Speech by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi on Anniversary of Day of Criterion, Latest Developments
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.
Tomorrow, Friday, marks the seventeenth day of the blessed month of Ramadan. It is the anniversary of a great and momentous historical event in the history of the Muslim Ummah: the Great Battle of Badr, which Allah (Glory be to Him) referred to in the Holy Quran, in Surah Al-Anfal, as ‘the Day of Criterion‘. This is because of its immense importance in firmly establishing the foundations of Islam, truth, and justice; nullifying falsehood; and inflicting a resounding, strategic, and decisive defeat upon the forces of tyranny, disbelief, and evil.
Given its immense significance, it was indeed a decisive historical turning point. As we have mentioned, it firmly and clearly established the foundations of truth, distinguishing between truth and falsehood. In fact, it marked a decisive turning point in the reality of the Muslim Ummah and for the oppressed and wronged among the Muslims, distinguishing between what came before it and what followed it, for what came after it was entirely different from what had preceded it. In addition, it marked a decisive turning point due to its profound impact in strengthening the Islamic reality, consolidating the foundations of the divine message, reassuring the oppressed, inspiring many to join Islam, and shaping the course of the events and transformations that followed—culminating in highly decisive victories, as we will point out in this context. The Great Battle of Badr took place in the second year after the Hijrah—after the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) emigrated from Mecca to Medina.
This year, the anniversary coincides with a tense confrontation between our Muslim Ummah and the arrogant, oppressive taghut of the age: the Zionist Jews, along with their criminal, tyrannical, and arrogant tools (the Americans and Israelis), who are the tyrants of this era. They target our Muslim Ummah, leading all forces of disbelief and polytheism. In fact, they are the leaders of disbelief and the leaders of the forces of misguidance, tyranny, and hypocrisy, mobilising these forces against the Muslim Ummah. Their direct aggression has extended from Palestine to Lebanon, alongside the ongoing violation of Syria and their actions against Yemen, culminating in their comprehensive criminal aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Muslim Iranian people.
Therefore, the commemoration of this anniversary this year—as it coincides with these events—stands as one of the most inspiring, guiding, and beneficial historical milestones that our Muslim Ummah needs while confronting the events, dangers, and challenges ahead.
The Great Battle of Badr was a confrontation between Islam and disbelief, between truth and falsehood, and between tyranny and justice. It was a military battle that laid the foundation for a new era. In fact, its impact and significant outcomes were indeed decisive for all of humanity—particularly for the Muslims. Indeed, the importance of commemorating this event lies, first and foremost, in considering it a great blessing upon us as a Muslim Ummah, as its effects have extended and continue to extend until the Day of Judgement, ensuring the survival of Islam. At certain stages, the Ummah faces difficult circumstances, major challenges, severe suffering, and a state of decline in its condition due to an evident internal deficiency—one that enables tyrants and hypocrites to gain control of its affairs and attempt to subjugate it to its enemies: the disbelievers, the Jews, and the Christians. This results in disasters and tragedies that affect both the Ummah itself and its peoples.
Nevertheless, whatever hardships the Ummah may face, Islam continues to endure. Its message remains firm, steadfast, and deeply rooted, and its light continues to extend across generations. As for the passing events the Ummah goes through and the circumstances and changes it suffers, they do not—in any way—signify the end of Islam or the extinguishing of its light. Rather, they represent temporary changes from which the Ummah draws great and important lessons, revealing its true need for Islam in its purity and clarity—Islam free from the impurities of misguidance, falsehood, and hypocrisy and Islam in its authentic Quranic and Prophetic (Muhammadan) essence, which manifests in reality through upholding the truth, establishing justice, spreading goodness, confronting tyranny, and serving as a mercy to all the worlds.
Therefore, we celebrate this great blessing as a favour that Allah has bestowed upon us as a Muslim Ummah from that time until the Day of Resurrection. It is indeed a momentous event for the Muslim Ummah and a great blessing in the immense outcomes that Allah brought about through it—outcomes whose effects extended throughout the reality of the Muslims and continue to extend until the Day of Resurrection.
Furthermore, the great significance of the Great Battle of Badr lies in the fact that it is a school from which we draw lessons and insights and acquire the correct vision regarding the dangers and challenges we face in our present time and age. It also clarifies the great, blessed, and sacred responsibilities that lie upon us, such as the responsibility of striving in the cause of Allah, commanding what is right, forbidding what is wrong, calling to goodness, striving to establish truth and justice, and confronting tyranny, disbelief, arrogance, and injustice, among other responsibilities.
This is especially true as the lessons derived from the Great Battle of Badr and from the Day of Criterion come from the life and mission of the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (PBUH&F), who embodies guidance and exemplary conduct and serves as a role model. He is the Messenger sent to guide us and all the worlds and to convey to us Allah’s light, guidance, revelation, and words. Indeed, he acted in accordance with them. Thus, he serves as a model and exemplar in his prophetic mission and in the light, wisdom, and guidance that Allah granted him, carrying out the message, guiding by it, and putting it into practice.
