Speech by Leader Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi on Martyrdom Anniversary of Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH)
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 bear witness 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! Bestow Your salat and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad as You bestowed Your salat and blessings upon Abraham and the Family of Abraham. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad’s good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahidin.
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
May Allah grant us all immense reward as we commemorate the martyrdom of the Prophet’s grandson, Imam Al-Hussein ibn Ali (PBUT). On this anniversary, a profound tragedy and immense calamity unfolded. A malicious, hypocritical faction that had turned its back on Islam—led by the Umayyad tyrants—committed the ultimate crime by killing the grandson of the Messenger of Allah, who represented the genuine continuation of prophetic guidance for the Muslim Ummah. He is the very one of whom the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) said, ‘Hussein is of me, and I am of Hussein; Allah loves whoever loves Hussein. Hussein is a Sibt among the Asbat.‘ And concerning him and his brother, Al-Hassan (PBUT), the Prophet said, ‘Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein are the masters of the youth of Paradise, and their father is even better than them.‘ Yet, the forces of tyranny and evil, represented by the movement of hypocrisy, proceeded to kill him. As a result of a profound deviation from the principles of Islam, they had managed to seize control of the affairs of the Ummah and exploit all the resources of the Islamic state to achieve their satanic goals:
- to distort the core concepts of Islam,
- to corrupt Muslim society and reduce the people to servitude, and
- to exploit the wealth of the Islamic Ummah in ways that strengthened their grip on power while financing their luxury, extravagance, and corruption.
- {‘You are the best nation ever raised for mankind: You enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and believe in Allah‘}[Ali ‘Imran 3:110].
- {‘O you who have believed, stand firmly for justice as witnesses for Allah‘}[An-Nisa 4:135].
- {‘The believers, both men and women, are guardians of one another. They encourage good and forbid evil, establish prayer and pay Zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. It is they who will be shown Allah’s mercy. Surely Allah is Almighty, All-Wise‘}[At-Tawbah 9:71].
- {‘O you who have believed, be supporters of Allah‘}[As-Saf 61:14].
- {‘O believers! Be mindful of Allah and be with the truthful‘}[At-Tawbah 9:119].
- {‘The believers fight in the cause of Allah, whereas the disbelievers fight in the cause of taghut. So, fight against the followers of Satan. Indeed, Satan’s schemes are ever weak‘}[An-Nisa 4:76].
At that time, the warning of the Messenger (PBUH&F) became a reality. He had warned the Islamic Ummah that if the tyrants of the Umayyads ever gained control over it, they would ‘use the religion of Allah as a means of deception, turn His servants into slaves, and divide His wealth among themselves‘. In other words, they would monopolise the Ummah’s public wealth and resources solely to serve their personal interests, maintain their grip on power, indulge in extravagant luxury, and buy people’s loyalties.
The danger facing Islam and the Muslims grew even greater with the elevation of the accursed tyrant Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah and his appointment as ruler over the Muslims, despite his being the very antithesis of Islam. He openly displayed his contempt for Islam, his hatred for the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F), and his denial of the divine message and the revelation bestowed upon the Prophet. He openly indulged in immorality and debauchery, shamelessly transgressing all sacred bounds. He even regarded Muslims as nothing more than his slaves, considering it lawful to violate their lives, honour, and property.
The danger had reached such a level that Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH) declared, ‘If the Ummah is afflicted with a ruler like Yazid, then so much for Islam!‘
Yazid (May Allah curse him) sought to consolidate his control over the Muslim Ummah and remove any obstacle that stood in the way of that objective. He viewed the Prophet’s grandson, Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH), as the greatest of those obstacles, for he represented the continuation of the authentic Islamic path and inherited the sacred responsibility to guide the Ummah and keep it on the straight path.
Yazid also regarded Imam Al-Hussein and the remaining members of the family of the Noble Messenger Muhammad (PBUH&F) as the object of his vengeance against the Messenger. He saw in them the means to avenge the deaths of his forefathers—the tyrannical leaders of the Age of Ignorance and the standard-bearers of polytheism—who had fallen while fighting against Islam at the Battle of Badr. Yazid himself openly declared this in his well-known verses of poetry.
At the outset, Yazid sought to silence Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH) by demanding his pledge of allegiance through the Umayyad governor of Medina, while instructing him to kill Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH) should he refuse to pledge allegiance. Imam Al-Hussein’s response was firm and decisive, expressing the light of the Quran, the teachings of Allah (Glory be to Him), the authentic Islamic path, and the dignity of faith. He said, ‘Indeed, we are the Household of Prophethood, the cradle of the divine message, the place frequented by the angels, and the abode of divine mercy. Through us Allah began, and through us He seals this matter. Yazid is a corrupt man, a drinker of wine, a killer of the sanctified soul, one who openly commits sin and immorality. So a person like me can never pledge allegiance to a person like him.’
