On
Feb 16, 2003, an audio tape was broadcast on
Al Jazeera news network attributed to
Osama bin Laden. Al Jazeera got the 27 minutes mp3 file from the internet and broadcasted in its entire form while other Arab stations censored parts of it. On the day of broadcast, the channel got commentators from
Riyadh,
Kuwait, and
London. The star of the commentators was
Abdul Bari Atwan, a Palestinian in exile from Egypt to London because his news columns are the type that are inflamatory to Arab governments (and what he says is a reflection to reality!), just as inflamatory as Al Jazeera is. Mr. Atwan is the editor of
al-Quds al-Arabi in London, he made appearances in
CNN and the
BBC. There was a division with the commentators about what to call the tape, an "Eid sermon" or "Exposing the New Crusader War", internet sites chose the latter. This was the first time Bin Laden tapes were broadcast in short period of time, the last broadcast was 2 days prior and can be located here
Osama bin Laden tape transcript February 12, 2003.
Basiacly, the Kuwaiti commentator accused Bin Laden of inciting youths against their leaders, the Riyadh commentator had little to say, and the London commentator displayed a balanced view between American policies and middle Eastern policies.
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Praise be to
Allah, then again Praise be to Him, who revealed the Verse of the Sword to His servant and His Messenger (SAWS) in order to establish the Truth and to eradicate Falsehood. So Praise be to Allah who says: "Then when the Sacred Months have passed, then kill the
polytheists wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and prepare for them each and every ambush. But if they repent and perform
Salah and give
Zakah, then leave their way free. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Quran 9:5)
And Praise be to Allah who says: "Fight them and Allah will punish them by your hands and disgrace them and give you Victory over them and heal the hearts of a believing people." (Quran 7:14)
And peace and blessings be upon our Prophet
Muhammad (SAWS) who said, "I was sent with the Sword in the waning of the Hour until Allah Alone is worshipped without any partners, and He placed my sustenance beneath the shadow of my spear and He placed disgrace and belittlement on he who opposes my orders and he who imitates a people,then he is one of them." (Ahmad, Sahih)
And he (SAWS) also said: "Expel the polytheists from the
Arabian Peninsula." (Muslim) As to what follows: This is a time when the blood of the Muslims continues to flow in
Palestine and
Chechnya, in the
Philipines,
Kashmir and
Sudan and when our children are dying because of the American sanctions on
Iraq. At a time when our wounds have not yet healed following the
Crusader Wars on the Islamic World in the last century, and because of the result of the
Sykes-Picot Agreement in 1916 between
France and
Britain, which led to the division of the Islamic World into bits and pieces - with the agents of the Crusaders continuing to rule under this agreement to this very day - we are again witnessing another Sykes-Picot Agreement, but this time one which is between Bush and Blair, but of the same nature and for the same purpose: to destruction and eradication of the
Ummah (nation) of our Beloved Prophet (SAWS).
Indeed the Bush-Blair Agreement proclaims to eradicate
terrorism, but it is now clear to everyone that the real purpose of this Agreement is to try and finish Islam and destroy it. With that, the rulers of the region are assuring the public in their speeches and statements, of their support to Bush in his
War on Terror, which is in fact a War on Islam and the Muslims, in an act of clear betrayal and treachery against the Muslim Ummah, reinforced by the government scholars and corrupt ministers. It is no secret that the recent deployment of forces for an attack on Iraq is only a link in the chain of continuing attacks on the countries of this region including
Egypt,
Syria,
Iran and Sudan. However, their real intention is to conquer and divide the Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries as they have long realized the strategic value of this target ever since this objective was passed on from Britain to the
United States 60 years ago. Moreover, America actually tried 30 years ago to fulfill this objective during the War of the 10th of
Ramadan when their President at the time, Nixon, threatened to invade the Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries, but he was unable to do so.
