Fifteenth ramadan lecture of Sayyed Abdulmalik Badr al-Din al-Houthi 1447 AH

I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the outcast.

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. I believe that there is no god but Allah, the Sovereign and the Manifest Truth, and that our master Muhammad is His servant, Messenger, and Last Prophet.

O Allah! Confer Your salat and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad as You conferred Your salat and blessings upon Ibrahim and the Family of Ibrahim. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad’s good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahidin.

O Allah! Guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are the Hearing, the Knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Relenting, the Merciful.

Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.

We concluded the previous lecture by reflecting on the blessed verse in which Allah says, {‘Then when Musa was about to lay his hands on their foe, the enemy said, “O Musa! Do you intend to kill me as you killed a man yesterday? You only want to be a tyrant in the land. You do not intend to make peace!“‘}[Al-Qasas 28:19]. We also discussed how tyrants, throughout the ages, seek to establish a reality where they can violate the oppressed with impunity. They want this to be an established and accepted order. They seek to ensure that no action can be taken by the oppressed—no reaction, no attempt to repel injustice, and no effort to free themselves from persecution, oppression, and torment. And if any movement does arise in this direction—against injustice and tyranny, as a response to oppression—it is criminalised, condemned, and met with propaganda campaigns designed to discredit it.

This is precisely what the tyrants of this age—the Americans and Israelis, the arms of Zionism, along with Britain, the West, and their proxies—are striving to establish within our oppressed and wronged Islamic Ummah. They also target various communities with their tyranny and oppression. It even reaches the point that mouthpieces of treachery aligned with them support them and work for their interests within the Ummah. In fact, the movement of hypocrisy takes the lead in this. This movement is pervasive in our time, involving leaders, governments, and regimes that utilise all the resources of their peoples to serve the interests of the Zionist Jews.

The propaganda with which that arrogant man confronted Musa (PBUH)—when Musa moved to strike him in order to rescue the wronged and oppressed person from him—took certain forms:

• {‘Do you intend to kill me as you killed a man yesterday?‘}[Al-Qasas 28:19]—an accusation intended to malign him, portraying Musa as though he were simply a criminal murderer who kills without right.
• {‘You only want to be a tyrant in the land‘}[Al-Qasas 28:19]—he accused him of practising oppression and tyranny, using violence without justification, and seeking to impose his will by force.
• {‘You do not intend to make peace!‘}[Al-Qasas 28:19]—an attempt to impugn Musa’s motives, direction, and actions, as though they were not aimed at reforming reality or confronting corruption and tyranny. This is what arrogant tyrants do to wronged and oppressed people, even as they target them with oppression, injustice, persecution, killing, and brutal domination.

For example, they used to kill the oppressed without mercy in that era. They did not even spare newborn infants; they slaughtered them and committed crimes of mass extermination. They would also kill adults for the most trivial reasons, and they practised all kinds of crimes against the oppressed as though they were ordinary acts—acts that were neither criminalised nor described as acts of evil, tyranny, injustice, or corruption. Yet when any of the oppressed took action in the right direction against that injustice and tyranny, as Musa (PBUH) did, this move was branded criminal and distorted. This is exactly what takes place in our own time.

Take, for example, when the Zionist Jews came to Palestine from all over the world—under British and Western sponsorship—to occupy it and oppress the Palestinian people with all forms of injustice. They arrived in Palestine as well-organised armed gangs, supported by British and Western powers, and began committing horrific acts of murder, targeting children, women, the elderly, and the young. They attacked villages, exterminating most of their populations in the most horrific ways. They used dynamite to destroy Palestinian residential areas and neighbourhoods, and some people were exterminated in their mosques. In certain villages, they gathered residents in a mosque and then killed them there en masse.

