Al Risalah - Issue 2

Editor’s Note
As Salaamu’alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,
All praises due to Allah. We welcome you back for the second install-
ment of Al-Risalah, a magazine by the Mujahideen in the blessed land
of Shaam. The Mujahideen in Shaam, your humble brothers in Islam,
are working hard to help you (and ourselves) better understand the na-
ture of this Jihad as well as many of the core principles of our religion.
Our aim is to present to you a truthful image of the Jihad in Syria and
an accurate representation of the many groups in Shaam.
It is a pity that many of the Muslims of today neither believe in nor want
to participate in the Jihad in Syria (and other places across the globe)
and that the image of certain groups has been tarnished by the Western
media (and sell out scholars). Therefore, it is one of our aims to repair
the damage done and to set things right - to show the world that we, the
Mujahideen, are largely misunderstood and that we are not whom they
are made to think we are. At the same time, we’d like to make it abun- “As for the ignorant follower, then
dantly clear that there will be no compromise. In no way, shape or form
are we willing to water down our Islam or become lenient toward our
do not pay attention to him.
enemies. Unlike the extremists and the Murji’ah1 we take the middle Do not allow his insults to offend
path, as Allah tells us in the glorious Qur’an:
you, nor his takfir, nor his declaring
﴾And thus We have made you a moderate nation that you will
be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness
of you misguided.
over you...﴿ {2:143}
Islam is a religion of justice and as such, the Mujahideen stand for noth- Certainly, it is like the barking of a
ing less. The Western world has failed its people time and time again
but the Mujahideen, the men of Allah, the torch bearers of La ilaaha
dog, so do not make the dog im-
illallaah, are here to help the people, if only they knew it. Therefore, to portant by responding to it every
those of you whom are sincere, know that we only want what’s best for
you and the rest of mankind. Allah says: time it barks at you.
﴾You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind.
You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Leave it in delight with its barking.”
Allah.﴿ {3:110}
Both the Muslims and the Kuffar know that the final victo-
ry is with the believers, by the permission of Allah. However, Ibn al Qayyim
to attain such a victory over our enemies and to be taken as al-Sawa’iq al Mursalah 3/1158
martyrs on the battlefield, we must prepare ourselves physically,
mentally and spiritually. Therefore, let us ponder upon this no-
tion, this eloquent saying - a phrase that’s very concise but holds a
great amount of meaning:
Victory Loves Preparation
1
An early sect in the history of Islam and an opponent to the Khawaarij; they went to the opposite extreme
concerning Iman and claimed that even the biggest sinner (as long as the sin doesn’t reach the level of kufr or
shirk) is a complete and perfect believer.
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In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, fall as a martyr on the battlefield, facing the
“AND KNOW THAT THE MUJAHID DOES NOT

UNTIE HIS BOOTS UNTIL HIS WEDDING DAY
the Merciful. enemy. In this regard Allah has said:
“Whoever finds good should praise Allah ﴾If a wound should touch you - there has
and whoever finds other than that should already touched the [opposing] people a
only blame himself.” wound similar to it. And these days [of
(Hadith Qudsi - Muslim) varying conditions] We alternate among
WITH THE HUR AL-AYN”

YOUR WEAPON
the people so that Allah may make evident
In order for us to understand the status and those who believe and [may] take to Himself
rank of jihad, we have to understand what from among your martyrs - and Allah does
is connected to this great deed. Jihad is the not like the wrongdoers﴿ {3:140}
peak of Islam and the best intentional deed
a Muslim can do in order to seek the pleas- Know, may Allah guide you, that Allah will
ure of his Lord. The Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ test you in order for you to realise who you
said: “Jihad is the peak of Islam.” (Tirmidhi) really are; after which you will understand
why Allah has chosen whom He has chosen
Abu Hurairah (radi Allahu anhu) narrated as a martyr.
that a man said: “O Messenger of Allah,
show me a deed that equals jihad.” The Remember, may Allah protect you, that you
Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said: “I can’t find (anything to will only escape from the traps of Iblis and
equal it).” (Bukhari and Muslim) achieve this martyrdom if you have piety,
faith and trust in Allah.
As it is well known that a person doesn’t Never forget that Allah says:
reach the peak of a mountain until he has
undergone some physical and mental pain, ﴾And whoever fears Allah - He will make for
it’s the same with jihad; except that in jihad him a way out and will provide for him from
we have to make sure that these aspects of where he does not expect. And whoever relies
pain, suffering and sacrifice are all for the upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him.
sake of Allah, whether we reach our goal or Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose.
Allah has already set for everything a [decreed]
not. In a narration by Anas (ra), the Prophet
extent﴿ {65:2-3}
‫ ﷺ‬said: “Indeed the great reward is with
the great test.” (Tirmidhi)
O brothers, stand firm and fight the enemy,
whoever and wherever they are, as Allah has
So for those of us who seek the
said:
greatest reward, we need to pre-
pare for the greatest test.
﴾And do not weaken in pursuit of the enemy. If
you should be suffering - so are they suffering
Be aware, may Allah as you are suffering, but you expect from Allah
shower you with His that which they expect not. And Allah is ever
mercy, that Iblis is Knowing and Wise﴿ {4:104}
going to send you
his troops. They Indeed, what we hope from the Almighty
will open for you is something that our eyes have never
any possible seen and our ears have never heard. It was
door of narrated from Abu Hurairah (ra) that the
suspicion Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said: “Allah says: ‘I have pre-
and desires. pared for My righteous slaves that which
They will whis- no eye has seen, no ear has heard and
per through your it has never crossed the mind of man...”
loved ones, dishonour (Bukhari (3072) and Muslim (2824)). This is
you through society, confuse something we simply cannot imagine, it is
you through the scholars, weaken you impossible!
through the mistakes of the Mujahideen,
scar you with the power and punishment So raise your weapon! Fasten your boots!
of the infidels, promise you poverty and
failure and worst of all, make you lose And know that the Mujahid does not untie
faith that Allah is with you. They will his boots until his wedding day with the Hur
never stop trying to seduce you until you al-ayn.
AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION | 7

LEVEL FOUR VERTIGO
It was a night like any other. I arrived Approximately two hours later, as I was deep in thought and con-
back at the base after having spent templation about my life, I heard something whirring and then a
the evening with some friends, and massive whoosh!! It was a rocket but the sound it made was unlike
as I had ribaat in a few hours time, anything I had ever heard before. It was fired right into the middle
I decided to get some rest so that I of our villa and the whole building shook! At first I immediately
could function properly and not fall thought, Bashar’s hopeless planes got lucky this time and actually
asleep whilst on duty. As I lay down hit it’s target!
on my bed waiting to drift off, I no-
ticed that Abu Firdous was seated on Whizz!! Whizz!! “AHHH!!”
his bed reciting the Qur’an and Khalil, I shouted in pain as hot pieces of shrapnel hit my back. I immedi-
RESILIENCE
“Everything had been
a youngster from Brighton, United ately felt the burning sensation and it was unbearable! I quickly
Kingdom, was listening to a lecture got up from my seat and removed the blanket that I had over my Our base was left in ruins. Everything had been destroyed and my
on his phone. This was the last time head (it was a cold night). As soon as I took it off, I asked myself companions, my dear brothers were gone. Khalil and Abu Firdous were
that I saw them both, engaging in why I had done that. I started to cough violently as there was gas taken as Shuhada - may Allah accept them both. I enquired about Abu destroyed and my
ibadah. everywhere. So much gas but why? I started to choke. I was really Ubaydah Bengali and was told that he, along with Abu Muslim and companions, my dear
struggling to breathe and coughing very hard. In these moments I Abu Dujana, the two British Bengali brothers, were also gone. In total,
My eyes opened to the voice of Abu thought: so this is how I’m going to die, death by gas. Suddenly, I thirteen brothers had been killed from our villa and a further thir- brothers were gone.
Ubaydah Bengali, a brother from the heard another rocket coming my way and as it raced through the ty martyred at another villa not far from our base. Subhan’Allah! My Khalil and Abu Firdous
UK, telling me that it was time to get air, I realised that it wasn’t Bashar that was bombing us. BOOM!! fellow Aussie countryman, a revert brother who used to be a part of
up for ribaat. It was 2am and I was The second rocket exploded and the force of the explosion sent me a motorcycle gang was staying overnight at the other villa. He wasn’t were taken as Shuha-
absolutely shattered but I had no one flying off the fourth floor. supposed to be there but he stayed over as he had to go to a hospital in
Bab al-Hawa the next day. What an end to an amazing journey for this
da - may Allah accept
to blame but myself for going to bed
so late. It took me about thirty min- As I fell through the air, I was relieved that I was no longer suf- brother as he had been in Syria since the early days of the revolution. them both.”
utes to finally arrive on level four focating but it quickly dawned on me that this was it. There was
where Abu Ubaydah was manning the no coming back from this fall. This was it - my spectacular ending All of my military equipment and personal belongings worth over
ribaat post. I was expecting him to be - death by fall. What a painful way to go out! Everything sudden- twenty thousand dollars had been obliterated, but alhamdulilaah
annoyed at the fact that I had taken ly went black for me and the next thing I remember was being we were still alive and ready to pick up the pieces. We were ready to
so long, but alhamdulilaah my punc- awoken by a brother on the driveway. I was shocked that I was continue waging jihad against the crusaders and the extremists alike.
tuality wasn’t an issue. I apologised still alive and as I got up from the ground I was craving a bottle of Destroying our bases and killing the brothers may, at face value, look
to him and asked him why he didn’t water. The brother who had helped me get up started to weep and like a victory for the kuffar but it’s the Mujahideen such as Abu Muslim
go to bed. He kindly replied, “It’s okay I said to him, “I’m okay. I just need some water.” He gave me a look and young Khalil that were truly triumphant that night. As I lay on my
bro, I don’t care.” Now that I look back that indicated that I didn’t know what I was talking about. In that hospital bed, the events of that morning danced around my mind: the
on it, I wish I had known that this was moment I looked down at my body and that’s when everything deafening blasts, the gas, the fall, the bone, the Shuhada...
going to be the last time that I would got really gruesome. My bone was popping out of my arm and as Oh the Shuhada...what blessed individuals! I ask Allah to accept them
see him because wallahi he was such I tried to take a few steps forward I realised that there was some- all and to grant us victory over the Crusaders, Bashar, his allies and the
an amazing brother. thing seriously wrong with my leg. It was broken... extremists, ameen. Ibrahim Kamara also known as Khalil al-Britani
ABU TOMAHAWK
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Can you introduce yourself? Now, fourteen years later I defi-
nitely realise the importance
As Salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa
of being a Muslim (as opposed
barakatuhu. My name is Hamza Australi, from
to simply ‘believing’ or having
Queensland, Australia. I’ve been a member of
‘faith’ in Allah alone). From the
Al-Qaeda for approximately fourteen years
moment we wake up, until the
– since mid-2001 until today. I’m current-
moment we go to sleep, being a
ly in Syria as a member of Al-Qaeda Central
Muslim isn’t just praying the five
(AQC), working on their behalf with Jabhat
prayers, fasting in Ramadan, pay-
al-Nusra.
ing zakah and sadaqah. But rath-
er being a Muslim is your whole
Who is Hamza Australi? way of life – your character, the
way you treat people – basical-
I’ve been a Muslim for over fourteen years.
I embraced Islam in Afghanistan in July/ ly every aspect of your life has
August 2001, a month or two before 9/11 to be controlled and under the
(referring here to the blessed attacks on the influence of Islam. That’s why I
Twin Towers, New York, and on the Pentagon, didn’t want to embrace Islam in
Washington DC). I was involved in fighting Australia, because as we can see,
in the invasion (the US-led invasion in late many of the Muslims there (and
2001) of Afghanistan in Kandahar, and then elsewhere in the West) are living
in Tora Bora in January/February 2002. Then in great ignorance (indulging in
from 2003 until 2014 I was in Waziristan haram) and I didn’t want that. I
and Afghanistan. Alhamdulillah, I consider decided that if I was going to be
myself very loyal to Al-Qaeda. I consider my- a Muslim, I needed to be living
self as a member of Al-Qaeda who has come under the pure Shari’ah, with the
to Syria to aid Jabhat al-Nusra and help the Mujahideen in Al-Qaeda and the
Muslims in Syria. I have been married for ten Taliban.
years and have a family here. We have two
young children. I’m really happy to be here “it’s When I went to Afghanistan, I
went with absolutely nothing –
as a member of Al-Qaeda, as a Mujahid, but
most importantly as a Muslim. obligatory I refused to take anything with
upon us to me. When I arrived in Kandahar I