Since the beginning of the Second Gulf War, America has established her principal and powerful military bases in the Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries, especially close to its capital (
Riyadh). The only thing that was remaining for them to do was to divide the Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries and it now appears that this time has arrived. In conclusion, the main American plan and target in this region with this current build-up is not a moving summer cloud that will bring peace to the World, but rather a strategic target of immense significance that will never be neglected by the
cunning and dirty American policy at any cost. Allah is Sufficient for us and what an Excellent Guardian is He! So what have the governments in the region prepared in order to counter this strategic enemy objective? The answer is that they have prepared nothing except for an increase in support to the Crusaders and the unification of the Arab Interior Ministers to fight against the Mujahideen and make life difficult for the righteous scholars and propagators who are striving hard to warn the Muslim Nation to take necessary measures to protect itself. One of the most important objectives of this latest Crusade is to establish a huge Jewish superstate (
Greater Israel) that will include the whole of
Palestine, parts of Iraq, Egypt, Syria,
Lebanon,
Jordan, and a huge area from the Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries. And what do you know about Greater Israel and the harm and suffering that it will bring to this region? What is happening in Palestine is a small sample of what will take place in the region: the killing of men, women and children; imprisonment, terrorism and the destruction of houses; the pillaging of the land and razing of factories; and putting the people into a perpetual state of fear where they can expect death at any time due to a rocket or shell destroying their houses and killing their womenfolk. So what are we going to answer to our Lord tomorrow? As for what is happening in Palestine, even a strong man finds it difficult to handle, so what about the oppressed mothers who watch their children die between their very hands? To Allah we belong and to Him we must return! Allah is Sufficient for us and what an excellent Guardian is He! 0 Allah I distance myself before You from what these
Jews,
Christians, treacherous rulers and whoever supports them in their ruling, are doing! I apologize to You from these sitters who are not supporting and working for the victory of the Religion. Therefore, the creation of Greater Israel will mean the total domination of Jews on these lands, and what do you know about the Jews? The same Jews, who lied and tried to trick the Creator, so what about their dealings with the creation? They killed the Prophets and broke their promises, as Allah said: "Is it not (the case) that every time they make a covenant, some party among them throw it aside? Nay! the truth is most of them believe not." (Quran 3:88)
These are the Jews, the lords of
usury and leaders of treachery. They will not leave anything for you, neither religion nor worldly affairs. Allah said about them: "Or have they a share in the
Dominion? Then in that case they would not give mankind even a
naqira (speck on the back of a date-stone)." (Quran 4:53) These are the Jews who consider it part of their religion that Mankind are slaves to them, and whoever refuses to serve them deserves to be killed. Allah said about them: "That is because they say: 'There is no blame on us to betray and take the properties of the illiterates (Arabs).' But they tell a lie against Allah while they know it.'(Quran 3:63) These are some of the characteristics of the Jews, so be aware of them and these are some of the intentions behind the Crusader plan so understand them well. So what is the solution to protect ourselves from their evil of the disbelievers and to save our lands? To answer this, I say with ability from Allah, what the righteous servant, Prophet
Shuaib (SAWS) said: "I only desire reform so far as I am able, to the best of my power. And my guidance cannot come except from Allah, in Him I trust and unto Him I repent." (Quran 12:12) Therefore, the way to protect ourselves from the evil of the disbelievers is
Jihad in the Path of Allah, as Allah said, "Then fight (0 Muhammad SAW) in the Cause of Allah, you are not held responsible except for yourself, and incite the believers (to fight along with you), it may be that Allah will restrain the evil might of the disbelievers. And Allah is Stronger in Might and Stronger in punishing." (Quran 2:80)
Firstly, let me inform you of the good news, with Allah's Bounty, that the Muslim Ummah today possesses huge capabilities and powers to rescue Palestine and the other lands of the Muslims, but they have been restricted. Thus, we must work hard in order to release these capabilities. In the same way, I inform you of the good news that our Ummah has been promised victory by Allah, but if this victory has become delayed, then it is due to our sins and our sitting back from helping the Religion of Allah (SWT) as Allah (SWT) said: "If you help (in the cause of) Allah, He will help you, and make your foothold firm." (Quran 43:7) Furthermore, our Ummah has also been promised victory over the Jews as the Prophet (SAWS) informed us: "The Day of Judgment mil not come until the Muslims fight against the Jews and the Muslims will kill them until the Jews will hide behind trees and rocks, and the trees and rocks will speak, saying, '0 Muslim! 0 servant of Allah! There is a Jew behind me so come and kill him, except for the
Gharqad (
Boxthorn) Tree, for it is the tree of the Jews." (Sahih Al-Bukhari) Thus, this hadith indicates to us that the confrontation will be with face-to-face battle, not by disabling the resources of the Ummah for decades, using other methods like the deception of Democracy and other similar tricks. With this good news, let me inform you of some matters that will assist us with our Jihad in the Path of Allah, by relating to you some stories and accounts in which the Muslims were victorious during the past two decades, which will, if Allah wills, serve to raise the morale and trust of the sons of this Ummah on themselves. And it is very important to provide our Ummah with the inspiration that it requires in order to protect itself in this latest Crusade. The truth is that the Muslim Ummah is the greatest human power on the face of the Earth only if it establishes Islam properly, and then it will be able to face those so-called Superpower nations. Before that, let me tell you about an incident that took place in a confrontation of the Muslims against a Superpower. The scholars of history said that
Al-Muthannah Ash-Shaibani (RA) came to
Madinah to seek help in fighting the
Persians. Therefore, the
Caliph Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA) announced a call to mobilization of the Muslims for three days, but not a single person volunteered. Therefore, Umar realized the extent of the fear in the Muslims and their magnification of the power of the Persians and so he asked Al-Muthannah to narrate to them about his victories against the Persians so that this fear would be removed. So Al-Muthanna began to inform the people of his victories against the Persians, saying, "0 people, let not this force frighten you as we have humiliated the Persians and defeated them. We have been cleverer than them, we have shown more courage than them, we have strangled them and we have the upper hand over them and to whoever comes after them insha-Allah. " Thus, the people became excited and
Abu Ubaidah Ath-Thaqafi stood up and Umar (RA) gave him the banner of the Muslims, and he marched to battle, with the people following him, may Allah be pleased with them. And I say imitating these great, noble people: "0 people, let not this force frighten you. Let not the power of America and its army frighten you, for by Allah we have struck them multiple times and routed them again and again. They are most cowardly of people when the armies meet."