They have committed numerous crimes with full British sponsorship and protection. Over time, these gangs increased significantly in number, becoming well-organised, heavily armed, and fully equipped. Then Britain handed over all the military equipment it had in Palestine to them and provided additional equipment before leaving Palestine to these gangs. It even took part in ensuring that the Palestinian people remained oppressed, unarmed, and stripped of the means to defend their lives, their honour, their land, their resources, and their sanctities. Moreover, Britain took advantage of its ties with Arab regimes loyal to it, using them to play a similar role in abandoning the Palestinian people, discouraging them, and preventing any early, strong efforts to liberate the Palestinian people from the oppression and injustice they endured.

Then, when any movement is taken by the Palestinian people—who are oppressed, wronged, and subjected to aggression with their land occupied—or any Arab state, given that Palestine is an Arab and Islamic land, this movement is labelled in Western propaganda as a criminal, terrorist, and unacceptable act. The West—America, Britain, and other Western countries—immediately rallies to provide every form of support to the Zionist Jews in every possible way, even as the Zionist Jews continue committing crimes against the Palestinian people, expanding their occupation, killing on a daily basis, and extending their aggression to other Arab countries, including Lebanon.

This is accompanied by media campaigns against members of this Ummah who are rightfully standing up to defend their land, honour, possessions, and sanctities. Yet, intense media propaganda, headlines, and false justifications are consistently used by the infidel, oppressive, tyrannical West to support and justify their backing of the Zionist Jews.

However, at this stage matters grew far worse, because some Arab regimes at the time played a political role—though under cover and in secrecy—in discouraging resistance and in providing covert support to Zionist Jews, among other activities.

In this later phase, particularly over the years since the early 2000s, certain Arab regimes have become increasingly open—more so with time—in their loyalty to America and Israel, in their alignment with Zionism, serving its agenda and advancing its interests. Simultaneously, they openly oppose the free people of this Ummah who adopt a humanitarian, religious, moral, and principled stance against the tyranny of America, Israel, Zionist Jews and the Western powers that support them. It has become clear that some regimes stand alongside America and Israel and against any party, people, or state unwilling to submit to them or align with them. Resources—financial, media, political, and at times military and security—are deployed in support of the enemies. As a result, the movement of hypocrisy has become more exposed than at any previous time.

Even today, in the context of blatant and unjust Israeli, Zionist, and American aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Muslim Iranian people, the matter is unmistakable: an attack without legitimate justification, brutal and criminal, aimed at killing members of the population, targeting the country’s leadership, assaulting its men and children, and committing grave crimes, including the targeting of schools—particularly girls’ schools—and the killing of students, both girls and boys.

This is clearly an act of aggression; Iran has never been in a position of initiating an attack while the others were acting in self-defense. America came from the farthest reaches of the world to this region to attack its peoples, and this includes its aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Muslim Iranian people. Similarly, Zionist Jews came to our region from various parts of the world, bringing their malice, tyranny, and aggression to our region, with the explicit declared aims of dominating it entirely. They are as openly hostile to Islam—its principles, its Quran, its Prophet, its sanctities, its law, its path, and even its wider identity. They are hostile towards Muslims in general.

America and the Zionist Jews are in a position of aggression; they form a front of disbelief, evil, tyranny, and criminality, committing the most heinous crimes. This has been evident in their reality for many decades. As for the Americans, this is also reflected over centuries in what they did to the Native Americans. Likewise, the Jews in certain periods of their history—and again in this modern era—the contemporary record is marked by aggression, criminality, injustice, and corruption. Global Zionism is described as having some of the worst goals—portrayed as entirely corrupt and satanic. They even glorify Satan and practise satanic rituals, and that they seek to subjugate other peoples. The scandals associated with Jeffrey Epstein reveal only a small portion of their reality; however, it is not the only instance that has exposed aspects of their conduct and concealed affairs. There are many such scandals, all of which are brought to light by Allah, as reflected in His saying, {‘And Allah will bring forth what you concealed‘}[Al-Baqarah 2:72]. What is revealed to the public exposes them enough.

