‫ﭐ‬

‫‪1‬‬
3 2
FOREWORD

5 4
Corona, internal hardly taken any of two and a half trillion dollars extremists, racists, leftists, radicals, the
divisions, racism, time to reach the by Mitch McConnell. And this is only the poor and needy… all came out to voice
an economy in verge of an beginning. Suicide rates, domestic their respective grievances. Arsons,
shambles, and implosion. The violence and internal divisions have lootings, closure of highways, curfews
attacks by the after effects of this spiked across the board, from top to became the norm as the army
Mujahideen. These implosion threaten bottom. All the while, Trump and Pelosi descended to the streets of America.
are the five corners not just America’s engage in their favourite hobby: Trump threatened his own populace
of America’s existence as a exchanging abuses. Pelosi derides that has risen against him in revolt with
pentagonal coffin. polity, but the entire Trump by calling him a fat old sick man the use of hunting dogs and lethal
The Glorious Lord Western World. and Trump describes her as a mentally weapons, much like Gadhafi’s threats to
continues to The unemployed in retarded old woman. Nancy Pelosi his countrymen in his famous ‘Zanqa…
demonstrate His America number in responds in a way that would be rather Zanqa’ speech. So will Trump meet
powers in the form the millions now inappropriate to mention here. Armed Gadhafi’s fate? Or will Sisi come to
of America’s and the queues protests rage across America and a civil Trump’s rescue with the armed goons
undoing. An outside ration war appears to be in the offing. The last who crushed protests in al Nahda and
invisible soldier is distribution centers civil war marked the birth of the United Rabia? Let us wait and see.
busy devouring are miles-long. States of America; this one, God This, dear readers, is the state of
America’s rotten In its failed bid to Willing, should mark its end. America. As for the Mujahideen, they
body. Like a patient stall an imminent These momentous developments come continue to fulfill their duty of defending
who has weak economic collapse, in the wake of the strangulation of a their Ummah against America’s
immunity, the the American poor Afro-America by four white oppression by inflicting blows after
symptoms of the government is policemen. His cries of ‘I can’t breath’ blows on America. They do so with
disease have literally printing were suppressed by the sheer weight of complete trust in their Lord and support
become apparent trillions of their racist arrogance. Perhaps this poor from their Ummah. The last attack
immediately and its banknotes. The man had forgotten what White carried out by them was the raid of the
side effects have latest bid, though Americans had done to his forefathers martyr, Shimrani, may Allah accept him.
started taking their surely not the last not so long ago. Segments of American So will the knights of this Ummah step
toll on the body of one, was Pelosi’s society revolted against the murder of forth to complete this blessed journey
the diseased. A programme of George Floyd just as the Egyptians had until one of the two promises is fulfilled:
usury-based printing three revolted against the killing of Khalid victory or martyrdom.“Say: ‘Can you
economy- an trillion dollars. This Saeed. The streets of America erupted expect for us any fate other than one
inflated balloon comes in the wake in protests against the worsening of two glorious things- victory or
essentially- has of the injection situation in the country. Whites, blacks, martyrdom?

06 07
 But we can expect for you either that
Allah will send His punishment from
Himself or by our hands. So wait; we
too shall wait with you.” [Al Tauba: 52]
As for the oppressed in America and
elsewhere, we wish to remind them of
clause fifteen of the document ‘Gen-
eral Guidelines for Jihadi Work’ is-
sued by al-Qa’eda: ‘Helping the op-
pressed and subjugated, Muslims or
non-Muslims, who are victims of any
kind of oppression. Supporting and
encouraging everyone who helps
their cause, even if those who step
forth to help them are non-Muslims.’
Don’t be deceived by the Democrats’
exploitation of your grievances. They
do not differ a lot from the Republi-
cans. In a single slip of tongue, you
may uncover their true emotions to-
wards you. They consider you no
more than slaves of the White House,
as pointed out accurately by the mar-
tyr, Malcolm X. It wasn’t too long ago
when Biden told an American journal-
ist that he wasn’t black if he voted for
Trump. The blacks in America know
that all the Democrats are interested
in are their material interests, political
influence and economic leverage.
Biden and Obama were in power for
eight years. All they did for you was
to ensure the continuity of injustice,
08
oppression, poverty, and racism.
The only way forward for you to liberate
They filled their bank accounts to the yourself from this misery is to follow the
tunes of millions of dollars. Obama advice of the martyr, Malcolm X, by embracing
entered the White House with less Islam and living up to these brilliant words of
than a million dollars in his bank ac- his: ‘The price of freedom is death.’
count. He left with millions of dollars, If your ancestors had taken this advice
lavish mansions and expensive real seriously, you would have been free today.
estate. The Clintons, who spent eight So do not do injustice to your grandchildren by
years in the White House, left with choosing slavery over freedom.
millions of dollars in their bank bal-
ances, all at the cost of your suffering
and pain. Nanci Pelosi, who has been
a member of Congress for decades,
is the least concerned about you. All
that matters for her is that her refrig-
erator should remain filled with ex-
pensive grocery items, that too at a
time when the Afro-American commu-
nity doesn’t find the bare minimum to
put an end to its hunger and suffer-
ing.
The only way forward for you to liber-
ate yourself from this misery is to
follow the advice of the martyr, Mal-
colm X, by embracing Islam and liv-
ing up to these brilliant words of his:
‘The price of freedom is death.’
If your ancestors had taken this ad-
vice seriously, you would have been
free today. So do not do injustice to
your grandchildren by choosing
slavery over freedom.

