Speech by Sayyid Leader Abdulmalik Badr al-Din al-Houthi on the Occasion of the Holiday of “Jumu‘ah Rajab”

I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.
In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah— the Sovereign, the Clear Truth— and I bear witness that our master Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, the Seal of the Prophets.

O Allah, send Your blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad; and bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious. O Allah, be pleased— by Your pleasure— with his chosen righteous Companions, and with all of Your righteous servants and those who strive in Your cause.

Brothers and sisters,
Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings.

On this blessed day, and on this blessed occasion— the first Friday of the month of Rajab, one of the greatest religious and historical occasions for our dear Yemeni people— I extend my warmest congratulations and blessings to all the sons and daughters of our dear Muslim Yemeni people.

This occasion is a great commemoration of an important historical milestone for our people— one of the major stations marking their entrance into Islam. Our people celebrate it as an expression of gratitude to Allah, Glorified and Exalted, and as appreciation for His immense blessing of guidance to Islam— for it is the greatest blessing of all. The blessing of guidance to Islam and faith is the greatest blessing Allah has bestowed upon the human being.

Part of appreciating this blessing is to remember it, to sense its value, its greatness, and its importance— and to draw inspiration from this commemoration in a way that deepens faith-based belonging and strengthens the faith identity of our dear people, at a time when our Ummah faces unprecedented challenges and targeting— targeting of its faith identity and its belonging to Islam. It is an inspiring station: a station of guidance and a great remembrance through which we thank Allah and acknowledge and honor this blessing.

It is also a very important station that helps us pay due attention to confronting every attempt that targets us— as a Muslim Yemeni people— in our faith identity and our Islamic belonging. This is among the most important arenas of conflict with those hostile to Islam and Muslims: the intellectual and cultural arena, and the targeting of identity and belonging. Therefore, honoring this blessing, thanking Allah for it, and benefiting from it— culturally, educationally, and otherwise— falls within the meaning of Allah’s saying:
{Say: “In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy— in that let them rejoice; it is better than what they accumulate.”} (Yunus 10:58).
These are occasions worthy of joy, appreciation, pride, and dignity. Our people’s authentic and distinguished belonging to Islam, and their blessed faith identity, stand first— before anything else— among the sources of honor, pride, and distinction for this dear Muslim people.

The greatest and most decisive historical transformation for the Yemeni people— in its impact in this world and the Hereafter— is their entrance into Islam, and their exceptional embrace of Islam across the early stages of Islamic history:

From the Makkan stage

Beginning with the authentic, distinguished, and elevated model: the family of Yasir and al-Miqdad (may Allah be pleased with them). A Yemeni model among the earliest to accept Islam— a sincere, aware, steadfast, sacrificing affiliation illuminated by the light of Islam, presenting a refined image of Islamic values, ethics, and principles.

And also through the Aws and Khazraj, some of whom embraced Islam before the Hijrah to Madinah when they came to Makkah for Hajj and met the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), which paved the way for the Hijrah and for the remarkable model of embracing Islam with authenticity and steadfastness— upholding this great religion in its principles and morals, and supporting this guidance, this religion, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family).

Thus, the believers among the Aws and Khazraj who embraced Islam distinctively and carried its banner with outstanding support were named by Allah as “the Ansar” (the Helpers) in His Book, and they were praised in the Qur’an and in what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said in their praise.

Then in the Prophetic Hijrah stage

Islam reached the Yemeni people through delegations that came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), often conveying the Islam of others they represented. Likewise, through the missions sent by the Prophet to Yemen— among the most important was when he sent Ali (peace be upon him) to Yemen, and many Yemenis embraced Islam on a well-known day connected to