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The Clear Word

in Refutation of the Fatwā of the Deceivers

By Sh. Hamd al-Humaydī

(May Allah Accept Him)

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the Universe, the Gracious, the Merciful, the Master of the
Day of Judgment. All praise belongs to Allah, who manifests and bring victory to the truth, and
 who honors its people and humiliates falsehood and its people. He sent His messengers with
evidence and guidance, and sent with them the Book and the scale, so that the people may
maintain their affairs with justice, and sent down iron, wherein is great military might and
benefits for the people, and so that Allah may make evident those who support Him and His
messengers unseen. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might. He concluded prophecy with
the chief of Adam’s children, whom He sent with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it
over all religion, even if the polytheists dislike it. I bear witness that there is no god except Allah
alone, who said, {Say, “Indeed, [all] bounty is in the hand of Allah - He grants it to whom He wills.
And Allah is all-Encompassing and Wise.” He selects for His mercy whom He wills. And Allah is
the possessor of great bounty} [Āli ‘Imrān: 73-74]. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His
messenger and servant, by whom Allah the knowledge of tawhīd and jihād, thereby subduing the
disbelievers, the sinful, and the corrupt. And Allah has revealed in His blessed book, {O Prophet,
strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them. And their refuge is
Hell, and wretched is the destination} [At-Tahrīm: 9]. May blessings and abundant peace be upon
him and upon his family and his companions, upon whom Allah bestowed His grace. He supported
the religion by them and so they tore apart the disbelievers and the idol-worshippers. As for what
follows:

Indeed, some of those whom Shaytān overcame were put to trial by showing enmity towards the
Islamic State by insulting it, warning the people of it, inciting them against it, and leveling various
accusations against it, at times claiming that they spill blood, and at times claiming that they are
Khawārij who have apostatized from the religion, and at times claiming that they are a people of
lies, deception, and treachery. They even reached the point where they deemed it obligatory to
fight them in order to repel their aggression, all this in an attempt to extinguish the light of Allah.
Then, Allah manifested the Islamic State and their affair became widespread and seen by those
with perception as an endeavor to renew the millah of Ibrāhīm (‘alayhis-salām) after its hallmarks
had been wiped out, and they fought the nations of disbelief with all their varying religions as
their Lord had ordered them, {And fight against the disbelievers collectively} [At-Tawbah: 36],
and they destroyed their idols in accordance with the millah of their father Ibrāhīm and the
sunnah of the chief of the messengers, Muhammad, (may the best of blessings and peace be upon
him and upon Ibrāhīm). When their enemies saw that which Allah granted them of conquests and
clear victories, they became choked due to their transgression and jealousy or their disbelief and
stubbornness after seeing that Allah’s promise was fulfilled to them for having supported His
religion. Allah ta’ālā said, {And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is
Powerful and Exalted in Might} [Al-Hajj: 40], and His statement, {And incumbent upon Us was
support of the believers} [Ar-Rūm: 47].

So here before you is the blessed Islamic State under the leadership of the khalīfah, Abū Bakr
alBaghdādī, their banners fluttering in many regions of the world in support of tawhīd and the
Sunnah, and the steeds of their resolve racing in the arenas of jihād. They expended their lives
and wealth and made their deeds sincerely for the Lord of the Universe. This how we view them,
and Allah is their judge. Allah ta’ālā said, {Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their
lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise…} [At-Tawbah: 111]. They
maintained obedience to Him and bore the burdens of jihād, hoping for what they were promised.
Allah ta’ālā said, {Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while Allah has not yet made
evident those of you who fight in His cause and made evident those who are steadfast} [Āli ‘Imrān:
142].
 And despite all that, they weren’t safe from the being slandered and from having their
methodology slandered, as is the case with all those who have actualized kufr bit-tāghūt and īmān
in Allah and jihād in that regard, and this is the sunnah of Allah with His awliyā’. I have read a
fatwā from some of those who have deviated from the clear truth – those who have turned away in
their fatwā from the Lord of the Universe – and found it expressing the misguidance of those who
concocted it and exposing the corrupt nature of the heart of the one who produced it as well as
those who accepted it despite its contradictions and the ugliness of what it contained. They
concealed what Allah has revealed of clear evidences and knowingly mixed truth with falsehood,
out of jealousy and enmity, thereby exploiting the weak intelligence of their blind followers. Allah
has warned us from following these people, {So be patient. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth.
And let not those who have no certainty of faith belittle you [in order to exploit you]” [Ar-Rūm: 60].

