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Allah (azza wa jal) says:
Among the believers are men true to what they promised Allah.
Among them is he who has fulfilled hisvow [to the death], and among
them is he who awaits [his chance]. And they did not alter [the
terms of theircommitment] by any alteration [Ahzab: 23]
Shaykh Abdul Azeez Al-Badry was a prominent man of knowledge,
preacher and political activist in Iraq inthe 1940s, 1950s and
1960s. Having been educated by some of the prominent scholars of
Iraq, he wasalso one of the early and prominent members of Hizb
ut-Tahrir in Iraq who struggled in the work for Allahsdeen and gave
his life in its cause, murdered by a brutal regime and a martyr
(insha Allah) for a greatcause.
Early Life, Education and Activism
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He was born in the city of Samarra in Iraq in 1929. He grew up
in a scholarly environment and received hisreligious lessons from a
range of esteemed scholars of Baghdad, such as Sheikh Amjad
Al-Zahawy,Sheikh Muhammad Fuad Al-Alusy, Sheikh Abdul-Qadir Al-
Khatib, and others.
He finished his studies and became Imam of the Soor Mosque in
1949 and the Khafafeen Mosque in 1950.He went on to teach and
preach at various other mosques in Baghdad over the years to
come.
After reading the books of Shaykh Taqiuddin Al Nabhani and
meeting with members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, theShaykh was impressed
with the Hizbs project and in particular its pioneering work in
agitating against ArabSocialism at the time. He joined the Hizbs
work in the 1960s in Iraq, becoming a prominent member of itswork.
He studied directly with Shaykh Taqiuddin Al Nabhani alongside
Shaykh Abdul Qadeem Zalloum,who would go on to become the second
Ameer of the Hizb after Shaykh Taqi. Shaykh Al-Badry called
andworked tirelessly for the establishment of the Khilafah and the
implementation of Shariah, and the ideas heheld shaped his acts of
bravery that were to define the rest of his life.
Shaykh Al-Badry with some of his teachers
Intellectual efforts against Arab Socialism/Nationalism and its
proponentsThe late 1950s and 1960s were defined by the vogue of
Arab Socialism, which had taken hold of manycountries in the Middle
East and had been the discourse many in the region used to
articulate anopposition to Western imperialism. Socialism,
including its Arab variant, contained many ideas whichnonetheless
contradicted Islam and this was a cause taken up by several
scholars and movements. Amongthem was Shaykh Al Badry.
Shaykh Al Badry wrote his well-known book The Islamic Rule on
Socialism (Hukm al-islam fi al-ishtrakiyah)in which he vehemently
attacked the fundamental notions underpinning Socialist thought and
refuted thesupposed existence of Socialism within Islam, a slogan
several thinkers and polemicists, as well asGovernment-sponsored
scholars, had taken up as their intellectual cause. The famous
Shaykh AmjadAl-Zahawy writes, describing Shaykh Al Badrys work,
that:
Al Badry pointed out that there was no socialism in Islam, and
that socialism contravened the holyIslamic law and its principles.
This was explained in clear terms, supported by conclusive proof
thatwas beyond any shade of doubt in that they were in full
conformity with the unequivocal Shariahlaw. That was done by way of
advice to the Muslim Ummah.
A notable example of his courageous work was his response to
pro-Government scholars that were sent tohim under the auspices of
the regime of Abdul Karim Qaasim, the Iraqi Prime Minister who had
overthrownthe monarchy of King Faisal II in the 1958 coup dtat.
This was done when Shaykh Al Badry was in hisfirst period of house
arrest (see below) and such Government scholars proceeded to advise
the Shaykh ofthe error of his ways and the error of involving
religion with politics. In response, the Shaykh wrote thebook Islam
Between the Scholars and the Rulers (Al-Islam bayn al- ulama wa
al-hukkam). In it hehighlighted the deeds of the pious predecessors
and great scholars who had stood up to the injustice ofoppressors
and offered great sacrifices in defence of Islam and Muslims from
the early tabieen (followersof the Companions of the Prophet) to
recent times.
His stance on the issue of PalestineShaykh Al Badry was a
prominent personality of his time and well known not just in
circles of scholarship
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but also by the Governments of the region. Indeed, his activism
and awareness of it was not restricted toIraq, but extended to
rulers of the region who knew about his work. Following the
capitulation of Arabforces in the 1967 war in the face of Israel,
Shaykh Al Badry sent telegrams to all heads of states in theIslamic
world, holding them responsible and accusing those who agreed to
the cease-fire of being traitors.He formed a delegation of notables
that travelled to several Muslim countries, urging Muslim forces to
takeup their responsibility to defend Palestine.
Following his return to Baghdad after visiting Pakistan,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Afghanistan and other places,he held an event
in which he lamented the way some had restricted the issue of
Palestine to being anArab issue as opposed to a broader Muslim
issue.