Therefore, Allah (Glory be to Him) said, {‘There has certainly been an excellent example for you in the messenger of Allah, for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah often‘}[Al-Ahzab 33:21].
The Ummah is in urgent need of strengthening its connection with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) so that it does not become subject to manipulation by whoever wishes, including ideologists, thinkers, or mischief-makers or by the pens that serve the enemies, the voices that act as the enemies’ mouthpieces, and the voices of hypocrisy, which lead people into darkness and lead them astray in confusion, thus diverting them from the true path of Allah and from following His Messenger (PBUH&F).
Moreover, the Holy Quran records for us this blessed battle—its events and important details—in a manner that preserves its guidance and lessons. This account benefits us in meeting our needs in the present time when confronting challenges and dangers, bearing our responsibilities, and acting within the framework of sound and principled positions.
The Holy Quran recounts the story of the Great Battle of Badr in an entire surah of the Quran, namely Surah Al-Anfal, which can be considered a comprehensive record of this blessed battle. It presents it within a framework of lessons, divine instructions, and great, wise, and guiding teachings. The truths it offers (along with the awareness, understanding, and comprehension of them) are of great importance, and we are in urgent need of them today. In addition, references to it also appear in other surahs of the Quran, such as Surah Ali-‘Imran, Surah Al-Hajj, and Surah Ar-Rum.
As we face the dangers that threaten us as Muslims throughout the Islamic world—governments, elites, and all members of this Ummah in this era—we are in great need of drawing lessons and insights from the Great Battle of Badr above all, as well as from the life of the Messenger of Allah and his later jihad more broadly. What occurred before the Great Battle of Badr and from what followed it contain extremely important lessons for us, and returning to them is of the utmost importance, because there is a massive flow of influence from the side of the disbelievers, the hypocrites, and also the heedless, attempting to complete what remains in misleading the Ummah—misguiding its vision, choices, decisions, orientations, and positions. However, during this extremely dangerous phase, mistakes in positions, calculations, choices, and decisions can result in very severe disasters, such as empowering the fiercest enemy of Islam and Muslims: the evil, Satanic, arrogant, criminal, Jewish, and Zionist clique, which represents the utmost depravity, the height of criminality, and the most abhorrent and vile form of evil.
Therefore, the Ummah must turn towards the true source of guidance, towards the Holy Quran, and towards the movement of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F), which was based upon the Quran. This is extremely important.
Since we presented many lessons from Surah Al-Anfal in some previous Ramadan seasons and we spoke extensively and in detail about the great Battle of Badr in others, here—given the current circumstances—we will focus on certain important lessons. We will not go into many details because we have already discussed them repeatedly and because others also address those details. Instead, we will focus on several very important points and lessons—chief among the lessons we learn from the mission of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F).
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) is the purest, the most guided, the most pious, and the wisest of all people. When we speak of wisdom, sound judgement, insight, guidance, light, the purity of the soul at the highest level, and the most elevated connection to the guidance and teachings of Allah (Glory be to Him), the highest and greatest example in all of this is the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (PBUH&F).
Within his message and his mission in carrying the divine call—which is a message of goodness, about which Allah says, {‘We have sent you [O Prophet] only as a mercy for the whole world‘}[Al-Anbya 21:107]—there exist clear truth, evident goodness, manifest guidance, and decisive signs. These impose themselves even upon the hearts of those who deny them. Although they reject and dispute them outwardly, they recognize—deep within—that these are real and true facts. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) himself presented them at the most elevated level: through the finest methods, the most convincing approaches, and the most eloquent expression. In his practical conduct and commitment, he embodied the most perfect example. Indeed, it is a call to great goodness, a call to evident truth, and a message of light that rescues humanity from darkness.
Despite this, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) faced tremendous hardship from the arrogant, oppressive, and disbelieving forces of tyranny that were aligned with Satan, set themselves against the Messenger, and waged war against Islam, the call of Islam, and the message of Islam in every possible way: fighting through media and propaganda campaigns filled with false and distorted accusations, efforts to sow doubt, and attempts to turn people away from the truth. Furthermore, they employed various forms of pressure, coercion, and torture, and pursued every possible method of hostility: psychological, economic, social, and security-related—on all levels. They even reached the point of attempting to kill the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F). They directed every form of pressure against him until it ultimately led to his emigration from Mecca to Medina. There, the formation of the Muslim community began within a Muslim society that supported the divine message. Despite this, the efforts of all enemies continued—especially those who were the principal bearers of the banner of polytheism, tyranny, oppression, and arrogance. These were the Quraysh at that time. It was they who initiated the confrontation with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F). They acted ahead of others, even as others were active, forming alliances with various groups, including cooperation with the Jews and other parties. They engaged in armed conflict against Islam, waging war against the truth, seeking to extinguish the light of Allah, and striving to eliminate His Messenger (PBUH&F) and the Muslims who were with him, even pursuing their total annihilation.