threw my only possessions away
Embracing Islam at the hands fight jihad – the clothes that I had on my
back, and I changed into Islamic
of the Taliban and to es- clothes (i.e. the traditional dress
of the Afghanis, which is similar
I embraced Islam in Afghanistan…it’s a funny
story, and actually (the brothers in) Al-Qaeda
found it hilarious! I went to Kandahar and
tablish an to that of the Pakistanis as well)
within the first hour. So from the
said that I was ready to go to the front lines
and be a Mujahid and fight with the broth-
Islamic first day I became a Muslim, I had
absolutely no possessions apart
ers in the Taliban, so they said, “Listen! You
have to be a Muslim first!” I replied that I
Caliphate, from the clothes I had on, which
were given to me by the Taliban.
didn’t need Islam because I had faith in Al-
lah. But they insisted, “You have to learn the
this being I was really happy as I had left all
(traces of) kufr (disbelief, the op-
religion.” So I said, “I always thought I’d end
up a Muslim, but I wasn’t sure how to go
our ultimate posite of Iman) behind me, and
become a new Muslim with the
about it, but now since that you’re asking – I
will!” So I embraced Islam.
goal” Mujahideen…I was like a ‘baby’
Muslim! (Smiles)

What are our goals as Mujahideen? called Mujahideen, even if we are trained to a higher
Well, it’s obligatory upon us to fight jihad and to es- standard.
tablish an Islamic Caliphate, this being our ultimate
goal. We will make no compromise to the Qur’an and Jaish Nusra is a military force that is going back to
Sunnah, (and will not stop until our goal is reached;) the old style of fighting that Jabhat al-Nusra first
other than (implementing the) full Shari’ah. But you became renowned for in the beginning of the Syrian
have to understand there’s a way of implementing War. Doing very strong assaults, strong ‘shock and
this – which is the way of the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬and the awe’ tactics…hit the enemy with force. We go into
Sahaba, and (then) you have the way of the Islamic areas that the enemy doesn’t expect, and show the
State group. These ways can be corrupted, especially enemies of Allah that Jaish Nusra is here to stay, and
with the takfir methodology and ideology. if we enter into a battle we’re here to stay until it’s
victory or Shahada.
One of the greatest things about IS is that before
people saw Al-Qaeda and the Mujahideen (in gen- Things are always improving with Jaish Nusra. We’ve
eral) as the extremists, and those that abstain from had some defeats and we’ve had some really good
jihad as the normal ‘moderate’ Muslims (following successes, but the important thing is that we learn
the middle-way). from our mistakes and improve. And I have no doubt
But now the truth has come out – the Mujahideen that Jaish Nusra will continue to get better and
are in fact upon the correct and ‘moderate’ path, stronger, in’shaa’Allah.
with IS being the extremists. So I think that IS is a
blessing in disguise for the Muslim Ummah.
As the nature of your training would in-
What’s your current role here in dicate - is there going to be a shift from
Syria? I was sent from AQC to assist with Jabhat semi-conventional to guerrilla warfare
al-Nusra, I’m working with Jaish Nusra as a military
trainer and advisor. Training tactically, working in
tactics? I insist that Jabhat al-Nusra trains the
brothers in the highest standards of guerrilla warfare
small…I hate to use the word ‘Commandos’…high
(tactics) because I believe that if they can handle the
standard infantry tactics, long range patrols, recon-
harshest, most difficult, and most intense military
naissance patrols, ambushing, raids, sabotage, ha-
situations, then they will be able to handle any other
rassment behind enemy lines, reaction to combat,
situation with more ease. As they say: “Train hard,
how to fight with the enemy in a guerrilla warfare
fight easy.”
scenario, targeting convoys, targeting installations
behind enemy lines with no support, and so on. These
I think the war in Syria is going to be a lot more con-
were some of the things I trained in for a number of
ventional as time goes on, but I also think that con-
years with the Australian military, and then experi-
ventional and guerrilla warfare needs to go hand-in-
enced (in the battlefield) for almost fifteen years in
hand, and are both as important as each other. So it
Afghanistan (and here in Syria). I’m also involved in
really depends on a particular situation, if an army
military operations…I’m a trainer who still loves to
can easily switch between the two at any time in any
fight (smiles). Any chance I get to fight I’m certainly
situation this would make them a formidable force.
there, and any input, then I am certainly there.
So although we train extensively in guerrilla tactics,
we also recognise that the brothers need to have a
full array of knowledge of all the light, medium, and
How does Jaish Nusra differ from heavy weapons available (to us), and also good mili-
tary awareness. In’shaa‘Allah we will have to go with
Jabhat al-Nusra? Jabhat al-Nusra is the or- the flow.
ganisation as a whole, while Jaish Nusra is a purely
military force (wing). I hate to use the names ‘Special
Forces’ or ‘Commandos’; I think that we should be
and raids on Afghani (apostate Northern Alliance hands, in the rain and mud, some of the top lead- if you were a stranger or a traveller along a path.”
Can you tell us about your time and others of their like), American and NATO forc- ers of Al-Qaeda’s houses to stop the rain coming (Sahih al-Bukhari) After that I joined the army (in
in Afghanistan? I first arrived and went es in Afghanistan. Most of my work was fighting
with (alongside) the brothers, through this I got to
in. You can clearly see they’re in a class by them-
selves, and I have no doubt that they are (sincerely
an attempt) to live like a traveller. During this time
I was guided (closer) to Islam through dreams and
straight to the Taliban. They then sent me (almost)
know most of the leaders of Al-Qaeda (that were – and Allah knows them best) fighting for Islam, everyday life in general. I was attracted to Islam
straight away to Al-Qaeda, where I embraced Islam
there at that time) quite closely – Abu Yahya al-Li- because of all the hardships and trouble they’ve in my heart, but especially to the Mujahideen and
and met some of the most amazing brothers…I’ve
bi, Sheikh Mahmood, Hafiz Sultan, Mustafa Sa’eed, been through – the bombings, the loss of lives and jihad, and some of the players (at that time) such
never seen generosity like
The road to depression and suicide: a fitting end for
families, living as fugitives, but also trying to con- as Sheikh Usama (may Allah have mercy upon him)
they showed me before
those who fight the religion of Allah duct jihad at the same time! With little wealth and and the Taliban, also Khattab (may Allah have mer-
(or after). When I arrived I
help from outside. cy upon him) in Chechnya and the brothers with
hadn’t eaten for two days,
him. I then realised that we were on the same
so I reached to Kandahar
It’s fixed my heart close to Al-Qaeda after seeing path…but I was still in the kuffar army!
in pretty bad shape. The
these things with my own eyes. And I believe their
brothers there were so
generous…it was a big
intentions have always been to do the best for Is-
lam and to establish a (legitimate) Islamic Caliphate
How did you find the Taliban during
wake-up call to see how
Muslims are and how they
for all of the Muslims to live under a full Shari’ah your stay in Afghanistan? I have noth-
without any compromises. I’ve seen throughout all ing but praise for the Taliban, although we have
should be. From that time
of my years with them nothing short of this. I really had some differences through the years…but
to now, it’s just gotten
believe that Allah will (if He wills) bestow upon us they’ve only been due to our cultural differenc-
better and better.
(the Muslims) through the hands of Al-Qaeda and es because of our being from different countries.
When I first got to Af-
the sincere Mujahideen a (truly) Islamic Caliphate. When I first arrived in Afghanistan I was a bit wary
ghanistan, the first thing
of the Taliban, but when I explained my story to
I was enjoined to do was
them – that I had left kufr for good and was on my
learn the religion and how
to speak Arabic, which was
“Be in the world as if you way to seeking the truth, they treated me with the
quite important because
on the battlefield you
were a stranger or a trav- highest degree of hospitality; they paid for every-
thing and they arranged everything for me. They
have to be able to com-
municate. I didn’t actual-
eller along a path” didn’t even know me at the time (I was still a kaf-
ir), they just saw someone in trouble trying to get
into contact with the Mujahideen. I was absolutely
ly do any training for the
shocked. And from that day on, throughout all of
first few years (as I was al-
the years the Taliban have been…I consider them
ready an experienced sol-
dier), because after the in-
What caused you to go to Afghani- my very close brothers (in Afghanistan and Wa-
vasion (of Afghanistan) by stan? I found it hard to fit in with the Australian ziristan) and I have nothing but love and respect
for them, especially the Leader of the Faithful (Amir
the US I was basically on society – it was quite difficult for me. So after years
of living there, when I got older I felt as if I wasn’t al-Mu’mineen) - Muhammad Mulla Umar (may Al-
the front line in Kandahar
meant to be in Australia. I couldn’t connect with lah have mercy on him), and all of their leadership.
from day-one. Then from
the people or their way-of-life, and I found myself I wholly endorse them along with Sheikh az-Zawa-
Kandahar to Tora Bora,
alone after some problems with drugs and alcohol hiri and all the others leaders of Al-Qaeda. In fact,
through to Waziristan
at about twenty-one years old. At this time I was I miss them quite a bit. Me and my family have
I didn’t really get much
seeking, and asked for help from Allah the Exalted. become quite attached to the Taliban over all of
chance. However, after a
I didn’t (at the time) know the Islamic view of who the years, and we miss them a lot, and would love
while I was able to take
Allah is, but I had my own view of Allah, and (lat- to return there if Allah has written (decreed) it for
many (military training)
er found out) that wasn’t much different from the us. I would just like to give my ‘Salam’ to all the
courses. I spent most of my time fighting, espe-
etc. They’ve all been a real example of how Muslim Islamic view. sincere brothers in Waziristan and Afghanistan in
cially in the early years – being involved in ‘hit-
leaders should be…they live poor (zuhd) and aus- the Taliban fighting alongside Al-Qaeda.
and-run’ operations from Waziristan into Afghan-
tere. I’ve been in some of the biggest commanders I realised that this world was just a short brief time
istan, sometimes actually staying in Afghanistan
of Al-Qaeda houses and been shocked at the state here, and the truth is with Allah. So the best thing
for a few weeks or months at a time to conduct
(the simplicity) of their houses. I’ve helped them, for me was to not waste any time in this dunya, as
operations there. We conducted operations from
in the middle of the night to repair with our own the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said: “Be in the world as
artillery (mortar) strikes, to ambushes, to assaults
A CALL FROM USAMA
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say to us that they heard all of the propaganda from
How was the relationship between the West about the Mujahideen but they actually How does fighting the army of Bashar
the Afghans, Waziristanis and the for- found (almost) the exact opposite. differ from fighting the Americans?
eigners (muhajireen)? Al-Qaeda as an organisation along with the Taliban…
Here in Syria it’s obvious that the Syrian Army (delib-
erately) targets Sunni Muslims; children, women, mar-
Actually, in Afghanistan and Waziristan they were very all of us as Mujahideen, distance ourselves greatly from kets, and schools, with almost ninety-nine per cent
receptive to all the foreigners. They realised that we’d the takfir (extremism) methodology and ideology. We of their (rockets and bombs) landing on civilian areas.
all left our countries to join the Islamic Emirate (of Af- see the Ummah as one, and in a very precarious state. This is happening on a daily-basis all over Syria, and
ghanistan), being the best thing for us and our fami- So we are trying to bring the Muslim Ummah into a I’ve seen this with my own eyes, when barrels (barrel
lies to make hijrah (migration for the sake of Allah) to Af- new age of Islamic honour, and not to differentiate bombs) have dropped on the markets and no one had
ghanistan. Although many of them may not understand and feel that those that don’t come up to the ‘stan- been killed but women and children. Bashar al-Assad,
much about the outside world, they did understand that dard’ of certain people are kuffar and/or apostates. We in my view is worse, with a more violent and twisted
our countries are very far from Islamic, so we as Muslims look at everything Islamically and try to act according- view and policy towards the Muslims than America
were only trying to live as Muslims, not as Australians ly. And if Al-Qaeda did take any path different to the have. Tactically speaking, fighting Bashar is a lot easier
or British…We were trying to live under the authority Qur’an and Sunnah, then I’d be the first to leave them, than fighting the Americans.
of Islam. And we were all brothers in Islam regardless of along with many others.
origin; they treated all of us with the greatest of respect,
hospitality and love. We lived there with the full support
of the people…99% of them. And they would be more Are there any important lessons that Can you tell us any memorable inci-
dents from your time in jihad? I have a
endeared to a foreign Muslim who is pious than an Af-
ghani who is a sinner. They understood that Islam is the
you feel we can learn from the Af- big personal story-nothing military; we lost a family
most important thing. ghan Jihad that can benefit us here member…My best friend was killed in a drone attack,
with his wife being pregnant at the time. Two months
in Shaam? Yes, that is a very good question. It’s after she gave birth to a baby boy we got married. Af-
How did you find the Taliban and obligatory on us that if we see something wrong, we ter five years, this young boy, Talhah, who I considered
have to have the patience and the mercy to guide
Al-Qaeda dealing with the general those who have been led astray, back to the (straight)
to be my own son, passed away in 2006 from pneu-
monia. He got sick in the winter, and then went from
masses of the Muslims, who may have path of Islam. And I believe that Allah would be more being a very healthy boy to passing away in three days.
pleased with me if I call an ignorant individual back
had sins or innovations in their prac- to Islam, or from being a sinner to a Mujahid, than
It was a big test, even after all the hardships, and see-
ing friends killed, nothing compares to losing a child
tice of Islam? One of the biggest shocks for me for me to consider him an apostate and kill him, as
do the takfiris such as IS. I truly believe that Al-Qae-
whom you and your wife dearly love. This was without
was the way Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the Mujahideen a doubt the biggest and most memorable incident in
dealt with the general population in Afghanistan and da’s methodology is the right way, the way of mercy, my life…It took me years to get over it and even now
Waziristan. It was nothing short of pure diplomacy; dip- the way of forgiveness, the way of da’wah, the way of I’m still not over it completely.
lomatic in the most Islamic and merciful way. strength…and strength is not just in killing. Of course
we have enemies who are fighting us and they must I’ve also seen many other things over the years, many
You have to understand that in the past fourteen years be dealt with, but at the same time we are also merci- of my good friends have been killed just meters away
Al-Qaeda has undergone huge bombing campaigns, hit- ful and just. Everything that we do in Al-Qaeda must from me. However, that’s not even really a bad thing,
ting thousands of Mujahideen as well as Afghani wom- be for the benefit of the Muslim Ummah. If the killing when you see your friend getting ready to go into an
en, children and elderly. However, they still sided with of the enemy of Allah is in the interest of the Ummah operation, saying: “I don’t want to come back from
the Mujahideen. Can you believe that the support for then so be it, at the same time if the help, support this operation…I want to get Shahada”, and then you
the Mujahideen never dwindled? You would think that and guidance of members of the Muslim Ummah that see them go into the operation and come out as a
after all of the bombing the people would tell the Muja- have gone astray is in our best interest, then so be it. Shaheed with a smile on his face, it’s not a bad thing.
hideen to leave. But they lived with the Mujahideen and Of course it is pretty obvious that if we kill half of the
could see who they were, and this is what garnered their Muslim Ummah as Baghdadi’s group attempts, then
support for them, so much so that after their women this is not in the best interest of the Muslim Ummah.
and children died they didn’t dwindle in their support, That’s pretty clear…What Muslim Ummah would there
but rather would seek other ways in which they could be if we kill them all? Are we here to fix the Muslim
help the Mujahideen. This is a sign that the people knew Ummah, or are we here to destroy the Muslim Um-
who we are and what we were fighting for. They used to mah?