Agitation against Iraqi leadership and rallying popular
support
Abdul Kareem Qassim (ruled 1958-1963)
Among the Shaykhs most important and telling work was his
opposition to the ruler of Iraq, Abdul KareemQaasim, who held
office from 1958 to 1963 and who increasingly lent towards the
Socialists for support ashis rule progressed. Qaasim was
responsible for an aggressive, oppressive rule over the country
whichwas characterised by purging those he suspected of being
against his agenda from among the people, thescholarly community
and the army.
Qaasim infamously had himself labelled the only master by his
subordinates and attempted to popularisethis title among the
masses. Shaykh Al Badry, defying this, attacked him in his sermons,
leaflets andlectures, calling him instead a cruel, illegitimate
pretender in the language of the Quranic Arabic (SurahAl Qalam:
13). He also used to begin his Friday Khutbah by adding to his
salutations the adage and weseek refuge in Allah from the evils of
our rulers, alluding to Qaasim and the Iraqi regime.
One of the most infamous actions of the Qaasim regime was the
execution of notable officers in the Iraqiarmy who were known for
being men of faith and harbouring Islamic sentiments. They included
the likes ofNaazim at-Tabqajli and Rifat Al-Hajj Sirri, who were
hanged.
Shaykh Al-Badry was aggrieved at their execution and led popular
demonstrations against Qaasim,including one in which 40,000 people
participated, an unprecedented show of support at the time in
theface of an extremely violent regime. The Shaykh openly called
for the ousting of Qaasim, and also issueda fatwa declaring the
kufr of the Communists who were supporting Qaasim and on whom
Qaasimincreasingly relied as his original power base (cabinet
ministers) shifted towards the pan-Arab Baath Party,which differed
with the Communists on several ideological points.
First and second arrests and torture
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As a result of these activities, Shaykh al-Badry was put under
house arrest for one year from December1959. As soon as the house
arrest was lifted, he continued his work actively. He was arrested
once againin July 1961, and then released in December of that year
as part of a general amnesty for prisoners due topopular unrest
against Qaasims regime. During this time he is known to have
suffered serious torture andwas offered several incentives to
abandon his call and instead turn into a supporter of the Qaasim
regime,as many scholars had done.
A famous incident: confronting Nadim Al Baytar
Following the 1967 defeat of the Arab states to Israel and the
public discourse surrounding it, secularists
and socialists on the one hand and Muslim activists on the other
attempted to define the causes of military
defeat and the ongoing humiliation of Muslims and Arabs. Iraqi
secularists invited the Arab-American
thinker Nadim Al-Baytar from Canada to give lectures in Iraq.
His message emphasized that Muslims
infatuation with bygone Islamic ideals, which he dubbed
invisible values, was the cause of defeat, and
that no victory would be scored over Zionism unless these
invisibles were totally abandoned in favour of
alternative identities and politics.
Prior to Baytars most widely advertised lecture (in Baghdad),
Sheikh Al-Badry demanded the thenPresident of Iraq Abdul-Rahman
Arif (ruled from 1966-1968) either allow the Shaykh to give a
counter-lecture in the same hall, to allow him to engage in a
public debate with him, or to prevent the speaker fromgiving his
lectures. When his requests went unanswered, the Shaykh decided to
lead a demonstration onthe day the lecture was due to be given.
Following the Asr prayer, the Shaykh lead chants of the takbir
andmarched from his mosque to the lecture hall followed by many
active Muslims. Baytars supporters, fearingriots might ensue,
evacuated the lecture hall and whisked Baytar on the first flight
out of Baghdad.
Final arrest, torture and martyrdomThe Shaykh was arrested once
again following relentless activities against the Baathists in the
June 1969,who by then had been in power for 6 years following their
overthrow of Qaasims regime in 1963. He wasarrested by the
intelligence services of Iraq, led by none other than Saddam
Hussein himself, who had notyet become outright leader (this would
take place de facto in 1976, and formally in 1979). This
arresthappened at the behest of the then president of Iraq, Ahmed
Hassan Al-Bakr.
The Shaykh was kidnapped late at night as he made his way home.
With a precarious security situationand conflict within the Baath
Party, Ahmed Al-Bakr and Saddam Hussein sought to minimise
politicalopponents and agitants. Shaykh Al-Badry would be the
victim of this grim strategic direction. The Shaykhwas taken to one
of the notorious prisons in Baghdad where he was tortured severely
using the mostgruesome of methods.
Some of those who had been detained with the Shaykh and were
later released narrated about his time inprison:
The Shaykh was severely tortured, yet he faced that torture a
steadfastness and perseverance thatexceeded all expectations. The
man was proud of his faith and unflinching in adherence to
thetruth, defying his jailers to the point of death. His fellow
detainees used to beg him to keep silent inorder to avoid them
inflicting more torture upon him, yet he became firmer and prouder
of his faithwhenever the jailers increased their torture. He never
bowed his head to them, nor did he givethem any legitimacy or
support. He would insist during interrogations that they were
agents,lackeys and spies of the colonisers. During the early days
of investigations, he raised his hand andhit the chief
investigator, Nazim Kazzar, after he insulted him. At that point
they beat himeverywhere using different means until he fainted, and
then they threw him into a cell that had nowindow and was no more
than one meter wide.