In those circumstances, what could the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) have done to uphold the clear truth and manifest light to which he belonged, upon which he based his mission, and which he possessed and proclaimed? Could any other method have been adopted to establish that truth and to nullify the heinous falsehood propagated by the forces of tyranny and criminality? Jihad in the cause of Allah (Glory be to Him) was therefore unavoidable, and even military confrontation became necessary in order to confront their evil. Hence, Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {‘And [recall] when Allah was promising you that one of the two groups would be for you, and you were wishing that the unarmed one would be for you. And Allah wanted to establish the truth through His words and to cut off the very root of the disbelievers. That He should establish the truth and abolish falsehood, even if the criminals disliked it‘}[Al-Anfal 8:7-8].
Indeed, this contains an important lesson for us as a Muslim Ummah—whose greatest rights are being stripped away. This Ummah is deprived of its right to exist as a free and independent nation, rooted in its Islamic identity and its belonging to Islam. It cannot exercise its right to progress in life on the basis of its Islamic identity and within the framework of its noble and great mission: to call to goodness, enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong. It is prevented from benefiting from its wealth and resources, maintaining sovereignty over its homelands, and exercising all the rights that belong to it. All these rights are threatened with complete confiscation. As for other options—diplomacy, appealing to the United Nations, or casting oneself into the arms of enemies—these alternatives have been tried repeatedly and continue to be pursued in practice, yet they have yielded no results whatsoever. The continuing reality for the Muslim Ummah is ever-greater domination by its enemies, a further entrenchment of their control, and increasingly blatant displays of their evil, tyranny, and oppression.
Thus, we see that when jihad in the cause of Allah is set aside, all other options neither establish any truth nor nullify any falsehood in the face of the assault of this Ummah’s enemies—the tyrannical forces of disbelief, the hardened proponents of falsehood, the criminals, and the oppressors—and in the face of their Satanic goals and criminal practices. Indeed, those who stand on the opposing side are the criminals. That is why Allah says here, {‘even if the criminals disliked it ‘}. They are criminals in every sense of the word. Therefore, it is nothing but sheer illusion and fantasy—entirely unsupported by reality or fact—when the Ummah deals with them as though they were nations, entities, or powers that abide by fair principles, just laws, and equitable foundations, and that respect shared interests. Likewise, the Ummah falls into delusion when it relies on international law and the charters of the United Nations, imagining that it can organise its affairs on that basis, attain stability, and enjoy a life founded upon shared interests and international cooperation with the Zionist Jews, America, Israel, and those Satanic powers, as though such relations could form the foundation of global stability.
All one needs to do is observe reality as it truly is, and the facts as they have unfolded over decades. What has Britain done to the Muslim Ummah—foremost among them the Arabs and the rest of the Muslim world? What has France done? In addition, what is America doing today, and what is the Zionist enemy doing to this Ummah? What are their goals? What are their beliefs? What is their cultural background? What direction do their actions take in practice? None of this shows any regard or respect for international law, the charters of the United Nations, or humanitarian norms.
These are things they present to the Arabs and Muslims as fantasies, illusions, mirage-like hopes, and dreams. Yet in the lived reality of the Muslim Ummah, they are moving to entrench their domination over it and strip it of its fundamental rights, treating it as mere spoils for themselves, something to be devoured, and a banquet spread before them. They seek to impose a condition in which they can violate it by killing, annihilating, plundering, exploiting its resources, and committing all kinds of crimes against it. At the same time, they work to confiscate everything connected to the Ummah’s freedom and dignity, erase and distort its Islamic identity and sanctities, corrupt its concepts and values, enslave this Ummah, occupy its homelands, and impose complete domination over it.
The daily criminal practices reveal with striking clarity the true nature of those enemies and confirm the truth of describing them as criminals. Indeed, a criminal has no regard whatsoever for values, treaties, or norms. He is a criminal in nature: malicious and aggressive, engaging in crime and committing the most heinous offences. What criminals in this world could ever match the level of criminality displayed by America, the Zionist Jews, and the global Zionist Jewish movement in the monstrous and appalling crimes they perpetrate?
One of the most recent examples exposing this reality is what has taken place in Gaza over the course of two years—events revealing horrifying details about the scale of criminality, the aggressive mentality, and the blind hatred involved. They show utter disregard for human life, disregard and contempt for human societies, and a readiness to violate everything.
In fact, in opposition to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) stand the tyrannical forces of disbelief, the hardened proponents of falsehood, the criminals, and the oppressors—driven by Satanic goals and engaged in criminal practices.
Such was the nature of the forces of disbelief that waged war against the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F): They were criminal, tyrannical, arrogant, oppressive, and corrupt forces. For this reason, such people are the enemies of Islam; they are the allies of Satan. Their souls are malicious and inclined to evil. They seek to mislead and corrupt people in order to enslave and exploit them. In every age, they form a sinister, Satanic faction that stands in opposition to truth, goodness, and justice, and practises tyranny and oppression.