It has been made clear during our defending and fighting against the American enemy that this enemy's combat strategy is heavily dependent on the psychological aspect of war due to its large and efficient media
apparatus and of course its indiscriminate aerial bombing which hides the cowardice and lack of fighting spirit of the American soldier. Due to a limit of time, I cannot relate to you some unbelievable incidents that happened in our encounters with them in
Tora Bora and
Shahi Kot. Anyway, I start by reminding you of the defeat of the Worlds' largest Superpower at the hands of the
Mujahideen: the Soviet Union, which took place after ten years of fierce fighting carried out by the sons of the Afghans and whoever helped them from the sons of the Muslims, with Allah's Grace. Likewise, the defeat of the Russians in Chechnya when the Chechen Mujahideen accompanied by their Arab and Foreign brothers displayed examples of sacrifice and self-redemption and smashed the arrogance of the Russians, inflicting upon them defeat upon defeat. Thus, the Russians withdrew from Chechnya after the First War, only to return a second time with American backup and support, but yet they continue to suffer heavy defeats at the hands of a small believing group, and we ask Allah to make them firm and give victory to them. Likewise, let me remind you of the defeat of the American forces in
Beirut in 1982, soon after the
Israeli invasion of Lebanon, when the Lebanese resistance was personified by the truck laden with explosives that struck the main military base of the US Marines in Beirut, killing 242 soldiers - towards Hell was their destination and what an evil destination that is.
Then after the Second Gulf War, America deployed her forces to Somalia and killed over thirteen thousand sons of the Muslims therein, before the lions of Islam from amongst the 'Arab Afghans' and their brothers from that region pounced upon her and rubbed her arrogance into the dust, killing scores of them, destroying their tanks and downing their aircraft. Thus, America and her allies fled in the darkness of the night without disturbing the attention of anyone so Praise and Glory be to Allah for this. During that same period, the young Mujahideen prepared for them explosives in
Aden and after their detonation, the cowardly Americans ran away and fled the country in less than 24 hours. Then in 1995, the explosion in Riyadh took place, killing four Americans, in a clear message from the people of that region displaying their rejection and opposition to the American policy of bankrolling the Jews and occupying the Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries. The following year, another explosion in
Al-Khobar killed 19 Americans and wounded more than 400 of them, prompting them to move their bases from the cities to the desert. Then in 1998, the Mujahideen warned America to cease their support to the Jews and to leave the Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries, but the enemy refused to heed this warning, so the Mujahideen, with the ability from Allah, smashed them with two mighty smashes in East Africa. Then again America was warned, but she refused to pay attention to the warnings, so the Mujahideen destroyed the American Destroyer, the
USS Cole, in Aden, in a
martyrdom operation, striking a solid blow to the face of the American military and at the same time, exposing the
Yemeni Government as American agents, similar to all the countries in the region. Following that, the Mujahideen saw the black gang of thugs in the
White House hiding the Truth, and their stupid and foolish leader, who is elected and supported by his people, denying reality and proclaiming that we (the Mujahideen) were striking them because we were jealous of them (the Americans), whereas the reality is that we are striking them because of their evil and injustice in the whole of the Islamic World, especially in Iraq and Palestine and their occupation of the Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries. Upon seeing this, the Mujahideen decided teach them a lesson and to take the war to their heartland. On the blessed Tuesday 11 September 2001, while the
Zionist-American Alliance was targeting our children and our people in the blessed land of
Al-Aqsa, with American tanks and planes in the hands of the Jews, and our people in Iraq were suffering from the America's sanctions upon them, and the Islamic world was very far away from establishing Islam properly. While all of this was taking place and the Muslims were in a very miserable and disheartened state - except those upon whom Allah had Mercy - and from the injustice, darkness and aggression being carried out by the Zionist-American Alliance. While the nation of Uncle Sam was carrying out all this without any care or consideration, then came the youths with disheveled hair and dusty feet, those who were wanted and pursued all over the World. These youth who believed in their Lord so Allah provided them with Guidance and put constancy in their tongues and
Iman in their hearts so they stopped fearing for the Sake of Allah, the blame of any blamer. These youths, who were seeking what was with Allah, denying themselves of sleep, who poured out the water of life but did not pour out the water of dignity. So they launched their attacks with their planes in an unparalleled and magnificent feat of
valor, unmatched by any in humankind before them. They destroyed the idols of America, they struck at the very heart of the
Department of Defense and they hit the black heart of the US Economy, rubbing America's nose into the dust and rolling her arrogance and pride into mud. Yet with the destruction of the
Twin Towers in
New York, there occurred an even bigger destruction: that of the great American Dream and legend of
Democracy. It has now been made clear to all that American dignity and values are at the lowest level they have ever reached. The legend of being the land of freedom, the legend of being the safest and most secure place on Earth, and the legend of the
CIA, all these have been destroyed with the Help of Allah, so to Allah be Praise and Glory.