there be no mistake about it though, it is not easy FOURTH MEANING OF VICTORY:
leaving your wife and children behind. It is extremely VICTORY AGAINST THE DISCOURAGERS:
difficult to part ways with your mother and father
When you go out fi Sabeelillah, you have achieved
and to give up all of that wealth you have accumu-
victory against those who have tried to discour-
lated, for the sake of Allah. None of this is easy, but
age you from jihad fi Sabeelillah. They speak your
it’s necessary if one desires honour and martyrdom.
tongue and claim to be Muslim but they twist the
Who wants to leave the comfort of their home to
go and sleep in tents and on rough surfaces in the
evidence from becoming a Mujahid. Allah says
freezing cold? These eight obstacles are great tests about them: ﴾If they had come out with you, they would
not have added to your strength but only made disorder
for the Mujahid and if he is sincere he will persevere,
for you, spreading corruption and sowing sedition among
The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said: “If the people of ash-Shaam become bi’ithnillah.
you, and there would have been some among you who
corrupt, then there is no good in you. [And] there will never cease to
would have listened to them. But Allah knows well those
exist a party from my Ummah that is victorious, not caring about SECOND MEANING OF VICTORY: DEFEAT who do wrong﴿ {9:47}
those who abandon them, until the Hour is established.”
(Ahmad, 19473)
AGAINST SHAYTAN
If a Muslim goes out fi Sabeelillah, then he has achieved
victory against the Shaytan. Abu Hurairah (ra) narrates These people can come in the form of sheikhs and
W e shouldn’t limit victory to the customary and