Their enmity towards the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) stemmed from the truth, guidance, goodness, and mercy he embodied, and also from what he brought to people of this truth and guidance. Their enmity was so intense that they tried to kill him and sought to annihilate the Muslim community. When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) emigrated and the Islamic community emerged as a great Ummah, the enemies launched military campaigns against it. Therefore, Allah granted it permission, as a Muslim Ummah, to engage in jihad and military action against those dangers and adversaries: The revelation from Allah (Glory be to Him) states, {‘Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory. [They are] those who have been evicted from their homes without right, only because they say, “Our Lord is Allah.” And were it not that Allah repels the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned [praised]. And Allah will surely grant victory to those who stand for Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Mighty‘}[Al-Hajj 22:39-40].
Hence, the Great Battle of Badr was the first direct military engagement between the Muslims and their disbelieving enemies. Prior to it, there had only been minor skirmishes and a few small expeditions. At that time, the polytheists set out from Mecca filled with pride, arrogance, and tyranny—driven by haughtiness and transgression and flaunting themselves before the people. They relied on their military and material capabilities, their war equipment, and their numbers, which far exceeded those of the Muslims. In contrast, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) possessed extremely limited resources and only a small number of supporters and mujahidin. For this reason, the Quran describes how the disbelievers set out, saying, {‘They went out in arrogance and to be seen by people, and they hinder others from the path of Allah ‘}[Al-Anfal 8:47].
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) set out by the command of Allah, trusting in Him and relying upon Him, despite several factors: the considerable capabilities of the enemy, as this was the first major military confrontation with them; the discouragement and fear-mongering by the hypocrites and those in whose hearts was sickness within the Muslim community; and the strong apprehension among some of the believers, which negatively affected their morale to such an extent that they even attempted to dissuade the Prophet (PBUH&F) from confrontation.
The Holy Quran speaks about all these realities, for example, {‘[Recall] when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is sickness said, “These people’s religion has deceived them.” But whoever places his trust in Allah, then indeed, Allah is Almighty, Wise‘}[Al-Anfal 8:49]. This demonstrates that the hypocrites tried to discourage the people, weaken their resolve, and spread fear among them in an attempt to prevent them from taking their rightful stand alongside the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F).
Also, Allah says, {‘For it was your Lord Who made you venture from your home for a just cause. Indeed, a group of the believers disliked it. And they argued with you about the truth after it had been made clear, as if they were being driven towards a death they could see with their own eyes‘}[Al-Anfal 8:5-6]—that is, their psychological state influenced them, rendering them desperate about the possibility of victory, given the circumstances and the limited resources available.
The course of events moved inexorably towards military confrontation once the Muslims arrived at Badr—a valley with a well, the name ‘Badr’ referring both to the valley and the surrounding region. It lies between Mecca and Medina, though somewhat closer to Mecca. There, the two sides began preparing for battle: Allah says, {‘[Recall] when you were on the near side of the valley, and they were on the farther side, and the caravan was lower [in position] than you. If you had made an appointment [to meet], you would have missed the appointment. But [it was] so that Allah might accomplish a matter already destined, so that those who were to perish would perish upon evidence and those who were to live would live upon evidence; and indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing‘}[Al-Anfal 8:42]. It was part of the divine plan that this battle take place because of the important, decisive, and far-reaching outcomes it would produce.
The mujahidin—the Prophet (PBUH&F) and the Muslims with him—earnestly sought help from Allah. This is what believers should do in the face of dangers, hardships, and enemies: turn sincerely to Allah, place their trust in Him, rely upon Him, and seek His support. Allah says, {‘When you were asking help of your Lord. and He answered you, “Indeed, I will reinforce you with a thousand from the angels, following one another” ‘}[Al-Anfal 8:9].
Ultimately, the battle resulted in the great victory with which Allah favoured and supported the Messenger and the Muslims, as He says, {‘It was not you who killed them, but it was Allah Who did so. Nor was it you who threw, but it was Allah Who did so, rendering the believers a great favour. Surely Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. As such, Allah frustrates the evil plans of the disbelievers‘}[Al-Anfal 8:17-18].
While this victory was utterly unexpected and profoundly shocking to the enemies and those lying in wait among the hypocrites and others, it had a tremendous psychological and moral impact on the Muslims. It laid the foundation for significant transformations, all aimed at upholding the truth and consolidating the pillars of Islam, and it was followed by subsequent events leading to:
- the Conquest of Mecca—a decisive turning point within the Arabian Peninsula and among the Arabs, particularly regarding those who had remained hesitant towards Islam or had been hostile to it in alignment with the Quraysh;
- the Conquest of Khaybar— a critical milestone in the conflict with the Jews, even though preceded by other battles; and
- the Battle of Tabuk—marking the Ummah’s major transition to the stage of confronting the Roman Empire and paving the way for its eventual defeat.