One of the many positive results from the retaliatory attacks on New York and Washington is that it has exposed the true characteristics of the Crusaders and revealed the extent of their hate towards the Muslims. These attacks took off the skin of the American wolf and they have been left standing in their filthy, naked reality. Thus the whole World awoke from its sleep and the Muslims realized the importance of the belief of loving and hating for the sake of Allah; the ties of brotherhood between the Muslims have become stronger, which is a very good sign and a great step towards the unity of Muslims and establishing the Righteous Islamic Khilafah insha-Allah. It has become clear to the American public that America, this great and oppressive power, can also be struck and disgraced. The American public is also now aware of what is happening in Palestine and that what happened to them in
Manhattan was because of the policies of the leaders that they elected. In conclusion, America is definitely a great power, with an unbelievable military strength and a vibrant economy, but all of these have been built on a very weak and hollow foundation. Therefore, it is very easy to target that flimsy base and concentrate on their weak points and even if we are able to target one tenth of these weak points, we will be able crush and destroy them and remove them from ruling and conquering the World. Thus, this small group of Muslims, by facing up to and standing in front of the international coalition against them and Islam, proved that it is possible to militarily fight against this Superpower and that they were able to protect their Religion and benefit the causes of their Ummah much more than what the governments and people of these fifty odd Islamic countries have done, because this small group chose the Path of Jihad as the way for the victory of the Religion, as
Abu Hilalah said: There are reasons for victory and for defeat as well, And every method that generates eternity is successful. The ways towards dignity are many but the shortest one is the one, That puts forward one's blood around its difficult path.
By the Grace of Allah, there are many examples of these champions in the Muslim Ummah, but most of them have been restrained, so we have to cooperate together to release these difficulties and restrictions so that they march towards Jihad in the Path of Allah because Jihad is the way to honor this Ummah and provide it security. As for the restrictions and obstacles preventing the youths of our Nation from marching to Jihad, then they are many in number so we will only discuss the important ones. I begin with mentioning to you an authentic hadith, whoever takes guidance from it benefits and whoever deviates from it is destroyed. The Prophet (SAWS) said: "Nations before you were destroyed because when a noble person amongst them stole, they would leave him alone, and when a poor, weak person amongst them stole, they would establish the penal punishment against him." (Sahih Al-Bukhari) So learn from this 0 you people of insight, and let me tell you about the story of the Islam of
Khalid bin Al-Waleed (RA), a story that released the blindness of the minds. It was said to Khalid after he accepted Islam quite later on: "Where was your mind 0 Khalid, in that you did not see the light of Prophethood in front of your very eyes, for 30 years?" Khalid replied, "We had in front of us men, whose aspirations and dreams we would consider as great as mountains." Imam Ahmad (RA) said: "From the lack understanding of a man is that he blindly follows his religion from other men." So the first of these restrictions and obstacles in our present time is the rulers and the witnesses of futility from amongst the evil government scholars, corrupt ministers, salaried writers and those similar to them. As for the leaders, the people already know about their weaknesses and their treachery. But as for those who press the people to pledge their hands into the hands of these leaders despite all of this, then we just want to ask them, "When did the masses actually pledge their allegiance to these leaders in the first place such that they are now being advised to renew their loyalty to them?" The truth is they never even pledged allegiance to them in the first place and the result, as you can see, is the oppression of the disbelievers upon us. It has been said: Those who betray in their affairs when the situation is difficult, then they will never be able to rectify their affairs when the situation is easy. So our difference with the leaders is not a minor disagreement that can be easily resolved; rather we are talking about the root of Islam which is
La ilaha illallah (There is no god but Allah) and the difference actually lies there. These leaders destroyed this statement and ignored it by allying themselves with the disbelievers, ruling by their own man-made laws and supporting and agreeing with the
atheist United Nations. Therefore, it is prohibited by
Shariah to pledge allegiance to them and to follow them, but we will not delve into this subject further here as we have already reminded the people of knowledge about this in the 15th Declaration of the Advice and Reformation Committee.