So it was on obligation on me to support this state and defend it. Allah ta’ālā said, {O you who
have believed, be supporters of Allah} [As-Saff: 14]. In the Sahīhayn, in the hadīth of al-Barā’
(radiyallāhu ‘anh), he said, “Allah’s Messenger (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) ordered us with seven
things, and among them he mentioned to support the oppressed.” Also in the Sahīhayn, it is
reported that Abū Mūsā (radiyallāhu ‘anh) said, “Allah’s Messenger (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)
said, ‘The believers are to each other like a building, one part supporting the other.’” Al-Bukhārī
titled the chapter heading for these two hadiths “Chapter: Supporting the Oppressed.” And in
Muslim, in the hadīth of Nu’mān Ibn Bashīr, he said, “Allah’s Messenger (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa
sallam) said, ‘The believers are like one man. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with
sleeplessness and fever.’”

Therefore, I say – seeking Allah’s help and asking Him for guidance, correctness, and success –
that this will be a general refutation of the fatwa, Allah willing, so that we do not make it too
lengthy for the reader seeking guidance and the truth.

The fatwā begins with severe disregard and neglect for Muslim blood, which amounts to great
disobedience before Allah, especially if people claiming knowledge are biased in this disobedience
and cooperate upon it in sin and transgression. However, the fault becomes even greater and the
evil becomes more vile when this is attributed to the pure Sharī’ah, and even more serious than
that is to attribute it to Allah (may He be glorified). This is what we saw in the fatwā of the nine
individuals, which they issued with the statement of Allah ta’ālā, {And [mention, O Muhammad],
when Allah took a covenant from those who were given the Scripture, [saying], “You must make it
clear to the people and not conceal it”} [Āli ‘Imrān: 187]. And these nine are Abū Qatādah, Abū
Muhammad al-Maqdisī, Sāmī al-‘Uraydī, Sādiq al-Hāshimī, Muslih al-‘Ulyānī, Abū Sulaymān al-
Austrālī, Abū ‘Azzām al-Jazrāwī, alMu’tasim Billāh al-Madanī, and ‘Abdullāh al-Muhaysinī.

And the condition of these nine, who claim to seek to bring about reform and to manifest the truth
is as Allah described in His book: {And there were in the city nine family heads causing corruption
in the land and not amending [its affairs]. They said, “Take a mutual oath by Allah that we will kill
him by night, he and his family. Then we will say to his executor, ‘We did not witness the
destruction of his family, and indeed, we are truthful.’” And they planned a plan, and We planned
a plan, while they perceived not. Then look how was the outcome of their plan - that We destroyed
them and their people, all} [An-Naml: 48-51].
So we say to them, you did not clarify in the truth in this fatwā of yours. Rather, you declared your
animosity and hatred towards the Islamic State, and came out with it when the Islamic State
emerged. This is what your tongues have pronounced and what your fingers have penned in this
fatwā and in what came before it of that which has come from you all or from some of you. This is
what you have declared to the people. As for the words of Allah ta’ālā, {And not conceal it} [Āli
‘Imrān: 187], then you, in this fatwā of yours, have attained the most abundant share [with respect
to concealing the truth], for you have concealed the millah of Ibrāhīm, which Allah clarified in His
book with His statement, {There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Ibrāhīm and
those with him, when they said to their people, “Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from
whatever you worship other than Allah. We have denied you, and there has appeared between us
and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone”} [Al-Mumtahanah: 4], and it
is the greatest thing that is obligatory to clarify. This is what lost by those factions whose
members you call “mujāhidīn.” And how could they be mujāhidīn for the cause of Allah when jihād
for the cause of Allah cannot be jihād for His cause except by actualizing His statement, {And
fight them until there is no fitnah and [until] the religion, all of it, is for Allah} [Al-Anfāl: 39]. And
the meaning of the religion being entirely for Allah is that if a land is liberated, Allah’s law is
established therein, the signs of shirk are abolished, the rites of Islam are manifest, and the
Sharī’ah of Ar-Rahmān is judged with therein. So whoever does this is called a mujāhid for the
cause of Allah.