In the wake of recent developments
in the Gulf region, beginning notably
with the targeting of Western oil tank-
ers, the shooting down of the ‘Global
Hawk’ drone, and the subsequent
maneuvering of US forces in the Gulf
region, the arrival of the aircraft carri-
er, Abraham Lincoln, the stationing of
additional US troops in the Arabian
Peninsula, and the recent missile at-
tacks on Aramco, the possibility of
another war in the Gulf has become a
major topic of discussion among
‫حســن‬
12
analysts and commentators.
In this context, we, in the editorial
team of One Ummah, would like to
put recent events in perspective. In
doing so, we seek to fulfill our duty of
offering sincere advice to the Ummah
and pointing out our collective duties
at this critical stage. Before we delve
deeper into the subject, we would like
to clarify an issue of critical impor-
tance to us. We, in our interpretation
and analysis of world events, seek to
completely avoid exaggerations and
outlandish conspiracy theories. We
do not view conspiracy theories as
tools for understanding the world or
for curing its innumerable ills. We
would like to stress this point em-
phatically: Using conspiracy theories
to understand the world we live in
and basing on these theories future
plans and strategies is an act of sheer
madness. It represents the worst
possible mode of negative thinking.
Conspiracy theories are a tool of psy-
chological warfare that the enemies
deploy against us at a subconscious
level so as to force us into a state of
paralysis. This mode of thought al-
lows the enemy to secure its interests
by spreading despondency and utter
hopelessness in the hearts of Islamic
activists. The only logical result of
believing in this nonsense is a total
psychological surrender in the face
of the challenges of the real world.
Those who believe in these theories
are often its first casualty, as they
reach a level of dejection that pre-
vents them from even working for the
Islamic cause.
A believer, as in the story of the Phar-
aoh and his magicians, simply dis-
misses such conspiracy theories. As
the Quran says, ‘Verily it is only a plot
that you have plotted (against us) in
the city.’ Unfortunately, Muslims have
become pawns on the global chess-
board. Hidden powers push them in
the direction that suits them; the hid-
den hands of evil move them around
as they please. The psychological ef-
fect is thus patterns of individual and
collective behaviour that betray sheer
madness, erratic, irrational decisions,
shocking ignorance of how the world
actually functions, and hence utter
despondency.
We believe that conveying the truth
to our Ummah is a trust- truth, as we
believe it to be, as we have come to
know and experience it, with no words
minced. In trying to explain real life
events, we establish causal relation-
ships by linking events- effects if
you may- with their real underlying
13
 causes, without any denial of facts.
We try to reach a balanced, solid
opinion based on evidences ranging
from established facts to the Shariah,
each backed by proof.
We are fully aware of the unrest and
confusion prevailing among ordinary
Muslims regarding recent events,
specifically the nature of the power
struggle in the Gulf region. To us, the
matter is clear, the explanation sim-
ple, obvious to anyone who follows
events closely and understands the
relevant context. The problem we all
face in this age is that the devils oc-
cupying the corridors of power and
wielding influence through the media
machine deliberately sow confusion
and excel at the art of hatching outra-
geous conspiracy theories. The rea-
son they do this is simple: deliberate-
ly creating a defeatist, cowardly, and
confused mindset. Once this conspir-
atorial mentality takes root, the ordi-
nary Muslim, who should possess a
spirit of Jihad and resistance, finds
himself totally dejected, in a state of
psychological paralysis. This is why
we believe that conspiracy theories
in themselves are the biggest con-
spiracy that has rational Islamic
thought as its prime target.
After this rather long-winded, though
14
necessary prelude, we can finally
come to our point. The ongoing ten-
sions between Iran and the United
States is no scripted drama; it is a re-
al-life conflict unfolding before us. Its
causes are known and easy to grasp.
It is a simple case of a conflict of in-
terests and a struggle for influence
over the region and its resources. As
in any hostility, there exists a clash
not just of wills but of ideas, a clash
in which interests- or the material-
generally override ideas- the moral.
And so when interests converge or
overlap, hostilities and tensions are
replaced by temporary understand-
ings and tacit agreements limited in
their scope, their shelf life defined by
the duration for which such a conver-
sion of interests exists.
We have no doubt whatsoever that
we are a target. Our lands, countries,
resources, and, above all, our beliefs
are the prime target in the midst of
this complex tangle. Neither Iran’s
expansionist ambitions, nor Ameri-
ca’s Crusader agenda or the histori-
cal enmity of the Zionist regime for
that matter know any limits. Adding
fuel to this fire are the Arab Zionists
occupying the Arabian Peninsula and
the atheist Family of Zaid who are
stronger in their disbelief, hypocrisy
and enmity for Islam and Muslims
than the Zionist Israeli regime, the
United States and Iran combined.
This Arab Zionist enemy poses a di-
rect and immediate threat to Muslims
across the globe and to their sacred
sites. The wave of counter-revolu-
tions, a phenomenon artificially cre-
ated and sponsored by these two re-
gimes, has reached its peak lately,
intensifying even more so with the
spike in tensions between the US and
Iran. This is most evidently demon-
strated by the haste with which these
parties have tried to put in place a
mechanism for the implementation of
what they term as ‘The Deal of the
Century’ (Slap of the Century on the
face of the Arab World). This act of
naked, outright treachery aims at
selling off Jerusalem, Palestine, and
even the Arabian Peninsula in ex-
change for an Israeli-Western prom-
ise to protect the thrones of Bin Sal-
man and Bin Zaid.
By putting things in context, we seek
to make the ordinary Muslim aware,
so that he understands the true na-
ture and extent of the schemes that
are being hatched against Islam and
the Ummah. In the midst of this mili-
tary, political and intellectual on-
slaught, one must give each threat its
due weight and devise accordingly
an appropriate strategy for counter-
ing each with the appropriate tools
available. However, if we try to ex-
plain everything away by using a
one-size-fits-all conspiracy theory,
15
 all our efforts will be directionless.
We shall so exhaust ourselves with-
out attaing any positive outcomes
whatsoever. This obsession with con-
spiracy theories is in realit one of the
biggest conspiracies that we need to
distance ourselves from.
It is clear that our three holiest sites-
Makkah, Madinah and Jerusalem-
and our oil and mineral resources-
specifically in the Arabian Peninsula
and the Gulf region- are a strategic
target for all our enemies. Due to the
religious, economic and strategic im-
portance of the Arabian Peninsula, it
is even more important a target for
them than Palestine. So what is the
way out from this bottleneck? What is
the most practical and effective way
to win this battle? Have Western pow-
ers really been defeated by the down-
ing of one of America’s strategic air-
crafts in the waters of the Gulf?
Some people believe that in the face
of the Iranian threat to the Gulf, there
is no option but to stand with the West
and the Zionists so as to deter the
Iranians. This, for them, implies nor-
malization of relations with the Zion-
ist state, implementation of the so-
called ‘Deal of the Century’, and
inviting an even larger number of
American forces to the region to de-
16
fend the Gulf. Here we need to ask
ourselves: Will America defend the
Gulf? At a time when attacks by Iran’s
proxies on strategic targets in the
Gulf- such as Aramco- continue un-
challenged, it would be extremely
foolish to even suggest that the in-
crease in American military presence
in the Gulf is aimed at defending the
region, preventing attacks on Gulf
states or ratcheting up tensions with
Iran. Do the Saudi and Emirati re-
gimes do not understand that Ameri-
can policy in the region in not built
upon confronting the Iranian threat,
but on exploiting this threat to milk
the Saudi-Emirati cow and to siphon
off the wealth of the people of the
Arabian Peninsula. Can anyone fail
to understand that America is drain-
ing the resources of the region in the
name of deterring Iran and all that is
being protected in the process are Zi-
onist interests- and not the broader
Gulf region?
We believe that for four decades, the
Iranian card has been the biggest
card in the hands of subsequent
American administrations. It is simply
not in America’s interests to lose this
card, and no US administration will
be willing to relinquish this card un-
less there is a suitable candidate to
assume Iran’s place so as to protect
American interests and ensure a con-
tinued flow of the resources of the
Gulf in a westward direction. It is only
when the Iranians deceive them-
selves into believing that they have
become a global power and exceed
their limits that the Americans would
really begin to flex their muscles. It is
then that they will actually rein in the
Iranian regime by the use of econom-
ic sanctions and military escalation
so that the latter keeps its expansion-
ist ambitions in check. In spite of
America’s economic and military
weakness in recent years, American
ability to carry out aerial strikes on
targets inside Iran and checkmate
Iran militarily remains unaffected.
It is critical to understand that even-
tually both Iran and America get to
benefit from this rivalry. This is a cold
war that has continued between them
for forty years, and it shall remain a
cold war only as long as the financial
gains outweigh the costs of this con-
flict, i.e. as long as profits from the
Gulf region continue to flow to Tehran
and Washington. The only losers in
this game are our people in the Gulf
whose resources, wealth, and blood
continue to be drained. The Iranian
Foreign Minister succinctly summa-
rized the issue when he said: ‘Iran is
not the suitable theatre for blood-
shed.’ This is why we say that in spite
of a real enmity between Iran and the
US, none of them pose an existential
threat for the other in the region as
long as each side plays by the rules
of the game. However, if Iranian am-
bitions cross the limits of the permis-
sible and Iran’s greed for resources
in the Gulf, which have been thus far
under American control, lure it to ex-
pand further in the region and devel-
op its weapons program to a level
that becomes too menacing to be tol-
erated, America and its allies will not
hesitate to cut short Iran’s expan-
sionist agenda and tame Iran militar-
ily, politically, and economically.
However, even then America would
rather have Iran still present in the
region as a bogeyman so as to milk
the resources that the Saudis and
Emiratis have appropriated from their
masses.
It would not be far-fetched to imagine
that the Americans and Iranians
might eventually arrive at an under-
standing and decide to carve up the
Gulf region into zones of American
and Iranian influence, for this is ex-
actly what they had done in Iraq. As
long as Saddam was fighting Iran,
17
 the Americans staunchly supported
him and funneled aid to him via the
Saudis and the Egyptians. The drop
scene, as we all know, was the occu-
pation of Iraq and a power-sharing
arrangement with Iran.
As for the downing of the Global
Hawk, as we have mentioned al-
ready, in spite of the overlap of inter-
ests in some areas, there exists an
actual rivalry between the US and
Iran. When it comes to controlling the
Gulf and deciding the overall fate of
the region, Iranian and American in-
terests generally tend to converge,
often at the expense of the Saudis
and the Emiratis who are there only
to be milked by the Americans. It
wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say
that there exists a tacit understand-
ing between the two sides regarding
the Gulf, since outwardly there exist
no signed agreements or accords,
only mild hostility. How else do you
explain Trump’s sudden change of
heart when he decided not to go
ahead with the strikes on Iran, pre-
sumably out of concern for a hundred
and fifty innocent civilians!
Iran, due to the high level of its ideo-
logical flexibility and political pragma-
tism, has been able to arrive at tacit
understandings and cooperate with
18
all its regional enemies- such as the
Americans in Iraq and Syria- because
it realizes that such arrangements
promote its regional interests. A glar-
ing example of this is the JCOA nu-
clear accord signed by the Obama
administration, much to the dislike of
the Republicans. Trump, the
deal-maker, availed the opportunity
presented by this deal to deride Oba-
ma in his election campaign and de-
clare that the nuclear agreement with
Iran was the worst deal he had ever
seen and so after assuming office he
decided to scrap it.
On the other hand, the Iranian regime
is fully cognizant of the fact that there
exists a deep divide inside America
on overseas engagements, specifi-
cally in the Middle East. America’s
current economic, political and mili-
tary weakness prevent it from engag-
ing in another war with potentially
disastrous economic consequences
both at home and globally. The Amer-
ican public has little tolerance for
another Afghanistan or Iraq, nor can icans are unlikely to gift them this op-
the economy afford such a burden. portunity. It is in this context that the
The American military does not have Deputy of the Revolutionary Guards,
the necessary will to fight for it to en- Ali Fidwi, said that the Americans and
gage in another adventure that would their allies do not have the courage to
involve long-term commitments. This fire a single bullet at Iran!
leaves Iran with the room to maneuver Moreover, the divide within the Trump
militarily within a safe-margin, and the administration on the issue of Iran has
downing of the Global Hawk without also bolstered the Iranian position.
any military repercussions is an obvi- Recent reports in the media suggest
ous example of this newfound free- that there are deep divisions on Iran
dom. Iran has the courage to do ag- within the national security complex in
gressive posturing and declare its
hostile intent, whereas the slaves of
the West, the families of Saud and
Zaid, are not able to say one-tenth of
what Iran says. To object is never the
prerogative of a milked cow.
At the same time, Iran not only has the
ability to absorb limited aerial strikes,
but this further bolsters the power of
the regime inside Iran, rallying people
to its support and providing it sufficient
moral ground to further curb all forms
of dissent. Any American strike on Iran
would be ruthlessly exploited by the
Iranians to reinforce the theme of vic-
timhood that is present in their narra-
tive of Hussain’s martyrdom. And thus
the call of Khomeini’s revolution would
resonate even more strongly within
and beyond Iran’s boundaries. How-
ever, the Iranians know that the Amer-
19
 the United States, including the Pen-
tagon. The former National Security
Adviser to Trump, John Bolton, was
adamant in his insistence to flex the
military muscle against Iran, whereas
Trump and many of his aides vehe-
mently opposed the military option.
They prefer to rely on economic sanc-
tions, besides of course ‘Presidential’
tweets, which might force Tehran to
bend to American demands or, after
another forty years, somehow bring
about the collapse of the regime!
Most analysts do not doubt the fact
that America’s current inability to
wage another war overseas owes it-
self to America’s experience in the
wars of Afghanistan and Iraq. With
Allah’s blessing, the Mujahideen
were able to turn these two theatres
into swamps that drained America’s
strength militarily and economically.
Shaykh Osama bin Laden had al-
ways dreamt of inflicting strategic
strikes on America that would damp-
en war hysteria within the US public
and weaken severely its military’s will
to fight. Today, we are witnessing this
loss of confidence at the top of Amer-
ica’s military and political pyramid, in-
side the corridors of the White, and
within the global financial elite. The
penchant for military adventures is
20
nowhere near the level just two dec-
ades back.
The Islamic World should rejoice in
the fact that the American administra-
tion has failed to find or create a suit-
able proxy that could act as its police-
man in the Middle East. None of the
current American proxies have the
will or strength to stop the rising tide
of Jihad and revolution that is gaining
increasing support among Muslim
youth, especially in the Gulf region.
The Arabian Peninsula, specifically
Yemen, continues to offer young men
and finances for the theatres of Jihad.
America and its slaves have exhaust-
ed all military and political options
available to weaken and divide the
Mujahideen, but to no avail. We would
not hide from our readers the fact that
one of the microscopic statelets of
the Gulf has continued, since 2009,
to appease the various branches of
the al Qa’eda Organization by sug-
gesting through its representatives
that al Qa’eda should adopt national
causes and let its fight be local only.
In other words, it should become a
ditto copy of the Lebanese Hezbol-
lah, influencing politics at a local lev-
el alone just as Hezbollah does. In
exchange for accepting this initiative,
the organization was offered a hefty
sum of money and a promise from
the Americans to halt their drone
campaign. By the grace of God, this
soft-power tactic aimed at creating
divisions within the Jihadi movement
of the Ahl as Sunnah met with failure.
The Mujahideen have understood
that the only who is not bombed to-
day shall definitely be bombed
tomorrow.
Coming back to our topic, Iran has
been able to organize the various mi-
litias sponsored by it as extensions of
Iranian power within and beyond the
region. They act in unison as Iran’s
sticks or carrots, as per the dictates
from Tehran. A Gulf statelet, using its
media tools, does the marketing for
these militias and builds their image
in the Muslim world, while at the
same time distorting the image of the
sincere Mujahideen using lies, fabri-
cation, and slander. What is remorse-
ful is that some sincere journalists
working for its media outlets have be-
come pawns in this campaign of de-
liberate and targeted distortion.
When it comes to the defense of the
Muslims and Islam against all shades
of enemies, the Mujahideen are, after
Allah (swt), the only hope of the Um-
mah. The soldiers of Islam in the Ara-
bian Peninsula- specially the Muja-
hideen in Yemen- are the first line of
defense for our people in the Gulf.
The Islamic Ummah must stand by
the side of their battle-hardened ex-
perienced sons and support them
with men and material.
To conclude, we would like to say
that no one knows the unseen except
the Creator of this Universe, Allah.
However, on the basis of military ex-
perience, we may confidently say
that though America still possesses
the capability to initiate new wars, it
no longer has the ability to emerge
victorious or bring its wars to an early
end. The days of American hegemo-
ny are over, and success, in the end,
belongs to the God-fearing, for verily
they are the best of mankind in the
eyes of God.
And our last prayer is that all praise
belongs to Allah, the Lord of the
Worlds.
21
 , The least THAT can be said in this CONTEXT is that it is a batTle
BetWeen Islam and apostasy. I Cannot find for it any other APT