After all this, we ask that is it possible for a Muslim to say to the Muslims to pledge their hands into the hands of
Hamid Karzai and cooperate with him to establish Islam, lift oppression and cease the plans of America in their tracks?!! This is impossible because Karzai is an American agent and supporting him against the Muslims takes a person outside the fold of Islam. Here we have to ask ourselves: what is the difference between Karzai the non-Arab and Karzai the Arab? Who are the ones who implanted and established the rulers of the
Arabian Gulf? They are none other than the Crusaders, who appointed the Karzai of
Kabul, established the Karzai of
Pakistan, implanted the Karzai of
Kuwait and the Karzai of
Bahrain and the Karzai of
Qatar and others. And who are the ones who appointed the Karzai of Riyadh and brought him after he used to be a
bandit in Kuwait a long time ago in order to fight with them against the
Ottoman Empire and its leader,
Ibn Rasheed? They were none other than the Crusaders and they are continuing to enslave us up this very day!! Allah said: "Are your disbelievers (0
Quraish!) better than these (previous nations who were destroyed)? Or have you an immunity (against Our Torment) in the Divine Scriptures?" (Quran 43:54)
These traitors who want to solve our Islamic causes, including one of the most important causes of Palestine, under the rules and regulations of the United Nations or the orders of America, similar to the initiative launched by Crown Prince Abdullah in Beirut, in which he sold the blood of our martyrs and the Palestinian cause in order to satisfy the and assist the Jews and Americans against the Muslims. These leaders have betrayed Allah and His Messenger (SAWS), left the fold of Islam and betrayed the Muslim Nation. So as for those who want to solve these cases by these incapable traitors, then they are only tricking themselves and moreover they are fooling their Ummah. They are the ones who incline towards the oppressors and have gone astray a clear deviation. At the very best, those Muslims who raise such slogans are weak evil-doers so it is incumbent upon the Muslims to advise them, and if they do not accept the advice, then to warn and be warned against them. Likewise, it is necessary upon the Muslims to declare themselves free from these tyrannical leaders and it is not a secret that distancing oneself from a
tyrant is not just an optional action, but rather it is one of the two pillars of
Tawheed, and Iman cannot be established in the absence of either of them. Allah (SWT) said: "Whoever disbelieves in false deities and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, AUKnower." (Quran 2:256)
Regarding the evil government scholars, corrupt ministers, salaried writers and the likes, as it has been said that in every era there will be states with followers, so all these, they are from the followers of the state, who distort the Truth and testify to evil even inside the
Sacred House and in the Sacred Months. They implore the people that the treacherous rulers are our righteous guardians and that it is necessary to support them in order to keep our nation intact and firm. These people have deviated from the Path so it is obligatory to shun them and warn against them. Furthermore, the state emphasizes and displays these scholars on religious television programs where they give
fatawa in support of the system and try to show that the system is according to the rulings of Islam, just like the day when the King of the Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries allowed the Americans to enter this land. He ordered the scholars to give their fatawa, against the Religion, and these scholars played with the minds of the public, and because of the actions of this King, the traitor, the Ummah today is suffering from the problems and the fear as a result of when he opened the Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries to the disbelieving forces. Whoever studies the biographies of the true and righteous scholars during difficult times in the past, such as the life of
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (RA), will find vast differences between the scholars who act and the scholars who compromise; such as the stories that we can find in Siyar
A'laam An-Nubalaa' by Imam
Adh-Dhahabi. We raise our worldly life by tearing and ripping our religion, Eventually neither our religion will remain nor what we were raising.
As for the second obstacle, then it is those scholars and propagators who love the Truth and hate Falsehood, but they sit back from Jihad. These scholars saw Falsehood spreading and increasing so they attempted to revive the Truth by enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. As a result, Allah guided multitudes of people on their hands and they have done well, as naturally Falsehood will always feel discomfort in the presence of Truth and its people. Therefore, the oppressors restrained and frightened these scholars and propagators; banned them from delivering sermons and lectures; sacked them from their jobs and then imprisoned some of them if they continued to enjoin the good and forbid evil. Therefore, all of these measures forced them to deviate except whom Allah had Mercy on. Naturally, this is human nature as a person cannot make the correct decisions under extreme pressure, especially when his security is threatened, just like the Prophet (SAWS) said: "A judge cannot pass judgment between two people when he is angry." This refers to when he is angry, so what about when he is frightened? Thus, this state policy of fear and repression on the people has destroyed every aspect of life, including religion. The religion is sincere advice but there is no advice without security. This fear has divided the people into various groups and we will discuss some of them.