When Allah’s Messenger (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was asked about a man who fights out of
bravery, or a man who fights to get war booty, or a man who fights for fame, and a man who fights
to be seen, and in one narration, a man who fights out of zeal and one who fights to show off, and
in one narration, a man who fights out of anger, he was asked which of these is fighting for the
cause of Allah. So Allah’s Messenger (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Whoever fights so that
the word of Allah is the highest is fighting for the cause of Allah.” This was reported by Ahmad
and the compilers of the six books of hadīth; al-Bukhārī, Abū Dāwūd, and an-Nasā’ī titled each
titled the chapter for this hadīth, “Whoever Fights so That the Word of Allah Is the Highest.” Thus,
these factions all have blind banners because they do not fight so that Allah’s word is the highest.

We will reveal some aspects of the condition of these factions, which you have claimed are
mujāhid factions, for here we see them being exposed by their misguided agreements, and we see
the manifestation of kufr therein with their pledge to support the international community in the
land of Shām. Where do you stand with regards to those who have pledged to establish the rule of
the tāghūt in the land of Shām with a democratic government after the elimination of Bashar’s
rule? Where do you stand with regards to those who walk hand-in-hand with the apostate groups
backed by America and the tawāghīt of the Gulf region and have sworn their strongest oaths by
Allah to fight the Islamic State, thus replacing their allegiance to the believers with allegiance to
the apostates? And it is an evil exchange, indeed. The Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to
the mushrik, “Go back, for I will not seek help from a mushrik.” And this was in the case of taking
help from a mushrik against another mushrik like him, so how then when it comes to taking aid
from a mushrik and a kāfir against a Muslim? So have you ever shown enmity and hatred towards
the apostates in Shām until they believe in Allah alone? No doubt this is concealment of the truth
and leaving off establishing the millah of Ibrāhīm. So we seek refuge with Allah from becoming
blind after having guidance.

Everyone knows that among the nine individuals is he who has preceded others in declaring the
kufr of some of the tawāghīt and coming forth to expose their falsehood. Then, when the same kufr
 emerged in the apostate groups in the land of Shām – the land to which Ibrāhīm (‘alayhis-salām)
made hijrah – he restrained his pen from the kuffār of Shām. So he showed them neither enmity
nor hatred, and did not make takfīr of them. On the contrary, his tongue and pen became an
unsheathed sword against the allies of Allah in the Islamic State, to the extent that due to his
animosity towards the Islamic State he denounced their act of blowing up a shirkī Husayniyyah in
the Arabian Peninsula, claiming that it was a masjid and that those inside were from the Muslims.
Thus, he made the Husayniyyah – which was established for the rites of kufr – like the masājid
which Allah commanded to be built in order to establish His remembrance, and he made the
mushrik Rāfidah – who are outside the fold of Islam – to be Muslims. All this, out of enmity
towards the Islamic State and in deception of the people, whereas even the Rāfidah in al-Qatīf said
that it was a Husayniyyah.

As for the rest of the nine individuals, then they are known for their hatred of the Islamic State. So
here we see your statements and deeds contradicting the āyah with which you began your fatwā.
As such, the fatwā was built on the edge of a cliff that’s about to collapse, and we seek refuge with
Allah from humiliation and disgrace.

And from among the shar’ī mistakes in this fatwā is that they refer to the mujāhidīn in the Islamic
State in the land of Shām as “Baghdādiyyīn.” It’s noteworthy to point a few things out, including
the fact that the disbelieving enemies of Allah refer to the Islamic State by the name with which it
has named itself, and indeed the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) referred to Heraclius as
“The Leader of Rome” even though he disbelieved in Allah, the Great. So look how the
disbelievers, despite their animosity and war against the Islamic State, have been just towards it
in that regard. As for these individuals, the extreme level of their animosity led them to twist the
facts. Allah ta’ālā said, {And do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just;
that is nearer to righteousness} [Al-Mā’idah: 8]. And also, using this word entails a revival of jāhilī
fanaticism, which the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) placed beneath his foot during his
khutbah at ‘Arafah and said about it, “What of the call of Jāhiliyyah?” He then said, “Leave it, for it
is rotten.” This was reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim, and alBukhārī titled the chapter on it,
“Chapter: What is Prohibited of the Call of Jāhiliyyah.”

