“Today I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as your religion.” (5:3)

Introduction

The age of the Quranic state has arrived, and humanity is both prepared for it and in dire need of it - it is inevitable. This places a significant responsibility on contemporary Muslims, a responsibility they cannot fulfill unless they make Muhammad alone their guide and their sole means to Allah.
The Sufi paths have rendered a great service in spreading the true religion. They have nurtured exceptional individuals who served as beacons of guidance and centers of wisdom for the nation throughout its history, whether in times of ascent or decline. From them, the nation sought its faith, ethics, and spiritual education.
However, today’s challenges surpass the capacity of the paths and their shaykhs. The solutions lie solely with [the Prophet] Muhammad.
We invite all followers of Sufi paths to return to the Path of Paths - the Path of Muhammad. By emulating Muhammad, the nation becomes united and its religion renewed. As we present this example from the Path of Muhammad, we do so as an illustration, not as an exhaustive guide. It is a model that can suffice many seekers until the horizons of the Muhammadan reality open up for them.
We strongly recommend frequent engagement with the books of hadith and the Prophet’s biography (sirah), with particular emphasis on Sahih al-Bukhari, for those who wish to expand their understanding of this model. And Allah is the source of success.
The Republicans have issued the following statement:

Tuesday, 25 Dhu al-Hijjah 1384 AH, corresponding to April 27, 1965
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
From the Republican Party
To all those seeking Allah, those journeying toward Him, from all paths and all creeds:
Peace and the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.
Time has returned to its original state, as it was when Allah sent Muhammad to call people to Him, as a guide and a facilitator [of those] on His path. With this cyclical return of time, all paths that once led to Allah and connected people to Him have now been closed, except for the Path of Muhammad. From this day forward, the paths are no longer paths, and the creeds are no longer creeds.
We address this message to all people in general, to Muslims in particular, and to the followers of spiritual paths (turuq) among Muslims especially.
The best worship, without exception, is the recitation of the Quran, and the best recitation is what takes place within prayer. The Path of Muhammad involves praying with the Quran, both in the obligatory prayers and during the last third of the night. He would pray three, five, seven, nine, eleven, or thirteen rak‘as, never exceeding that. He would prolong his standing (qiyam) by reciting long surahs, or by repeating shorter ones, or even by repeating a single verse until his feet swelled.
Muhammad is the means to Allah, and there is no means other than him from this day forward. Whoever seeks a path to Allah that connects him and does not veil him from Allah, or cut him off before reaching Him, must abandon every form of worship they currently follow and emulate Muhammad - both in the manner of his worship and in what they are capable of adopting from his habits - a conscious emulation. Let them rest assured that by doing so, they have surrendered themselves to the guiding leader of all souls who is himself guided.
It is incumbent upon the shaykhs of the spiritual paths to remove themselves from between the people and Muhammad, and to focus their efforts on guiding people to the life of Muhammad - through both their actions and their words. For the life of Muhammad is the key to the religion, the key to the Quran, and the key to “La ilaha illa Allah”, which is the ultimate purpose of the Quran. This is the secret behind the pairing in the testimony: “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadun Rasul Allah”.
The life of Muhammad is preserved in the books of Hadith, especially Sahih al-Bukhari, and the Republican Party will release a bulletin detailing this life, by the Will of Allah.

