Higrah (Migration) is the Road to practice freedom.

Today is the first day of the new Higri year(1423). The Muslims chose the Higrah occasion to mark the start of their calendar because it was the great event that constituted a tuning point in the history of the Call.

Before Higrah, The Prophet(p.) used to call on the Muslims to endure and remain steadfast, but as some could not tolerate the Qurashite oppression and persecution, the Messenger told the Muslims to the place known today as Ethiopia where they found a safe refuge to practice their religion. At that time, the Messenger wanted to stay in Mecca to benefit from its religious position since there were some traces of what prophet Ibrahim taught about the oneness of Allah that were missed with paganism.

Mecca was the trade capital too, as well as the cultural center, since poets and speakers used to come to Mecca to recite their poems and speeches As a result of all this, as well as the position Quraish held in administrating the Qaa’ba, it held a kind of political leadership in the region.

Perseverance and Resolve

Thus, the Prophet(p.) used to benefit from his stay in Mecca, to convey the Message to the largest number of people without having to travel to them, for they used to come to Mecca themselves. But he had to tolerate various sorts of torture and persecution which made him say: “No prophet has been harmed as much as I have”. They also tried to tempt him at times and intimidate him at others, but failed in both, Expressing his conviction, the Prophet said his famous saying to his uncle, Abutalib ,who acted as an ambassador, between the Prophet and Quraish, and who protected Muhammad for he was a firm believer, although he kept it a secret to continue to protect his nephew: “If they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand, I would not leave this issue (the call) even if I were to be killed”.

A psychological and Informational Campaign

Knowing that Muhammad will not leave the call, Qunaish waged an disinformation campaign to undermine his image claiming he was a magician, a poet or a madman, and described the Quran as :{And they say: Fables of the men of old which he had written down so that they are dictated to him morn and evening}.

The Quran refuted their claims by saying to Quraaish whose members, were chased by AbuLahab, the prophets uncle, telling everybody that his nephew was crazy, telling them to use their minds and not be directed by the emotions of the mob.{Say unto them, O Muhammd): I exhort you unto one thing only: that ye awake. For Allah’s sake, by twos and singly, and then reflect: There is no madness in your comrade. He is naught else than a warner unto you in face of a terrific doom}. Thus the Prophet was able, through his steadfastness and endurance to gain many people to Islam and turn the Medina into the center of the Islamic movement, for a group of its natives had visited him in Mecca, and became Muslims. They had heard when they were in Medina, the Jews talk about a prophet that will rise in this region, thus when they saw Muhammad they said: This is the prophet the Jews talked about

The Jeorney of Migration Founded the Islamic State

Things became worse, and Quraish decided either to imprison Muhammad, leave him in the desert or kill him. They conspired to kill him by a group of men each from a different tribe, so as no tribe would be responsible and all they had to do was to pay the blood money.

But Allah told the Prophet about the plots, and he asked Imam Ali who was 23 years old to take his place, giving the Prophet the chance to leave Mecca safely. When Quraish found out that Ali, whose greatness were demonstrated in such acts in which he sacrificed himself to gain the satisfaction of Allah, took his place, they went after Muhammad, until they reached the cave, he was hiding in with his companion. But Allah told the spider to form its nest in its entrance, and a pigeon to lay its eggs there, leaving the impression that no body has entered the cave for a long time… The Prophet then continued his trip safely to Medina.

Islam was victorious and the Prophet began to found the new Islamic state by building a mosque where Muslims could meet. Quraish resorted to wage successive wars against Muhammad and allied with the city’s Jews, but Allah supported Muhammaad and the believers , until they opened Mecca in the end, people started to enter in God’s religion in large groups…

Islam became the source of power in that region, and Arab tribes began to come to Muhammad professing their embrace of the new faith.

Thus, Hijrah represents the military political and cultural force of Islam. Thus, it was worthy of starting the colander with, although Muhammad began his mission 13 years before the migration. It is the point in time where Islam gained strength, and hopefully this date will empower the Muslims to continue their fight against paganism and arrogance, and be virtuous as the early Muslims were. 14 centuries has passed, in which the Muslims faced many challenges and conflicts, both internal and external, but Islam despite all the wounds is still strong and spread in all over the world with about a billion and one hundred million Muslims according to inaccurate statistics.

The West and the Islamic complex

We know that the Arrogant West has waged a war against Islam from the beginning. This was manifested by the crusade wars in which the kings of Europe used religious propaganda to gain dominance over Jerusalem and the region. But the Muslims were able to drive them out of their countries after a long and exhausting war. Then these colonialists came back in the 19th century to colonize the Islamic countries. It is said that when some European leaders reached the grave of Saladin who defeated the crusades they said: Saladin we are back. Then the Muslims had to live under colonialism and then Zionism which took Palestine as a national homeland for Jews with the arrogance, especially America, providing them with all the support they need.