linguistic application of victory. Islam gave a
new definition for this word; Islam modifies many of
that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said: “Shaytan tried to
prevent you from seeking the path of Iman and told you,
they will tell you that it is not the time for jihad fi
Sabeelillah, and because they are scholars you would
‘Are you going to leave your religion and the religion of listen to them. Allah says: ﴾And there would have been
the older words. For example, in pre-Islamic Arabia, your forefathers?’ But this servant disobeyed Shaytan. some among you who would have listened to them.﴿
the word salah meant supplication. However, Islam Then Shaytan tried to prevent him from seeking the path Why would they listen to these people? Because of
came and gave it an Islamic juristic meaning and of hijrah. Shaytan will ask him, ‘Are you going to leave the status they have. They discourage Muslims from
that’s the way we understand salah today: prayer. your family and your wealth?’ But this servant disobeyed doing jihad fi Sabeelillah; this ayah was addressing
The word siyaam meant avoiding something, whereas him. Then Shaytan tried to prevent him from seeking the
23
the Sahaba, telling them that they would have lis-
Islam brought the definition of abstaining from food
and drink from dawn till dusk. So when we talk about 9 path of jihad fi Sabeelillah. Shaytan will tell him, ‘Are you
going to fight, and be killed, and your wife will marry
tened to them (the munafiqoon2); and the Sahaba
didn’t have a lack of iman, but they listened because
victory, Allah has given victory a further meaning. A FIRST MEANING OF VICTORY: VICTORY someone else, and your wealth will be divided?’ But he
of the high status of the people who spoke. But Allah
lot of Muslims believe that in order for the Muslims disobeyed him and fought jihad.” The Messenger of Allah
to win, they need a physical win in the battlefield.
IN SPITE OF THE EIGHT OBSTACLES ‫ ﷺ‬said, “For this servant, it is guarantee that Allah will saved the Sahaba from having these munafiqoon go
The greatest type of victory is victory against out with the army; if they went, they would have
However, this isn’t necessarily the case as a person enter him into Paradise.” (Musnad Ahmad)
oneself, his Shaytan, and against the attachment spread dissension or fitna. Because of the severity
who fights jihad fi Sabeelillah1 doesn’t have to win
to this world. The Mujahid achieves victory in of this fitna, Allah had to warn the Sahaba about
every single battle.
where most of the Ummah fails. To sacrifice and
THIRD MEANING OF VICTORY: THE MUJA-
go out fi Sabeelillah.
HID IS GUIDED: The Mujahid is included in the these people. Allah says: ﴾Those who were left behind
Allah says, ﴾If a wound and killing has touched you, be saying of Allah, ﴾And those who strive in Our cause, we (in the Tabuk expedition) rejoiced in their inaction behind
sure a similar wound and killing has touched the others. will certainly guide them to our paths; for verily Allah is the back of the Messenger of Allah. They hated to strive and
Allah says, ﴾Say: If your fathers and your sons and with those who do right.﴿ {29:69} fight, with their goods and their lives, in the cause of Allah.
And so are the days, good and not so good, that we give to
your brethren and your mates and your kinsfolk and Is this not a form of victory that you are guided? They said, “Go not forth in the heat.” Say, “The fire of Hell
men and men by turns﴿ {3:140}
property which you have acquired, and the slackness Aren’t we all searching for guidance? Allah tells us is fiercer in heat.” If only they could understand!﴿ {9:81}
of trade which you fear and dwellings which you like, that if you are involved in Mujahada, you will be
Allah explains to the Muslims here that they will are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and
sometimes win and sometimes lose. However, if we guided by Him. If the Ummah fights jihad fi Sabee- FIFTH MEANING OF VICTORY:
Jihad in His Cause, then wait till Allah brings about lillah, then the Ummah becomes a guided Ummah. STAYING STEADFAST ON THE PATH OF JIHAD:
broaden our perspective, we will come to realise His command: and Allah does not guide the trans-
that whoever reaches the peak of Islam (Jihad) can The reason why many are misguided is because they When the Mujahid is steadfast and follows the
gressing people.﴿ {9:24} have abandoned jihad fi Sabeelillah. But the mo-
never lose and will always win but not always win in path of jihad fi Sabeelillah and goes through all of
ment the Ummah wakes up, stands up for its re- the hardships involved, he has achieved victory. If
physical victory. There are Eleven meanings of Victory This mentions eight barriers between the Muslim sponsibility, and fights jihad fi Sabeelillah, Allah will he is capable of holding onto jihad fi Sabeelillah,
in Islam: and his jihad. If the Mujahid can overcome these guide the Ummah. he is successful. Jihad today is not a norm amongst
eight obstacles, which prevent him from jihad fi
Sabeelillah, he will - by the permission of Allah Muslims; during the time of the Messenger of Allah
- be most successful in this life and the next. Let ‫ ﷺ‬it was different. When you came back from
jihad, you were a hero. People encouraged you to
1
Whenever “fi Sabeelillah” (in the cause, way or path of Allah) is used - it is understood to mean fighting. Ibn Hajjar states that: Whenever “fi Sabeelillah” Hypocrite – one who displays Islam outwardly, but inwardly is a disbeliever.
2
AND THERE IS NO VICTORY EXCEPT FROM ALLAH
is used in a general sense it refers to fighting in the path of Allah. AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION | 24
go out. There are stories of fathers having argu- the fire of the hereafter. A mother with a new-born
ments with the family that the sons should go child was told to jump. However, when she reached EIGHTH MEANING OF VICTORY: DESTRUCTION OF ENE-
out fi Sabeelillah; you can imagine how different the trench she hesitated, so Allah made the new-born MIES THROUGH KIRAMAAT: Allah will destroy the enemy of the
that is now. Today, many people will be against child speak and it said, “Oh Mother! You are following Mujahideen in a miraculous way or through a supernatural event;
you: your parents, your friends, your community, al-Haqq! So be firm!” Thereafter, she jumped into the that is because the Mujahideen have done their best. Because
trench and died. This woman took the first step and
your local masjid, your government and so on. The there is a huge difference in strength between the Mujahideen
Allah was sufficient for her. But when she hesitat-
fact that one can have patience and practice this and their enemies, Allah will assist them with a miracle. This oc-
ed, Allah helped her. Therefore, if you take one step
ibadah for a number of years is a great victory. We towards Allah, Allah will take many steps towards you. curs when the Mujahideen do their best in terms of preparation,
are not talking about a day or a month long where If you walk towards Allah, Allah will run towards you. training, and fighting. Since they have done their best in fulfilling
you get an emotional high and then it goes down. Allah will support you if you begin any venture with the commands of Allah, Allah will assist them by destroying their
The challenge is to actually choose this path and sincerity. So Allah gave this woman a miracle just to enemy. Allah says, ﴾How often has a small force vanquished a big one?
remain steadfast. save her, by having her baby speak. From a worldly and Allah is with those who steadfastly persevere﴿ {2:249}
secular point of view, they lost. They were all killed and
SIXTH MEANING OF VICTORY: the King succeeded in eliminating this religion. Never- However, the Mujahideen must have patience. The end of the Soviet
SACRIFICING ONE’S WEALTH AND SELF: You theless, Allah says about this, ﴾That is the great victory﴿ Union is a strong contemporary example of this. The Mujahideen
have achieved victory if you have trodden this path {85:11} had less numbers, strength, weaponry, and capability than the Sovi-
because you are willing to sacrifice yourself, time, and ets. But because the Soviets were enemies of Allah, His Messenger,
wealth for Allah’s cause. Sacrifice for this religion is SEVENTH MEANING OF VICTORY: VICTORY and the Believers, Allah punished them through poverty, destruc-
victory. The du’a (supplication) that the Mujahideen OF YOUR IDEA: In the world of ideas, principles tion, and corruption until the Soviet Union was no more. It broke
made was, ﴾When they advanced to meet Goliath and determine who are the winners and losers. Tru- apart because of the jihad of the Mujahideen; Allah helped them.
his forces, they prayed: “Our Lord! Pour out constancy ly, at times the price of success is one’s blood. The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said that Allah said, “Whoever stands up
on us and make our steps firm; and help us against those Preceding the Trench, the King tried to kill the
that reject faith﴿ {2:250} against the Awliya of Allah, then Allah will wage war against him.”
righteous boy by throwing him off of a mountain (al-Bukhari)
25 How can you dare say that you love Islam when you
know well that the enemy has desecrated the book of
and drowning him but failed. So the young man
told the King, “If you want to kill me, then take
one of my arrows, and say Bismillah, (‘In the name
NINTH MEANING OF VICTORY: POVERTY FOR AL-KUFFAR:
Allah and you don’t pick up your weapon and fight in One form of victory is that Jihad will be a reason for the poverty
Allah’s cause? When you know that they have insulted of Allah’) then strike me, and you will kill me; but of the disbelievers and the death of the disbelievers on kufr; it
the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬through pathetic imag- you have to do it in the name of Allah.” The young will prevent them from guidance. This is a form of victory. So by
es? When you know that they are torturing Muslim man also had set a condition that the King had fighting Allah and His Mujahideen, that would result in the kuffar
POWs (Prisoners of War) both physically and mentally? to do this in front of everyone. So when everyone becoming firmer in their kufr and deeper in their kufr until they
When you know that they are promoting a very twist- saw that the King succeeded in killing the young die as kafiroon. ﴾Our Lord! Destroy their riches and harden their hearts
ed version of Islam over the true Islam? When you man in the name of Allah, what happened? They so that they believe not until they see the painful punishment﴿ {10:88}
know that they are killing innocent Muslim civilians all became Muslim. And that’s exactly what the This is victory because the believers are happy when they see the
in Iraq, Palestine, and Afghanistan? When you know young man wanted and exactly what the King was
that they are fighting the Mujahideen in many parts punishment of Allah upon their enemies. In the end, the believers
trying to avoid. The King was trying to eliminate will be the ones who are smiling whereas people like Pharaoh are
of the world? When you know that they have invaded this young man because of his beliefs, and now
Muslim lands? going through the torment.
everyone becomes a Muslim because of that. He
There is the story of the people of Ukhdood (the
was afraid of the da’wah of this young man; and TENTH MEANING OF VICTORY: ALLAH TAKES SHUHADA
trench) that is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari. This is a now this da’wah of his took over the entire King- (MARTYRS): Allah will choose from amongst you Shuhada. Allah
great example of true victory. This was a group that dom. So here the young man paid the price to do says, ﴾Such days which are good and not so good that we give to
believed in Allah and was confronted by the King da’wah and that was his own blood. We see that men by turns: that Allah may know those that believe, and that He
of that time. The King said that either you give up in our contemporary times with people like Syed may take to Himself from your ranks martyrs. And Allah does not love
your religion and live or you keep your religion and Qutb. He wrote with ink and his own blood. Peo- those that do wrong﴿ {3:140}
die. They chose to die; the manner of their deaths in ple like Sheikh Abdullah Azzam and Sheikh Yusuf
itself is so horrific that we must appreciate what they al ‘Uyayree. They wrote amazing books, and after Allah takes from among us Shuhada; in other words, Allah chooses
did. They were told to jump into trenches filled with they died it was as if Allah made their soul enter from amongst us who will be ash-Shaheed. That is victory. Shahada
burning wood. They jumped one after another burning their words to make it alive; it gives their words a
to death. They chose the fire of this dunya instead of is something that every Mujahid desires.
new life.
AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION

The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬himself hoped to die en different forms of victory, we can clearly see
Shaheed and said three times, “I wish I could that they did gain victory. The same goes with
fight fi Sabeelillah, and then be killed and res- the Messenger who doesn’t have followers; he
urrected (on earth).” He wanted to die Shaheed has achieved victory. A Muslim who is steadfast
three times. Allah says: ﴾Think not of those who are is always winning and will never lose. Every Mus-
slain in Allah’s way as dead. Nay, they are alive with lim needs steadfastness.
their Lord, and they have provision!﴿ {3:169}
Indeed, in the end, the Ummah will achieve vic-
﴾And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: tory in the battlefield and gain hold of the entire
“They are dead.” Nay, they are living, though you don’t world. There are many ahadith on this. For ex-
realise it!﴿ {3:154} ample, the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said, “This affair (Islam)
preparation
will reach wherever day and night reaches.” This
There is a story in Bukhari and Muslim which means the entire planet. He also said, “Islam will
is narrated by Anas ibn Malik (ra). The Messen- reach in every house; in cities, towns, and villag-
ger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬sent a few Sahaba to go to a es.” These two ahadith also refer to the da’wah of ˌprɛpəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/
tribe and tell them about Islam. Anas ibn Ma- Islam; it will reach everywhere. He also said, “In- noun
lik’s Uncle, Haraam bil Marhaan, was talking and deed Allah has shown the whole world and told noun: preparation
was stabbed from behind with a spear. The spear me that the Kingdom of my nation will reach 1 1.
came out of his chest. He soaked his hands in all of it.” This Hadith is referring to the Islamic the action or process of preparing or being prepared for use or
blood and wiped his blood on his hands and face Khilafa; it will reach everywhere. The ahadith on consideration.
and said, “I have won in the name of the Lord Imam al Mahdi specifically refer to victory on the 2 synonyms:
of al-Ka’aba!” The man who stabbed him didn’t battlefield. There are many ahadith on just this 3 devising, putting together, thinking up, drawing up, construction,
know what this man was talking about. He was subject. He will rule the world for seven years. composing, composition, editing, fashioning, concocting, production,
getting ready, making ready, arrangement, development,
so shocked by these words that he went around Eventually, the Ummah will win. In addition, we
27 asking Muslims to interpret for him what hap- shouldn’t depend on these ahadith and say Allah
pened. They told him, “It is Shahada.” He’s in is going to give His religion victory therefore we
assembling, assembly
Jannah and enjoying it. The man who killed him are justified to do nothing. No, rather you should
became Muslim after the story was explained to have a part in it! What’s the point of the Um-
him. mah achieving victory and you do nothing, and
therefore you don’t get any reward (from Allah)?
ELEVENTH MEANING OF VICTORY: VICTORY So we all should play a role in bringing back the
ON THE BATTLEFIELD: This is the victory that victory of Islam; a lot of reward will be given out
The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬gained in the end. and we should want a share in it.
When he died, he saw the fruits of his efforts
and the result of his mission. Allah says: ﴾When
comes the Help of Allah, and Victory, And you see men
entering the religion of Allah in crowds, then celebrate
the praise of your Lord, and ask His forgiveness; surely
He is oft-returning (to mercy).﴿
{Surah an-Nasr,110}
There are more than eleven forms of victory.

Allah says, ﴾And to help believers is ever incumbent
upon Us.﴿ {30:47}
There can be many other ways Allah can help.

Some will say, “How come some of the Prophets
of Allah were killed? They didn’t achieve victory?”
Well now that we have gone through the elev-
AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION

The following day, police recovered six Aforementioned is an account narrated
bodies: my brother, his two daughters, my by a Mujahid on his journey through the
“...We reached here (a certain country) undetected trying to drag my other half (my wife) out of the two sisters, and my wife. Their faces were rugged roads leading to Syria, all the way
by the police or border guards. The next challenge car, I felt the adrenaline rush. I screamed my lungs bright and unblemished, as if taking rest from East Turkestan. This is a Muslim land
was getting into the neighbouring country in a sim- out, urging my two sisters to leave the vehicle im- after having completed a long journey. I that is largely unfamiliar to the majority
ilar fashion. Thus, we were off for a ten hour night mediately. My brother, still stuck on the front seat, was asked by the authorities to bury my of the Muslims worldwide. We all know
journey through the countryside, taking a detour tossed the two little girls towards me. They grabbed family, so I began burying them one after what is going on with the Buddhists in
and avoiding the main highway in order to evade my shoulders so hard that I began to sink and we another, with my own two hands. Even Tibet-thanks to the politics of Wash-
any police checkpoints. So having been smuggled in lost contact. I could hear the little girls, my sisters, the police men and women surrounding ington, the Dalai Lama, the so-called
just this morning – which was an excruciating five and my wife – their screams resonating under wa- me were moved by the intensity of the ‘glamour’ of Buddhism (Richard Gere),
hour trip on foot, we were overtaken by extreme fa- ter. But Allah raised me up from under the water situation and all of them came forward and several Hollywood movies dramatiz-
tigue, to the point that we all dozed off. My sleep and a strong wave gushed all over me causing us all to offer me comfort and support. The ing the horrible course of recent Tibetan
however was abruptly interrupted, courtesy of the to disperse. I caught sight of the shore and rushed following day, I continued my journey events underscoring China’s persecution
driver, whose yelling woke us all up. Furthermore, towards it with the last amount of breath I had. As towards the neighbouring country, where pertaining to that region. However, no-
my trousers and shoes were all drenched and sent I approached the shore, the screams echoed and by I would then stay for approximately ten body knows or cares about East Turkestan
chills up my spine. I was taken aback to find that our the time I got up, all the screams died out. I looked months, all the while searching for the because the affected people happen to
car had plunged into the river; its murky water be- back only to find my youngest sister’s little shoe road to my ultimate destination – the be the low men on the valuable human
sieged our vehicle. Forcing myself out of the car, and reach the shore... land of Jihad in Allah’s Cause – the bless- being pole: the Muslims.
ed land of Shaam!”
THE MOUNTAINS OF TURKESTAN