Thus, the Great Battle of Badr truly was the Day of Criterion— a defining day in the history of the Muslim Ummah.
Among the important lessons is the lesson concerning our core cause: As a Muslim Ummah, we must reflect on what our defining cause should be, and consider the standard by which we judge our stances. These are the very areas where the enemies attempt to sow confusion—seeking to control public opinion, define what the Ummah perceives as its pressing concerns and major issues, influence its stances, and even shape its sense of whom to support and whom to oppose, among other similar matters.
The Holy Quran makes clear that jihad is directed against criminals who seek to enslave humanity through falsehood. The phrase {‘even if the criminals disliked it‘}[Al-Anfal 8:8] indicates that criminals are the ones who despise the divine message in its purity, clarity, true principles, valuable teachings, and its great project for life. They strive to extinguish its light. They also seek to enslave people: They do not want humanity to remain connected to Allah through His guidance, His light, and His instructions. Instead, they desire to control people, imposing whatever they wish in ways that serve their own interests, ambitions, desires, and crimes. They, in turn, bring misery, suffering, injustice, and falsehood upon all humanity.
In the words of Allah (Glory be to Him), {‘For it was your Lord Who made you venture from your home for a just cause‘}[Al-Anfal 8:5]and in His saying, {‘And Allah wanted to establish the truth‘}[Al-Anfal 8:7], we see that Allah establishes truth as the fundamental standard for the Muslim Ummah in determining its stances regarding its affiliations, loyalties, enmities, and decisions. That is, our stance should neither be shaped by material temptations, political gains, personal ambitions, or the pursuit of positions and offices, nor by intimidation, tyranny, or fear—forces that have caused some people to submit even to the worst of criminals. Rather, we must orient ourselves on the basis of truth, avoiding the lure of temptation, surrender to fear, and the abandonment of truth as a consequence of either. This represents a profoundly significant lesson.
Another important lesson concerns identifying the available options and determining what is consistent with our faith-based identity and what ultimately leads to a praiseworthy outcome. In other words, which option will protect our Muslim Ummah, preserve its dignity, honour, independence, and freedom—grounded in its religion, identity, and belonging—and ward off the evil of its enemies? There are several possible options; they are as follows:
- Jihad in the cause of Allah, carried out according to His guidance and based on the values, principles, and ethics established in the Holy Quran—an approach for which the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) provided the greatest lessons through his life and movement, offering us a practical model to follow;
- Surrender; or
- Supporting the enemies and standing on their side.
In this era—as a Muslim ummah—our most bitter enemy is the Jews and their global Zionist movement, with its arms, tools, and arrogant, unjust, and criminal powers, represented by the United States, the Israeli entity, and Britain, along with other forces within their sphere.
They are the leaders of disbelief, the source of evil and criminality. Allah has informed us about them in the Holy Quran, revealing this absolute truth: {‘You will surely find the most serious of mankind in enmity to the believers to be the Jews and those who associate others with Allah‘}[Al-Ma’idah 5:82]. Thus, He placed them as number one—the foremost enemy of the Ummah.
The Jews and their Zionist movement, along with their criminal, oppressive, disbelieving, and arrogant powers—represented by America and Israel— and those who ally themselves with them and assist them, are in this era the bearers of the banner of the second era of ignorance about which the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) informed us. It is even more dangerous and severe than the first era of ignorance that existed at the dawn of Islam, which the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) confronted directly. Indeed, they are the leaders of disbelief, the very source of evil, the faction of Satan—dark, misleading, corrupting, oppressive, arrogant, and criminal. We must view them for what they truly are and according to their openly declared and unmistakable intentions towards us as Muslims and as an ummah—an all-encompassing enmity directed at our faith, affiliation, identity, sanctities, honour, homelands, wealth, and both our worldly life and our Hereafter.
They are the tyrants of this age—the arrogant and oppressive powers. If the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) were present in this era, moving among the Ummah and still alive, he would be in a direct confrontation with them, engaged in a direct battle against them. They would be the ones leading all the forces of evil and criminality across the world to wage war against him, and they would merely not stand by and watch him in the Islamic arena.
They stand upon manifest falsehood—falsehood in every sense of the word. Their doctrines, aims, orientations, and all they seek to achieve in our Islamic world are rooted in falsehood. Indeed, they are in error in their aims, beliefs, and endeavours. Their enmity towards Islam is open and explicit, directed towards the Quran, the Messenger, the sanctities of Islam, the Ummah, and the Islamic identity as a whole. At the same time, they pose a danger even to all humanity, for they are a faction of evil—aggressive, criminal, deeply arrogant, and tyrannical—showing neither justice nor mercy to anyone.