,
explanation. we are fighting those who distinguish between
prayer and faith, and between these two and political Islam.
these secular heretics were nurtured and fed by America and
israel. TheY made them what they are today and supported them
Shaykh Nazzar Rayan fully so as to uproot Islam from our lands
)may Allah accept him(
25 24
 O’ the free people of Algeria! O’ those
who refuse to bow down to oppres-
sion and tyranny! O’ those who seek
their Lord’s pleasure! Peace and the
infinite mercy of God be upon you!
We salute your defiant souls and your
inspiring uprising against the oppres-
sion of the military and its cohorts!
May Allah bless your efforts.
To the honourable Algerian nation,
we would like to say that you are a
most precious part of the blessed Is-
lamic Ummah. Your persistent adher-
ence to Islamic values and tenets is
unprecedented. This is why your Mu-
jahid sons consider you a precious
Islamic asset in the Islamic Maghreb
that must be protected at all costs.
They consider you a most invaluable
part of the broader Islamic Ummah
because you have held on firmly to
original Islamic values and morals
and your faith is firmly grounded in
the pure Islamic creed. This is why
the Ummah in its entirety and specif-
ically its Mujahid vanguard must have
a strong relationship of love, support,
advice and guidance with you.
We, as your brothers, sons, and
above all a first line of defense for
your Religion and faith, consider it
our foremost duty to support your
revolution and offer sound advice in
26
this regard. As the reserve force of
the Islamic Ummah, you enjoy a spe-
cial place in our hearts. You are peo-
ple of courage, initiative, and honour,
as we have come to know you from
our long-standing relationship with
you as well as from your proud histo-
ry. You are exemplary in your pa-
tience in the face of the challenges
that life has to throw at you. Over the
ages, you have repeatedly demon-
strated your steadfastness on funda-
mental Islamic principles. You repre-
sent a dynamic force of Jihad,
defense, and resistance, a force that
is known for firmly holding on to its
honourable historic Islamic legacy.
Know, our pious people, that this rev-
olution of yours that is aimed at break-
ing the chains of slavery is not merely
a bold initiative on your part; it is the
most pressing and noble obligation in
this age. It is a duty that your Reli-
gion, your Book, your Lord exhort you
to fulfill. It is necessitated by your tra-
ditions, your manhood, by your chiv-
alry… by the gallantry for which you
are known. The oppression of the evil
system forcefully imposed on you im-
poses this duty on you. If anything, it
is a question of your survival, your
very existence. You have no choice
but to live proudly or die honourably.
French imperialism was the primary
force that fought Islam and the Is-
lamic resistance in Algeria. The revo-
lution of your forefathers articulated a
most beautiful facet of Islam: resist-
ance to oppression. Their revolution
represented an act of defiance
against French attempts to wipe out
all traces of Islamic identity by de-
stroying everything linked to the Is-
lamic faith, specifically mosques, the
very heart of the Islamic polity. It was
a declaration of war on the evil schol-
ars who had been taught by the
French to lend their ears to them and
obey them in every situation, to the
point that they became spies of the
French occupation and betrayed Is-
lam by turning on their own people.
The revolution of your forefathers
was a complete manifestation of the
meaning of defending Islamic tenets,
actualizing its values in real life, and
demonstrating to the world the just-
ness and greatness of Islam.
When the French fled from Algeria,
they left behind a certain class of trai-
tors and puppets who had been care-
fully handpicked by them for the pro-
tection of their interests. They
imposed on the Algerian nation a mil-
itary junta that owed its loyalty to
France and bankrolled these elites
27
 with an unending supply of franks,
dollars and everything necessary to
keep them in power. This class, which
typically lacked faith and character,
was lured by the trappings of this
world. And of course, you had within
the Algerian society a certain section
that panted after foreign money, a
class which can only be described as
callers to the doors of hell. They
spearheaded a campaign of spread-
ing all imaginable forms of vice and
evil in the society. A certain class of
traitors, sharing your race and colour,
unfortunately became tools of divi-
sion,discord, and internal strife. They
are the real source of all your trou-
bles. They are the worst possible ca-
lamity that could have afflicted Alge-
ria. They are the viral epidemic that
has weakened Algeria from within.
They are your real enemies, so be-
ware of them every step of your way.
Honourable brothers! Let your efforts
be dedicated to establishing a sys-
tem whereby you liberate yourselves
from the clutches of the tyrants and
live freely under the shade of the
Shariah. If you are indeed able to
achieve this noble goal, it will be noth-
ing short of a paradise on earth, the
road to which though is paved with
sacrifices and martyrdom. So let you
28
be the first ones to enter Paradise
without being held to account. Let the
Ummah and the rest of the world
know that you are indeed capable of
taking this revolution to its logical cul-
mination. This, of course, is not pos-
sible without putting your trust in Al-
lah, the Glorious, and uniting your
ranks on the basis of the Word of
Tauheed. The attainment of your
goals necessitates close coordina-
tion with everyone working for the Is-
lamic cause, especially sincere peo-
ple among the masses. Do not be
divided into factions and parties, each
disputing with the other. Extend a
hand of friendship and cooperation to
your Mujahid brothers, for they are
your pious sons. They are one of you.
They are your real source of strength
and honour.
Take a moment to reflect on the fate
of previous uprisings across the Arab
World in recent years. Carefully study
the counter-revolutions, the role of
the military establishment and the
deep state that holds nothing but ill-
will for the masses. Beware of the
treachery of the aides of the former
regime. Unite around sincere leader-
ship that has a proven track record of
fearing God and demonstrates sin-
cerity with the Religion, the masses,
and the country. Come together on
the basis of the truth so that your rev-
olution succeeds. Know that if you
fail to do so, your revolution will be
aborted by the schemes and conspir-
acies being hatched in the Emirates
and in Riyadh. You have no choice
but to ruthlessly confront the
counter-revolutionary current ema-
nating from this axis of evil in the
Arab World. Protect your blood from
being spilled cheaply. See to it that
the tragedy of Rabiah (in Egypt) does
not recur in Algeria. Your blood is
dear to us; it is too precious to be spilt
in exchange for nothing. Spare it for
the day when the revolution decides
to resolve matters by the Book and
by blood and iron to avenge the
crimes of the oppressors and to bring
tyrants to justice.
Lastly, we pray to Allah to guide you
on every step of your journey. May
Allah bless your sacrifices! May Al-
lah make your journey a journey of
true freedom. Protect the boundaries
set by Allah, Allah will protect you.
He is with you, with His support and
victory, wherever you may be. We
entrust you to Allah, the Best of trus-
tees. And our last prayer is that all
praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of
the Worlds.
29
31 30
 The air of revolution has a fragrance
that cannot be described in words, an
aura that is beyond imagination. The
birds begin to see colours they could
never recognize before. Every scene
of the revolution is captivating, en-
Salim al Shareef
thralling. With the dawn of a new era,
there opens a new dimension to
everything, a dimension that brings
joy to the heart. Every single sound
becomes music to the ears. The twit-
tering of the birds seems sweeter
than ever before. The food tastes
fresher than it had ever tasted, reju-
venating the body with boundless en-
ergy, inspiring conduct that is hon-
ourable, defiant. A deep sense of
pride, self-respect and gratitude
overcomes the self, moving one in-
stinctively to bow down before his
Lord for the immense blessing be-
stowed by Him.
Yes, it is the blessing of freedom. The
shackles of slavery have finally been
broken. The soul can experience now
the joy of servitude to Allah alone,
with no partners to associate. What is
the essence of freedom if not this?
When a revolution is successful in
overthrowing the old order and es-
tablishing a new system in its place,
the new system or state is coloured
by the morals of the generation that
leads the process of change. If the
generation that brings about change
is brought up on suspicion, fear, intol-
erance, hatred, and envy, the state
that it establishes shall be a rigid en-
tity, a police state. This state shall
move forward in bounds on the dubi-
ous principle of protecting itself from
imaginary enemies and brutally sup-
pressing all forms of dissent. It shall
evolve to become a living embodi-
ment of all the contradictions that its
founding fathers represented. The
result will be a highly unstable entity,
beset by constant upheavals. This
kind of a state is almost always im-
permanent and comes with a limited
shelf life, five decades at the very
most.
If the generation that leads change is
brought up on opportunism, exploita-
tion, and the ethics of the market-
place, the state that it establishes
shall never emerge from this immoral
framework. It shall be beset with per-
manent socio-political crises until a
better alternative emerges to take its
place.
If this first generation is brought up
on oppression, humiliation, and slav-
ery, it will need outside help for it to
bring about any semblance of real
change. When these external
33
players find a more suitable candidate
to serve their interests, they will with-
draw their support, setting off a total
collapse thereby within the ranks of the
movement. In this situation, the only
hope is a new generation born and
brought up in the anarchy and confu-
sion of the revolution, a generation that
is able to free itself from the fears and
weaknesses of its forefathers.
When the generation involved in the
process of change has its worldview
shaped by television screens, the in-
ternet and the social media- a virtual
generation in short- we are up against
a dilemma unique perhaps to our age
alone. If their forefathers survived on
day dreams, this generation lives in the
virtual world of the social media and
the virtual reality of strategy games.
This represents an evolution of sorts
though, since virtual enemies, unlike in
day dreams, too possesses a will of
their own that must be challenged and
opposed. But as soon as the power
supply is cut off, reality stares them in
the face with all its gloom. And so they
live in the hope of returning to the ad-
dictive comfort of the virtual world
where, unlike the real world, you live
not once, but twice, thrice, and as many
times as you wish. The real world,
34
much to their dislike, is merciless. The
first mistake is often the last. You don’t
get to live more than once.
However, if the generation that brings
about change is raised on the basis of
principles, sound values, and Prophet-
ic guidance, their souls purified in line
with the Prophetic methodology, and
they make the right choices, they will,
in all likelihood, overcome the stum-
bling blocks posed by the mistakes
made in their attempt to experiment
with the process of socio-political
change. It is this generation alone,
which drinks from the fountain of
Prophethood, that can reasonably be
expected to lay the foundations of a
sound and stable state-building project
along Islamic lines. This of course is
equally contingent upon their ability of
critical self-evaluation and the degree
of their commitment to internal reform.
However, it is important to note that
whenever there is internal divergence
and rifts in the frame of reference of
the generation that brings about the
revolution, an array of value systems
and ethics- upheld by the different
strands of the actors involved in the
process- inevitably overlap and get en-
tangled in complex ways. It is possible
that the fervor of the revolution
reinforces these diverging tenden-
cies temporarily. It is difficult, howev-
er, for opposing currents to unite
eventually under a single flag. After
the revolution, the gulf between di-
verging currents becomes all the
more acute, leading inevitably to bit-
ter rivalries, internal splits, treacher-
ies, and worse still, bloodshed.
It is here that the success of a revo-
lution depends on the masses who
stand behind it, on their level of
awareness, collective wisdom, un-
derstanding, and aspirations. It is
necessary for the rank and file of the
revolutionists to unite and take a
stance before the revolution loses its
way to drown in a swamp of oppor-
tunism and conceit. It is upon the
masses involved in the process of
revolutionary change to choose their
stance and decide whom to support
or oppose, for it is they who shall reap
the results of the choices they make
at this critical juncture.
“Clear proofs have indeed
come to you from your Lord;
so whoever sees, it is for his
own good; and whoever is
blind, it is to his own harm.
And I am not a keeper over
you.” [Al An’am: 104]
35
 Mohsin al Rumi
37 36
 In the last article, we discussed some
of the short-term and long-term ef-
fects of the 9/11 attacks. We reviewed
Shaykh Osama’s thesis that targeting
the American economy was not just
feasible but equally effective in weak-
ening the enemy. We concluded by
inviting the Muslims- specifically spe-
cialists in varying fields- to devote
their thoughts and time to innovating
new ways of finding and exploiting
loopholes in the enemy’s economic
defenses. This is how we may be
able to complete the mission of
Shaykh Osama and his brothers who
have to this day persisted with his
strategy of confronting the global

1 2
powers of disbelief.
In today’s world, anonymous, secret-
ly operating Mujahideen- men and
women- have immense potential to
support the Religion of Allah from
their towns, cities, and homes based
on individual initiatives, creativity, and
intuition. The only thing they need to
be careful in this regard is to align
their efforts with the overall strategy
of the Mujahideen. Yes, we are talk-
ing about a field whose potential has
not yet been fully realized: E-Jihad.
Before exploring this topic further, to
the extent of course that this article
and security considerations permit,
 let me first answer two questions
which are often raised. And as we
discuss these questions, let us not
forget a basic point: concentrating on
the American enemy does not in any
way mean neglecting all the other en-
emies that oppress Muslim masses.
Anyone who follows the military strat-
egy of the Mujahideen will under-
stand that they are highly flexible in
adapting to the conditions of each
front. This is normally done by con-
fronting the enemy with which there
is a direct confrontation in any given
place and by neutralizing secondary
enemies and weakening enemy alli-
ances.
Having said this, we need to answer
the question: Why America? America
is the top priority in the list of targets
because in recent decades America
has been the top enemy of Muslims
globally. It directly or indirectly occu-
pies large parts of the Muslim world
and has actively engaged in plunder-
ing the natural resources in Muslim
territories. It has directly promoted
the spread of disbelief, atheism, and
immorality in Muslim societies. The
US has been the chief guardian of Is-
raeli interests globally and has
propped up despotic regimes through-
out the Muslim world to this end. For
40
a more exhaustive answer to this
question one may refer to the litera-
ture of the Mujahideen and their me-
dia productions.
As for the question: Why focus on the
American economy? This is so be-
cause the US economy, alongside
America’s military power, represents
the most powerful tool of global pow-
er projection for the US. In fact, it is
often a more potent tool of American
influence than military power itself.
Anyone who studies America’s con-
flicts overseas will understand this
soft power strategy of the US. Ameri-
ca uses its economic influence to im-
pose its policies on allies and rivals
alike. And as for client regimes in the
Muslim world, they are like cows
reared to be milked as the need aris-
es. They owe their allegiance- and
often their very existence- to the US
and are there to facilitate the exploita-
tion of the Islamic world’s resources
by foreign powers.
In what follows, we shall try to men-
tion briefly some salient features of
America’s global economic hegemo-
ny:
- Control of global energy mar-
kets and pricing of oil in US dollars.
- Use of international financial in-
stitutions and banks to control the
flow of finances in the global econo-
my; predominance of the US dollar as
the medium of exchange in interna-
tional trade. It is noteworthy that 83%
of global trade is in the US dollars.
- American predominance in the
field of IT, technical and digital inno-
vations. America is home to the Sili-
con Valley, it is the global hub of the
internet and hosts powerful tech gi-
ants like Google, Microsoft, Intel, Ap-
ple, Ebay and Amazon.
- Control of the entertainment and
media industries which are used as
soft power tools to influence minds on
a global scale.
- To understand the extent of this
hegemony, it should be sufficient to
mention that the American GDP ex-
ceeds the GDPs of Japan, Germany,
India, France, the UK, Canada, Rus-
sia and Australia combined.
Returning to our topic, it is worth point-
ing out that the sheer scale and vol-
ume of the American economy is also
its weakness. American interests are
spread all over the world, including
the virtual world. American depend-
ency on the internet and online com-
munication and financial networks
represents a lucrative target for any-
one seeking to wreak havoc on the
American economy. To give our read-
ers an idea of the nature of this oppor-
tunity, we will mention here something
that has been circulating on news net-
works lately. Amazon plans to extend
the reach of the internet to remote
parts of the world, since the majority
of the world’s inhabitants still lack ac-
cess to the internet. To do so, it plans
to build and launch a network of small
satellites that will revolve around the
earth and provide fast and affordable
wireless internet services across the
world. Amazon has named this pro-
ject, ‘Project Kuiper’.
Such projects offer great opportuni-
ties for Muslims to participate in the
global Jihad. It is the need of the hour
that Muslims specializing in IT and
software engineering should join the
caravan of Jihad and dedicate their
efforts to launching electronic Jihad
against America and its allies. Elec-
tronic Jihad can indeed prove to be
an effective way to make the costs of
interfering in the affairs of the Muslim
world too great for America. As for the
youth who are planning to join univer-
sities, we would advise them to focus
on IT related fields which can contrib-
ute towards creating teams- and
eventually an army- of electronic war-
fare specialists.
41
This is not only possible but highly
effective. Let me quote an extract
from an interview with Admiral Mi-
chael Connell here. Responding to a
question, he said,