The issue is that there is a front of disbelief, evil, tyranny, criminality, and aggression that has entered the Islamic sphere, so as to target the peoples and countries of the Ummah with various forms of injustice, tyranny, criminality, and corruption. So one’s action must be unquestioned when he rises against this tyranny in an act of self-defence—a position that is legitimate on humanitarian, legal, moral, ethical, and religious grounds and universally recognised, whether by adherents of international law, of the charters of the United Nations, and of international norms or by followers of divine religion and values. Nevertheless, much of the Arab media is seen as standing with the tyrants and criminals, justifying their criminality, glorifying their tyranny, waging psychological warfare alongside them against the Ummah’s peoples, and criminalising the rightful position of self-defence.

Indeed, this is evident to a truly astonishing degree in the case of the American bases spread across Arab countries, foremost among them the Gulf states. From these bases, the Americans carry out their brutal, unjust, and criminal aggression, targeting the Muslim Iranian people—whether those in positions of responsibility within the Islamic system or other members of the population, including students. However, when the Iranian side responds to these bases—from which aggression is launched against it and which America uses to kill the Muslim people of Iran—the Arab regimes become angered. They describe the defensive actions of the Muslim Iranian people, their Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and their mujahid army—as they target those aggressive bases—as an act of aggression against themselves, meaning against Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, and so on. They step forward to oppose any attempt to target those American bases and move to defend them, seeking to shield them even as those very bases are engaged in acts of aggression. In doing so, they provide political, military, and financial protection and cover for the very bases that are perpetrating violence against the people of their own Ummah.

The Muslim people of Iran are part of this Ummah; they are Muslims belonging to this Islamic Ummah. However, Arab regimes seek to protect those bases. They even provide them with financial support, and some even assume the full cost of their operations. Moreover, they also offer political and media cover. In the end, they expect the oppressed to remain bound and shackled, unable to defend themselves, on the pretext that those bases—which launch attacks against oppressed and wronged peoples—operate from their countries under their protection. In other words, they assume that if America attacks any Arab or Islamic country, or any oppressed people, from bases located in those countries, the victims are expected to accept it, remain silent, and refrain from defending themselves. Why do they think so? It is because the attacking base happens to be in Saudi Arabia, or in any other Gulf country. Consequently, any nation is expected to remain silent, offer no response, and refrain from defending itself, thereby leaving America free to kill its people, devastate its country, and commit the most heinous crimes against it, without any stance or reaction whatsoever.

Here, we witness a state of clear tyranny, blatant injustice, and overt criminality, alongside calculations that are Pharaonic in nature—unjust and completely divorced from all human values, such as truth, justice, and goodness.

Thus, the movement of hypocrisy manifests in coordination, harmony, and collaboration with disbelievers, oppressors, and aggressors. This is not limited to the Muslim people of Iran and their Islamic system; it even extends to any other people. They align themselves with tyrants and oppressors, enabling them to target the peoples of this Ummah and oppress its members. At the same time, they expect the Ummah to remain submissive, compliant, and unresponsive. In addition, their propaganda campaigns are then launched in support of the tyrants, even rejoicing alongside them. That is, some members of the movement of hypocrisy within the Ummah celebrated what America and Israel perpetrated and were happy about the killing crimes committed by the Zionist Jewish enemy against the Muslim people of Iran and its leadership. They rejoiced with the Zionist Jewish enemy as it killed members of their Islamic Ummah, joining it in endorsing, celebrating, and taking pleasure in its crimes, while simultaneously participating in media campaigns with it and cooperating in other ways. This is an act of extreme folly, clear misguidance, and manifest loss, because the Zionist Jewish enemy, together with the Americans, seeks to eliminate the free members of this Ummah in order to fulfil its Zionist scheme, which crushes the remaining members, including those who are hypocritical or loyal to it. Indeed, it will not value their loyalty; it will tell them, as it told their predecessors: ‘What can we do for you when you are fools?‘ During certain historical periods, when some of the hypocrites asked the enemies why they did not fulfil their promises to them, they were told that those promises were nothing but deception, giving them no other choice. The British officials told them, ‘Since you chose to believe this deception, that is your problem; you are fools.‘ They will be told the same once more.

