went to Damascus on 7/5/1949 with the reason (excuse) of purchasing paper for [publication of] the Ba'th Magazine.