“ If I were a hacker interested in inflicting stra-

tegic damage on the United States,
“ I would
pick either the peak of cold in winter or the
peak of heat in summer to take offline the
electric grid on the West or East coast to
“
create a chain reaction. For a professional
hacker, these are real possibilities.
Host: ‘Do you believe that those who
hate us have the ability to suspend
our electric grid?’
Admiral Michael: ‘Yes, I believe so.’
Host: ‘Is the United States prepared
for this kind of an attack?’
Admiral Michael: ‘No, the United
States is not prepared for such an
eventuality.’
Such targets are obviously major
ones and a lot of preparation, time,
and resources are required for any
serious security breach to be suc-
cessful. However, there are many
 easier targets easily within the reach
of the Mujahideen. In fact, the Muja-
hideen have already made decent
progress in this regard. Security spe-
cialists divide the capabilities of the
Mujahideen in the field of electronic
warfare into three types generally:
1. Capacity-building capabilities:
• These include dawah, indoctri-
nation, and guidance using media
productions and spreading them on-
line in a way that they reach a wide
range of audience. This category in-
cludes reeducation of the Ummah’s
youth using effective means so that
they may emerge from the maze they
are lost in and assume their true role
in reviving the Ummah.
• Channeling the energies of the
Ummah’s youth so that they can uti-
lize their skills to target vital enemy
interests.
• Reconnaissance
• Communication
• Dissemination of training manu-
als and military literature so that par-
ticipation in the military battle be-
comes easy for the youth.
• Confronting the enemy’s propa-
ganda. This is clearly illustrated by
the difference between the coverage
of the two Iraq wars. In Operation De-
sert Storm, media coverage was ex-
44
clusively Western and govern-
ment-controlled and only a single
perspective was allowed to emerge,
while in the second Iraq War the in-
dependent media outlets of the Muja-
hideen projected the other side of the
picture which official and private
Western media outlets would try to
censor.
• Spreading the notion of the ‘Ji-
had of the Ummah’ and mobilizing
the masses to participate in the battle
against the global powers of disbe-
lief.
The media and cyber wings of the
Mujahideen have generally made
significant progress in spreading the
call and countering enemy propagan-
da. And this is something which the
enemy admitted and one may recall
the admission of Donald Rumsfeld
when he said that the Jihadi media
had surpassed the American media
in spreading its side of the story. How-
ever, this part of the Jihadi project re-
ceived a major setback when the
Khawarij of Baghdadi attempted to
hijack the Jihadi movement. They laid
waste to years of efforts and resourc-
es that had gone into developing sig-
nificant capabilities in the field of me-
dia production and online distribution.
The tragedy is that the goons of
Baghdadi surpassed the stage of de-
viation to reach that of outright be-
trayal and clientage. The results were
catastrophic in this field of Jihadi work
just as in others. We do believe, how-
ever, that this was a passing stage
and that Allah shall relieve the Mus-
lims of their evil and that no trace
shall eventually be left of them.
This area of Jihadi work has now, by
the Grace of God, started showing
signs of recovery from the effects of
the damage inflicted by Baghdadi’s
group. I would like to avail this op-
portunity to invite everyone who was
influenced by the criminal Khariji,
Baghdadi, or by his group to seek for-
giveness from Allah and return to the
path of truth by undoing the damage
done by this criminal gang to Islam
and Jihad.
2. Subversive Capabilities:
This category includes all online ac-
tivities aimed at the enemy’s IT infra-
structure such as hacking, leaking
secret enemy information, taking
down enemy-owned public and pri-
vate websites, penetrating the ene-
my’s computer networks and getting
hold of vital information, hacking
servers, disrupting financial net-
works, hacking banks and other forms
of cyber warfare.
The Mujahideen have made some
progress in this field but a lot more
needs to be done in this regard. This
necessitates that experts in this field
must join the caravan of Jihad and
contribute to the cause in their own
unique way. It also demands serious
efforts on part of the Jihadi movement
in terms of investment in manpower,
training, and capacity-building.
3. Destructive Capabilities:
This category includes all forms of
cyber-attacks that cause material
damage or human losses by target-
ing electronic communication and
control networks and disrupting se-
curity systems. Such attacks are gen-
erally aimed at the enemy’s industrial
infrastructure, aviation, electricity
grid, water systems, emergency re-
sponse systems and the like.
Naturally, such activities require sig-
nificant technical capabilities and
teams of professional hackers, along
with the necessary infrastructure and
the investment that goes into the en-
tire project. Developing the capability
to carry out successful cyber-attacks
involves several variables all of which
need investment of time, resources,
and manpower. All of this is in the
realm of the possible provided there
is trust in the Almighty, sincerity of
45
 purpose and single-minded dedica-
tion to the cause. We pray to Allah to
help the Mujahideen in this regard.
This topic is surely too complex to be
covered in a brief article, but what we
hope to have achieved here is that
we have hinted at the possibilities
that are waiting to be explored and
materialized by those who have the
necessary technical abilities. For ex-
perts of this field, there are countless
opportunities that can be utilized to
fulfill their duty of Jihad, defend Mus-
lims, and confront the global on-
slaught of disbelieving Western pow-
ers. All it requires is that they put their
trust in their Lord, join the ranks of
the Mujahideen- if possible- or at
least coordinate their activities with
them whenever it is possible and safe
to do so. If coordination of this nature
is not possible, they can initiate cy-
ber-warfare programs of their own,
individually or in small groups. And if
they choose to do so, all they need to
do is align their efforts with the over-
all strategy and policies of the Muja-
hideen so as to attain a degree of
synergy.
We encourage the virtuous youth of
the Ummah- specifically the youth of
the Muslim Brotherhood- who are
faced with numerous barriers when it
47
comes to supporting the Jihadi fronts
that they should exert serious efforts
to developing cyber warfare capabili-
ties. This in itself is no less important
a front of the Jihad. If they are able to
avail the opportunities presented in
this field, they will be able to soothe
the hearts of the believers and en-
rage the disbelievers by inflicting se-
rious damage on the enemy in the
cyberspace and on enemy soil. The
Muslim youth- specifically the youth
of the Muslim Brotherhood- should
focus their energies on creative ways
of dismantling the enemy’s electronic
and cyber defenses. These attacks
should not be restricted to the West-
ern powers alone but should relent-
lessly target the information networks
of their puppet regimes in the Muslim
world as well.
The Director of National Intelligence
in the US, William McConnell says,
“If the 19 terrorists from 9/11 had
been cyber-smart and attacked a sin-
gle bank, it would’ve had an order of
magnitude greater impact on the
American and global economies than
dropping the two World Trade Center
towers, The Bank of New York and
Citibank each handle about $3 trilion
a day in financial transfers. To put
that in perspective, the size of the
the entire American economy, its an- at this as if it’s pre-9/11, where we get
nual Gross Domestic Product, is 14 to know the problem, we discover the
trillion dollars. If the bank data was threat, we know it exists, we know it’s
destroyed, there would be financial real, and we don’t move fast enough
chaos. People wouldn’t be able to to address the problem”.
cash their money or know the history
of transactions. Imagine if you dis-
rupted that process? Wealth is most
often just an entry on a computer.
Modern banking is built on assurance
and confidence in those digital en-
tries rather than gold and currency.”.
He adds,” A few people could ruin the
U.S and the global economy and de-
stroy faith in the U.S. dolar.”.
Muslim youth must reflect on these
statements and rush to fulfill the duty Shaykh
of evolving the tactics that the Jihadi Abul Hassan al Baleedi
movement has at its disposal by us- )may Allah accept him(
ing all Islamically legitimate means.
Western and American dependence
on the internet and the integration of
“ We, O’ Muslims, are acutely in need of unity.
We are in need of association. We are in
need of cooperation. It is disgraceful that
information, financial and security
we see Muslims fasting on the same day,
systems within it is a weakness that
must be ruthlessly exploited. The se-
breaking their fast on the same day, making
curity of these networks does not dif- Hajj to the same House, making the same
fer from the security situation in Amer- Tawwaf, standing together and making the
ica pre-9/11 which, after the blessing same Talbiyyah, yet they are deeply divided,
of Allah, provided a conducive envi- estranged. It is disgraceful for us that the
ronment for executing the 9/11 at- followers of the Torah, the followers of
“
tacks. We conclude our article with the Injeel are all united, yet the followers
this brief quote of the American Con of the Quran remain divided.
gressman James Lan Javen, ”I look
46
 Salama al Najdi

49 48
 Many are the bitter truths that have
been revealed by the microscopic sol-
dier of Allah: Covid-19. The most
shocking ones concern the place of
fundamental human rights in Western
society in contrast with values and so-
cietal norms in the Islamic World. The
fragility of the Western social
system has been laid bare
by the shocking treatment of
the elderly during the pan-
demic. We would like to offer
here a quick overview of the
differences between Islamic
and Western societies in
their philosophical perspec-
tive on pandemics, death in
times of contagious diseas-
es, and the society’s treat-
ment of the elderly.
As for pandemics such as
Corona, Muslims consider
these to be a test from Allah
and a punishment for their
sins. They see in such tests
an opportunity to return to Allah by re-
penting to Him, in the hope that He
would lift the calamity. They consider
pandemics a disciplinary act of God,
part and parcel of qadr or fate. For the
one who dies as a result of such pan-
demics, it is considered an atonement
5
50
for his sins and martyrdom in the Way
of Allah, as per the teachings of our
Prophet (pbuh). The Western World’s
perspective, however, differs entirely
from this lofty Islamic outlook.
As for the elderly and the impover-
ished, Islam treats them with great re-
‫ﭐ ﭐﵛ ﲢ ﲣ ﲤ ﲥ ﲦ ﲧ ﲨ ﲩ ﲪ‬
‫ﲫﲬ ﲭﲮﵚ‬
And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy, and say: My Lord,
have mercy on them, as they brought me up when I was little.
spect. It mandates decent treatment,
respect and care for them, specifically
the aged. It does so as a recognition
of their contributions towards society
in their youth and their efforts to pro-
vide sound upbringing to a generation
of pious men and believing women.
The Muslim society collectively inher-
its the duty of taking care of those who
had contributed to the social cause in
the past.
The fact that among the fundamental
principles of the Shariah and the laws
prescribed by Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) is showing respect for the
elderly and being merciful towards the
weak and the poor. It is narrated on
account of Abu Musa al Ash’ari that
the Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Honoring the
old bearded Muslim is part of glorify-
ing Allah.’
As for disbelieving Westerners, who
lack a decent upbringing along
Divine lines and are unfamiliar with
Quranic ethics, their attitude tends to
be one of persistent whining about the
elderly. They view the aged as non-pro-
ductive beings; in fact, many Western-
ers openly complain how the elderly
are a burden on the state’s
coffers! When all hope is
lost in the recovery of old
parents and the aged
members of society, the
philosophy behind eutha-
nasia takes the shape of
state policy. Western phi-
losophy views man essen-
tially as a productive tool
in the service of society
and the state. Once this
productivity comes to an
end, this ‘tool’ outlives its
utility, and may thus be
mercifully terminated rath-
er than continue to exist as
an unproductive ‘burden’
on the state and society.
While Corona makes significant ad-
vances in its war against Western val-
ues- a war in which it hasn’t lost any-
thing- and attains, with every passing
day, more and more
successes against the West’s
usury-based economic system,
50
51
 the whole world witnesses how Western these shelters into morgues for the aged.
society tramples upon the rights of the Today, the aged section of the society
aged and leaves them at the mercy of the feels deeply estranged from the new
pandemic. The Spanish Defense Minis- generation in their societies. Many have
try lately announced that it had discov- openly complained about the lack of re-
ered in its disinfection campaign dozens spect and consideration for the aged.
of dead bodies in old homes. The deaths They feel as if they are unwanted and the
were a result of the elderly being aban- society simply wants to get rid of them.
doned by their relatives and the nursing We praise Allah for the blessing that is
staff out of fear of contracting the virus. Islam. We owe Him our gratitude for pre-
The same pattern was witnessed in ferring us over the disbelievers by guid-
America, Britain, Germany and the rest ing us to His Religion of mercy, and we
of Europe. As per statistics, every five would never have been guided to it had
minutes an elderly person dies in old He not guided us. Verily our Messengers
homes in Britain. In New Jersey, the po- came with the Truth.
lice discovered dozens of dead bodies in To conclude, we would like to advise
one of the biggest old homes. In France, Muslims to take care of the elderly. They
medical staff abandoned their duties should never let them feel that they are in
without warning, leaving the elderly to need of care; rather, we should make
starve to death or die due to the them feel that we are indebted to them
pandemic. and that we need to earn reward from Al-
The truth that must be brought to light is lah by serving them, as has been or-
that contemporary Western philosophy dained by our Prophet (pbuh). We must
views the Coronavirus as the ‘final solu- show them immense respect and be con- What I have seen is circumvention and manipulation of facts by the enemies of
tion’ to get rid of the burden of the aged siderate towards them. We must con- Islam who want to silence scholars and preachers so that they do not spread the
on the world’s economy. What we are verse with them gently and lovingly, and true Islam since America and its allies, whom I call ‘soldiers of the anti-christ’
witnessing today is the savage reality of seek their guidance and benefit from their are attacking Islam, especially in a country like Denmark. they do so by way of an
Western materialism. We are faced with experiences in life. If we do so, this will intellectual invasion instead of military means. their goal is to uproot Islam from
a mindset that considers Covid-19 as a significantly contribute to improving our .our country from within
significant opportunity to level the politi- psychological and social conditions. Al-
cal and socio-economic playing field. lah alone guides to the right path, and all
This is why the doors of old homes have praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the
been left wide open, practically turning Worlds.

