Proclamation to all our Muslim brothers (Sharif Hussein, Arab Revolt, 27 June 1916)
The single-sheet Arabic proclamation issued by Sharif Hussein of Mecca at the outbreak of the Arab Revolt, printed in dense justified lines under the invocation 'In the name of God', a headline addressed to 'all our Muslim brothers' and a Quranic verse ('Our Lord, decide between us and our people in truth'). The tell is the framing: a political break with the Ottoman government is presented in scripture, legal-religious vocabulary and pious closing formulae, so the authority of the text is borrowed from the sacred sources it invokes.
- Date
- June 27, 1916
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- Hussein bin Ali, Sharif and Emir of Mecca
- Region
- Middle East and North Africa
- Country
- Emirate of Mecca
- Medium
- Document
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Sharifian Emirate of Mecca
- Leader
- Hussein Bin Ali
- Audience
- Mixed
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Themes
- Religion, War and the military, Empire and colonialism
- Event
- Arab Revolt
- Techniques
- Transfer
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons (facsimile in Stanley, The King of Hedjaz and Arab Independence, 1917), retrieved September 29, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (issued 1916, reproduced London 1917, before 1931); Commons tags Public domain
Hussein bin Ali, proclamation of 27 June 1916; facsimile from Frederick Stanley, The King of Hedjaz and Arab Independence (London: Hayman, Christy & Lilly, 1917), via Wikimedia Commons
Text on the object
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم هذا منشورنا العام الى كافة اخوانا المسلمين ربنا افتح بيننا وبين قومنا بالحق وانت خير الفاتحين كل يعلم بأن أول من اعترف بالدولة العلية من حكام المسلمين وأمرائهم أمراء مكة المكرمة رغبة منهم في جمع كلمة المسلمين وتحكيما لعرى جامعتهم لتمسك سلطانها من (آل عثمان) العظام طاب ثراهم ... [approximately 30 further lines of dense body text, not transcribed] ... هذا ما قد قمنا بأداء الواجب الديني علينا راجين من كافة اخوانا المسلمين في مشارق الأرض ومغاربها ان يؤدوا كذلك ما يرونه واجبا لاخوانهم ... راضين اكف الضراعة لرب الارباب ومتوسلين برسول الملك الوهاب ان يتولانا بالتوفيق ويعدنا بالهداية الى ما فيه خير الاسلام والمسلمين والاعتماد على الله العلي الكبير وهو حسبنا [?] ولم التصير في ٢٥ شعبان سنة ١٣٣٤ شريف مكة وأميرها الحسين بن علي
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate This is our general proclamation to all our Muslim brothers Our Lord, decide between us and our people in truth, and You are the best of deciders All know that the first of the rulers and emirs of the Muslims to recognise the Sublime State were the emirs of Mecca the Honoured, wishing to unite the word of the Muslims ... from the great House of Osman, may their resting place be sweet ... [approximately 30 further lines of dense body text, not transcribed] ... this is what we have done in fulfilment of the religious duty upon us, asking all our Muslim brothers in the east and west of the earth likewise to do what they see as their duty to their brothers ... with hands raised in supplication to the Lord of lords, and seeking the intercession of the Messenger of the Bountiful King, that He take us in his charge with success and lead us to guidance towards what is best for Islam and the Muslims, relying on God the Exalted, the Great, and He is our sufficiency [?] ... 25 Sha'ban, year 1334 Sharif of Mecca and its Emir Al-Hussein bin Ali
Read from a 1280 px rendering of a printed facsimile. Only the invocation, headline, verse, opening sentence, closing lines, date and signature are transcribed; ellipses mark omitted text and the roughly 30 lines of dense body text were not transcribed. Some closing words are uncertain (marked [?]). Translation is literal, machine-made, not checked by a fluent reader.