During this period of arrest, the Shaykh had his limbs cut
alive. The Baathist inspired torturers also rippedout his beard, in
a mockery to his observance to this part of Islam. They finally
proceeded to cut off histongue, as a retribution for his constantly
speaking the truth. He breathed his last during this period
ofarrest and merciless torture, before had had reached the age of
40.
Funeral: in the esteemed footsteps of Imam Abu Hanifah
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His funeral and prayer were conducted at Masjid Imam Abu
Hanifah
17 days after his death the Iraqi intelligence left his body in
front of his house and told his family that hedied of a heart
attack. They ordered them to bury him without revealing his burial,
but word got out andhis supporters and family took his body to the
Imam Abu Hanifah Mosque in the Adhamiyyah District ofBaghdad, where
many could pray for him. The public witnessed the affects of the
torture the Shaykh hadendured in jail. He was buried in the
Adhamiyyah neighbourhood, close to the tomb of the great Imam
AbuHanifah, may Allah be pleased with them both.
As had the great Imam of Islams first school of jurisprudential
thought, Shaykh Al-Badry too accounted theruler and lost his life
as a result of injuries sustained as a result of it. And just like
him, he too died in jail inthe very same city as Imam Abu
Hanifah.
Description of him by Shaykh Abdullah al-UqaylOne of the Shaykhs
that met him, Shaykh Abdullah al-Uqayl, wrote about him thus:
That was Sheikh Al-Badry and that was his fight in the cause of
Allah in more than one battlefieldwhere he encountered more than
one enemy, but he never flagged, gave in, or flinched from doingso.
He would ever be on the front line, proceeding with courage and
firmness, inspiring enthusiasmand determination. He stood against
all kinds of oppression wherever he found it, bearing
theconsequence and unafraid of death. He would not run away from a
battlefield. In that he was likethose men of unflinching resolve in
the past and at present.
His books and an excerpt demonstrating his thinkingThe Shaykh,
further to his preaching and speaking, was also the author of
several important books. All hisbooks were relevant to the
struggles of his time and helped create an intellectual response to
theideologies he worked to counter and the complicity of Government
ulema in the condition and apathy ofMuslims. As mentioned above, at
least two of his books were directly in response to Communism and
thepro-Government ulema. He authored the following books:
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Islam between the Scholars and the Rulers (Al-Islaam bayn
al-ulamaa wal Hukaam) a bookthat has been translated into Urdu and
other languages
The rule of Islam on Socialism (Hukm al-islam fi
al-ishtrakiyah)
Islam is the guarantor of the basic needs of the individual
The book of God - the eternal Qur'an (Kitab Allahu al-khalid
al-quran al-karim)
Islam is war on Socialist and Capitalism (Al-islam harb ala
alishtrakiyah wa al-rasmaliyah)
The Shaykhs writings give an insight into his character and
personality, and into how he was able towithstand what he did. In
his book Islam between the Scholars and the Rulers, he wrote:
It is the will of Allah, Exalted be He, to put his creation to
tests to separate between those who aretrue from those who are
false, as he says in Surah Al Ankabut: Do men think that they will
be leftalone on saying, We believe, and that they will not be
tested? We did test those before them, andAllah will certainly know
those who are true from those who are false!
Unjust rulers used to persecute those who opposed their deviant
behaviour and resisted theirwrong ideas and did not go alone with
them in their whims. They used to put them through ordealsafter
they refused all kinds of rewards the rulers offered them in
humiliation and inferiority. But whatis it that would cause people
of good nature to be lured by money, or hanker after the crumbs
oflife, or be won over by perishable goods of this life. As for the
ordeals, they were prepared for themand bore their brunt with
patience, steadfastness, perseverance, and a firm will in
anticipation of areward from Allah in the Hereafter.
This is because they understood well Allahs statement Say: The
fire of Hell is fiercer in heat. Ifonly they could understand
[Al-Tawba: 81] and believed the statement of the Great Creator
whenhe says And there is the type of man who gives his life to earn
the pleasure of Allah. And Allah isfull of kindness to His devotees
[Al- Baqara: 207].
The Muslim scholars and Imams who earned the esteem,
appreciation and loyalty of people wereat the vanguard of those had
gone through ordeals and suffered great afflictions, yet they came
outvictorious and distinguished.
And indeed, he is among those who have earned the esteem,
appreciation and loyalty of this ummah, anummah he strove so hard
to revive and help defend against those who would seek to do it
harm. May Allah(azza wa jal) have mercy on Shaykh Al-Badry, include
them among the martyrs, and make him an examplewe seek to
emulate.
Official statements issued by Hizb ut-Tahrir are only those that
are found on its official websites. Any statement not found on one
ofthese websites is not a statement from Hizb ut-Tahrir.
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