31 | AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION| 32
East Turkestan lies in the very heart of Asia. It is the frontiers of the Islamic State. So the conquest towards deen were far less in number but with the help of Allah,
homeland of the Turkic speaking Uyghur Muslims and China was initiated by Caliph ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (ra). they delivered a crushing defeat on the Chinese. After
other Central Asian Muslim minorities, such as Kazakhs, He dispatched a deputation to China in 651 CE (29 hijri), this conquest, the Muslims came to command respect,
Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Tatars and Tajiks. It also includes an whilst the Byzantine Romans were defeated and the power and complete control over Central Asia. The
increasingly growing number of Han Chinese. There are Persian Empire conquered. It was led by Sa’ad ibn Abi Russian and British Crusaders lamented this new force
over thirty million Uyghur Muslims in East Turkestan, Waqqas (ra), the maternal uncle of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬. The for Islam in Central Asia. One British official stated,“We
however, the Chinese government hides this fact from objective was to invite the Chinese Emperor to Islam and really have before us grounds to summarise that this
the rest of the World as it states that the Uyghur Mus- to establish Islam throughout the entire land of China. remote part of the world may at present be the scene of
lim’s make up only 10.2 million (according to their 2000 After the Turks converted (or reverted) to Islam during a great Muslim revival.”
census) of the population. the reign of Caliph Abdul Malik Marwan, the land of
East Turkestan, which had been home to great empires Nonetheless, the tyrant rule of the Manchu dynasty
all throughout history, became an indispensable part of (1644-1911) was marked by persistent animosity to-
the Muslim Ummah. Islam entered East Turkestan by the wards Islam and Muslims. But these Muslims were led
hands of the victorious Commander Qutaybah ibn Mus- by men, who did not lie passively in the face of op-
lim al-Bahili in 714 CE (96 hijri) when he opened Kashgar pression but performed jihad against these oppressors.
City. One of the military commanders named Yaqub Beg
(1820-77) liberated the whole of East Turkestan and
The years between 751-1216 CE in particular, are known established the Shari’ah in the land. He gave bay’ah to
as the Golden Age of East Turkestan. Sciences, literature the Ottoman (Uthmani) Caliphate and served under
and art flourished as Islamic religious institutions nur- it’s leadership. However, in October of 1949, the kuffar
tured the pursuit of an advanced culture. In this period, marched into East Turkestan and renamed the region
hundreds of World-renowned Muslim scholars emerged; as ‘Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region’, marking the
East Turkestan has been invaded and taken over by the thousands of valuable books written. Throughout that beginning of one of the bloodiest oppressions in the
Communists. It is located well beyond the logical bound- period, students from all over the world came to study history of humanity. This is also the case with the Zion-
ary of China, the Great Wall, and West of the Jade Gate, at the renowned religious schools and educational ists, who are trying to change the name of Palestine to
which is described by most historical sources as marking institutions of Turkestan. Statesmen and scientists, who Israel and are, in no way, less in their oppression against
the Western limits of China. Historically and culturally, would help shape the world were also trained there. The the Muslims.
East Turkestan is a part of Central Asia, not of China. Is- Muslims who migrated from the region to all corners of
lamic records attest to this and so do ancient Iranian and the world carried the banner of Islam with them to many Since the Communist take over of East Turkestan, there
Indian accounts, as well as countless Western historians. different countries. Prominent statesmen such as Satuk has been an almost total news blackout in the region.
The people of East Turkestan are not Chinese; they are Bughra Khan, Seljuq Bey, Mahmud Ghaznavi, Malik Shah, It is like the Stalinist purges of the Soviet Union which
Turks of Central Asia. Records show that these people Timur, and Babur Shah were among the many great accounted for some twenty million deaths, details
have a history of more than four thousand years in East figures that emerged from those lands. Imam Bukhari, are very difficult to ascertain. This oppression has the
Turkestan. Imam Tirmidhi, Ibn Sina, Abu Nasr al-Farabi, Narshaki, sole objective of stripping the Muslims of their Islamic
Zamakhshari and Marginani, who enriched the libraries identity. Furthermore, China has conducted fifty nuclear
In the early history, the Uyghurs, like most of the other of Islam with their works, were among the great thinkers tests in East Turkestan until now. So far, it is estimated
Turkic people of Central Asia, believed in Shamanism1, from this region over the years. Furthermore, Muslim that more than seven hundred thousand Muslims have
Manichesim2 and Buddhism. East Turkestan was one of trading activity through traders and merchant naval died from the radioactive fallout. In 1998 alone, more
the centers of Buddhist Civilization starting from 1st movements led many to settle in China. than twenty thousand deformed babies were born in
century CE (Common Era) until the light of Islam arrived. East Turkestan. In the last few decades, there has been
It was from this time that the Muslims started to en- a sharp rise in cancer patients, fatalities from unknown
﴾Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and counter the hatred of the Chinese Kuffar towards Islam diseases, and cases of paralysis.
good instruction, and argue with them in a way that and the Muslims. However, with the Caliphate (Khilafa)
is best.﴿{16:125} still in place, the spirit of Jihad was strong amongst the Continued on Page 51
Muslims. So such oppression was met with the most
Islam, the religion of truth, will prevail all over the World. appropriate response – with the sword (i.e. Jihad for the
Accordingly, the companions of the Prophet Muhammad sake of Allah). One of the first battles was led by the
‫ﷺ‬, sought to invite to the way of Allah and expand the great Mujahid Ziyad at the Chinese border. The Mujahi- 1
Belief in and mastery over the Spirit World.
2
The doctrines and practices of the dualistic religious
system of Manes, a blending of Gnostic Christianity,
Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and other elements.
As this is a fact, then we should seek our they have forgotten that the devil has taken
guidance from the Qur’an and the Sunnah an oath:
according to the understanding of these
scholars as they posses the knowledge that ﴾[Shaytan] said: “Because You have put me
will bring us closer to our Creator and pro- in error, I will surely sit in wait for them
tect us from misguidance. Allah has said in [i.e., mankind] on Your straight path. Then
this matter: I will come to them from before them and
from behind them and on their right and
﴾And when there comes to them something on their left, and You will not find most of
[i.e., information] about [public] security or them grateful [to You].﴿ {7:16-17}
fear, they spread it around. But if they had
referred it back to the Messenger or to those Indeed, they have shown the world through
of authority among them, then the ones their deeds the reality of the saying of the
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, who [can] draw correct conclusions from it Prophet ‫ﷺ‬: “If you don’t have shame then
the Merciful. would have known about it. And if not for do whatever you wish.” (Bukhari)
the favour of Allah upon you and His mercy,
Since the creation of Adam (peace be upon you would have followed Shaytan, except for They should learn that the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬has
him), Allah in His infinite mercy, has sent a few.﴿ {4:83} also said that: “Indeed a slave of Allah can
down Messengers to mankind. He has or- say a word which he considers insignificant,
dered these messengers to call the people to In this Ayah we are told that if anything but it angers Allah and will take him to
the light of the right way and in turn, shun doubtful happens in our society, then we Hell.” (Bukhari)
the darkness of evil. The mission of these should take these matters to the people who
messengers has only been to teach and es- have sufficient Islamic and social knowledge. And if they refuse to learn then they should
tablish the laws of the Almighty Lord. Their We are also told that if some people at the know that the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬has exhorted us
heritage is the knowledge that the Most time of the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬didn’t follow these against people like them:
Exalted has revealed to them - not money or instructions, then had it not been for the
wealth of this present life. The inheritors of grace and mercy of Allah, all of them with “Indeed, Allah is not going to remove the
this knowledge are the scholars. The Prophet the exception of a few, would have followed knowledge away from the people by remov-
Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬said: Shaytan. ing the knowledge but by taking the scholars
until, when there are no scholars left, the
“Indeed the scholars are the inheritors of As this issue stands very clear it is remark- people will then take ignorant leaders. They
the Prophets. Indeed the Prophets have not ably strange that a large group of this Um- will ask them and they will respond without
bequeathed dinar and dirham. They have mah still haven’t realised that not consulting knowledge. They will then be misguided and
bequeathed knowledge”. (Abu Dawud and the responsible people leads to great chaos they will misguide others.” (Bukhari and
Tirmidhi) and mischief. What’s more astonishing is Muslim)
that they have decided to set aside the schol-
Allah has told us that the scholars are those ars and debate the general concerns of the
who truly understand what He wishes and Ummah amongst themselves on social media
demands from mankind. This is why He has . If you call them to the Islamic Courts and
granted them a great fear of Him: circles of knowledge they call you to Twitter
and Facebook. If you respectfully call them
﴾Only those fear Allah, from among His ser- to the known scholars of this Ummah, they
vants, who have knowledge. Indeed, Allah is respond by calling you to unknown people
Exalted in Might and Forgiving.﴿ {35:28} in their own cults - after cursing and defam-
ing the legitimate known scholars. It is as if
THE BLOOD OF MARTYRS, THE INK OF SCHOLARS
That’s why the coming of this jihad is a mercy
from Allah. Whereby, He exposes our enemies
from amongst the filthy Rawafidh, heretics, and
their beloved friends from amongst the polythe-
ists. Today you see the ‘black and white’ (mean-
ing all the nations) plotting against this Jihad.
They plot in knowledge that if particular goals are
fulfilled and victory is gained for Islam across the
globe it will dominate every land, and the state
of the Jews will soon after collapse by the Grace
of Allah. They understand that this Ummah is
The greatness of Jihad’s virtues, benefits and imprisoned and that if the Mujahideen manage to
fruits cannot be compared to it’s fitan1, no mat- free one of the Muslims lands, then the rest will
ter how many they be. The returning of people to follow.
Allah’s religion, not to mention the peak of Islam
(Jihad), are clear benefits. This jihad, as in those A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING
In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate,
the Most Merciful, it is from He that we seek
aid. All praises are due to Allah, and may peace
which have preceded it will not be raised except
upon great sacrifice, martyrdom, and the aban-
donment of pleasures and desires.
AND PREPARATION
The Mujahideen are not only freeing areas with-
and blessings be upon Muhammad, the Trust-
in Syria, but rather they are laying foundations
worthy, and upon his family and companions.
for the freeing of this entire Ummah. And they
are not only removing this taghut solely, instead
As for what follows:
they are laying the foundations to remove every
taghut from the world – Arab and non-Arab. If
This letter is to my beloved brothers from the
they understand this they will prepare the best of
Mujahideen in the blessed land of Shaam. I ask
preparations, they will be firm within their hearts,
Allah to bless this Online da’wah magazine and
and will not abandon Jihad until the rule of Allah
to make it an avenue to spread the truth along
is established, or they are killed in the process.
with the best of guidance. Likewise, to protect
Only with great aspiration, patience, and certain-
the Sunnah. Also to bless the ones who oversee
ty in Allah’s promise will establishment occur.
this project, so that they may convey the best of
Hassan Nasrullah With such understanding, Shaytan’s whisperings
advice to the Muslims and believers alike.
are removed when he calls for abandoning jihad.
Excuses such as fitan or mistakes of leaders and
Allah raised the Jihad in Shaam after the Mus- In the beginning, it appeared to be an awful trial
soldiers become overtly invalid.
lims had reached a level of depression because and hardship, however it’s fruition will come in
of hardships in attempting to bring about change time. With the most positive aspect being the
Some have embarked upon the path without
after the Nusayri regime came to power. Loss, return of the Shari’ah of Ar-Rahman (Allah, the jahideen, and knowledgeable ones. Their condi-
preparation. All partaking are more or less equal
confusion, and sins had overtaken it’s people Most Compassionate) to rule and judge between tion became like many others that were in the
in terms of their capabilities, except a few. Many
like in other Muslim lands, whereby the rulers the people in their affairs. Also, the return of the ‘Markets of Faith’2 in the past. The only thing
are militarily weak, and in management and or-
have used the pathways of the Shaytan to pre- people to the religion and their surrender to and keeping them occupied being the uncovering of
ganisation. They are deficient in knowledge of the
vent people from the religion of Allah, the Most acceptance of its legislation with their hearts, mistakes, exaggerating, and exposing, so that
Shari’ah, which unfortunately is the cause of ma-
Exalted and High. bodies and souls. they become evil callers to misguidance, seek-
jor problems that present themselves. Our condi-
ing only to stir fitan.
tion has been uncovered on an individual scale as
I have been informed by some trustworthy people The absence of the religion from the lives of peo-
well as groups. Our foundations were not as firmly
from Shaam that a number of it’s people have ple produced many generations of ignorance and Allah says: ﴾And when there comes to them something
rooted as we originally perceived.
love for Hassan Nasrullah – the evil leader of the distance from the deen of Allah. Therefore, the [i.e., information] about [public] security or fear, they spread
Rafidha party in Lebanon. Which is of course a people were unaccustomed to the Shari’ah and it around. But if they had referred it back to the Messenger
Many people came together in spite of former ig-
serious issue, along with some people’s adopting its rulings, thus sins and vices became wide- or to those of authority among them, then the ones who [can]
norance. Hence, people’s shock when discovering
attributes of the Rawafidh (an extreme disbe- spread. Ma’ruf (good) became munkar (bad), and draw correct conclusions from it would have known about it.
such conditions. Instead of facing the challenges
lieving sect of the Shia’). The Rawafidh did not vice versa. The Shaytan has caused many people And if not for the favour of Allah upon you and His mercy, you
with strength and steadfastness, some turned
cease to deceive the people and disguise their to apostate and of these reoccurring instances is would have followed Satan, except for a few.﴿ {4:83}
their backs on Shaam, defaming the leaders, Mu-
intentions until Allah revived this great Jihad. the cursing of Allah and His Prophet ‫ﷺ‬, and we
seek Allah’s refuge from this!
The Most High also says: ﴾Had they gone forth with you, However, for others, Shaytan ambushes them, THOSE THAT REMAIN IN Shaam. When the dissension takes place belief
they would not have increased you except in confusion, and forcing the doors shut and so his soul runs away JIHAD Numerous Muslims especially the shall be in ash-Shaam”.3
they would have been active among you, seeking [to cause] from the blessed lands. Ultimately, the sole mat- youth, long to march forth and join ranks with
you fitna [i.e., chaos and dissension]. And among you are avid ter of importance to him becomes abandonment the Mujahideen. They long to help in protecting The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬also said: “You will prepare some
listeners to them. And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdoers.﴿ of the front lines – and we seek Allah’s refuge. their brothers from harm and supporting them armies: an army for Shaam, an army for Iraq, and
{9:47} Furthermore, some send letters and seek inter- with their very selves and families, establishing an army for Yemen.” So, ‘Abdullah said: “Choose
mediaries to appeal on their behalf to the taghut amongst them truth and hikmah (wisdom). This one for me, O Messenger of Allah!” So, he said:
These are the ones that Allah hated to go forth, so of their country, seeking acceptance for abandon- (type of) Jihad - by the Grace of Allah, the Most “Go to Shaam. Whomever is unable to do so
He caused them to return and remain with those ing the fight. Exalted and High - will have great benefits there- should go to Yemen, as Allah – Mighty and Majes-
who stayed behind. They have been forbidden after. tic – has sufficed for me Shaam and its people.”4
from the guidance of Allah and from the ‘Markets Whilst he flees in betrayal, he is in knowledge of
of Faith’. Similar to the matter of rain, which ben- the reinforcements aiding Islam’s enemies from Indeed, this Jihad is a ‘Market of Faith’ – many He ‫ ﷺ‬also said: “Go to Shaam for it is the best
efits the people when the clouds are dark. The all sides and that they fight for baatil (falsehood), will return from it with spoils of war, having risen of Allah’s lands on earth, He drives the best of
munafiq (hypocrite) is blind to the benefit of the march forth for the sake of evil disbelief and degrees in worship, and being exalted in this His slaves to it.”5
rain, and he only sees that which accompanies misguidance. He knows full well, whilst turning world and the next. Whereas, many will lose be-
the rain as a test (i.e destructive lightning and his back, that the heretics will rape the women ing forbidden from all of these great rewards. Not So are these rewards not enough for you O ser-
loud thunder). Allah says: ﴾Or [it is] like a rainstorm of ahl as-Sunnah, and will kill the men and chil- to mention amassing sins - and we seek Allah’s vant of Allah? That you be from amongst the best
from the sky within which is darkness, thunder and lightning. dren. What is the depth of these people’s deed? refuge. of Allah’s slaves that He attracts to this blessed
They put their fingers in their ears against the thunderclaps Then comes the day in which they witness the land? And to be from amongst those that Al-
in dread of death. But Allah is encompassing of the disbeliev- blessings which Allah has bestowed upon those O worshippers of Allah be steadfast, and remem- lah has promised great victories, rewards, and
ers.﴿ {2:19} whom busied themselves with jihad, shunning ber the pleasures to which you will be sent forth immense glad tidings? So be steadfast, rectify
involvement in fitan. Great victories are accom- if you are killed in the path of Allah. As He says: yourselves, and bring the people together (upon
If only he had the light of iman in his heart then plished, towns and airports liberated, clearly ﴾And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of truth and good).
he would have seen the benefits and blessings in showing that the final victory is for those believ- Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving
this rain. And if his stance in respect to the fitan ers possessing foresight. In regards to those who provision. Rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them If Allah wills, we will continue on a future oc-
was the same stance as the companions of the turned away – had they occupied themselves of His bounty, and they receive good tidings about those [to casion, And may peace, Allah’s Mercy and His
Prophet ‫ﷺ‬, the kuffar would never have come with good works they would have shared in the be martyred] after them who have not yet joined them – that Blessings be upon you.
to him (desiring evil): ﴾And when the believers saw the reward, and maybe Allah would have granted there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.﴿
companies, they said, “This is what Allah and His Messen- some of them martyrdom. So let them contem- {3:169-170} Your brother - Abu Qatada ‘Umar ibn Mahmud
ger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the plate on how Allah withholds good from nations, Abu ‘Umar.
truth.” And it increased them only in faith and acceptance.﴿ while giving to others. As for those awaiting martyrdom, Allah will hon-
{33:22} our them in choosing them to be amongst the
As for the ones that live in the lands of jihad, people of Shaam and furthermore, of it’s Muja- Footnotes
THOSE THAT ABANDON but refrain from partaking - waiting to leave the hideen. In the hadith reported by Anas (ra), the
1
pl. of fitna – trials and tribulations in the religion.
JIHAD The guided one, possessing clear vi- country and doing nothing except spreading
Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said: “There will remain a group of 2
An expression used by Sheikh Abdullah Azzam to
sion is he who occupies himself with what Allah fitan. They are unaware that Allah will replace
my nation that will fight for the truth, apparent refer to the field(s) of Jihad – whereby the market
has enjoined upon him. Thereby, there are paths them. until the Day of Judgement.” And then he point- [i.e. Jihad] would open, and some would come and
which one may find have been blocked for him. make a lot [in terms of reward with Allah], and then
ed with his hand to Shaam. Also, this land is the
Whilst there are other prescribed paths beneficial Allah says: ﴾O you who have believed, what is [the matter] the market would close, only to re-open at another
seat of the kingdom of the beloved one (meaning time elsewhere.
and pleasing to Allah. So, the one who has found with you that, when you are told to go forth in the cause of
the Prophet ‫)ﷺ‬, as is related in the hadith: On
difficulty in aiding the front lines should go forth Allah, you adhere heavily to the earth? Are you satisfied with
the authority of Abdullah bin ‘Amr - May Allah 3
Narrated by Abu Naeem in Al Heela and Ibn Asakir
into education and da’wah. Likewise, media and the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But what is and Tabarani in Kabeer and Awsaat and Hakim and
the enjoyment of worldly life compared to the Hereafter except be pleased with them - said, the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬
general services relative to the public - there are declared it sahih and was agreed to by Dhabi, and
a [very] little. If you do not go forth, He will punish you with a said: ‘I saw the Column of the Book being taken declared sahih by Albani in Fadaail Ash-Shaam.
thousands of beneficial occupations in the cause away from under my headrest. My eyes followed
of Allah. painful punishment and will replace you with another people,
and you will not harm Him at all. And Allah is over all things the Column of the Book. It was a brilliant light 4
Ahmad and Abu Dawood and Hakim and declared
in front of me. Then I saw it was placed in ash- sahih and was agreed to by Dahabi, and declared
competent.﴿ {9:38-39} sahih by Albani in his Fadaail Ash-Shaam, and he
said: “Very sahih hadith.”
5
At Tabarani, and declared sahih by Albani in Sa-
heeh Al Jami.
THE MARKETS OF FAITH