At that point, Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH) moved to save the Muslims from that tyrannical and oppressive figure and from the clutches of a new form of jahiliyyah that had cloaked itself in hypocrisy in order to deceive the Muslim Ummah. It sought to hollow out Islam of its profound content and distort its concepts so that it could reduce Muslims to servitude and monopolise their vast resources.
Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH) then moved from Medina to Mecca, where he met with delegations of pilgrims from various parts of the Islamic world, and sought to awaken the Ummah and rally it towards its salvation and deliverance. There, many letters and messages reached him from the people of Kufa, in which they pledged their loyalty and promised to support him. Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH) then sent his cousin Muslim ibn Aqil to verify their sincerity and assess how prepared they truly were. When Muslim ibn Aqil (May Allah have mercy on him) arrived in Kufa, he witnessed their enthusiasm and positive response, and thousands pledged allegiance to Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH), which reassured him. Therefore, he sent a letter to Imam Al-Hussein, urging him to hasten his arrival in Kufa and affirming what he had observed of their support, engagement, and willingness to strive in the cause of Allah and carry the banner of Islam.
Muslim ibn Aqil’s message reached Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH) at a time when he was already resolved to depart from Mecca. That is because he had recognised the efforts of the Umayyad tyrants to target him there and to violate the sanctity of the Sacred House. For this reason, he chose to leave before that could happen. He then headed towards Iraq with his family and those who had responded to his call—a very small number indeed, compared with the many who chose to remain behind and abandon their responsibility.
On the journey to Iraq, Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH) spoke powerful words that defined the profound Islamic responsibility underpinning his stance—a responsibility that could have saved the Ummah from the tyranny of Yazid and the Umayyads. Among the statements recorded by history is his famous sermon in which, after praising Allah, he said, ‘O people, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) said, “Whoever witnesses an oppressive ruler who has made lawful what Allah has forbidden, violated the covenant of Allah, opposed the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, and treated Allah’s servants with sin and oppression, yet does not oppose him through word or deed, then Allah has the right to place him in the same destination as that ruler.” Indeed, these people‘—meaning the Umayyads and those aligned with them—’have adhered to the obedience of Satan and abandoned obedience to the Most Merciful. They have spread corruption, suspended the divine limits, monopolised public wealth, made lawful what Allah has forbidden, and forbidden what Allah has made lawful.‘
These words offered a precise and accurate description of the reality of the time. It was a disastrous condition for the Ummah—one that contradicted the teachings of Islam and brought about its ruin—when those in power possessed such horrific traits and administered its affairs on the basis of obedience to Satan, abandoning Islamic principles, spreading corruption, and committing wrongdoing. This rule could only lead the Ummah astray, divert it from Allah’s guidance and teachings, and reduce people to a state of humiliation and servitude. It could only nullify the fruits of Islam in its lived reality, replacing justice with tyranny and oppression and exchanging light for darkness.
The impact of the Umayyad coup upon Islam, and the terrible deviation within the reality of the Ummah that brought the tyrannical criminal Yazid (May Allah curse him) to power, posed an immense danger to the Muslim Ummah. It led to a manifest decline from the spirit of Islam, its profound moral influence, and its noble teachings, and it completely severed the Ummah from its great and sacred responsibilities. Allah had ordained for the Muslim Ummah an exalted role, under the leadership of its Prophet (PBUH&F) and the righteous:
That ummah had abandoned all of those responsibilities in its lived reality, and the consequence was the empowerment of tyrants, criminals, and corrupters to rule over it and dominate its affairs. Truth was driven out from the sphere of action and from the reality of life itself, only to be replaced by falsehood with all its evils and corrupting effects, giving rise to injustice, wrongdoing, and the decline of the Ummah.
Thus, when the forces of hypocrisy and the forces of evil and tyranny moved against Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH)—targeting the authenticity of Islam and the truth which he had risen and seeking to prevent him from rescuing the Ummah from the chains of tyranny and from a state of subjugation and humiliation—they succeeded in mobilising thousands to support falsehood and serve the forces of taghut, while many others failed to stand with the clear and manifest truth, despite knowing full well who Al-Hussein was and understanding his cause and objectives.