53 shaykh abu bakar ba’asyir

52
Umaymah Hasan Ahmad
They hurriedly took us in a large van
in search of the girls. We would stop
at each house on the way and ask
them if they had heard of them. They
would say, ‘There is no one here.’
This would make us cry and panic
even more. Some people told us
about the house they had been shift-
ed to. It was a long way away. Finally,
as we arrived at the door of the house,
they said, ‘Kindly, enter. The girls are
waiting for you inside.’ Scared, we
kept shouting from outside, ‘O’ Hajar!
O’ Eeman! O’ Nabeela! O’ Khadeeja!’
Suddenly we heard them all running
towards us frantically, asking, ‘Where
is my mother?’ ‘Where is my father?’
Where are my brothers and sisters?’
We told them not to worry and that
they shall soon join us, God Willing.
We stayed at this house the night,
hoping that Allah would save the rest
and bring them too. We were hoping
that perhaps Allah will bring someone
from the men or the elder boys, but
they had all been killed in the Way of
Allah. And thus they had attained a
great station (so do we consider them
and verily Allah is their Reckoner.)
When dawn broke, a group of Arab
brothers arrived. They told us, ‘Let’s
go to another place.’ Our situation
was heart-breaking, pitiful. No shoes
54
whatsoever, our clothes filled with the
smell of smoke from the explosion…
blood… and urine of the children.
With me at the time was Ayesha, the
younger daughter of Dr. Ayman. She
had received serious injuries. One
leg was fractured, the other badly
wounded. They took her to the hospi-
tal where she received first aid and
her leg was plastered. We then set
off with the brothers on the road to
Khost. On our way, we saw a long
line of cars. People told us that the
road had been closed and that we
could not continue with our journey.
We were dropped at a house along
the road. Some Arab families whom
we knew also stopped at this house.
They were shocked to see us in this
condition. Upon inquiry, we narrated
to them the entire story. They had no
idea that we had gone through such
an ordeal and were greatly grieved
by the loss that we had suffered.
The brothers brought some medicine
for Ayesha. We noticed slight swell-
ing in her head. This was a worrisome
sign and we started to fear for her.
She was lying in her place, asking
about her mother. Two sisters took
turns to care for her. Late at night,
she woke up, crying out of pain. I and
her elder sister, Nabeela, rushed to-
wards her. She had started vomiting
blood. In the morning we told the
brothers that Ayesha’s condition was
worsening. They said, ‘We will bring
a car and take her to the doctor.’ Un-
fortunately, the owners of the house
in which we had landed feared for
their own safety. And so they turned
us all out of the house. We spent the
entire day sitting at the foot of
55
 a nearby hill. There we found a ram-
shackle hut. We took Ayesha with us
so that she could rest there. Soon,
the owner of the hut, an old lady, ar-
rived. She started shouting at us,
‘This is my hut, leave it immediately.’
We told her that we would leave the
children there to rest. With great diffi-
culty, she agreed to this.
When the time for Zuhr prayers ar-
rived, we went searching for water in
the hills. We found a small spring. All
of us made wudhu and prayed Zuhr
and Asr together. After Asr, the broth-
ers arrived in cars and told us to get
ready for a long journey. We went to
the spring and made wudhu again.
When we returned, the brothers told
us to sit in the cars quickly as it was
getting late. We told them that Ayesha
was sleeping in the hut above and
that we must bring her along. One of
the brothers told us to sit in the car
alongside his wife, saying that he
would go bring Ayesha. He came
back soon, but there was no sign of
Ayesha. His wife said, ‘The girl is in-
jured, we must take her with us.’
The brother tried to soothe us. He
said, ‘You are patient people. Ayesha
was young and had serious injuries.
Praise be to Allah, she has joined her
mother. Today is Friday, the first of
56
Ramadhan. So may Allah bless her.’
We broke in tears. The brother kept
reminding us of Allah and the virtues
of patience. His wife, overcome by
grief, could no longer control herself
and started weeping profusely.
On the way, the time for Maghrib ar-
rived. We broke our fast with dates
and water. We continued our journey
till we arrived at a house situated on
a hilltop. We parked our cars at the
foot of the hill and made our way to
the top on foot. It was an extremely
tiring climb all the way to the top. We
took our time, eventually arriving at
the door of the house. We were taken
to a large carpeted room that had a
Bukhari, the traditional Afghan heat-
ing system. The room was cozy and
warm, and the hospitality even warm-
er. The owners of the house served
us lavish food and went out of their
way to care for us. The owner of the
house would tell us, ‘May my soul,
my wife, my house and everything I
own be sacrificed for you.’
My brother, the martyr Osama (may
Allah have mercy on him), had ar-
rived from the UK after 9/11. He was
in Qandahar, but I had not seen him.
When he heard about the ordeal we
had gone through, he came looking
for me, and so we met in this house.
He stayed with me for three days.
The brothers decided to send all the
women and children to Pakistan. Af-
ter a long and arduous journey, we
moved to Pakistan. We were accom-
panied by some Pakistani Muja-
hideen. We stayed at his house.
However, the situation was danger-
ous as several of his brothers had
been arrested. Fearing for our safety,
he took us to a place in the desert
where we stayed at huts made of
straw. There we tried to adapt to a
new life. It was Allah’s mercy that
one of the Arab brothers eventually
arrived at our place and made the
necessary arrangements to take us
to Iran. In Iran, I got another oppor-
tunity to catch up with my brother.
Soon thereafter, we were arrested by
the Iranian authorities. Two years af-
ter our arrest, we were able to escape
to Waziristan. The story doesn’t end
here of course, but for brevity sake I
will pause here.
The lives of the Mujahideen are full
of unpredictable challenges and diffi-
culties, and these uncertain circum-
stances continue until Allah grants
them either victory or martyrdom. I
ask Allah to grant us steadfastness
until we attain martyrdom. May Allah
be pleased with us and grant us His
acceptance. May Allah save us and
all Muslim brothers and sisters from
arrest and imprisonment.
I shall conclude with a brief word of
advice for my Mujahid emigrant sis-
ters. I say to them: Utmost patience
and steadfastness is the way forward.
We all know that victory comes with
patience. As the Prophet (pbuh) of
Allah says, ‘The one who tries to be
patient, Allah grants him patience.
The one who tries not to be in need of
others, Allah fulfills his needs. The
one who tries to be chaste, Allah
grants him chastity. I do not find a
provision for you greater than pa-
tience.’
So my dearest sisters, patience in the
face of the difficulties of this path,
God Willing, takes us to Paradise, to
the awaited meeting with our Lord, to
our beloved, Muhammad, peace be
upon him. As the Prophet (pbuh)
says, ‘Paradise is surrounded by dif-
ficulties; Hellfire is surrounded by
lusts.’ And as our Lord, the Greatest,
says, ”And We shall certainly try you
with something of fear and hunger
and loss of property and lives and
fruits. And give good news to the pa-
tient. Who, when a misfortune befalls
them say: “Surely we are Allah’s and
to Him we shall return.”
57
 Those are they on whom are bless-
ings and mercy from their Lord; and
those are the followers of the right
course”, [Al Baqarah:155-157]

So everyone who demonstrates

patience in the face of all the trials
in the Way of Allah, Allah gives him
the glad tidings of guidance and His
mercy. We must know that this war is
long; it is only a part of the larger
battle between faith and disbelief,
between truth and falsehood.
So let us beware that the enemies of
Islam from the east to the west are
bent on harming us so that we leave
our Religion, our way of life,
and instead become subservient
to them.
As long as we hold fast to our Reli-
gion, they shall not leave us alone.
We must make our children aware of
,
,
the reality of this conflict and instill in
them enmity for the American enemy the most despicable situation for a man is not acting upon his
and hatred for the despotic criminal words. what is even worse is when a man restricts himself
rulers who rule by man-made laws, to narrating what others said or did without playing any
oppress Muslim masses, steal their constructive role or offering a positive opinion on his part.
wealth, and appropriate the resourc-
es of the Islamic World. shaykh mohamed bachir el ibrahimi
And our last prayer is that all praise
belongs to Allah, the Lord of the
Worlds.