One group took the side of the leaders and gave their loyalty to the state. Another group thought that they would not be able to continue with their propagation and teaching, and that the future of their learning institutions and organizations, their own selves, homes and families was at stake; if they did not praise the tyrants, so they made an evil and false choice to compromise with the leaders, thus going astray and leading many others astray. As for the third group, Allah protected them from the threats of the treacherous leaders and compromising with them, so they remained steadfast under the banner of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil and they have carried out very thankful efforts in calling to Allah. However, due to the extreme measures mentioned earlier for which they had not prepared themselves, especially the pains of
Hijrah (migration) and Jihad, they suffered. Moreover, there was an excellent opportunity for these twenty years ago but they failed to benefit from it and so it resulted in their lack of ability to make the correct decision under these difficult situations. That is why we are still witnessing some of them, until now, holding back from Jihad and resistance to the enemy. The victory of this religion and its establishment requires many difficulties to be overcome and these characteristics are clear in the Book of Allah and in the Life of His Messenger (SAWS) and his Noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. Whoever fails to follow in these footsteps of theirs will not be able to establish the real victory of Islam as this path demands the biting of swords and the carrying of heads in the hands in the Path of Allah. These are the descriptions mentioned by Allah in the Quran: "0 you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion, Allah will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, fighting in the Way of Allah, and never afraid of the blame of the blamers. That is the Grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He wills. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower." (Quran 5:29) And in the incident that took place when the Prophet (SAWS) met
Waraqah bin Nawfal, who said to him: "Woe be to me, would that I be alive when the times comes when your people will turn against and expel you!" So the Prophet (SAWS) replied to him, "Will they really turn against and expel me?" Waraqah replied, "Yes, as there has never before come a man with the likes of what you have brought, except that he faced hostility. If I live to witness that day, then I will surely stand by you and support you." Therefore, the state of the one who wants to carry the religion with its right, is enmity from the people of Falsehood; and the state of the one who desires to establish the religion is exerting himself to the utmost with his own life and the lives of others, as Waraqah said: "If I live to witness that day. then I will surely stand by you and support you." Such was the state of the believers on the Day of the historic
Pledge of Aqabah: Thus, the victory of the religion cannot occur merely by the giving of lectures without sacrificing our time and our wealth as the commodity of Allah (Paradise) is expensive.
When Jihad becomes compulsory, there is a massive difference between sitting and giving lectures, and sacrificing lives and heads for the victory of the religion. That is why
Al-Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib, despite being on the religion of his forefathers, wanted to satisfy himself of the security of his nephew, the Prophet (SAWS) before he migrated to Madinah. He addressed the
Ansar saying, "you realty are a people of strength, power and knowledge of war, you will realize the hostility of the Arabs and that they will shoot at you from a single bow (unite to fight you) if you accept this man into your fold." So I say that these characteristics were necessary for the people of Iman to possess in order to protect the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) and they are necessary today to protect the religion of the Messenger of Allah (SAWS). Anyway, when Al-Abbas finished his address,
Al-Baraa bin Maroor said: "We have understood your words and if there was any doubt in our hearts, by Allah we would have said it, but we have chosen to be loyal and true and to protect the Messenger (SAWS) despite the consequences." So I say that this is the true religion, which can only be established by loyalty and truth despite any consequences that may come from adopting this way. And then when the people of Madinah stood up to pledge their allegiance,
As'ad bin Zararah said: "Wait, 0 people of Madinah! Before we pledge to him (SAWS) our livers of obedience, we should now that he is the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) and taking him into our fold today will mean incurring on us the enmity of all of the Arabs, the killing of the best of your men and your biting the swords. Therefore, if you are prepared to bear this then take him and your reward will be with Allah, and if you are afraid of not being able to bear this responsibility, then say so and leave him now and that will be more excusable for you before Allah!" Then they all replied in one voice: "0 As'ad, lower your hand from us for by Allah we will never break this pledge and nor will we
forsake it!" This is exactly what the Mujahideen are saying to the scholars and the propagators who love the Truth and do not compromise with Falsehood: You have raised the banner of the religion of Islam and you know that the religion of the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) is true, so your carrying of the religion with its rights means opposition to the governments of the Arabs and the non-Arabs in the entire World; the killing of the best of you and that you will bite the swords. So if you are able to bear that patiently, then protect this banner and your reward will be with Allah. And if you fear even an iota of weakness in yourselves, then leave the banner of defending and fighting and do not come in the way of the youths of the Ummah and Jihad in the Path of Allah, as that will be more excusable for you before Allah. So what is obligatory upon the Muslims in the face of this new Zionist-Crusader war against the Ummah of Islam? Allah said: "Then fight (0 Muhammad SAWS) in the Cause of Allah, you are not held responsible except for yourself, and incite the believers (to fight along with you), it may be that Allah will restrain the evil might of the disbelievers. And Allah is Stronger in Might and Stronger in punishing." (Quran 4:77)