The Hijri Calander Represents the Identity of the Nation

On this occasion, the beginning of the Higri year, I would like to refer to several points. First: You should use the Higri calendar, for after the dominance of the West the Georgian calendar dominated. But since the Higri calendar carries inside it the history, culture and identity of Islam you should preserve this colander and consider it a part your identity.

Second: We have to feel that we are a part of humanity and a part of the Islamic nation.

We ought to feel that Islam fills the mind and heart of each of us, and if we are divided into sects, we are joined by our belief in the same Prophet and the same Book.

That is why Allah said that all believers are brothers, and the Prophet said: “He who is not concerned with the Muslims’ affairs is not a Muslim”. And” He who hears a Muslim calling for help and does not respond to it is not a Muslim”.

We have to live the fact that we are a part of the Islamic nation, and educate our children to make them adopt this belief.

Dear loved ones. On the occasion of the new Higri year, I call upon you to unite and be strong to be victorious, in your battles against your enemies for Allah says in His Glorious Book: Hold fast to the line of Allah and not sperate”

Allah the Most Exalted, speaks the Truth.

The War of Independence

The Intifada is developing its methods and its operations, and is gradually turning into a people’s Intifada for the cause of freedom and independence. On the other hand, the Zionist occupation is becoming more and more barbaric as its security impasse widens. It is turning into a blind raging bull in its invasion of the Palestinian cities. villages and camps with the most advanced American weapons...

America too, has become aware of its own political impasse that is represented by the opposition of the peoples of the region for its unequivocal support to Israel. It even gave Israel the green light to destroy the Palestinian people and force them to surrender and accept all the political and security terms imposed on them... Thus, America made the Security Council whose resolutions it controls , issue a resolution that calls for a two state solution. This resolution was considered a political achievement for the Arabs who applauded it, although it did not call for the withdrawal from the Palestinian lands that were occupied in 1967, or for sending observers to monitor the situation or to protect the Palestinians...

The American president commented on the resolution by saying: had the resolution tried to condemn our friend, Israel, I would have used the right to veto.” He added that first and foremost, there is nothing more important that recognizing Israeli right to exist, as if the issue is recognizing Israel and not the fate of the Palestinian people... That is the problem of the American Administration: if the nations start to fight for their freedom it will accuse them of terrorism.

It is the one eyed policy that could not see both sides of the situation. Thus, it sent its envoy, General Zinni to save Israel from its security impasse and return to the maze of negotiations that might achieve a ceasefire, but it would not achieve anything for the Palestinians. Even the Palesininan state that the Security council resolution talked about it is a state whose borders and authorities are left to the negotiations, whose cards are all with the Israelis, including the American support that talks always about the need for more painful Palestinian concessions...

In addition, the exploding situation in Palestine should be cooled down to drive the Arab states to accept the American war against Iraq...

In this respect, the American vice president did not come to the region to confer but to inform the officials of the American decision and demand that they will do what is needed to execute it… All this is done in the name of fighting terrorism and preventing any state in the region from acquiring weapons of mass destruction while at the same time keeping a blind eye at the Israeli nuclear chemical and biological arsenal. Arsenal, and even justifying its acquisitions in the name of self-defense.

We are concerned that the visit of America envoys would have a devastating impact on the future of the Palestinian cause and on the Arab summit which America wants to be the summit of Arab political fall as a result of the incompetence of its regimes.

Moreover, we would like to express our appreciation for Syria’s disapproval of the resolution, which is as vague as the resolution 242, and we ask this country that refuses surrender to lead the process of rejecting any resolution that aims at undermining the rights of Palestinians and Arabs in general..

The Palestinians, too, who have toppled the myth of the invincible Israeli tank, as well as the Israeli security in the Palestinian heartland, forcing America to interfere, and criticize Sharon’s polcies… We would like the Palestinians to be aware and cautions, so as not to be intimidated to provide any concessions … They have to remain as unified and steadfast in the coming stage as they were in the last stage of the Intifada, for the Americans, and the Israelis , and perhaps even the Arab officials, want Israel to gain through peace what it failed to acquire in war. The day of Liberation is getting closer, but the Palestinian the Arab and Muslims have to exert every possible effort to achieve it.

Lebanon, the only Arab country that was able to defeat the Israeli enemy, and stand with the Palestinians and their Intifada in all possible ways… This country, should in these critical times remain unified, as a people, a resistance and a state, to confront all the coming challenges, and play its pioneer role in the coming Arab summit in Beirut by coordinating with Syria, so as to ensure that the summit’s resolution towards the issue of the Palestinian struggle would be strong and effective.

To do this, it should end all political and confessional crisis that could shake the country and deepen sectarian differences, that would be incited by those who are overwhelmed by their personal ambition, and pay no attention to the country’s aspirations of freedom, development and unity.