58
In the last part of the article while dis-
cussing the methodologies of the two
martyrs, Shaykh Osama and Shaykh
Azzam, we threw light on certain as-
pects of the jurisprudential and theolog-
ical views, and the philosophy of change
and political activism in Islam. On the
basis of their works and logical proofs,
we were able to establish that their ju-
risprudential, theological and pedagogi-
cal methodology was the same, and
that their vision of change and political
activism was almost identical in spite of
the minor differences in the choice of
tactics at each stage of change. At the
same time, we reiterated that their per-
sonalities differ based on inherent dif-
ferences in their intellectual and psy-
chological makeup and backgrounds.
Shaykh Azzam was a Godly jurist, a
caller to Allah who guided people and
exhorted them to Jihad, while Shaykh
Azzam was a field commander, a rich
financial backer of contemporary Jihad,
and an expert in finance and manage-
ment. Both of them spent their lives,
wealth, time, and efforts for the sake of
Jihad. They sacrificed their families and
children in the Way of Allah. This is how
we consider them to be and we do not
exonerate anyone before Allah.
I then went on to explain that Shaykh
Osama arrived in Afghanistan two years
before Shaykh Azzam. He founded
there the ‘Lion’s Den’ in 1400 A.H. and
participated, alongside his brothers, in
the battles inside Afghanistan. Shaykh
Azzam, at the time, was of the view that
the Arabs should not independently take
part in the battles that were raging at
the time, instead they should focus on
imparting quality military training. If the
Arab Mujahideen wanted to fight on the
fronts, then this, in his opinion, needed
to be under Afghan leadership as an
auxiliary role and not the way that
Shaykh Osama preferred, i.e. as an in-
dependent entity with an independent
setup on the fronts alongside the Af-
ghans.
In spite of these differences of opinion,
Shaykh Osama held the scholar, the ju-
rist, Shaykh Azzam, in very high es-
teem. He gave due regard to the man-
ners of differing with a scholar. Despite
these differences, Shaykh Osama was
the main financier of the Maktab al Khi-
damat that was founded and managed
by Shaykh Azzam. The ‘Lion’s Den’, on
the other hand, remained under Shaykh
Osama’s management. Later, when
Shaykh Osama and his brothers made
impressive progress on the front at Jaji
and defeated the Russian Special Forc-
es, inflicting in the process tremendous
casualties on Russian forces, Shaykh
61
 Azzam changed his opinion. Thereafter,
he became a proponent of combining
independent and joint military opera-
tions with logistic support, training, and
humanitarian work.
Shaykh Azzam, in spite of his old age,
made unprecedented contributions in
the field by offering his time, guidance,
expertise, and resources. He would
cross great distances, through challeng-
ing mountainous terrain, to fight along-
side his brothers. He himself participat-
ed in several battles, thus becoming
one of the few who combined knowl-
edge with Jihad with the tongue and the
sword. This is in addition to his immense
efforts in the field of Dawah (propaga-
tion). We believe that the contributions
of Shaykh Azzam are unparalleled in
contemporary times. He was the Abdul-
lah bin Mubarak of our times. For the
sake of Allah, for the Ummah, and for
history’s sake, we must state the truth:
Had it not been for Shaykh Azzam, there
would have been no ‘Shaykh Osama’.
Without Shaykh Azzam, Shaykh Osama
would not have come to Afghanistan for
Jihad, and the world would not have
known him. So may Allah shower his
mercy on Shaykh Azzam, on his suc-
cessor, and illustrious student, Shaykh
Osama bin Laden. This, we say, so as
to clarify the error in the said article,
62
‘Contemporary Jihad between Azzam
and Bin Laden’, wherein the author
says, ‘Some people believe that the
school of Bin Laden and al Qa’eda itself
are a historical continuation of the vision
of Abdullah Azzam and his way of doing
Jihad (specifically global Jihad), where-
as others believe that there exists a
wide gulf between the two methodolo-
gies, and that there is absolutely no
convergence between the two.’
The truth is that Shaykh Azzam, after
the battle at Jaji, evolved his vision to go
beyond what the author terms ‘the Jihad
of logistic support’ so as to coincide with
the vision of his student, Shaykh Osa-
ma- a vision the author terms as the ‘Ji-
had of open confrontation’. The projects
of the two Imams, Azzam and Bin Lad-
en, came to be based on a common
agenda, namely militarizing the Islamic
Ummah in its totality so as to achieve
complete liberation from the global he-
gemony of disbelief, both in its western
and eastern manifestations.
Both the Imams were among the strong-
est opponents of the disgraceful calls of
some defeatist groups that call people
to desisting from the use of force. The
aim of such groups is to turn the Um-
mah into a sitting duck, discourage it
from taking up arms, and wipe out all
traces of Islamic chivalry and honour
from its hearts. The Shaykhs, Azzam
and Bin Laden, would exhort people to
take defiance as their methodology,
honour as their religion. As for those
who discouraged people from taking up
arms, it is sufficient for any reasonable
person to consider their condition today.
As soon as they hear the sirens of a mil-
itary coup going off, they return to the
narrative of the reason and nature, over-
looking in the process all notions of na-
tional reconciliation and co-existence.
And thus they return to the honourable
school of man’s innate nature which is
embraced by everyone whose human
nature has remained undistorted. This
is when we hear from them cries of Ji-
had, the importance of picking up weap-
ons to defend the homeland, their une-
quivocal approval of fighting what they
had previously termed ‘national armies’,
and spilling the blood of those who were
brethren in ‘religion and nationality’.
This is what we saw in Turkey after the
attempted coup, this is what we see the
madakhilah of Haftar doing in Libya.
I finally concluded my article by explain-
ing the methodology of Shaykh Azzam
in issues concerning Jihad, politics, the
sanctity of blood, and takfeer. I cleared
the doubts about the methodology of
the new objective-oriented jurists. Here,
it would be worthwhile pointing out that
openly declaring takfeer regarding indi-
viduals associated with institutions lead-
ing the war on Islam and Muslims de-
pends on weighing the benefits against
the evils of openly stating so. Adopting
this cautious approach is equally con-
tingent upon stating in front of the mass-
es the truth, believing from one’s heart
in the disbelief of these enemies of Is-
lam and Muslims, excommunicating
them, and adopting a non-compromis-
ing position by refusing to call people to
give them their allegiance or by saying
that they are the defenders of the reli-
gion and lawful rulers who must be lis-
tened to and obeyed.
However, it remains to be said that
openly declaring that these tyrants are
disbelievers secures the fundamental
objectives of the Shariah mentioned in
the Quran and Sunnah, thereby secur-
ing worldly and religious interests of the
Muslims. The Mujahideen and the schol-
ars active on the fronts do not deny the
importance of research and inquiry re-
garding the objectives of the Shariah
and the profound secrets they hold.
What they do object against, however,
is that the proponents of the new fiqh of
objectives seek to worship Allah, the
Glorious, by inventing doubtful gray are-
as within the maqasid al fiqhiyyah (ob-
jectives of Islamic Law). Their criticism
63
 is reserved for such innovations in the
name of maqasid al fiqhiyyah which di-
rectly contravene or suspend legal rul-
ings established by a consensus of the
jurists. They oppose anything that con-
tradicts the muhkam evidences (verses
in the Quran that leave no room for al-
ternative interpretations). Similarly, they
reject attempts to establish, on the ba-
sis of fiqh of objectives, innovative
schools of thought and law that are a far
cry from the established schools of Is-
lamic law. They rightfully dismiss the
claim, falsely based on the fiqh of objec-
tives, that the existing schools of Islamic
law have failed to realize the objectives
that they seek to secure. This is why
Shaykh Azzam, Bin Laden, and their fol-
lowers do not reject the objectives of the
Shariah. What they do object against
are attempts to use the objectives of the
Shariah as a tool to innovate and create
new legal rulings that directly go against
the logic of established legal rulings
mentioned in the books of some of the
most renowned jurists in Islamic history.
This, they view, is an attempt to deprive
Islamic law of its reality, its true spirit. It
is, in their view, a gross distortion of the
entire structure of Islamic Law. These
attempts can by no measure be pro-
claimed as endeavours to revive or even
renew Islamic Law.
64
The truth is that the proponents of the
fiqh of objectives, as they view them-
selves, did not begin to dilute definite,
clear-cut legal rulings in the garb of this
particular branch of fiqh except when
they realized that earlier Islamic jurists
and Imams had, with great diligence,
established a logically consistent legal
system that was unparalleled in its depth
and attention to detail. The first genera-
tion of jurists clearly laid out the rules for
interpretation of legal texts, principles of
deduction, methods of qiyaas (estab-
lishing rulings on the basis of legal prec-
edents and analogy) and rules for arriv-
ing at the underlying precedents and
analogy) and rules for arriving at the un-
derlying legal reason for a particular rul-
ing. This they did after grounding them-
selves firmly in Islamic Law and
developing a profound understanding of
the sources of the Shariah and its ob-
jectives.
Anyhow, this lengthy prelude was only
to remove the doubt raised regarding
the mashaykh of Jihad and the Muja-
hideen that they are short-sighted when
it comes to the objectives and wisdom
of Islamic Law and that their Jihadi-po-
litical activism and attempts to revive
the Ummah are all based on this sup-
posed ignorance!
Here, in the second part of my critique
of the article published in Majjalat al
Haq, I would go on to establish, with
clear proofs, the unity of the fiqhi and
pedagogical methodology of Shaykh
Azzam and Shaykh Osama and their
agreement on the appropriate methods
of confronting enemy aggression. I
would also explain my position regard-
ing the so-called differences that the
author has artificially tried to create be-
tween the respective methodologies of
the two Shaykhs.
Before we delve deeper, I must point
out a basic logical reality. The piece au-
thored by the said commentator is a far
cry from the kind of objective analyses
that one gets to read in academic jour-
nals. What shocked me most was the
author’s claim that ‘We would like to
draw the attention of our respected
readers to the fact that this work will
take the shape of a descriptive, docu-
mented historical account and we shall
avoid going into extensive analyses that
are beyond the scope of this article(!)’ If
we were to go by the logic of descriptive
and objective studies that document
historical facts, the comparison between
any two personalities would be benefi-
cial only if they were contemporaries
and lived at the same time, in similar cir-
cumstances. In the case of Shaykh Az-
zam and Shaykh Bin Laden, such an
exercise would be futile after 1409 A.H.
The work of the author in question total-
ly ignores this basic condition. He goes
on to make a comparison between the
two for the period during which only one
of them was alive and general circum-
stances and the nature of the conflict
had evolved to take on an entirely differ-
ent form.
Even more surprising is the author’s
emphatic insistence that Azzam would
not have adopted Bin Laden’s course of
taking the fight to the Americans, the
Jews and the West, nor would he have
exhorted people to fight them. He makes
an important distinction, namely that
Shaykh Azzam, unlike al Qa’eda in its
fight against Western military hegemo-
ny, did not resort to hijacking aircrafts,
blowing up enemy ships, embassies,
and military bases (!). Perhaps the ex-
cuse that the author can hide behind
here is that he did not study the works of
Shaykh Azzam produced during the fi-
nal two years of his life. The truth is that
Shaykh Azzam had opined along these
lines way before anyone else, including
Shaykh Osama. Anyone who reads his
works written during the latter part of his
life or the lectures he delivered during
that period will clearly recognize the ex-
tent of the evolution in his Jihadi narra-
tive. He, in the latter part of his life,
65
 clearly explained the nature of the
contemporary battle for Islam and its
requirements. He spoke at length
about the crisis that the Ummah was
undergoing due to lack of awareness
about the Ummah’s past and pres-
ent. And this was something that im-
mediately struck everyone who fol-
lowed his works at the time. This is
why the Zionist-Crusader forces rec-
ognized the threat that Shaykh Az-
zam’s message posed given the tre-
mendous influence and authority he
enjoyed among Muslims the world
over. It was in this context that these
forces assigned to their pawns in the
Intelligence agencies of the Arab
world the job of assassinating Shaykh
Azzam so that the dangerous ideas
that he preached would not take on
the form of a revivalist Jihad within
the Ummah after the exit of the Red
Bear from Afghanistan and the disin-
tegration of the Soviet Union.
What happened thereafter is well
known. These forces of evil succeed-
ed in executing their plan and thus,
with the assassination of Shaykh Az-
zam, a dynamic, charismatic leader
who could have led a global move-
ment for an Islamic revival was re-
moved from the scene.
Allah (swt), however, had his own
66
plans. He willed that an equally dy-
namic personality would take on
Shaykh Azzam’s role: Osama bin
Laden. With his actions, Shaykh Osa-
ma translated the message and the
revivalist Jihadi vision of Shaykh Az-
zam into reality. The version of Jihad
in the 90s, in the leadership of Osa-
ma bin Laden, was a practical mani-
festation of the school of Shaykh Az-
zam. Anyway, it would be an act of
gross injustice on the part of the au-
thor to compare the two personalities
in the context of events and circum-
stances which Shaykh Azzam never
got the chance to experience. This
would be logically inconsistent. Man’s
personality, views, inclinations are all
greatly influenced by his circum-
stances and the changes therein.
Fourth Observation: The con-
fusion in the contemporary
mindset surrounding the theo-
retical and legal grounds for
takfeer and implementing the
ruling of takfeer
The author says, ‘Abdullah Azzam (a
Ph.D. in Usool al Fiqh from Al Azhar)
possesses a jurisprudential mind ful-
ly cognizant of the principles and
rules of deducing legal rulings. He
understands the diversity of legal rul-
ings that result thereof, all of which
fall within the wide ambit of accepted
differences in the established Sunni
legal schools. Within this category
are innumerous rulings concerning
political matters, war, and Jihad. This
is why he avoids general rulings
about individuals working for institu-
tions, political parties or groups and
leans towards making fine distinc-
tions based on specific details, spe-
cifically in decrees involving takfeer
(excommunication) or blood-related
issues. This is in contrast to Bin Lad-
en, who often displays opposite ten-
dencies. This is why you see him
generalizing about a wide array of
opponents, among them Islamists in
parliaments, ministries or political al-
liances (with the powers of jahilliyah
or pre-Islamic ignorance). This, in
large part, may be attributed to the
influence of the Wahhabi legal mind-
set that bases rulings on apparent
similarities without paying due regard
to the subtle causes, distinctions,
proofs and general purpose.’
As mentioned earlier, the author
clearly confuses the issue by making
superficial distinctions between their
respective methodologies, even
where none exist. He defames the