The first compulsory obligation after Iman today is defending and fighting against the enemy aggressor. Sheikh-ul-Islam
Ibn Taymiyyah (RA) said: "As for defending against the enemy aggressor who spoils the religion and the worldly affairs, then there is nothing more obligatory after Iman then repelling him and there are no conditions for this ruling." So Jihad today is compulsory on the entire Ummah and she will remain in sin until she produces her sons, her wealth and her power to the extent of being able to wage Jihad and defend against the evil of the disbelievers upon all the Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere. It is obligatory upon the believers to wage Jihad in order to establish the Truth and eradicate Falsehood, to the utmost of their abilities. The Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said in Sahih Muslim: "So, whoever strives against them with his hand is a believer, and whoever strives against them by his heart is a believer, and whoever strives against them by his tongue is a believer, and beyond that there is not a mustard-seed's amount of faith."(Muslim) This great hadith categorizes all of the believers and since we are believers, we are Mujahideen in the Way of Allah for the victory of this religion. So as for the believer who stays back from Jihad with his hand and his tongue, then it is obligatory upon him to make Jihad with his heart and this entails hating the enemies of Allah and supplicating against them; supporting the believers and the Mujahideen, supplicating for them and letting them feel the brotherhood of Iman that connects us Muslims from the East to the West; and wishing sincerely in his heart to wage Jihad in the Path of Allah by his hand and his tongue, but this is the weakest of Iman. It is also necessary for him to boycott the products of America and her allies and he must especially be cautious from assisting Falsehood in any way as supporting the disbelievers against the Muslims, even with a single word, is clear
kufr (disbelief) as the scholars have mentioned. He or she must also be careful not to be amongst those about whom Allah said: "Those who are miserly and enjoin miserliness on other men..." (Quran 2:31) or from amongst those about whom Allah said: "Allah already knows those among you who keep back (men) from fighting in Allah's Cause, and those who say to their brethren 'Come here towards us,' while they (themselves) come not to the battle except a little." (Quran 30:10)
Therefore, he must not combine the major sin of sitting back from Jihad, with the major sin of betrayal. Although Jihad in person is obligatory upon the entire Ummah, then it is even more obligatory upon the youths in the prime of their lives than upon the old. Likewise, Jihad with wealth is more obligatory today upon the wealthy Muslims than on those who are not as wealthy as them. Part of Allah's Grace upon the Ummah today is that he has opened many breasts others to Jihad in His Way and the protection of His Religion and His servants, so it is obligatory upon the Ummah to assist them, encourage them and facilitate their affairs to that they can repel from the Ummah any oppression, betrayal or sin. Likewise, it is obligatory upon the Ummah to protect the Jihad that exists today and lend support to it with every means of power that it possesses, as this Jihad is a very valuable asset to us, as is the case in Palestine, Chechnya, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Indonesia, the Philippines and other Muslim lands. Despite the vicious attacks of the enemies, the banner of Jihad in these lands is not continuing to remain aloft except by the Grace of Allah, and the extreme efforts and sacrifices of the Mujahideen with their blood and skulls, we ask Allah to accept them amongst the martyrs. Furthermore, I convey to you glad tidings that the Jihad in Afghanistan is currently in a very good position and the conditions there are very favorable for the Mujahideen, with the Grace of Allah.
We are now in the second year of our fighting against the Americans and until now, America has not been able to fulfill her war objectives. On the contrary, she is now trapped inside the Afghan swamp. As for the victories that America experienced in the first few months of the war, after they captured the cities following the Mujahideen withdrawal from them, then it is no secret to general military experts and those specializing in Afghanistan in particular, that this was a tactical withdrawal in line with the nature of the Taliban Administration and the nature of the Afghans in their long history of guerrilla warfare. At that times, there was no organized army of the
Taliban that could have defended the cities, but now, with Allah's Grace, the Afghans have re-organized themselves to the utmost of their ability and they have dug themselves in for a long guerrilla war from the deep, rugged and harsh mountains of Afghanistan, using similar tactics that they employed against the Soviet Union, with Allah's Grace. They are using those same tactics against the Americans and with the rate of operations having reached two every day, the Americans are in real problems now. They are not able to protect their forces and nor are they able to bring stability to the country, let alone protecting the leader and protecting the public. By Allah's Grace, during this last year, all of the Mujahideen have united their forces and all are extremely enthusiastic for Jihad, realizing that Jihad against the Americans is obligatory upon them. If it was not for a lack of resources, then they would have increased their rate of operations to ten every day, just like in the previous Jihad against the Russians, and the Americans would never be able to bear this, but presently it is not possible.