And is there a difference between a mujāhidīn being Baghdādī, African, Shāmī, Hijāzī, or other
than that? Virtue is only through piety. Allah ta’ālā said, {Indeed, the most noble of you in the
sight of Allah is the most pious of you} [Al-Hujurāt: 13]. It was narrated from Abū Hurayrah
(radiyallāhu ‘anh) who said, “Allah’s Messenger (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was asked, ‘Who is
the most noble among the people?’ He said, ‘The most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most
pious of you.’” He (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) also said, “Indeed, Allah has removed from you the
arrogant pride of Jāhiliyyah and its tradition of boasting of one’s fathers. [A man is now either] a
pious believer or a miserable sinner. You are all the children of Adam, and Adam was made from
soil. Men will either stop boasting of a people who are but coal from the coals of Hell, or they will
be lower in the sight of Allah than the beetle that pushes dung with its nose.” This was reported by
Ahmad, Abū Dāwūd, and at-Tirmidhī, and even though with this hadīth there is focus on the
narrator Hishām Ibn Sa’d al-Madanī who has been spoken about, al-Bukhārī used the ahādīth he
narrates as support, and Muslim has narrated from him, and the hadīth itself has other narrations
that support it.

Ash-Shāfi’ī (rahimahullāh) said, “Whoever displays fanaticism in his speech, makes it part of his
 nature, and calls others to it, then his testimony is rejected because he has committed a sin over
which there is no difference of opinion among the Muslims which I know of,” and he used as
evidence the statement of Allah ta’ālā, {The believers are but brothers} [Al-Hujurāt: 10] and the
statement of Allah’s Messenger (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), “And be slaves of Allah and
brothers.” He also said, “Allah has united the people with Islam and attributed them to it and it is
the best thing to be attributed to, so if a man loves someone he should love them based on it.” Al-
Bayhaqī quoted all this in as-Sunan.

Likewise, in your fatwā there is a blatant call to partisanship and division, whereas the
appropriate thing was for you to call to unite upon tawhīd and the Sunnah, and to come together
under the banner of the legitimate Khilāfah, which the Sunnah and ijmā’ both indicate is to be
with Quraysh and that it is not correct for the Khilāfah to be under the leadership of a non-
Qurashī. You then flipped the issue around with this backwards fatwā – which indicates the
backward nature of those who issued it – and called to fight this unified state, while Allah said,
{And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided} [Ālī ‘Imrān: 103].
The Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Indeed, Allah is pleased with three things for you
and dislikes three things for you: He is pleased for you that you worship Him and do not associate
anything with Him, and that you hold firmly to the rope of Allah and not become divided.” This
was reported by Muslim, and an-Nawawī said, “It is a command to adhere to the jamā’ah of the
Muslims and for them to be united with one another, and this is one of the foundations of Islam.”
He (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) also said, “This ummah will divide into 73 groups. 72 of them will
be in Hellfire, and one will be in Paradise and it is the Jamā’ah.” This was reported by Ahmad and
Abū Dāwūd.

As for you, in your misguiding fatwā you supported that which Allah censured in His statement,
{Every faction rejoicing in what it has} [Ar-Rūm: 32]. And Allah has disassociated His Messenger
from it: {Indeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects - you, [O Muhammad],
are not [associated] with them in anything} [Al-An’ām: 159].

