Foreword

The conditions and some of the information set out in the first edition of this book in 2001 have changed somewhat with the passage of time. However, the fact that there are Muslims all over the world who are oppressed, persecuted, martyred, crippled or forced to flee their homes has not altered. In preparing this edition of the book this has been borne in mind and some of the information has been brought up to date. However, those sections not referring to a specific period of time, that address the conscience of everyone reading this book and that remind Muslims of their responsibility have been kept exactly the same.

The situation of a large part of the Islamic world, described in detail in the course of this book will certainly disturb people of good conscience. But a great many people quickly forget this information they learn on the television, in the papers or over the internet and occupy themselves with their own affairs forgetting all about the ruthless killing of innocent people, the murder of children, the burning and destruction of people's homes and all the people forced to live in refugee camps. Some people sometimes say how distressing they find all this suffering, talk about it for hours on end and even write about it but hang back when it comes to establishing a solution that will put an end to it. Other people look for the solution in the wrong place, imagining that they can find the answer through terror and violence, even though that is totally incompatible with the moral values of the Qur'an and the Sunna of our Prophet (saas).

The fact is, however, that Allah has clearly shown Muslims the path to salvation in the Qur'an and in the hadiths of our Prophet (saas). That path consists of Muslims being united, in the knowledge that the whole Muslim world are brothers, and of the establishment of Turkish-Islamic Union.

Turkish-Islamic Union is the Solution that will Stop the Bloodshed

Unity lies at the heart of Islamic moral values. As Allah reveals in the Qur'an, "…If you do not act in this way (do not help one another and become friends) there will be turmoil in the land and great corruption." (Surat al-Anfal: 73), believers must be friends and allies, united and unified, for the corruption in the world to come to an end. The Turkish-Islamic world must demand this union. Failure to demand union means demanding division instead, and division is of no use to the Turkish-Islamic world. Muslims' strength, power and best interests all lie in unity. As can be seen in detail in the pages that follow, the sufferings in some parts of the Muslim world do not stem from the outside world alone, and there are conflicts between Muslims of different ethnic origins, sects or cultures – in complete violation of Islamic moral values. It is certainly repugnant for Muslims to fight when they should, as Allah commands, be brothers as they all believe in One Allah, one religion, one Book and one Prophet.

But the fact is that as stated in the Qur'an, believers have an obligation to be united. It is revealed in verses:

Hold fast to the rope of Allah all together, and do not separate. Remember Allah's blessing to you when you were enemies and He joined your hearts together so that you became brothers by His blessing. You were on the very brink of a pit of the Fire and He rescued you from it. In this way Allah makes His Signs clear to you, so that hopefully you will be guided. (Surah Al 'Imran: 103)

The believers are brothers, so make peace between your brothers and fear [and respect] Allah so that hopefully you will gain mercy. (Surat al-Hujurat: 10)

Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not quarrel among yourselves lest you lose heart and your momentum disappear. And be steadfast. Allah is with the steadfast. (Surat al-Anfal: 46)

Those who are unbelievers are the friends and protectors of one another. If you do not act in this way there will be turmoil in the land and great corruption. (Surat al-Anfal: 73)

Those who, when they are wronged, defend themselves. (Surat ash-Shura: 39)

Allah loves those who strive in His Way in ranks like well-built walls. (Surat as-Saff: 4)

These are just a few verses dealing with Muslims being united. From these, and from the Qur'an as a whole, it can be seen that it is a religious obligation for;

• Muslims to be united,
• To be bound to one another as brothers in love and affection,
• To avoid disputes,
• To be one another's friends and guardians,
• To protect and watch over one another under all circumstances,
• To counsel one another,
• And to engage in an intellectual struggle against denial, bonded tightly to one another like the bricks of a building.

Therefore, to do the exact opposite, in other words;

• To be divisive instead of unifying,
• Not to treat one's Muslim brothers with love and affection,
• Not to be forgiving, protective and mindful of one's Muslim brothers, and
• Not to be bonded to Muslims in the intellectual struggle against denial is a sin.

If the Islamic world wants to erect a powerful, stable, and prosperous civilization that guides and illuminates the world in every aspect, it must act in union. The lack of such a union is responsible for the Islamic world's discord and separation, the absence of a common voice, and the defenselessness of innocent Muslims. Countless poor women, children, and elderly people are desperately in need of rescue from oppression in Palestine, Kashmir, East Turkestan (home of the Chinese-ruled Muslim Uighur people), the southern Philippines (home of the Muslim Moro people) and many other regions. The responsibility for these people belongs to the Islamic world before anyone else. Muslims must never forget the Prophet's (saas) following words:

"A Muslim is a Muslim's brother. He does not wrong him or abandon him."

The fact that the Muslims have not been able to create a powerful and active Islamic Union is a major contributor to many of today's ills. When a strong Turkish-Islamic Union is formed, such problems will either not arise or will be resolved far quicker than anticipated.

It is perfectly natural for there to be different cultures, traditions and conceptions in the Islamic world. What really matters is that this diversity must be united under the umbrella of faith and on the basis of mutual understanding and solidarity. Differences of thought, practice, or point of view are normal and common in all societies. Islamic morality requires that Muslims never forget that they are all brothers and sisters, irrespective of their differences. Whatever the race, language, nation, or branch of Islam one might follow, all Muslims are brothers and sisters. Therefore, such differences must be appreciated as a source of richness instead of as a source of potential conflict and fragmentation. Such a mistaken view only diverts one's attention from the real issues and delays urgently needed and important preventive action.