Therefore, it is a compulsive obligation upon the Ummah today to lend assistance to the Jihad in Afghanistan because it is one of the most important arenas of Jihad. Furthermore, we must concentrate on removing the Americans from Afghanistan, for defeating them in Afghanistan will be the beginning of the end of America insha-Allah. With the Permission of Allah, you will not be attacked from our direction and the direction of our brothers from the Afghan Mujahideen, so we hope that we are not attacked from your direction. The Ummah today is in an era from amongst the eras of Allah, in which it must not weaken nor tire nor transgress. Rather, it must unite the ranks of the Muslims against the ranks of the disbelievers and it must seek repentance from its minor and major sins, just as important it is for the Ummah in this difficult time, which is no small matter, to shun a life of play, amusement, extravagance and fun, and prepare itself for the real life of killing, fighting, striking and damaging.
Think about what Sheikfa-ul-Islam (RA) said in a similar type of situation to which we are in now: "Know, may Allah reform you, that it has been confirmed from many sources that the Prophet (SAWS) said: "There will never seize to exist a group from my Ummah, fighting for the decree of Allah over-powering their enemy, they will not be harmed by those who oppose them, until the hour approaches them and they are upon it (i.e. fighting for the truth).' (Muslim) So this difficult situation divides the people into three types. The first type is the Victorious Party and they are the Mujahideen against the evil people. The second type is the Opposing Party, who make clear their opposition to Islam. The third type is the Treacherous Party, and they are the ones who sit back from Jihad, even if their Islam is correct. So let every man chose whether he will be with the Victorious Party or the Opposing Party or the Treacherous Party, and there is no fourth type." He continued, saying: "By Allah, even if the Foremost Vanguard of the Muslims from amongst the Emigrants and the Helpers, like Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali and others, were present with us in this time, the best of their actions would be to wage Jihad against this nation of criminals and no-one misses an opportunity like this except that his trade incurs losses, his self is humiliated and he deprives himself of a good portion of both his worldly life and his Hereafter."
Therefore, I advise the youths to exercise their minds in the Jihad as they are the first ones upon whom Jihad is obligatory, just like
Ash-Shatibi (RA) pointed out. So know that targeting the Americans and the Jews by killing them in any comer of the Earth, is the greatest of obligations and the most excellent of ways to gain nearness to Allah. Furthermore, I advise the youths to use their intelligence in killing them secretly. I also congratulate you all, and our brothers in Palestine in particular, that your Mujahideen brothers are continuing firm upon the path of Jihad in targeting the Jews and the Americans and that we will never abandon or forsake you, so continue with the blessings of Allah for we are with you. Before I end, I incite myself and my believing brothers to Jihad by the words: And most surely this year will I lead my steed and hurl It and my soul, at one of the targets. So 0 my Lord if my demise has come, then let it not be Upon a bier draped with green mantles. But let my grave be an eagle's belly, its resting place In the sky's atmosphere amongst perched eagles. And I become a martyr, dwelling amongst a band, Attacked in a level mountain pass of the Earth. Knights of Qahtaan; devoutness to Allah Has joined them together, they descend when the armies meet. When they depart from their Worldly life, they depart from the harm And reach the appointment found in the scriptures.
Finally, I advise myself and my Muslim brothers with the fear of Allah in secret and in open, to increase in supplications and humble themselves before Allah. Perhaps Allah may accept our repentance, relieve our calamity and release our imprisoned brothers from the hands of the Americans and their agents, especially the two Sheikhs, Umar Abdur-Rahman and Saeed bin Zuair, and our brothers in Guantanamo Bay. May Allah make firm the Mujahideen in Palestine and in all the other Muslim lands. May He help us against our enemy. I also advise myself and you with increasing in Allah's remembrance and reciting the Quran with pondering and reflection, for in it is a reminder, cure, guidance and mercy. Allah says: "0 mankind! There has come to you a good advice from your Lord (the Quran) and a healing for that (disease of ignorance etc.) in your breasts, - a guidance and a mercy for the believers." (Quran 9:55) Our Lord, give us the good in this life, the good in the Hereafter, and save us from the Fire of Hell. "And Allah will overcome with all His Affairs, but most of men know not." (Quran 15:18) And the last of our prayers are Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
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http://aljazeera.net/news/asia/2003/2/2-16-4.htm