America has come from the farthest reaches of the world to our region—what they call the ‘Middle East’—bringing with it its evil, crimes, oppression, and aggression. The same applies to the Jews: They arrived in waves to Palestine to occupy it as part of their aggressive, criminal, expansionist Zionist project, through which they seek to dominate the region as a whole—a project that is also satanic in its essence, founded on injustice, misguidance, criminality, and the spreading of corruption across the land.
Thus, they are actively targeting us as a Muslim Ummah, committing aggression against us as Muslim peoples and practising tyranny, injustice, and criminality against us. For this reason, they have launched an assault aimed at humiliating and degrading this Ummah, occupying its lands and plundering its wealth.
Their daily actions in Palestine—from the very beginning of their occupation of the land up to the present day, in addition to the monumental atrocities they have committed in the Gaza Strip over the past two years—are clear and unmistakable evidence of the magnitude of their criminality, evil, and tyranny, making coexistence with them impossible. Their objectives, intentions, and pursuits amount entirely to aggression, injustice, occupation, plunder, corruption, misguidance, and crime in all its forms. Such matters render tolerance or acceptance utterly impossible.
The Epstein scandal is only one of their major scandals, revealing what they are like behind the scenes—something extremely horrific in terms of brutality, misguidance, falsehood, and their association with Satan.
The publicly declared agenda—spoken of openly and officially by Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, and their leading criminals, as well as within their various institutions—clearly confirms what they intend towards our Ummah, our region, and our peoples. They speak of ‘changing the Middle East’ and establishing ‘Greater Israel’. By ‘the Middle East’, they mean all of our countries: Yemen, the Gulf states, Iraq, and the lands of the Levant—indeed, the entire region. The project of establishing ‘Greater Israel’ is also explicit, and published maps already illustrate its envisioned form. Yet what lies behind this is even greater: domination over the region as a whole—a Zionist Jewish control over Muslims, over their homelands, and over their wealth—carried out by the most hostile, the most criminal, the most malicious, and the very worst of enemies, backed by American partnership and Western support. Consider the monstrous actions perpetrated against the Palestinian people by this Zionist enemy, and reflect upon their core beliefs and their clearly established positions.
The falsehood they seek to impose upon us—as Muslim peoples and across Muslim countries—is the enslavement of this Ummah to others than to Allah. They want their dictates and decisions—satanic in nature, unjust, and aggressive—to become the substitute for the Quran, for Allah’s commands, and for His teachings. In other words, they seek to create a reality in which the Ummah obeys the orders of Netanyahu and other criminal Zionists, and comes under the control of Ben-Gvir, instead of remaining connected to the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (PBUH&F), Islam, the Quran, and the truth itself. They also strive to occupy and confiscate all the rights of this Ummah.
What they continually do against Lebanon falls squarely within this context, as does their ongoing violation of Syria. The same applies to their sustained crimes in Gaza, committed with total disregard for agreements and guarantees. Likewise, their actions in the West Bank and Al-Quds, their persistent desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and other such actions fall entirely within this same framework.
This culminates in their treacherous, criminal, and savage aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Muslim Iranian people. This represents one of the most significant hostile steps aimed at achieving that satanic objective. They openly declare this, stating that their comprehensive aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran—including targeting the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran (May Allah be pleased with him) and the other leaders, their efforts to topple the Islamic system in Iran, and their attempts to dominate the Muslim Iranian population—is solely aimed at fulfilling their goal of controlling the Middle East. This is because they view the Muslim Iranian people as the foremost obstacle, given the capabilities and resources they possess and the important regional and global role they play. Therefore, they want to remove it to achieve their objective of controlling the entire region and all its peoples. This is an openly declared, satanic ambition, voiced plainly by both the Americans and the Israelis. So, as they attack a Muslim people of this Ummah, their ultimate goal is to dominate the whole region and enslave us all. That is why this war is, in essence, a war against Muslims, against Islam, and against every people in the region.
The current confrontation is a struggle between Islam and disbelief, truth and falsehood. On one side are the free forces of the Ummah, led by the Islamic Republic of Iran, its people, its official institutions, and its Revolutionary Guard; the valiant Hezbollah mujahidin in Lebanon; the free mujahidin in Iraq, and the steadfast, principled people of Yemen. This is the framework that must define our position. The hypocrites and those with diseased hearts are working hard to confuse many people in the region and the wider Islamic world. They want to discourage the Ummah from taking the right stance by portraying this as just a conflict between distant factions with problems that don’t concern the Ummah. This deception serves the infidels and the criminal, arrogant, Zionist clique. But the truth is clear: America’s fundamental direction is to achieve Zionist goals. This is a war on Islam and Muslims. The tyranny, aggression, and criminality they are perpetrating against Iran are clear.
Is there any doubt that they are the aggressors? They initiated a treacherous, unjust assault on a Muslim people, with no justification whatsoever for their crimes, including the assassination of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Al-Sayyid Ali Khamenei (May Allah be pleased with him), and their ongoing attempts to bring down the Islamic system—attempts that have failed and will fail, Allah willing.