school of Shaykh Osama and does
gross injustice to that of Shaykh Ab-
dul Wahhab as well. As for the meth-
odology of Shaykh Azzam, to claim
that ‘he avoids general rulings about
individuals working for institutions,
political parties or groups’ is a grave
misunderstanding. It is clear from the
numerous works of the Shaykh that
he issued general decrees of takfeer
regarding several rulers of Muslim
countries and permitted spilling their
blood. The same goes for his opinion
about individuals working for the mili-
tary and intelligence of regimes such
as Gadhafi’s in Libya, Hafez al As-
sad’s in Syria, Nasser’s in Egypt, Na-
jeeb’s in Afghanistan, among others.
In fact, he went on to generalize and
extend the ruling to regime allies and
everyone who actively supported or
worked for the regime. He says, ‘We
must know the ruling that the one al-
lies with the Americans is a disbeliev-
er, the one who allies with the Jews is
a Jew himself, the one who allies with
the Christians is a Christian: ‘Those
who become their allies are one of
them’.”
He goes on to mention: “The ques-
tioner asks: Is it permissible for me to
kill a policeman who prays and fasts
simply because he wants to take me
to the police station (to be interrogat-
ed)?’ As for the opinion of the jurists
67
 by consensus, it is impermissible to
surrender a person to someone who
wants to violate his honour. So if Ab-
dul Nasser imprisons a Muslim for
twenty years and brings his wife to be
raped in front of him by the police,
there is a consensus in this case that
he should never surrender, even if
that means death.
The jurists agree unanimously that
repelling the aggressor who seeks to
violate people’s honour is a binding
obligation. So if you were to leave the
police raid your home at night at a
time when your wife is wearing her
night dress, and they bang in to find
you sleeping with her, your honour
would be definitely violated, and you
would be sinful in the eyes of Allah for
letting them do so without any resist-
ance on your part. Here lies the injus-
tice. As for the policemen praying and
fasting, this does not prevent their
killing, for that is a different issue.’
The Shaykh adds, ‘How many people
have fallen prey to their ignorance of
this fundamental ruling! The interro-
gators would come and take a per-
son’s wife with them in the middle of
the night and he would hesitate to kill
them out of fear of spilling a Muslim’s
blood unjustly.’
As for his generalizations about as-
68
sassinations, in his article ‘The Lists
of Muhammad bin Maslama’ in which
he asked the Mujahideen to prepare
lists of people who must be assassi-
nated, he had the following to say
about the candidates for the list:
‘Firstly, we shall mention in this list
every single Jew who supports or
sympathizes with the Israeli state.
We shall mention the leaders of dis-
belief, the interrogators in the secret
torture cells of Russia and Commu-
nist regimes, heads of secular, athe-
ist political parties that actively pro-
mote disbelief and secularism. We
shall mention everyone who supports
the Zionists, whatever his nationality
or race may be.’
The Shaykh adds, ‘It must be known
that we declare Zahir Shah a disbe-
liever who does not belong to the Is-
lamic community. Similarly, we de-
clare takfeer on Babrak Karmal. This
principle must be clear in your minds,
present in your hearts and run in your
veins.’
Shaykh Azzam was of the opinion
that Abdul Nasser died a disbeliever,
a polytheist who associated partners
with Allah, the reason being that he
ruled by other than what Allah had
revealed. He declared him a tyrant,
love for whom could never combine
in a believer’s heart with the love of
God. He emphatically stated that a
believer must reject the tyrant Abdul
Nasser.
The quotes of Shaykh Abdullah Az-
zam regarding takfeer and spilling
the blood of tyrants are simply too
many to be reproduced here. Same
goes for his generalizations about in-
dividuals working for government in-
stitutions that frame and implement
policies directly contravening definite
articles of belief or secular, socialist,
and communist political parties that
were actively engaged in a war
against Islam.
As we have just seen in the quotes of
Shaykh Azzam, he did not lean to-
wards the kind of fine distinctions and
details that the authors attributes to
him. In this first part of my article, I
mentioned that Azzam permitted kill-
ing everyone who cooperated with
the occupying Russian forces, even
women. He applied rulings of aposta-
sy and heresy on such individuals.
When he was asked about individu-
als working for the Afghan military, he
said, ‘As for declaring the shahada
(testimony of faith), this does not pre-
vent the spilling of their blood, since
they are treated not as disbelievers
but apostates and heretics.’
The author did great injustice to
Shaykh Osama by saying that ‘you
see him generalizing about a wide
array of opponents, among them Is-
lamists in parliaments, ministries or
political alliances (with the powers of
jahilliyah or pre-Islamic ignorance)’.
Shaykh Osama, in his application of
rulings of takfeer on the original dis-
believers- Jews and Christians- and
on those who supported them against
Islam and Muslims, was a staunch
follower of Shaykh Azzam. As for ‘Is-
lamists in parliaments, ministries or
political alliances’, Shaykh Osama,
unlike Shaykh Azzam, would never
declare them disbelievers. Not once
did he generalize about them as the
author alleges. He would say that
some of them had committed acts,
on the basis of false interpretations,
that could be described as ‘polytheist
acts’. He clearly differentiated be-
tween the committing of an act of dis-
belief (due to an incorrect under-
standing of fiqhi rulings or ignorance)
and the application of the actual rul-
ing of disbelief or excommunication
on an individual. As is well known,
the first ruling does not necessarily
imply the second.
The author, may Allah guide him,
confused between two entirely
69
 different issues and then hurled a
wild accusation at Shaykh Osama. I
don’t know if this stemmed in part
from his deficient understanding of
theological issues or he has his own
motives. From the different published
versions of the same article, it is ap-
parent that there is more to the issue
than meets the eye. The version of
his article published by the Egyptian
Center for Studies and the Muntada
al Ulama (Scholars’ Forum) include
additions and changes that are not
there in the version published by the
magazine, Kalimat al Haqq. Howev-
er, what is important is that the same
accusation, with different wordings
though, is present in all three ver-
sions of his article.
What must be pointed out here is that
Shaykh Osama’s opinion about
non-participation in parliaments, po-
litical parties and the electoral pro-
cess is based on protecting the right
that Allah the Glorious has over his
servants. This is the way of the Book,
the Sunnah and the righteous prede-
cessors when it comes to taking pre-
cautions and warning people against
committing acts of disbelief or poly-
theism. This is why Shaykh Osama
was extremely keen to advise the
Ummah and guide it towards good
70
deeds with kindness and sincerity. If
he was strict in these issues, it was
only because he followed the meth-
odology of the earlier scholars who
too were uncompromising on issues
related to faith and Unity of Allah. It is
in this background that any rational,
sincere scholar would interpret these
opinions of Shaykh Osama bin
Laden.
Therefore, when Shaykh Osama in
his message to the Iraqi people be-
fore the first elections after the occu-
pation said that anyone who partici-
pated in such elections would be
guilty of committing disbelief in Allah,
he was merely laying out the general
principle, not applying it generally on
those who participated in the elec-
tions. He was advising and guiding
the Ummah, explaining to them the
importance of issues pertaining Ee-
man (faith) and Tauheed (Unity of Al-
lah). For as long as he lived, Shaykh
Osama believed that protecting the
right of God takes precedence over
protecting the right of His creation.
He contributed to protecting this right
by advising the Ummah in a kind and
sincere manner.
This is why I believe that the author
levels a totally baseless accusation
when he says in his version of the
article published by the Egyptian
Center for Studies: ‘In his view, all of
these issues were among the con-
stants of creed which cannot be a top-
ic of debate or differences of opinion,
and regarding which no one should
be excused.’ Yes, Shaykh Osama did
view these issues as among the con-
stants of the creed, but he would ex-
cuse those who took a differing stance
on the basis of an interpretation by a
scholar, especially if the scholar had
a strong academic background and
positive reputation within the Ummah.
Neither did Shaykh Osama declare
takfeer on everyone who participated
in the elections, specifically not on the
ordinary Muslims wo are generally
unaware of the ruling in this case and
rely on the interpretations of some
scholars. Similarly, he would never
apply such rulings on those who be-
came members of parliaments and
legislative bodies yet in practice ex-
erted their efforts to fighting oppres-
sion and injustice, opposed all laws
that were in contravention of the Sha-
riah, and stayed clear of becoming
pawns in the hands of the enemies of
Islam. Shaykh Osama concurred with
Shaykh Azzam that there were clear
exceptions in such cases that must
be taken into account. In fact, there is
no better proof of his strong relation-
ship with Shaykh Azzam than his fi-
nancial contributions to the success
of the project of Maktab al Khadamat.
This unflinching support for Shaykh
Azzam continued unabated for seven
years, i.e. until the Shaykh’s martyr-
dom.
The truth is that Shaykh Osama held
Shaykh Azzam in high esteem and
greatly respected his viewpoints, in
spite of his disagreement with some
of the minor legal and theological po-
sitions upheld by Shaykh Azzam. On
the other hand, Shaykh Azzam would
shower extensive praise on Shaykh
Osama because of the sincerity, char-
acter, and moderate approach of the
latter. In fact, this was generally the
nature of Shaykh Osama’s relation-
ship with scholars and it is exempli-
fied in his dealings with Shaykh Az-
zam, Shaykh Yaseen, Shaykh Omar
Abdul Rahman, and many others. He
would respect their stature and knowl-
edge and excuse them for some of
the opinions that they had arrived at
through their jurisprudential discretion
about participating in elections and
joining legislative bodies. He would
openly express his disagreement for
their juristic preferences for the sake
of the sake of Allah and out of
71
 concern for Muslims.
An example of his careful approach
is his view of the now deposed Suda-
nese tyrant Omar al Bashir and his
government. He saw that they want-
ed to support the cause of Islam and
Shariah, so he never ruled that Omar
al Bashir, his ministers or the parlia-
ment that voted for him were disbe-
lievers. Shaykh Osama continued
with this approach of extreme caution
with regards to takfeer and its appli-
cations, always giving due weight to
the strict conditions under which such
rulings may be applied or waived.
Secondly, he was balanced even in
his opposition and would do justice to
his opponents by doing an honest
evaluation of their stances and
excusing them as much as was
possible.
Shaykh Osama and the scholars who
hold the view that certain forms of
participation in the political process
under the shade of an unIslamic sys-
tem invite the ruling of takfeer did not
become emphatic in their expression
of this view until they saw that people
generally had started ignoring the
most fundamental objective of the
Shariah: giving precedence to the
right of the Creator over the right of
the creation and to Islam over its fol-
72
lowers. When Shaykh Osama saw
that people had stopped giving pref-
erence to the Religion over rights as-
sociated with life and wealth, that
they desisted from declaring takfeer
of those who had committed the ma-
jor shirk (association of partners with
Allah), and the sanctity of Islam had
become so weak in the hearts of
Muslims that by relying on legal ex-
ceptions based on the rulings of inca-
pacity they started bringing within the
fold of the Islamic community those
who had actually left the pale of
Islam, he decided to take a firm
stance so as to protect the right of the
Creator and defend the principles of
the Religion. Shaykh Osama, in this
respect, was no different from Shaykh
Azzam, who waged an aggressive
war on the jahilliya (pre-Islamic igno-
rance) and polytheism of the twenti-
eth century. This is why we see him
openly pronouncing that tyrants such
as Gadhafi, Hafez al Assad, Abdul
Nasser, and others who had become
proponents and active supporters of
this jahilliya had all left the fold of
Islam.
Here, we must understand that
Shaykh Osama and Shaykh Azzam’s
emphatic stand owed itself in large
part to the silence of official scholars
over such prevalent forms of disbe-
lief and polytheism and their unend-
ing compromises on fundamental Is-
lamic principles and constants of the
Islamic creed. What made matters
worse was the epidemic of Irja’a (wa-
tering down fundamental Islamic
principles) which expounded a total
rejection of individual takfeer of ty-
rants who ruled by other than what
Allah had revealed. They invented
new exceptions, the like of which Is-
lamic Law has never known. Notions
such as ‘humanity’ and ‘civility’ were
used as tools by them to prevent the
application of established Islamic
principles. They limited the ruling of
disbelief to acts of disbelief, while
giving a blank waiver to the one who
committed such acts, without giving
any consideration to the differences
between the act being committed out
of ignorance or in full knowledge,
without intention or purposely. It is
because of their deviation that we
have reached a point today that we
hear some people openly express
their desire to water down and even
change some verses of the Quran. I
personally heard one of them sug-
gest that we should change the fol-
lowing verse of the Quran, ‘Say, O’
Disbelievers!’ to ‘Say, O’ others’!
This approach is neither Osama’s
methodology exclusively, nor is it
based on extremism, kharji’ism or za-
hiriyyah, as the author alleges, rather
it is simply a question of respecting
the right of Allah. It is a profound fiqh
whose secrets the author cannot
grasp. It is about establishing clearly
the principles for the ruling of
polytheistic acts and the one who
commits them. This is the way of the
Quran in explaining the general
ruling for those who commit acts of
disbelief without specifically assign-
ing and applying it to any particular
individual. Allah (swt) lays down the
principle for the one who says these
words of disbelief: ‘Verily, those who
say that Allah (swt) is Christ, the son
of Maryam, have disbelieved.’ And
He says, ‘Verily, those who say that
Allah (swt) is the third of the three
have disbelieved.’ About the one who
commits an act of disbelief, Allah
(swt) also says, “And those who do
not rule by what Allah has revealed
are disbelievers.”
All of these verses represent general
rulings of takfeer that apply to gener-
al conditions or general words or
acts. So when Bin Laden says, ‘The
one who knowingly and willingly
elects legislators so that they
73
 legislate against what Allah (swt) has
revealed, such a person has disbe-
lieved’, what does it imply?
What should convince any rational
person that Bin Laden’s methodology
of declaring takfeer of the despots,
tyrants and their aides is sound is that
after the Arab Spring people general-
ly adopted the same approach, spe-
cifically renowned scholars of the
Ummah. We saw how they came on
air to declare that tyrants such as
Gadhafi, Bashar al Assad, Ali Saleh,
Zain al Abedin, Ibn Zaid, the despots
of the Family of Saud and such other
cronies of the West were all disbe-
lievers, something that Bin Laden
had been saying for long.
In spite of this opinion of Bin Laden,
he would not apply the rulings of tak-
feer specifically- i.e. on individuals-
when it came to armies and militaries
of Muslim countries. For example,