TRUE CALLING
W herever I go, I’m often asked about my fall-
en family members. The land of Shaam is
the land of the Shuhada and I’m deeply honoured
LOFTY ASPIRATIONS
As warriors of Islam, my brothers sought out ev-
ery opportunity to fight and be killed in the path
that my two brothers, Abdullah (18 years old) and of Allah and those around them witnessed first FEARLESSNESS
Jaffer (17 years old), were struck down in Allah’s hand their bravery and eagerness to get to Jan- Abdullah adopted the nom de guerre Abu Dawood
path, fighting in His cause. I ask Allah to accept nah. Abdullah received the nickname ‘Tiger’ after as he was inspired by the story of Prophet Dawood
them both and to reunite us all in ever-lasting his first clash with the Assad regime in the famous (David) (peace be upon him). As a young boy, this
bliss, ameen. I’d like to take this opportunity to mountain of Chalma, appropriately known as ‘the noble Prophet stepped forward to fight Jaloot
discuss Abdullah and Jaffer’s journey to the ulti- mountain of blood’; where a lot of kuffar and their (Goliath), who was known for his strength and
mate success as well as a few other issues, such as foreign allies had their blood spilled. tyranny. The inspiration and lesson that Abdullah
the importance of Jihad in our time, the role of the extracted from this incident is that those who had
Mujahideen and the light of Shari’ah in Shaam. Both Abdullah and Jaffer looked up to a position less strength would often defeat a greater power
in heaven called “The highest rooms in Jannah” af- by the permission of Allah. Therefore, he showed
I’m usually asked as to how I lost my brothers here ter they discovered that this part of Paradise is for no fear! He was always determined to go forth
in Syria, which is a reasonable question in itself, those (and others) who fight on the front lines and against the enemy, for he knew that Allah was al-
but I often find myself rephrasing this question to do not turn their faces until they are ‘killed’. ways with him.
“How did my brothers attain their great victories
here in Syria?” Like the warriors of Islam before Naeem ibn Hamar (ra) narrates that a person Jaffer, who used the name Abu Baraa, was inspired
them, my brothers neither accepted disgrace nor by the Sahabi Baraa bin Malik (ra) after reading his
asked the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬: “Which Shaheed is superi-
injustice, and like any true believing Muslim they biography, for this Sahabi’s amazing bravery and
or?” The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬answered:
prioritised the orders of Allah, His Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬and trust in Allah allowed for him to ask that he be
the protection and spread of the message and the thrown over the gates of the kuffar, to face thou-
“Those who are in the rows of battle and do not
prescribed way of life. sands of soldiers all alone. Following his example,
turn their face till they are killed. They will roam
Jaffer always looked for the opportunity to be in
around in the highest rooms in Jannah and their
My brothers answered the call of the Muslims the front lines to the extent that he would be will-
Lord will laugh at them. This is an indication that,
of Shaam to perform Jihad against the Ba’athist ing to face a large number of kuffar all by himself.
when Allah laughs at somebody, there is no ac-
(Bashar al-Assad) regime and its allies and to raise When the chance came, he did not think twice nor
counting of his deeds on the Day of Judgment.”
the Islamic way of life. They recognised that it is hesitate in participating in an inghimasi1 opera-
(Musnad Ahmad; at-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb, vol 2,
the duty of every Muslim to remove kufr from tion, as he insisted on selling his life in exchange
p442)
their lands, whether that disbelief be in the form for the highest places in Jannah, and who with
of an invasion or a puppet taghut government. As belief wouldn’t?
It is with great joy that i observed the way in which
Muslims we are ordered to spread Islam all over they both left this dunya, for the description given
the world, which is far more than to just reject in the hadith is exactly how they fought.
being ruled by the kuffar in our own lands.
1
Means to give oneself up; plunge into or be immersed in. In this context, it’s a fighter who runs to-
wards the enemy, fighting them head-on, knowing full well that there’s a high possibility that he may
not survive.