Given our responsibility as a Muslim ummah, we must understand what is really happening and what our enemies are planning. It is the duty of the entire Ummah to stand with this Muslim people. The Iranian people are a Muslim people, who are part of this Ummah, among the most important and largest of its peoples, with a vital role in its strength, resilience, honour, and revival. Their Islamic system too plays a uniquely important and distinguished role.
As for the official abdication of responsibility by most regimes, it is hardly surprising. They failed the people of Gaza. The disasters, conflicts, and seemingly endless problems engulfing our region are the direct result of the Ummah’s failure to support the Palestinian people, who were the first line of defence that could have protected the Ummah as a whole, had it stood by them.
However, the American and Zionist Jewish enemy is not satisfied with the passivity of the submissive regimes and their negative political and media stances alone. It also seeks to push some regimes to serve as shields to protect it by intercepting missiles and drones. This has become the reality for several regimes and governments, whose primary concern in this battle is to dedicate all their energy, capabilities, and resources to safeguarding American bases that directly contributed to the aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran and to protecting the oppressive, criminal Zionist Jewish enemy. Their efforts are focused on intercepting drones and missiles to stop them from hitting American bases or the Israeli enemy, turning themselves into a defensive shield for the enemy.
Moreover, politically and in the media, they frame Iran’s retaliatory strikes on American bases as attacks against their own countries, doing all within their power to protect those bases. Despite all of this, the Americans and the Zionist Jews see that it is still not enough. They seek to entangle Arab governments and regimes in what is more than defending American bases and acting as shields for them and for the Israeli enemy by intercepting missiles and drones on its behalf, since they have not fully fulfilled this role—that is, many drones and missiles still reach their targets, causing massive destruction to American bases and dealing severe blows to the Israeli enemy. They even want them to become active soldiers for criminals like Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, and other Zionist Jews, directly participating in offensive attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Muslim Iranian people. Currently, great efforts are being made to push some Arab regimes to reach this level: to become junior soldiers for the criminal Netanyahu, for the criminal Ben-Gvir, and for the Zionist Jewish criminals. They aim to turn them into junior soldiers, fighting openly and directly on their behalf against the Islamic Ummah, starting with the Muslim Iranian people and then moving on to others.
This is a major disgrace, and any Arab regime that engages in this grave betrayal of Islam and Muslims is a loser and a failure and brings shame and scandal upon itself. Indeed, it is a profound shame and a dreadful scandal, especially for those hypocrites who present themselves as leading figures in the Arab and Islamic world. So if they choose to become junior soldiers in the service of criminals like Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir and similar Zionist Jews and fight openly and directly in support of them against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Muslim Iranian people, this marks a new and very unfortunate phase in the reality of our Islamic Ummah, with very serious consequences and disastrous effects. However, it is a time of sorting and achieving clarity, and the biggest losers are those who sacrifice themselves, their resources, and their capabilities in service of the Zionist Jewish criminals, who are the fiercest enemies of Islam and Muslims.
It has become evident during this phase that American bases in Arab countries exist solely to protect the Israeli enemy and to attack the members of this Ummah. These bases do not serve any purpose in safeguarding the countries they are in or the regimes governing these countries. Consequently, they have become a burden on these regimes, as the Americans demand protection for these bases from those very regimes that had wanted to shelter behind the American bases. Some rulers, regimes, and governments felt reassured by the presence of American bases, believing that this would ensure their stability and safety. Today, however, the Americans demand that these regimes protect them and the Zionist Jews and fight on their behalf—dragging them into criminal complicity for the sake of the Israeli enemy. In other words, these bases have become a burden at every level: financially (indeed they were so from the start), politically, in the media sphere, militarily, and in security terms—a burden in the full sense of the word. Therefore, it is in their best interest to rid themselves of American bases: These bases will not protect them, and they will entangle themselves in real problems simply to protect them.
The regimes aligned with Zionism and with America and Israel abandoned Palestine and the Palestinian people amid a terribly grave injustice. They hoped that they would thereby find comfort, ward off dangers and crises, and normalise ties with the Israeli enemy, believing they could live in peace and harmony with Zionist Jews and global criminals and move into ease, prosperity, and economic and technological advancement—only to find themselves entangled in the very heart of dangers and crises.
It has also become evident in recent days that the Zionist Jews themselves carried out operations against the interests of certain Arab states—oil resources and others—to entangle those states, governments, and regimes and push them into a direct confrontation with the Islamic Republic of Iran for their own sake. With the situation now so clear, the question arises: Will these regimes dare to take a stand against the Jews after their role in these aggressions has been exposed? Will they refrain from emotional reactions and heated decisions against the Islamic Republic? The answer is no.
The enemies—the Americans and the Israelis—are violating the airspace of the region as a whole, moving freely with their aircraft and equipment to target the members of this Ummah. Therefore, we must recognise the reality of what is happening: It is aimed at this Ummah, under that clear and openly declared agenda.