We have now reached the saying of Allah (Glory be to Him), {‘And there came a man, rushing from the farthest end of the city. He said, “O Musa! The chiefs are actually conspiring against you to put you to death, so leave [the city]. Verily, I am of those who wish you well‘}[Al-Qasas 28:18-20]. After news of the previous incident in the story of Prophet Musa (PBUH) had spread, and once the Pharaohs became aware of the matter, they were greatly disturbed. They convened a high-level meeting, as indicated in the verse, {‘The chiefs are actually conspiring against you.‘} That conference concluded with a clear decision: the killing of Musa (PBUH). Indeed, the meeting was held at the level of the chiefs (the senior leaders); the decision reached at that meeting was the killing of Musa (PBUH); and they were even deliberating on the procedure for carrying out the execution, considering how the steps and measures for implementing that decision should be undertaken.

In fact, their mobilisation in response to that incident and their move towards the decisive measure of killing Musa (PBUH) were intended to end his movement, extinguish all hope among the oppressed, and entrench a state of submission. Such a method is one that tyrants consistently employ as part of their systematic strategy.

However, we observe here a distinctive role highlighted by the holy Quranic verse: {‘And there came a man, rushing from the farthest end of the city.‘} This man was aware of what was discussed in the meeting, the decision that had been taken, and the fact that they were considering how to execute it. Therefore, he took the initiative and hurried in order to convey the news to Musa (PBUH) and advise him to leave the city, hoping to reach Musa (PBUH) before Firaawn’s henchmen could.

Some say that this man was the very one who later—after the mission of Prophet Musa (PBUH)—was referred to as the believing man from the family of Firaawn, and this is a plausible view. It is manifest that he was a man truly embodying the virtues of manhood—nobility, chivalry, and loyalty. He was distressed by Firaawn’s tyranny and sympathetic towards the oppressed, and he placed great hope in Musa (PBUH) and in his mission, supporting him in his efforts. His deep concern is evident in his initiative to reach Musa before the criminals could carry out their plan to kill him. For this reason, he came from the furthest part of the city—{‘from the farthest end of the city‘}[Al-Qasas 28:20]—that is, from the point most distant from where Musa was. This occurred before he had been commissioned with the divine message. He came hastening, and it is clear, as we have mentioned, that he already knew Musa.

{‘He said, “O Musa! The chiefs are actually conspiring against you to put you to death”‘}[Al-Qasas 28:20]: He informed Musa of their gathering and their decision, and that they were discussing how to implement it. {‘Verily, I am of those who wish you well‘}[Al-Qasas 28:20]—that is, he urged Musa to adopt the most appropriate course of action under those circumstances: to leave the city to ensure his safety. For any individual action he might have undertaken at that stage— alone and without support—would have had no real value in addressing the immediate situation or advancing the broader cause. In such conditions, leaving was the prudent solution.

The role played by this noble and chivalrous man—in taking the initiative to warn Musa of the danger threatening his life and advising him to depart—was a significant and beneficial contribution. It served his cause, his stance, and his direction. His initiative to warn Musa was, indeed, of great importance.

Here, we recognise the importance of security alerts, as one of the lessons drawn from this account: the importance of warning of danger, the duty of offering sincere counsel in such matters, and the significance of security awareness among people. To illustrate this, this very man could have ignored the matter and considered himself unconcerned with what was happening. Had he remained silent, there might have been serious consequences. Nevertheless, what unfolded was, on the one hand, within the framework of divine providence, and on the other, part of the important matters that Allah accomplishes through those who prepare themselves to be worthy of constructive and beneficial roles.

In fact, a security alert—warning of the dangers sought by tyrants, planned by criminals, and pursued for execution—is of immense importance. It reflects awareness, a sense of responsibility, genuine human values, and concern for just causes and their success. Thus, this man’s warning was of paramount importance.