It was under these circumstances that Al-Hussein (PBUH) addressed his companions—the small band who had remained steadfast by his side and risen to fulfil their sacred duty. By then, the enemy army had arrived, and the advance forces of the Umayyad-Yazidi army had reached him. He praised Allah and extoled Him, then said, ‘You can see for yourselves what has come to pass‘—by this, he was referring to the arrival of the enemy armies, the betrayal and desertion by the people of Kufa, the domination of Ibn Ziyad over them, and the other developments that had unfolded. The enemy forces had arrived in their thousands, while he stood with only a small number of believers: the members of his family and his loyal supporters. He then said, ‘Indeed, the world has changed. Its goodness has receded, and life has become exceedingly bitter‘—when oppressors, tyrants, criminals, and corrupters dominate the land, life is transformed into a bitter existence marked by misery, deprivation, injustice, and desolation. Furthermore, values disappear; justice and goodness are lost, and life deteriorates into something wretched and corrupt. He continued, ‘Nothing remains of it except a meagre remnant, like the few drops left at the bottom of a vessel, and a degraded existence comparable to a diseased and harmful pasture‘—this is the inevitable result when tyrannical and corrupt rulers gain control: They corrupt society and reduce its condition to the lowest depths. ‘Do you not see that truth is no longer upheld …?‘ At that time, the truth was no longer accepted as the basis for action within the Islamic arena. It had become estranged, rejected, despised, opposed, and excluded. ‘Do you not see that truth is no longer upheld, and falsehood is no longer forbidden? Therefore, a believer shall long to meet Allah while standing for what is right, for I see death as nothing but bliss, and life with oppressors as nothing but misery and despair.‘
In such a dangerous situation where the truth is lost from the lived reality of people and ceases to serve as the foundation and criterion by which one’s stance is determined, the condition of the Ummah deteriorates. What replaces it is falsehood, with all the evil, injustice, criminality, tyranny, and corruption it entails. The result is misery—misery for people in this world and in the Hereafter (May Allah forbid). This is a condition that no believer—one who embraces the values of Islam, is nurtured upon the ethics of faith, and believes in divine principles—can ever accept. Even if the price of opposing such a reality is martyrdom in the cause of Allah, that remains a tremendous honour, a great source of happiness, and a means of attaining the rank and bliss of the martyrs.
The enemy armies—numbering in the thousands—surrounded the grandson of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F), Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH), on the plain of Karbala. With him were the members of his family and his companions, who numbered only in the dozens. This took place on the tenth day of Muharram in the year 61 AH. Those enemies confronted him with two options: submission to Yazid and Ibn Ziyad, or death. His response was decisive, embodying the dignity, honour, and steadfastness of faith. He declared in the course of his speech: ‘Behold! This illegitimate son of the illegitimate father has settled for one of two: unsheathing the swords or bearing humiliation! How far it is from us to be humiliated! Allah, His Messenger, and the believers refuse that for us.‘
History has recorded the extraordinary steadfastness, unparalleled devotion, and tremendous sacrifices demonstrated by Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH), his family, and his loyal companions on the Day of Ashura in Karbala, as they embodied the values, morals, and teachings of Islam in their most sublime form. History has also recorded the horrific crimes committed by the army of Umayyad-Yazidi tyranny at Karbala and the savage practices that stood in complete contradiction to even the most basic human values. These atrocities presented the darkest and most abhorrent image imaginable, exposing the true nature of the Umayyad-Yazidi falsehood in all its brutality, wickedness, ugliness, aggression, and criminality. They also exposed the faction of hypocrisy before the Ummah for what it truly was, after all its masks of deception and falsehood had fallen away. This was followed by the atrocities committed by those tyrants when they violated the sanctity of the City of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F), massacred the remaining Muhajirin and Ansar and their families, violated their honour, and later attacked the holy city of Mecca, desecrated its sanctity, set the Holy Ka‘bah ablaze, and perpetrated many other horrific crimes.
The immense efforts made by Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH), the grandson of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F), in serving Islam—through his clarification of the truth, his knowledge and wisdom, his sacrifice and selfless giving, and the principles and values he embodied amidst immense grievances—represented a continuation of Islam in its authenticity and purity. He became a beacon for generations, a source of inspiration for all free and honourable people, and an enduring school whose students are found in every age—those who carry light in their hearts, the banner of Islam in their hands, the cause of truth in their actions, the dignity of faith in their steadfastness, and the human honour in their refusal to submit to falsehood. The immortal declaration, ‘How far it is from us to be humiliated! Allah, His Messenger, and the believers refuse that for us,’ has remained a firmly established principle for believers in confronting tyranny in every age.