As for the statement of the nine individuals in their fatwā, “The defect in their manhaj has become
apparent to those with perception,” they mean the Islamic State. So we ask you to clarify for us
this defect which has become apparent to you and has remained hidden from all the Muslims, the
commoners among them as well as those with perception. Show us something that is in opposition
to the Book, the Sunnah, and ijmā’ that has become the methodology of the Islamic State. You
won’t be able to do so, for a pleasant breeze has come from the Islamic State, its glimmer has
appeared, and the clearness of its path has become apparent to all those with perception. So
māshā’allāh, and there is no power except by Allah. How good is this state! Its path of defiance is
not crossed by an idol except that it destroys it, nor by a cross except that it breaks it, nor by one
waging war against Allah and His Messenger except that it wages jihād against him, nor does it
tread any land except that it implements therein the Sharī’ah of Allah. So what an excellent
manhaj it is! We ask Allah to strengthen them in following and clinging to the truth.

By Allah, they will not be defeated due their small numbers as long as they hold firmly to the book
of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, and this is a promise from Allah that is inevitable: {And
incumbent upon Us was support of the believers} [Ar-Rūm: 47]. So if you view the destruction of
idols, the breaking of crosses, and the implementation of the Sharī’ah of Ar-Rahmān to be a defect
in manhaj, then this is clear apostasy, and as such we call you to renew your Islam and repent to
 your Creator before death reaches you.

And among the deviations in this fatwā is that they describe the mujāhidīn in the Islamic State as
being hostile transgressors, and that they are invaders. The reason for this is that the mujāhidīn –
according to their claims – attacked a certain region from among the various regions. So because
of that, you made a general call to mobilize against the Islamic State in the entire land of Shām
with your statement, “Therefore, it is a must upon everyone.” So this mobilization of yours
included every type of carcass and every kāfir and murtadd, even though the Islamic State was
already fighting these groups since they were the ones who first declared war against Allah and
against the Islamic State. So if the Islamic State repels them, or wages war against them after
they first declare war, the Islamic State becomes the invader. And as is mentioned in the parable,
“She accused me of something that she is more deserving of.”

So the Islamic State isn’t the transgressor. The transgressor is but the one who violates the limits
set by Allah, which is what these factions are doing. And if the Islamic State is invading the lands
of the Muslims, then why is it that it should be expelled solely from the land of Shām? Why haven’t
you called for the Islamic State to be expelled from everyplace where it is present? What is this
abhorrent partisanship towards the land of Shām?

As for you seeing a good sign in the struggling condition of the tāghūt Bashar, then this is due first
to Allah’s grace and then to the virtue of the Islamic State. And as for your claim that the Islamic
State is the reason for the slow advancement of the fight against the kāfir Bashar, then this is a
tremendous lie. Indeed, these factions are the reason for the fight against the tāghūt in Shām
faltering, for they fight the Islamic State by land, and the planes of Bashar and the crusaders fight
it by air. Despite all that – walhamdulillāh – the Islamic State holds more than half the territory of
Shām, while these factions don’t control more than approximately 20% of the territory, so leave
the Islamic State and its affairs. Your condition with respect to this false claim of yours is like the
condition of one who wishes to block the sun with his hand, or as al-A’shā said:

Poetry: Like [a mountain goat] butting a rock one day in order to weaken it,

But the mountain goat did not damage it, and only weakened its own horn instead

And indeed, I portray the condition of the Islamic State with respect to its enemies using the
statement of the poet:

Poetry: My Lord, judge between us concerning A faction that set out to journey to the Shaytān

They unsheathed the swords of sin from their scabbards And set out with them in humiliation and
disgrace

They replaced their study and guidance With slander of my companions and brothers

They took the texts of revelation out of place And used them to lead a group of blind people

So throw the texts back at them and you will find guidance And strike them with burning flames
 And lie in ambush for them in every place to await a chance And expose the wells of their
ignorance with eloquence

So that the truth returns more radiantly and is clear Appearing brightly for the one treading in
confusion

I ask Allah to grant the Islamic State success and correctness.