As a matter of fact, security alerts are important in protecting lives. At times, a single alert can safeguard an entire community from catastrophe, preserving lives and safeguarding people’s safety. This falls within the meaning of the verse, {‘And whoever saves one—it is as if he had saved mankind entirely‘}[Al-Ma’idah 5:32]. They also help to thwart the criminal, aggressive, and unjust schemes of enemies, which target individuals, societies, the oppressed, the wronged, and the people of truth in every aspect of their lives, while seeking to entrench the dominance and control of tyrants and oppressors.

The Prophet of Allah, Musa (PBUH), took the news seriously and immediately set out to leave, because the man advised him: {‘So leave [the city]. Verily, I am of those who wish you well‘}[Al-Qasas 28:20]. In other words, while informing him of the danger of the enemies’ conspiracy and their intention, the man also presented him with a clear and practical way of dealing with the situation—one that was the most appropriate for his circumstances and best served his cause: {‘So leave [the city]. Verily, I am of those who wish you well‘} [Al-Qasas 28:20]. In doing so, he fulfilled his duty of sincere counsel. The responsibility of offering sincere advice is understood and upheld, as we have said, by those who possess genuine human values—those who feel a sense of responsibility towards others and towards the reality around them, and who carry within themselves a spirit of benevolence and genuine care.

{‘So Musa left the city in a state of fear and caution‘}[Al-Qasas 28:21]. This means that the Prophet of Allah, Musa (PBUH), immediately hastened to leave the city. Yet even as he departed, he still faced serious dangers—possibly due to the presence of watch posts and the wide deployment of Firaawn’s tyrants in many areas. This explains why he left in a state of fear and caution. The danger did not end with his departure from the city; rather, it remained present throughout the journey and along the road, with the constant expectation of being pursued and searched for. Musa was familiar with them and with their methods. Therefore, despite his fear, he acted cautiously in the light of what he knew about their tactics, procedures, and conduct. He understood their ways of surveillance, monitoring, and pursuit, and he knew how to act accordingly. Thus, from the phrase {‘in a state of fear and caution ‘}, we understand that he was not merely waiting to see what they would do, but also fully aware of their methods and the likely steps they would take to locate and capture him. At the same time, he was taking the appropriate practical measures in response.

Musa (PBUH) prayed to Allah, saying, {‘My Lord! Deliver me from the wrongdoing people‘}[Al-Qasas 28:21]. While he took whatever precautions he could, in all circumstances—amid the dangers he faced and the challenges before him—he constantly turned to Allah (Glory be to Him) with deep reliance and earnest supplication. From what we have already seen in his story, at this turning point, and in the stages that follow, we clearly observe how Musa (PBUH) continually turned to Allah and attached to Him, relying upon Him and placing his full trust in Him. This complete dependence upon Allah is plainly expressed in his supplication: {‘My Lord! Deliver me from the wrongdoing people‘}[Al-Qasas 28:21]. This stands as an important and enduring lesson for all believers: In every situation and in all his actions, Musa remained reliant upon Allah, turning to Him and placing his trust in Him.

He departed without regret over the dangerous situation he found himself in. That is, he departed while standing firmly upon a noble and principled position: confronting the oppressors. He did not think in the narrow terms that some people have—calculating that he had harmed his own interests or exposed his life to danger—for he believed that what is with Allah is better and everlasting, far surpassing all that Firaawn possessed. He paid no attention to outward displays—Firaawn’s palaces, the luxury and comfort of his worldly life, and the like. Rather, Musa placed his complete trust in Allah, certain that He never neglects or abandons His devoted servants.

So where could Musa (PBUH) go, and in which direction could he turn, while all of Egypt—including the countryside—was under the control of Firaawn and his people, who could reach him wherever he went, in any city or region under their authority?

We will discuss this in the next lecture.

We ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to grant us success in seeking what pleases Him. O Allah, have mercy on our virtuous martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory. You are the Hearer of Prayer!

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.