Q&A: Mongol invasion, Ibn Taymiyyah's fatwa & the Khilafah

Question: Can you explain the fatwa of Ibn Taymiyyah, with respect to fighting the invading Tartars, and his proclamation of Jihad against them? There are some who argue, that from this fatwa we can deduce that this is the methodology to establish the Khilafah, as the Khaleefah was reappointed after this Jihad? Also that there was no need for the Khaleefah to be present to fight the Jihad? Also the hadith There will always be party (asaabah) from my Ummah who will fight according to the command of Allah, defeating their enemies. They will not be harmed by those who go against them until the Final Hour reaches them while they are upon that., can it not be argued that this applied to ibn Taymiyyah and the Muslims who fought alongside him against the Tartars? Answer: The fatwa of Ibn Taymiyyah is correct in terms of its subject, which was to fight the Tatars who attacked the Muslims since jihad in this situation was an individual obligation (fard ayn). It was obligatory on the Islamic Ummah to fight the them to eliminate and expel them from the lands of the Muslims. Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah) was from the distinguished Ulamah who encouraged the Muslims to fight. He was at the forefront of the Ulamah and the Muslims. He held position that was grave and well known regarding the fighting of the Tatars. As for what the question mentioned in terms of the deductions and comments regarding this, they are not correct for the following reasons: Firstly: The question mentioned that the Muslims fought even though there was no Khaleefah since the Tatar had killed the Khaleefah in Muharram 656 AH when they ransacked Baghdad. Then the question mentions also that if the Muslims had not fought under the pretext that there was no Khaleefah then they would have been destroyed and wiped off from the face of the earth. It is well known that the Islamic lands had walis and the wali is a ruler. When the Khaleefah was killed the walis were present who were delegates and subordinates to the khaleefah. And with their armies they opposed the Tatars. This took place in the wilayah of Sham during the time of Ibn Taymiyyah. It also took place in the wilayah of Egypt during the time of Izz b. Abd as-Salam when the Tatars were defeated at the battle of Ayn Jalut. So the Muslims were fighting and the armies were fighting. And there were walis present in the respective wilayaahs. This is in regard to Jihad generally and mobilization of the armies to fight whether there is a Khaleefah or not. As for when the lands of the Muslims are attacked, it is incumbent on every person who is able to bear weapons to fight the aggressor and repel his aggression. This does not require the permission of the ruler to fight, even the woman can go out to fight without the permission of her husband and the servant can go out without the permission of his master. Secondly: The question mentioned also that the Muslims reestablished the Khilafah by fighting and established a new Khaleefah. The questioner asks that the method to reestablish the Khilafah today is perhaps through fighting. The reality of what happened is not like this. Rather when the Khaleefah was killed, Muslims had walis. The Muslims together with their walis were looking to find who had survived from Banu al-Abbas so that they can give bayah to one of them. In the same year in which the Khaleefah was killed, some of Banu Al-Abbas were able to arrive at Egypt which was the strongest wilayah in the Muslim lands at that time. One of them took an army and returned wishing to restore the Khilafah to Baghdad, but he was not able to do so. Many were killed and the leader of the army did not return to Egypt.

The Muslims continued to search for someone from Banu al-Abbas for whom they could give the pledge of the Khilafah. The situation continued until Rajab 659 AH when one person from Banu al-Abbas from the relatives of Khaleefah al-Mutasim billah whom the Tartars killed, reached Cairo, where a council of governors (walis) was held in the presence of the Ulama, and after they had checked his lineage and ability they gave him the Bayah of khaleefah. The Khilafah remained in Cairo since that time for 300 years until it transferred to the Ottoman Sultan Saleem and the seat of the Khilafah moved to Istanbul. Thus, the Muslims did not fight the Tatar in the time of Ibn Taymiyyah to reestablish the Khilafah. They fought the Tatars who were advancing on the Muslim lands. This is clear. The Khilafah was not established in Sham but in Cairo. Also, the reality of the interruption to the Khilafah those days is not the same as today. The Muslims in those days had walis ruling them by Islam. So the land was dar al-Islam. They used to give obedience to Banu al-Abbas and they were looking for someone who had survived from them in order to appoint him as Khaleefah, and this is what happened on Rajab 659 AH. They used to consider the Khilafah as continuing among the Abbasids. As of today, the land is one of dar ul-Kufr. The Khilafah has been destroyed and it has ceased to exist. The reality of its reestablishment is like the reality of establishing the state in Madinah al-Munawwarah. The method should be the same method through which the Messenger (saw) established the state in Madinah ie via the Ummah by seeking the Nusrah (help) from the strongest faction from the Ummah. Thirdly: As for the hadeeth of the chosen group that Muslim has narrated: There will always be party (asaabah) from my Ummah who will fight according to the command of Allah, defeating their enemies. They will not be harmed by those who go against them until the Final Hour reaches them while they are upon that. And in the narration: Victorious over those who oppose them. Bukhari narrates it with close wording. According to Imam Nawawi, this hadith is applicable to any group of Muslims that is fighting for truth whether they are mujahideen, fuqaha, muhadditheen, mufassireen, abideen or zahideen. Moreover they may belong to any corner of the world. So according to Nawawi, the news in this hadith has come true in this way that there has always existed a group of Muslims in the world fighting for truth in any of the mentioned forms.