Furthermore, this is a message that I direct to everyone who entered into a coalition with the
apostates, allied with them, and cut off any allegiance between himself and the Muslims: How can
you feel good about remaining with these factions and groups, and on your left and on your right
is an apostate who is fighting to establish a civil state or is carrying a secular banner or fighting
for the cause of democracy, and you, despite all that, defend his blood and sacrifice yourself for
his sake. You are shaded by crusader warplanes and supported the tāghūt states while fighting the
Muslims in the Islamic State. So is this the Islam that you found in the book of Allah, or is it the
kufr that Allah has prohibited and whose people He informed us are disbelievers and not Muslims?
Allah said, {Let not believers take disbelievers as allies rather than believers. And whoever [of
you] does that has nothing with Allah} [Āli ‘Imrān: 28]. And remember Allah’s statement, {Indeed,
those who reverted back [to disbelief] after guidance had become clear to them - Satan enticed
them and prolonged hope for them. That is because they said to those who disliked what Allah
sent down, “We will obey you in part of the matter”} [Muhammad: 25-26].

So weep over your sin, repent to Allah, declare your innocence before Him of taking the
disbelievers as allies, surrender to Him with tawhīd, yield to Him with obedience, and disassociate
yourself from shirk and its people. Allah ta’ālā said, {And whoever submits his face to Allah while
he is a doer of good - then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold} [Luqmān: 22].
Disassociate yourself from these factions and join the caravan of the Islamic State, and reflect on
the condition of the repentant fighters who left these factions both in groups and individually, and
attested to what they knew and had witnessed of the deeds of kufr, including supporting the
disbelievers and other than that. I ask Allah to accept their repentance and conclude their lives
with shahādah.

The reality is that in this fatwā there is an imitation of the scholars of Ahlul-Kitāb, whom we were
prohibited from following – and indeed, the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) informed us that
from this ummah would be those who follow the way of Ahlul-Kitāb – whereby these muftis placed
deception in their fatwā that would mislead those with weak perception, and concealed the truth
and manifested deception as if they were manifesting the truth and not concealing it. Allah ta’ālā
said, {O People of the Scripture, why do you confuse the truth with falsehood and conceal the
truth while you know [it]?} [Āli ‘Imrān: 71]. It also contains envy, transgression, and enmity, such
that when they saw the conquests, the victories, and the bay’ah pledges which came from groups
and individuals who exposed these factions and which revealed the evil and corrupt nature of their
methodologies and their plots to wage war against the Islamic State, the authors of the fatwā
issued their fatwā in order to distort reality and to warn the people from approaching the Islamic
State. Allah ta’ālā said, {Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His bounty?}
[An-Nisā’: 54]. Allah ta’ālā also said, {O mankind, your injustice is only against yourselves}
[Yūnus: 23]. Allah ta’ālā also said, {But the evil plot does not encompass except its own people}
[Fātir: 43]. And it was narrated from Abū Bakrah (radiyallāhu ‘anh) who said, “Allah’s Messenger
 (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘There is no sin more deserving of Allah hastening punishment
in the Dunyā for the one who commits it in addition to what He reserves for him [as punishment]
in the Hereafter than transgression and cutting family ties.’” This was reported by Abū Dāwūd and
at-Tirmidhī, and authenticated by Ibn Mājah and Ahmad, and Abū Dāwūd titled the chapter on it,
“Chapter: Concerning the Prohibition of Transgression.” Anas Ibn Mālik said to Abū Umāmah,
“Will you not ride out so that you may look at something and reflect?” He said, “Yes.” So they rode
out and came upon some lands that had fallen into ruin and whose people were wiped out and
extinct. He (Anas) said, “Do you know these lands?” He (Abū Umāmah) said, “And how would I
know these lands and their people?” He (Anas) said, “These are the lands of a people destroyed by
transgression and envy. Indeed, envy extinguishes the light of good deeds, and transgression
either affirms that or denies it.” This was reported by Abū Dāwūd.