This is what the Republicans announced on that date. Now, in fulfillment of the promise we made, we are releasing the bulletin we had pledged.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
“And as for the night, keep the vigil a part of it, as a work of supererogation for thee; it may be that thy Lord will raise thee up to a laudable station.” (17:79)
“Say, If you love Allah, then follow me, so Allah will love you.’” (3:31)
When Islam spread and came to dominate people’s lives, the Prophet was both their leader and their means to Allah. At that time, the worldly life was not their greatest concern; rather, the worldly life served as a means to the Hereafter, just as the Prophet had taught them. After the Prophet returned to his Lord, this remained the case during the caliphates of the first two Caliphs [Abu Bakr and Umar] and the early years of Uthman’s caliphate. However, toward the end of Uthman’s rule, the love of worldly possessions began to preoccupy people’s hearts.
When Ali assumed leadership following the assassination of Uthman and sought to restore matters to the way they were during the time of the first two Caliphs, people’s attachment to worldly matters led them to forsake him and support Mu’awiya against him. From that point, worldly concerns began to prevail over religious matters. The caliphate under Mu’awiya thus became a hereditary monarchy, as the Prophet had foretold. Mu’awiya entrusted the affairs of the believers to his son Yazid, establishing the succession as an inheritance among his descendants.
Ali ibn Abi Talib was killed during the era of Mu’awiya. Al-Hasan ibn Ali was also killed. Then Yazid’s followers killed al-Husein ibn Ali, along with many of the sons of Ali.
From that time onward, worldly matters dominated, and religion declined among the people. Whenever a descendant of Ali rose to restore religion, people abandoned him and supported his enemies - first the Umayyads and then the Abbasids. This continued until the supporters of religion despaired of reforming the people. They withdrew with their religion to caves, wildernesses, and remote areas, establishing it within themselves and spreading it among those around them who sought it, without challenging the worldly authorities.
Thus, Islamic Sufism emerged. Its leaders (shaykhs) modeled their lives after the Prophetic way - both his seclusion in the Cave of Hira before his mission and his life after he was sent as a prophet. Through them, the inner knowledge of religion, its secrets, and its lights became manifest to them and their disciples. These Sufis became the preservers of religion, its scholars, and the guides who directed people to Allah. They carried out this great role through the ages, the remnants of which still appear today in some blessed places where the Quran is preserved, and disciples are trained in the spiritual path.
Islamic Sufism, in its essence, is the imitation of the Prophet’s life. The Prophet’s personal practices - both before and after prophethood - are the foundation of Sufism, even though the term “Sufism” emerged later. In truth, Sufism represents the adherents to the Muhammadan Sunnah.
Sufism flourished for seven centuries following the third century, reaching its peak during the sixth and seventh centuries. However, like other aspects of religion, it eventually suffered from distortion, weakening, and deviation, resulting in its present state. Despite its current weaknesses and divergence from the practices of its early adherents, Sufism remains closer to the essence of religion than many false manifestations that claim religiosity while exploiting it.
This is the story of the people of faith - Ali ibn Abi Talib’s followers and his descendants.
Conversely, the people of the world (Dunia) - Muawiyah’s followers - began their dominance with the victory of Muawiyah over Ali. They organized their worldly affairs according to Islamic Shari‘ah. However, as their worldly ambitions grew, their needs became more complex, giving rise to Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). Jurists engaged in reasoning, analogy, and interpretation, but eventually, they overextended, focusing on superficial matters while neglecting the core of the religion. This resulted in practices that imitated religion without embodying its spirit, and jurists who emerged have pursued worldly gains in the name of religion.
Today, both the jurists and the followers of Sufi paths have lost their way, though to varying degrees. Humanity now lives in the second period of ignorance (jahiliyyah), subtly referenced in the Quran: “And do not display yourselves as [was] the display during the former period of ignorance.” (33:33)
The sun of Islamic Shari‘ah set long ago, and its night has been long. Yet the dawn of a new day is near, and the light of a new morning approaches.
Muhammad, with Allah’s grace, led humanity out of the darkness of the first era of ignorance (jahiliyyah) into the light of faith. Similarly, with Allah’s grace, he will guide humanity out of the darkness of the second era of ignorance into the radiance of Islam. Our present will surpass our past, and our future will be one of unparalleled blessings - “what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and what has not crossed the mind of any human being.”
This anticipated future - one that belongs to all humanity - requires no less of a guide than Muhammad, the infallible. The Sufi paths have served a noble purpose and played a significant role in preserving the religion and guiding people. However, they are not sufficient to shoulder the burdens of this future. What is needed is the comprehensive path that encompasses all others - the Path of Muhammad. He said: “My words are Shari‘ah, my actions are the path (Tariqah), and my state of being is reality (Haqiqah).”
This is the essence of what we declared in our first proclamation: “Muhammad is the means to Allah, and from this day forward, there is no other means.”
The second era of ignorance that contemporary humanity is experiencing, when compared to the first era of ignorance fourteen centuries ago, underscores the necessity of the first Muhammadan mission and the inevitability of the second Muhammadan mission. This is what we intended in the same proclamation when we stated:
“Time has returned to its original state, as it was when Allah sent Muhammad to call people to Him, as a guide and a facilitator of those on His path. With this cyclical return of time, all paths that once led to Allah and connected people to Him have now been closed, except for the Path of Muhammad. From this day forward, the paths are no longer paths, and the creeds are no longer creeds.”
This applies specifically to the paths (Turuq), and also to the creeds (Millal), as today marks the beginning of the fulfillment of Allah’s warning: “And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers.” (3:85)
Muhammad is not absent today; rather, we are heedless of him due to our ignorance of his true essence. For this reason, we have called upon contemporary Sufi shaykhs to guide their followers to emulate the Prophet’s life - his worship and his daily practices - through their actions and words. We said: “The shaykhs of the paths must remove themselves from between the people and Muhammad.”
By this, we meant to invite them to direct their followers to Muhammad so that he may become the shaykh and guide for all. Between these individuals, mutual love and respect should develop - bonds akin to those between companions on the shared journey to the greater pilgrimage.
This call to return to Muhammad, as we present it, will initially achieve the unity of the nation and liberate it from sectarianism, which is its greatest affliction. This unity will be achieved by gathering the nation around the imitation of a single individual, our supreme example.
Ultimately, this call will transform “La ilaha illa Allah” into a powerful revolution within the hearts of men and women, as it was during the first era when Muhammad proclaimed it in Meccan society. This time, the nation will achieve unity through the collective knowledge and certainty of Allah.
We are firmly convinced that through emulating Muhammad, the nation will achieve unity, and its religion will be revitalized. Therefore, we have dedicated ourselves to deepening this call and now present a model to assist all who wish to find a way to Allah.