Revolutions continued thereafter until the Umayyad tyranny collapsed, and they have continued throughout history ever since. Thus, the truth has remained alive and enduring within this Ummah and will continue to maintain a powerful and abiding presence. Allah (Glory be to Him) will grant it victory and manifest ascendancy, and its legacy will remain until the Day of Resurrection.
In this age, as our Islamic Ummah confronts the tyrants of the age and the leaders of disbelief—America and Israel, along with those who align themselves with them—it draws strength from faith, is guided by the light of the Quran, and takes inspiration from Imam Al-Hussein ibn Ali (PBUT), the grandson of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F), to remain steadfast in the face of tyranny, regardless of the scale of its resources and regardless of the sacrifices required in the path of Allah. For the alternative is nothing but loss and misery in this world and the Hereafter.
The satanic objectives pursued by the leaders of disbelief, America and Israel, and by the Jews through their corrupt and dark Zionist movement, together with the criminal practices evidenced by what they have done and continue to do against the oppressed Palestinian people, the peoples of the Islamic Ummah, and others around the world, as well as what has been revealed about them through the Jeffrey Epstein documents, the disclosures by a former American intelligence official, and numerous revelations both before and after, demonstrate beyond doubt that they represent absolute evil and pose a danger to the Islamic Ummah and to all human societies. They further demonstrate that they are a corrupting, misleading, satanic faction—tyrannical and extreme in their criminality and wickedness—and that the only protection against their evil and crimes lies in confronting them and taking serious action against their tyranny.
Accordingly, the responsibility of our Islamic Ummah is to strive in the path of Allah, to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and to work towards establishing equity. Through this, the Ummah attains strength and protection, thereby qualifying it to receive victory from Allah (Glory be to Him), as He has promised in the Holy Quran: {‘O you who have attained faith, if you stand for Allah, He will grant you victory and strengthen your foothold‘}[Muhammad 47:7]. It also strengthens the Ummah’s positive and constructive role among the nations of the world.
To conclude this speech, and on this commemorative occasion, we declare the following:
- First, guided by their faith-based identity and Quranic path, our people remain steadfast in adhering to the path of jihad and liberation and to their Quranic stance towards the enemies of Islam and Muslims, foremost among them America and Israel. We also reaffirm their commitment to the major causes of the Ummah, chief among them the Palestinian cause, encompassing its people, land, and holy sites.
- Second, we congratulate the Islamic Republic of Iran on its great victory, which is a victory granted by Allah (the Almighty) over the enemies of the Islamic Ummah, namely America and Israel. It is an important victory for the entire Axis of Jihad, Resistance, and Al-Quds, and for the Ummah as a whole. This victory comes in a significant round of confrontation between our Ummah and its arrogant enemies. We remain in continuous coordination with our brothers in the Axis of Jihad and Resistance for any new confrontation. We will not hesitate to fulfil our Islamic duty of jihad for the sake of Allah (the Almighty) and to confront the enemies of our Islamic Ummah in response to any renewed aggression they may unleash in any arena of confrontation, especially Gaza.
- Third, we are closely monitoring developments in Somaliland and Israel’s attempts to establish a foothold there to dominate the Gulf of Aden, the Bab Al-Mandab strait, and the Red Sea. While we urge the wider Islamic world, particularly Red Sea littoral states, to take a unified stand against this Israeli scheme, we make it clear that we will not stand idly by in the face of any Israeli presence in Somaliland. We will not wait for passive or compromising regimes to act; rather, should the Israeli enemy establish any presence there, we will take the initiative to target it using all available means. Furthermore, we call on Muslim governments and the broader Ummah to help stabilise Somalia, defuse internal strife, and care for the brotherly Somali people and support them against this Israeli targeting—which flagrantly violates Somalia’s sovereignty and threatens the security of our Ummah and all its countries.
- Fourth, we declare that the Yemeni people will never tolerate the ongoing American-Saudi aggression, occupation, and blockade. Guided by our just cause and undeniable grievances, we will act to end this situation by every legitimate means. We will continue along this path until our dear people enjoy total freedom, complete independence, and a dignified life, fully reclaiming their national wealth and legitimate rights. We also commend the broad popular mobilisation and the large tribal gatherings that have reaffirmed this position.
- Fifth, I call upon our dear people to close ranks, preserve the unity and cohesion of the internal front, and maintain the spirit of general mobilisation. I also call upon them to cooperate in righteousness and piety, continue to engage actively and attentively in social initiatives, and dedicate the utmost attention to military training programmes within the general mobilisation framework.
In conclusion, we say: Peace be upon the grandson of the Messenger of Allah, Imam Al-Hussein, and upon his family and those who stood by him. Peace be upon the martyrs of Islam in every age and every land.
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.