In their mutual relations, faith and good character are important, not race, ethnic origin, language, financial means, status, or office. Love between sincere believers develops through their fear and awareness of and true love for Allah, and good deeds and a good character. If people dedicate themselves to the path of Allah, follow it in all their actions and behavior, and do good in the hope of acquiring Allah's good pleasure and mercy, other believers will love and respect them. As a result, their skin color, race, or financial status will be irrelevant and have no bearing on the love others feel for them. The same criteria must be true for relations between Muslim nations, which must be based on the Qur'anic insight.

If situations prevent them from doing so, they should consider the following questions:

"Is this issue more important than the unity of Islam?"
"Is it beyond resolution?"
"Is it acceptable to dispute with another Muslim community instead of working against irreligious ideologies?"

Everybody who answers these questions conscientiously will know that the higher priority is to refrain from endless disputes and to establish a union based on the Qur'an's values.

The Islamic world must put its various disputes aside and remember that all Muslims are "brothers" and "sisters" so that it can provide role models who reflect the true character of Islam and its ideals. This unity of the believers is a gift and grace of Almighty Allah. Sincere Muslims must thank our Lord for these benefits and obey His command "not to separate."

To Abide by the Path Shown by Our Prophet (saas)

Our Prophet (saas) has described the End Times in which we are living in considerable detail. One of the main features of the End Times is that, in that period Muslims will face many difficulties, troubles and pains. That is because, as our Prophet (saas) reveals, this period is one in which irreligion will spread, materialist and Darwinist ideologies will engage in intensive propaganda. During this period many people will abandon religious moral values altogether, true believers will be few in number, Allah will be blatantly denied (surely Allah is beyond that), Islamic countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan will be invaded, Muslims will be besieged in Bayt al-Maqdis, tyrannical rulers will oppress the public in many Islamic countries. In this period disorder and terror will enfold the world, corruption will spring up somewhere else as it dies down in one place and innocent people will be unjustly killed, women and children will be slaughtered, people will live in fear and terror and despite all this Muslims will still be fragmented. (For more detail in this subject, see www.endoftimes.net)

However, while warning Muslims in great detail about these problems they will encounter, our Prophet (saas) has also shown them how they can be saved from these difficulties. Almighty Allah will free the Islamic world and all mankind from difficulties and troubles of all kinds by sending Hazrat Mahdi (as) when the calamities of the End Times are at their fiercest. Hazrat Mahdi (as) is a holy individual descended from our Prophet (saas), who, according to the hadiths and statements by Islamic scholars, will appear in Hijri 1400, in this century in other words, and will lead people out of the darkness into which they have fallen, towards the light. Rasulullah (The Messenger of Allah) (saas) has described in detail Hazrat Mahdi's (as) physical characteristics, the kind of struggle he will wage, where he will come from and what he will do. He has provided amazing details about all this. According to these details, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will serve in Istanbul, will wage an intellectual struggle against Darwinism and materialism, will neutralize the corruption that turns people from religious moral values, will construct the Turkish-Islamic Union by uniting the Islamic world, will put an end to all forms of injustice and unfairness, will be instrumental in people growing and becoming very wealthy in both material and physical terms and, together with the Prophet Jesus (as), will make the moral values of Islam rule the world. He will be instrumental in a time like the Age of Felicity taking place across the world, when Allah fully manifests His title of al-Hadi (Who Guides), when people fully abide by the moral values commanded by Allah, when there is plenty and abundance everywhere and when joy and happiness reign. (For more detail, see www.awaitedmahd.net)

Therefore, these troubles taking place all through the Islamic world and the corruption and disorder all over the world, herald the coming of this holy individual. Each one of the hundreds of events that our Prophet (saas) foretold as signs of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) have taken place one after the other as of Hijri 1400. Just like our Prophet (saas) foretold, the waters of the Euphrates have been stopped, the Iran-Iraq War broke out, a bloody attack occurred at the Kaaba, there have been lunar and solar eclipses at 15-day intervals during the month of Ramadan, Afghanistan has been invaded, all of Iraq has been occupied, Halley's comet has come by, a fire was seen from the East when the oil wells were set on fire during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, a corruption of darkness and smoke was seen when the Twin Towers in America were attacked on September 11, the rulers of Sham and Egypt were killed, Azerbaijan was invaded, the comet Lulin, which had two tails and flew in the opposite direction to all other comets, was seen and hundreds of other portents have all come about. These things are all proof we are in the age of Hazrat Mahdi (as).

In this holy age foretold by our Prophet (saas) it is unacceptable for any sincere Muslim who follows our Prophet (saas) not to seek Hazrat Mahdi (as) and prepare the way for him by striving for the unity, union and salvation of the Islamic world. The whole Islamic world must be united in the fervor and excitement of living in the age of Hazrat Mahdi (as), must seek out Hazrat Mahdi (as) and must strive for the world to attain peace, calm and prosperity with him being instrumental. It must not be forgotten that the emergence of Hazrat Mahdi (as) and the global dominion of the moral values of Islam is the destiny ordained by Allah. Allah will make Hazrat Mahdi (as) successful whether people support him or not. Through him, He will eliminate all the corruption of denial and will impose the dominion of Islamic morality. Therefore, everyone who intends to be one of Hazrat Mahdi's (as) helpers and strives to become one, who desires the unity of the Turkish-Islamic world and who wages an intellectual struggle for the salvation of Muslims who are oppressed all over the world, is actually striving for himself. As our Lord reveals in Surat al'Ankabut,

"Whoever strives [in the way of Allah] does it entirely for himself. Allah is Rich Beyond Need of any being." (Surat al-'Ankabut: 6)