Economic expert Ibrahim Wali writes: “A year that gave to the rich and deprived the poor. Welcome, new year 2026. We greet it and hope it will be a year of goodness and peace for our beloved homeland, burdened by worries and worn down by suffering. We look forward to it carrying within it the good news of effective solutions to the many crises that the departing year—and the years before it—failed to resolve.
Will hopes be fulfilled and aspirations realized? The foremost of these hopes is that the state of misery and deprivation endured by this helpless people will recede—a condition born of internal and external whims and greed, political and economic blackmail, and the theft and looting of the nation’s resources.
That millions of the hungry, displaced, and poor in this country may find daily bread and the blessing of shelter.
That the era of injustice and tyranny may end, replaced by rulers and leaders who fear God and are guided by conscience, who extend help and support to the nation and its citizens, and work to rescue it from the depths of poverty and deprivation, rather than oppressing it, continuing to steal and plunder its wealth, and forcing men and women to wait in long queues at banks under the scorching sun. There are many other wishes in this regard that space does not allow us to list. Will the winds of the new year blow as the hopeful wish?
We await that. Now we turn back to the departing year—or rather, we cast a final glance at it and assess its harvest.
The first thing to be said about 2025 is that it was worse than its predecessors: a year of harsh impact and scant giving. Decline and deterioration remained the defining features of our troubled economy, the weakness of our banking and financial sector, the stagnation of our trade, the high prices in our markets, and the scarcity of liquidity. Our beleaguered homeland remained prey to chaos and instability on both political and economic fronts, in addition to sinking into the mire of parallel spending that exhausted the state budget and public debt, and being exposed to the whims of the dollar and the dollar-issuing state—the United States—supporting the Zionist enemy against Islam and Muslims.
Nor should we forget ourselves as citizens.
(On the authority of Ibn Umar, may God be pleased with them both, that the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock: the ruler is a shepherd and responsible for his flock; a man is a shepherd over his family and responsible for his flock; a woman is a shepherd in her husband’s house and responsible for her flock; and a servant is a shepherd over his master’s wealth and responsible for his flock.”)
Accordingly, we must be sincere to this homeland. Has any one of us, while performing their work, considered their duty of loyalty to the nation? Has any official among us considered their duty of loyalty to the nation? Has a merchant considered, when importing adulterated goods, that he harms the nation and the citizen? Has a businessperson considered, when undertaking a project, that they bear a great responsibility that falls under love of country?
I say this to remind legislative and executive officials, employees of banking, financial, administrative, and economic institutions, and every citizen among us—as we watch our beloved homeland slip through our fingers due to rampant corruption across most legislative, executive, and sovereign state institutions; the handing over of all state resources to foreigners and mercenaries; and the failure to heed the lessons of America in Iraq and Syria, and what is happening today in Sudan.
We are at a stage that requires us to reassess our accounts—to become numbers whose sum equals the building of a strong homeland economically, socially, and politically; to bear the responsibility of progress; and to place the interest of the nation above the interest of the belly. Are we ready for that? Are we ready to raise the banner of enduring, unbroken love for this dear homeland?
From this standpoint, we bid farewell to the departing year and welcome the new one, hoping it will be a year of goodness, blessing, happiness, and relief from hardship.
(When hardship intensifies, relief draws near—your night has announced the dawn.)
The more severe the ordeal, the closer the relief. I know that victory comes with patience, and relief comes with distress.