Therefore, we call to those who issued this fatwā to repent to Allah and renounce this fatwā in
affirmation of the statement of Allah ta’ālā, {Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of
clear proofs and guidance after We made it clear for the people in the Scripture - those are cursed
by Allah and cursed by those who curse, except for those who repent and correct themselves and
make evident [what they concealed]. Those - I will accept their repentance, and I am the
Accepting of repentance, the Merciful} [Al-Baqarah: 160]. And is there any threat more severe
than this threat? And remember that you will stand in front of Allah having issued a fatwā to fight
the mujāhid slaves of Allah in the Islamic State. We call you to give bay’ah to them and to call the
people to this, but if you turn away from that and refuse to return, then know that Allah’s religion
doesn’t belong to any single individual. Allah ta’ālā said, {And if you turn away, He will replace
you with another people; then they will not be the likes of you} [Muhammad: 38]. And your
arguing for the sake of falsehood will not benefit you when Allah has prohibited you from doing so.
Allah ta’ālā said, {And do not argue on behalf of those who deceive themselves} [An-Nisā’: 107].
He also said, {Here you are - those who argue on their behalf in [this] worldly life - but who will
argue with Allah for them on the Day of Resurrection, or who will [then] be their representative?}
[An-Nisā’: 109]. Allah also said, {And do not be for the deceitful an advocate} [AnNisā’: 105].

And I warn all those who have life in their hearts not to follow the likes of these misleading fatwas
that deviate from the path of guidance. Indeed, Allah has prohibited us from imitating the Jews
and Christians, about whom Allah said, {They have taken their scholars and monks as lords
besides Allah} [At-Tawbah: 31]. Hudhayfah (radiyallāhu ‘anh) was asked concerning this āyah,
“Did they used to pray to them?” He said, “No, but they would permit for them what Allah had
prohibited for them so they would deem it permissible, and they would prohibit for them what
Allah had permitted for them so they would deem it prohibited, so they thereby became lords for
them}. This was reported by ‘Abdur-Razzāq and alBayhaqī, and its meaning has come in the
marfū’ hadīth of ‘Adiyy as reported by at-Tirmidhī and other than him, but the marfū’ form of this
hadīth is not free of defects.

‘Abdullāh Ibn Mas’ūd said, “A man should not blindly follow another man in regards to his
religion, believing if he believes and disbelieving if he disbelieves, for one should not take a role
model in evil.” This was reported by al-Bayhaqī, and by Ibn ‘Abdil-Barr in his collection and this is
his wording. He also said : “Become a scholar or a student and don’t be a follower instead of
becoming one of these two.” I mention this because some people hear with their ears and see with
their eyes the conquests and victories of this state, and it is a universal āyah (sign) that came
about because they established the shar’ī āyāt, including the implementation of Allah’s law in
every land that Allah gave them rule and control of. Allah ta’ālā said, {Allah has promised those
who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession
[to authority] upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them and that He will surely
establish for them [therein] their religion which He has preferred for them and that He will surely
substitute for them, after their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with
Me. But whoever disbelieves after that - then those are the defiantly disobedient} [An-Nūr: 55].
And despite that, some people come and say, “I’m waiting to see what Shaykh So-and-so says
about this state.” Subhānallah! Allah ta’ālā said, {Indeed, the worst of living creatures in the sight
of Allah are the deaf and dumb who do not use reason. Had Allah known any good in them, He
would have made them hear. And if He had made them hear, they would [still] have turned away,
while they were refusing} [Al-Anfāl: 22-23].

As for you, O Islamic State, then continue upon your path with Allah’s blessing, being led by the
Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger and beware of opposing them, for by Allah you
will not be defeated except due to opposing the command of Allah. I ask Allah to grant you victory
and to open for you the lands as well as the hearts of the people, and I ask Allah to unify the
people of Islam and jihād under the banner of the Khilāfah. And indeed, I portray the Islamic State
with the statement of the poet:

Poetry: It displays tawhīd to you as an illuminating sun But the people of deviance are blind in
sight

Schools of guidance rose high through great men Upon a clear path that appears to the traveller

Among them are defenders who support their Lord Their strongholds are spears of flame and
daggers

And landmines which our men have placed well Employing them on the day of battle and war

And a green tank whose interior contains Embers that can cut the middle of one’s heart

I only intend reform as much as I am able, and my success is not but by Allah.

Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy.
Indeed, You are the Bestower.

O Allah, turner of the hearts, keep our hearts firm upon Your religion. And all praise belongs to
Allah, Lord of the Universe.

And may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon our prophet, Muhammad, and his family and
companions altogether.

Written by Abū ‘Abdillāh al-Humaydī