As for the Islamic Republic of Iran, its position is extremely strong—both officially and at the popular level. The role played by the Revolutionary Guard and the Iranian army in jihad is highly effective. They deal severe blows to the enemies, and they did indeed strike the American bases. The Americans fled from the military bases to hotels, and some are leaving the region entirely in a state of panic and fear. They also carried out effective and powerful operations against the Israeli enemy. Furthermore, what Hezbollah is doing has surprised the enemies. They believed they had brought it to a breaking point, only to find that it continues to conduct its operations with effectiveness, strength, and vigor. This has truly astonished the enemies, and many may be taken aback by this too. Hezbollah has every right to act, especially since the Israeli enemy has never ceased its assaults on Lebanon, Hezbollah, and the Lebanese people throughout this entire period, and it often escalates in various ways. The response of the fellow mujahidin in Iraq is likewise very strong, with operations carried out day and night, and they too have the right to do so.
As for our position in Yemen, we affirm our support for the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iranian Muslim people. We are engaged in various activities and stand ready for military escalation or action whenever required, for we regard this battle as the battle of the Ummah as a whole.
The American and Israeli enemy—the Zionist enemy with all its arms—seeks to impose a new order where it can violate this Ummah with impunity, as it is doing in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and elsewhere in this region. It also seeks for its war against the free people of this Ummah to be open-ended—without any restraints, limits, or obligations. That is, once it has assembled a bank of targets, secured funding from Arab regimes—trillions of dollars they provide to the Americans—and filled its arsenals with weapons, it then chooses a politically opportune moment and launches its attack against this people or that, this front here or that front there, with outright criminality and tyranny. It wants the Islamic world to remain in shackles, doing nothing, while it enjoys a free hand to target any people and any force from among this Ummah, in any country it chooses. This must not be accepted at all. So long as it is waging an open war against this Ummah, it must also be dealt with on that basis—as an enemy at war with the Ummah and subject to targeting whenever deemed appropriate. For it lies in wait for any opportunity, then strikes at the time it wants, commits whatever crime it wants, and attacks to the extent it wants. Then it stops, and there is no response; it remains safe and reassured, preparing for another assault, another attack, another crime—and so it proceeds.
For that reason, what did this enemy focus on in the period after Gaza? The priority was to secure the funding—trillions made available from Arab regimes—and to fill its stockpiles with shells, bombs, and missiles. This was done through air and sea routes that kept transporting supplies until the depots were full. Then the plan was prepared, and a particular timing was chosen to serve that aim; after that, the enemy launched its aggression against the Iranian Muslim people, their leader, and their Islamic system, with utmost criminality. This is something our Ummah must not accept for itself or its peoples. It is an extremely dangerous equation.
The Ummah must realise that it is in an open war: At any moment the enemy may attack in any country, whether in the Arab world or elsewhere in the Islamic world. We must confront the enemy and deal with it on this basis—an open war. The Ummah must place its trust in Allah as it moves in accordance with His guidance, and be certain of the inevitable downfall of the criminal, usurping Zionist entity, taking to heart the divine promise in the Holy Quran: {‘But if you return, We will return‘}[Al-Isra 17:8]. Therefore, the Ummah should move with certainty, confidence, and peace of mind; it should rely on Allah, pursue the means of victory, and work with seriousness, realising that this is an unavoidable confrontation—one that cannot be escaped through evasion or by shirking responsibilities. Thus, the correct course of action is to engage seriously in what must be done and to act accordingly. This is the solution for the Ummah.
As part of our public mobilisation as the Yemeni people in our stance against the most hostile enemy of Islam and the Muslims, and as tomorrow marks the blessed and momentous anniversary of the Great Battle of Badr, I call upon my dear Yemeni Muslim people to take part in million-strong demonstrations tomorrow, Friday, Allah willing:
-To commemorate the blessed anniversary of the Day of the Criterion, the Great Battle of Badr.
-To reaffirm commitment to our Islamic choice of jihad in the path of Allah, bearing the banner of Islam and confronting the tyrants of our age—the Americans and the Israelis—just as the early Ansar forefathers confronted the tyrants of their age.
-To reaffirm our full solidarity with the Iranian Muslim people and their Islamic system in confronting the infidel tyrants of this age.
-To affirm our readiness for any developments.
- To reaffirm our steadfast support for the wronged Palestinian people, and for the free and oppressed people of the Ummah in Lebanon and beyond.
It is important for the turnout to be significant in the demonstrations in the capital, Sana’a, and across all other governorates. This is part of our jihad and our Islamic duty, and it carries a significant message at a critical moment and on a great and blessed anniversary. It also comes as a commemoration of this anniversary: the anniversary of the Great Battle of Badr.
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. We also ask Him to grant victory to the Iranian Muslim people, their mujahidin, and their Islamic system. Indeed, He is the Hearer of Prayer!
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.