within the militaries of countries such
as Saudi Arabia, there exist many in-
dividuals who are either ignorant of
the rulings or even the reality of such
institutions, and so there is ample
ground for not applying such rulings
on then. Shaykh Osama did not be-
lieve in declaring takfeer on individu-
als associated with such institutions,
unless their disbelief was established
74
with clear-cut conclusive proofs. He
was of the view that it was permissi-
ble to fight them in self-defense on
the basis of the legal opinion that
such institutions or groups represent
a force opposed to Islamic teachings,
something which became all the more
apparent after their cooperation with
Western militaries in the war against
Islam and Muslims.
This is the opinion of most of the ju-
rists of al Qa’eda and this is what they
take as the legal basis for their ac-
tions. I have heard the same opinion
from several leaders within the Or-
ganization, such as the wise Shaykh,
Abu Yahya al Libbi, Attiyatullah,
Khalid al Hassainan, among others.
This is also the opinion of Dr. Ayman
al Zawahiri and most of his compan-
ions. The author, however, claims
that Shaykh Azzam did not hold such
opinions in issues related to belief
and disbelief. He says, ‘In spite of
this, his views on participation in the
political process by those possessing
Islamic leanings are intricate and
have nothing to do with issues of dis-
belief and faith, rather they oscillate
between permissibility and impermis-
sibility, depending on the situation in
each country.’ Only a few lines later,
the author goes on to contradict
himself by saying, “The conclusion
which Azzam reached, after much re-
search, regarding deal with man-
made laws was as follows: ‘The ruler
who legislates (i.e. makes laws, not
implements) on the basis of anything
other than what Allah has revealed,
in other words enacts laws that con-
tradict the Quran and the Sunnah, by
doing so he leaves the fold of Islam.
The same goes for legislators who
codify these laws and anyone in the
parliament who endorses any bill that
negates the Shariah’.”
So if Shaykh Azzam opines that the
ruler who rules by man-made laws,
the legislator who frames such bills
of law, and the members of the legis-
lative body who endorse such a bill
all leave the fold of Islam by doing
so, how can the author claim that
Shaykh Azzam’s opinions about par-
ticipation in the democratic process
‘have nothing to do with issues of dis-
belief and faith, rather they oscillate
between permissibility and impermis-
sibility’!
The truth is that Shaykh Azzam was
of the view that the ruler who rules
by, legislates or frames man-made
laws that are not based on the Shari-
ah is a disbeliever. As for the judges,
members of parliament and senate,
the Shaykh strongly condemned their
role. He would denounce them say-
ing that these parliaments are mere
dummies and puppets without any
actual authority. However, as long as
they objected to or opposed even a
single law opposed to the Shariah
and despised from their hearts such
laws, he did not believe that one
could declare that they had left the
fold of Islam. In his view, such mem-
bers of parliament were no different
from someone who sells wine in a
bar. He issued several decrees de-
claring that the salaries and earnings
of such people were Haram and that
it was impermissible to eat from their
food or benefit from their wealth. As
for the one who openly supported
such unIslamic legislations, never
opposed such laws in parliament or
silently consented to such legislation,
he, in the opinion of Shaykh Azzam,
was outside the fold of Islam. This
opinion has been mentioned in sev-
eral places in Zakhair al Azzam.
The summary of Shaykh Azzam’s
opinion on this issue is that there is a
difference between legislating by oth-
er than what Allah has revealed, rul-
ing by other than what Allah has re-
vealed, becoming a member of a
legislative body, and joining an
75
 executive body. Each has its own
conditions, rulings, and exceptions.
Shaykh Azzam says that the issue of
elections, parliaments, senates, and
generally the issue of sovereignty
with all its complex details in its en-
tirety is a ‘very, very long issue’. How-
ever, what must be made clear is that
he was definitive about the apostasy
and disbelief or every judge or mem-
ber of parliament if he agreed to or
approved of from his heart a law that
contravened Islamic Laws, in other
words was based on disbelief. He
considered a judge who took bribes
to rule by other than what Allah has
revealed a disbeliever, even if he did
so just once. Those who wish to ex-
plore the issue in detail may refer to
Shaykh Azzam’s tafseer of Surah al
Tawba, for the issue is explained at
great lengths therein.
To conclude, this then was the meth-
odology of the Shaykhs, Azzam and
Osama, in issues concerning faith
and disbelief. If the author of the said
article does not understand the differ-
ence between specific takfeer (ruling
of takfeer on an individual) and gen-
eral takfeer (general ruling regarding
certain acts and words), it is improper
for him to accuse Shaykh Osama of
applying the ruling of takfeer on peo-
76
ple or suggesting that he made ‘gen-
eralizations in the application of rul-
ings of takfeer on opponents,
including some Islamists’. If this is
indeed the case, he should be
straightforward in informing his audi-
ence who exactly did Shaykh Osama
declare takfeer upon? Let him name
those individuals or groups whom
Shaykh Osama considered disbe-
lievers who had left the fold of Islam?
Fifth Observation: Bin Laden’s
mindset and his Status in the
Ummah
The author concluded his article by
deriding the mindset of Shaykh Osa-
ma. He says, ‘We saw how much Bin
Laden and Azzam differed in the
framing of rulings and their applica-
tion in real life. This is due to the fun-
damental difference in the juristic
mentality that shapes the path that
the rulings and decrees of each take.
Azzam’s jurisprudential mentality
was used to variation in discretionary
opinions and the different methodolo-
gies of deriving legal rulings. This
mindset takes into account notions
such as motives, causes, capacity,
and objectives in all aspects of life,
including political activism. And so it
avoids generalizations and leans
towards attention to details and sub-
tle differences. It does not confuse
the constant with the changing, be-
lief or creed with law, and warns
against harboring suspicions about
people’s beliefs and seeks to unite
Muslims, specifically those working
for the Islamic cause.
As for Bin Laden’s mindset in this re-
gard, as we have discussed, it em-
braces a certain idea and makes it
the sole frame of reference in the
context of which every other opinion
is evaluated. It does not bother much
about the roots and causes of the dif-
ference of opinion. It does not desist
from applying the most extreme rul-
ings on those working for the Islamic
cause and Muslims generally. This is
because this mindset emanates from
the political and historical trajectory
of the Wahhabi movement. It is influ-
enced by the psychological makeup
of the Wahhabi school that is most
prominent in its bloody doctrinal con-
flict with most schools of Sunni
thought. A simple comparison of the
influence of the two mindset in the
theatres of Jihad, revolution, and Is-
lamic work in the last thirty years il-
lustrates our point.’
In the version of the article published
by the ‘Scholars’ Forum’, it is men-
tioned, ‘As for Bin Laden’s mentality,
the Zahiri pattern of thought that pre-
vails in Saudi Arabia is most promi-
nent. This school of thought insists
that its opinions alone are authorita-
tive and represent the truth and that it
is the defender of Tauheed (Unity of
Allah). The difference between these
two mindsets is what explains Az-
zam’s description of the differences
of opinion. It does not desist from ap-
plying the most extreme rulings on
those working for the Islamic cause
and Muslims generally. This is be-
cause this mindset emanates from
the political and historical trajectory
of the Wahhabi movement. It is influ-
enced by the psychological makeup
of the Wahhabi school that is most
prominent in its bloody doctrinal con-
flict with most schools of Sunni
thought. A simple comparison of the
influence of the two mindset in the
theatres of Jihad, revolution, and Is-
lamic work in the last thirty years il-
lustrates our point.’
In the version of the article published
by the ‘Scholars’ Forum’, it is men-
tioned, ‘As for Bin Laden’s mentality,
the Zahiri pattern of thought that pre-
vails in Saudi Arabia is most promi-
nent. This school of thought insists
that its opinions alone are
77
 authoritative and represent the truth
and that it is the defender of Tauheed
(Unity of Allah). The difference be-
tween these two mindsets is what ex-
plains Azzam’s description of the dif-
ferences within the Islamic community
as ‘brotherly’ (even though he was
strict in some of his opinions related
to Jihad and preparation for it) and
Bin Laden’s disposition towards de-
scribing differences with his brothers
in arms and the Islamic project as
doctrinal differences revolving around
the issue of Tauheed.’
The above quote is nothing but a de-
liberate attempt to ridicule Shaykh
Osama and distort his image. Having
engaged in such slander, the author
should prepare for the day he stands
before Allah and his held to account
for leveling such crude accusations.
Shaykh Osama had an active rela-
tionship based on cooperation, co-ex-
istence, and understanding with the
Mujahideen, his brethren in arms from
a variety of backgrounds and nation-
alities, in spite of the minor differenc-
es of juristic and doctrinal viewpoints.
Shaykh Osama differed with the Af-
ghans in issues related to fiqh, not to
mention minor doctrinal differences.
Many Afghan leaders and field com-
manders who fought alongside him
78
had views diametrically opposed to
his in the issue of hanging charm
necklets, seeking intercession and
blessings of deceased pious figures
and their belongings, doctrinal issues
concerning faith, Divine attributes,
physical station of the Divine, and oth-
er known doctrinal issues. Similarly,
in matters of fiqh, they held opposing
viewpoints on the issue of
collective dua after the prayers, rais-
ing hands during the prayers, and
saying aloud the ameen. In spite of
this, Shaykh Osama would pray with
the Afghan, among his brothers and
even in his house in accordance with
the Hanafi way of praying. Most of the
Afghans he lived with were Hanafis,
followers of the Naqshbandi Sufi path,
and professed the Matarudi doctrine.
In spite of this, he held them in high
esteem, loved them from his heart,
and was extremely kind and courte-
ous with them. This is how Bin Laden
was in Afghanistan, in Sudan. This is
how his relationship was with every-
one who worked for the Islamic cause.
This is how he would overlook differ-
ences and live with them in a state of
mutual harmony and cooperation.
This is how he would give precedence
to Islamic brotherhood and cooperate
with anyone who loved Allah
and His Messenger and supported
the Islamic cause. And this is why the
Afghan and everyone he worked with
loved him.
It was this outpouring of love that we
saw across the Islamic world in the
aftermath of Shaykh Osama’s mar-
tyrdom. Hundreds of thousands gath-
ered in different parts of the Islamic
world to offer prayers for him and
demonstrate their love and support
for his way, the way he held on to
firmly throughout his life until he met
his Lord. Leaders of Islamic move-
ments in Pakistan, Sudan, Egypt,
Palestine, Tunisia and even his op-
ponents among Islamists expressed
their condolences and prayed for
him, in spite of the risks involved in
doing so. Given this reality, how can
the author slander Shaykh Osama
and try to convince us that Bin Lad-
en’s mindset was Zahiri and did not
accept except one single opinion, i.e.
his own opinion alone?
The truth of the matter is that Shaykh
Osama had a collective, uniting mind-
set. He actively financed the projects
of several unarmed Islamic groups
and political parties. He authored the
foreword to the book, ‘Al Amal al Is-
lami Ba’een Dawa’ee al Ijtim’aa wa
Du’aat an Nizaa’ (Islamic Work be-
tween the Causes of Unity and the
Callers to Strife). Perhaps it would
have been wise for the author to read
this book before crossing his limits.
There is a certain class that has pen-
etrated the Islamic movement and
claims to profess love for Islam, yet
are in the forefront of supporting the
contemporary crusade on Afghani-
stan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, and
other Muslim lands. It sympathizes
with and supports the Crusader ar-
mies whose soldiers urinate on the
pages of the Holy Quran and insult
our beloved Prophet (pbuh), as we
saw in Bagram and Abu Ghuraib. It
issues decrees permitting the Cru-
saders and their toadies to spill the
blood of Muslims and Mujahideen. It
is the opinions of this lowly class that
the author wants us to respect, some-
thing that only a deranged, retarded
and dishonorable person could con-
template. With this class, Shaykh
Osama did not confine his hostility to
mere doctrinal differences, but he
openly rejected and ridiculed their
‘methodology’. He exposed them for
what they were and warned people to
stay away from the deviation they
sought to promote in the Ummah. For
him, these people were criminals
whose crooked ways needed to be
79
 exposed, and this was how Shaykh
Osama consistently dealt with them
until he was martyred.
As for the author’s criticism of the
school of the Imam, the reviver,
Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdul Wah-
hab, the writings of some of the
most eminent scholars of the Um-
mah from the East to the West suf-
fice to prove the shallowness of his
claims. The rational fiqhi mindset of
the Wahhabi movement was appre-
ciated by scholars throughout the
Islamic World and most scholars
viewed it as a revivalist movement
that gave new vigor to the Religion
and found great acceptance across
the Islamic world. Among those who
defended the call of this movement
are several renowned scholars,
such as Shaykh Muhammad bin
Nasir al Hazami from Yemen, the
Muhaddith, Muhammad Bashir al
Sehsawani from India, Allama
Mahmud Shukri al Alousi from Iraq,
and many others. The imprisoned
scholar, Abdul Aziz Aal Abdul Lateef
Abdul Wahhab (The Claims of the
Opponents of Shaykh Abdul Wah-
hab’s Call), everything written in
defense of the juristic Wahhabi
mindset by scholars across the
Muslim world. Those who want to
understand the extent of hatred and
ignorance of the author regarding
the revivalist and reformist call of
Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdul Wah-
hab should read this book. The
presence of some mistakes in the
political trajectory of the movement,
extremism among some of its fol-
lowers, and the deviation of some
who preferred the school of the
apostate MBS over the school of
Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab
does not take anything away from
the purity and dynamism of the orig-
inal call of the movement. Such de-
viations do not qualify as a stand-
ard against which the movement
and its call should be judged.
Here, we would like to conclude the
second part of our article in which
we examined some of the baseless
, Islam is not protected by a scholar who
abandons the duty of enjoining good and

(may Allah grant him freedom from
the prisons of the Saudi regime)
has compiled in his encyclopedic
work, Da’awee al Munawi’een Li
Dawat al Shaykh Muhammad bin
allegations leveled against the
methodologies of Shaykh Azzam
and Shaykh Osama. And our last
prayer is that all praise belongs to
Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
,
forbidding evil and engages himself in
exhorting people to voluntary deeds such
as dhikr and morals. Allah gave him the
responsibility of protecting His deen; he
protected its windows and left the door open.

shaykh abdul-aziz al-tarifi

80
when you place your feet on the
first step of the ladder of making
concessions to the enemy, your feet
will slip and soon you will find
yourself on the lowest rung of the
ladder. So beware of backtracking.

Shaykh Abu Firas al Makki

)May Allah accept him(