L EGACY
HE LAUGHED I also believe that as a Mujahid, a large part of your

After Abdullah and Jaffer had left this dunya, I felt time must be spent in training and acquiring mil-
happy that they had received the best of endings to itary knowledge, as the number of Mujahideen is
their lives. In fact, I had always asked Allah to grant low (not everyone believes in jihad), thus you are
my brothers the best of Shahada’s and Allah is the required to be multi-skilled in order to fill the gap
One who hears everything and always responds to of leadership or expertise.
our duas.
I’d like to make it very clear that I have no intention
Subhan’Allah! My companions and I often won- of returning back to the United Kingdom. In the
der about what Abdullah saw when he was struck past I’ve been misquoted by the BBC; as they have
down on the battlefield. To those of you who don’t me on record as saying: “If I want to, I can come
know, Abdullah, after being shot in the chest; fell to back to the UK. If they [my parents] want me to
the ground and looked up at the sky. To our great come back I’ll come for them 3
.” During that inter-
surprise, he gasped in amazement and laughed. view, I actually said: “I could go back if I wanted to
What did he see? Allah knows best. and only Allah can stop me.”
Martyrdom is an amazing honour and a great sta-
tus but I would like to stress that Shahada is not For me, this beautiful effort of jihad is a life-long
the only reason as to why my brothers and I came commitment, especially now with the state that
to Syria. First of all, we came to raise the deen of this Ummah is currently in. It’s going to be quite a
Allah to be the highest in the land and by removing long journey until we finally reach a legitimate Kh-
Bashar we can in’shaa’Allah, achieve this goal. Sub- ilafa and I do not accept – even for a moment - the
han’Allah, even now, as the Mujahideen continue disgrace that comes with living under kufr rulings,
to fight the agents of tyranny, we can see the laws as I am a Muslim and my way of life is that of Islam
of Allah being implemented here in Syria after de- and only Islam. The light of Islam - the light of the
cades of oppression. The villages, towns and cities Shari’ah - is what we should all aspire to live under
have been liberated through the act of jihad (by and in’shaa’Allah the act of Jihad will open the door
the permission of Allah) and let us make no mistake to living under the shade of the Shari’ah, like the
about it, jihad is the only way in which the land can pious predecessors before us.
be cleansed of any lurking shirk (associating part-
ners with Allah), mischief and filth. Jihad is purify- I ask Allah, the Most Exalted, to rectify our affairs
ing the streets of Shaam and as a result, hoards of and to guide us all to the straight path, ameen.
Syrian men, women and children are being led out
of the brutal darkness into the beautiful light: the
vibrant, stunning, refreshing light of Islam.
INSPIRE
Aside from fighting, a Mujahid has many duties and
roles to tend to. He must seek knowledge in order
to face the many obstacles in the path ahead. He
needs to keep his Iman at a constant, healthy level
and it’s his duty to enjoin the good and forbid the
evil in his locality. As a Mujahid, you are seen as a
role model amongst the locals which gives you the
blessing of da’wah2 as well as inspiring and teach-
ing the new generation with whatever knowledge
you have.
2
Propagating Islam, calling others to the religion of Islam; reference to one’s teachings or message as a whole. In this con-
text, the fact that one fights in the way of Allah as a Mujahid is an inspiration and thus an invitation towards the religion of
Islam and it’s teachings.
3
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-sussex-29954255 LEGACY
and the ‘Central Chinese Islamic Association’. Both receive Allah”, recalled a Turkestani Mujahid when asked about his
government funding and patronage. Last year (2014), the experience in prison.
ruling Chinese Communist Party intensified its targeting
of Muslims, with an anti-terror campaign called ‘Strike Many brothers have spent their entire wealth (including
Hard’, that targeted legitimate religious activities among personal assets and life-savings) in trying to make this
the region’s Muslims in East Turkestan. At present, Chi- hijrah for the sake of Allah. The cost ranges from approx-
na maintains a presence of over one million soldiers and imately ten thousand to twenty-five thousand dollars per
members of the security services in East Turkestan. I can person! After having their experiences narrated to me I
go on and on and probably fill this entire publication with asked a Turkestani brother, “How do you feel now that you
only the horrific oppression that our beloved Uyghur Mus- are here, after going through so much?” At this, the broth-
lim brothers and sisters are experiencing at the hands of er’s face beamed with joy, and he said, “We forgot all our
these devilish Communists. Alhamdulilaah, by the Grace of sorrows. By Allah, we cannot mention how happy we are
Allah, thousands of our brothers and sisters from Turke- now. Alhamdulillah, now we live in honour.” His statement
stan have made hijrah to the blessed land of Shaam to reminds me of the following hadith:
perform Jihad in His Cause.
“...And then that person from amongst the persons of the
world will be brought, who had led the most miserable life
(in the world) from amongst the inmates of Paradise. And
he would be made to dip once in Paradise and Allah would
say to him: O son of Adam, did you face any hardship? Or
had any distress fallen to your lot? And he would reply:
By Allah, no, O my Lord, never did I face any hardship or
experience any distress.” (Sahih Muslim)
One of the major Turkestani groups here is the ‘Hizbul

the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬but discouraged by the government. And
IMAGINE it was your kuffar neighbour who snooped on your family
Islamiya Turkestan’ (Turkestan Islamic Party), a significant
Aside from the physical annihilation, Muslims have been Mujahideen group with a large number of strong fighters,
and informed the authorities about your father’s ‘exces-
subject to a constant attack on their Islamic identity. After the majority of which are inghimasis. They are distin-
sive’ facial hair. Imagine your father being accompanied
the invasion in 1949, the Mao government set about A JOURNEY OF GREAT HARDSHIPS guished for their bravery and conduct. The locals here in
in prison by your mother and sister, and each of them
dividing the Muslims by ethnicity in order to alter their Allah, the Most Exalted says: ﴾And those who emigrated Syria love them and they have an excellent reputation on
charged $5600 for having worn the hijab. The law of the
identity. This is a common tactic used by the enemies of for [the cause of] Allah after they had been wronged - the ground amongst the other jihadi groups. An ansari
land encourages women to leave their heads bare and to
Allah. My beloved Muslims, I would like you to imagine for We will surely settle them in this world in a good place; brother, who was killed whilst his wife was still pregnant,
abandon wearing the face veil. It even bans people with
a moment and put yourselves in the shoes of your fellow but the reward of the Hereafter is greater, if only they told her before he attained Shahada (may Allah accept
beards or Islamic clothing from travelling on public buses.
Uyghur Muslims and what they go through in their home- could know.﴿ {16:41} him) that if they had a daughter he would marry her off
Can you imagine a government that orders Muslim busi-
land. Imagine your local masjid being forced to display the to a Turkestani Mujahid.
nesses (shopkeepers and restaurant owners) to sell alcohol
portrait of the President inside its prayer hall. The masjid Their hijrah can be related and compiled into an entire
and cigarettes; and to actively advertise them - all in the
council forced to conform to his communist (atheistic) book as it is from the most difficult of migrations, com-
name of undermining Islam’s influence on society?
ideologies; and should it refuse such demands, the entire pared to the journeys undertaken by the other muhaji-
masjid would be closed down! Imagine all the masajid reen, especially those coming from Europe and America.
Regardless of how ignorant you are with regards to the
in the vicinity of your neighbourhood closing and being Since they are not issued passports, they cannot travel
oppression of your Uyghur Muslim brothers and sisters,
converted into military barracks, or even a nightclub! with ease. The road is long and filled with great hurdles.
you are surely well aware of how fasting in the month
Imagine the local scholars being arrested and humiliated It includes long distances on foot, on road, and by sea. On
of Ramadan is banned for them. Local councils have
in public, just for carrying the book of Allah and spread- average there is a seven-country transit, lasting a mini-
posted notices throughout schools; ordering teachers to
ing the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬. Imagine mum of ten months to two years. Most brothers and sis-
feed the Muslim pupils with food and sweets in order
your local Imam being dragged from the masjid for having ters have spent time in prisons in transit countries because
to ensure that they don’t observe fasting in the month
extended the Khutbah (friday prayer sermon) beyond the they do not have the necessary documentation for travel.
of Ramadan. These kuffar have realised that the proud
twenty-minute mark. Imagine a father not being able to Many of them have spent up to an entire year or more in
defiance of the Muslims cannot be broken, so they have
teach his bright thirteen-year old son the Qur’an because prisons where they are strangers. They cannot speak the
established puppet ‘Islamic’ organisations and institutes,
the law of the land explicitly prohibits minors (under eigh- language and don’t have access to any legal support.
which are supposed to represent the Muslims. It is a policy
teen) from studying the Qur’an and the punishment is ten “Our time in the University of Yusuf (prison) was a respite
of containment – similar to the regimes found in Gulf
years imprisonment. states - especially that of Saudi Arabia, which makes use
from the woes on our way. It made us ask Allah more and A YEARNING HEART
Imagine your father, an old man in his late sixties, being beg Him to allow us to reach the land of Jihad. We found Hizbul Islamiya Turkestan fights to make the Word of Allah
of these ‘Palace Scholars’ or ‘Scholars for Dollars’. Exam-
imprisoned for having a beard, a practice encouraged by no other remedy to our troubles other than in asking the Highest in the land. Allah says: ﴾O you who have
ples in China of this are the ‘Islamic Theological Institute’
THE MOUNTAINS OF TURKESTAN

believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and smiling and laughing as they converse with their family For the life of this world is short, and will end indisputably, Islam and the Muslims in order to make the Word of Allah
plant firmly your feet. ﴿ {47:7} members over the phone. whilst the hereafter is your ultimate residence where you the Highest in the land. Allah says: ﴾O you who have
shall reside indefinitely. And Allah, the Sublime, warns: believed, whoever of you should revert from his reli-
When they first arrived in Syria, the Turkestanis didn’t I once had the opportunity to sit in ribaat with a Turke- ﴾O you who have believed, what is [the matter] with gion - Allah will bring forth [in place of them] a people
even have enough vehicles to travel around in, but due stani brother and he told me about his journey to jihad you that, when you are told to go forth in the cause He will love and who will love Him [who are] humble
to their sincere efforts for the sake of Allah, they now and the problems that he was currently facing. He told me of Allah, you adhere heavily to the earth? Are you toward the believers, powerful against the disbelievers;
possess several tanks! They have specialised in using heavy that he was a newly-wed and that Allah had guided his satisfied with the life of this world rather than the they strive in the cause of Allah and do not fear the
weaponry such as mortars and anti-tank guns. Their heart towards wanting to perform Jihad for His sake. Thus, Hereafter? But what is the enjoyment of worldly life blame of a critic. That is the favour of Allah; He be-
effectiveness in battle has been seen time and time again he didn’t delay and packed his bags immediately. Unfor- compared to the Hereafter except a [very] little. If stows it upon whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encom-
as they have been a strong force - a mighty battalion in tunately, he couldn’t take his wife with him, who was also you do not go forth, He will punish you with a painful passing and Knowing.﴿ {5:54}
both the expeditions of Jisr al-Shughour and Abu Duhur pregnant at the time. As he sat with me, watching on for punishment and will replace you with another people,
Military Airbase. They are an effective fighting force that any signs of the kuffar, he explained that he has a son, and you will not harm Him at all. And Allah is over all So the blessed land of Shaam, and how blessed is Shaam
could, by the permission of Allah, destroy any American whose voice he has never heard on Viber, or whose beau- things competent.﴿ {9:38-39} indeed, will be the land of Shari’ah – where Esa ibn
backed army. Hizbul Islamiya has no contact with foreign tiful eyes he has never seen on Facebook. He reiterated Maryam (peace be upon him) will descend and he will
governments and receives no aid from any taghut. Thus, to me how much his heart yearns to hear his son’s voice, make the Word of Allah the highest in the land. And, the
neither the Crusaders, nor their proxies can dictate their only once. This August, the brother was killed in action
TAKE THOSE SMALL Turkestani Mujahideen are a part of this in’shaa’Allah.
actions. The group originally started off in Halab. Howev- and Allah granted me the great honour of being able to STEPS TODAY
er, they eventually left Halab and headed for the coastal carry his body to the ambulance. Wallahi his face was so What is your excuse oh my brother in Europe? Your broth- May Allah grant our Turkestani brothers and sisters the
province of Lattakia as they believed that their jama’ah beautiful, dazzlingly bright and it appeared as if he was ers from Turkestan have fulfilled the obligation of Jihad in hijrah that they crave, ameen.
would be most effective in mountain warfare and that the still alive (and he is). I ask Allah to accept him, ameen. Allah’s cause after passing through countless hardships.
mountains themselves could provide greater protection You, my beloved brother, if you take those small steps May Allah make the path easy for them, ameen
(by the permission of Allah) for their people. It is import- today, can reach Syria with your passport in a day or two,
ant to note that Hizbul Islamiya in Syria is an offshoot of SYRIANS LEAVING, without any entry barriers along the way, and not exceed- May Allah preserve Hizbul Islamiya Turkestan and their
its main branch which lies in Khorasan. ing even five hundred dollars! The Turkestani Mujahideen families, ameen.
TURKESTANIS ARRIVING are an inspiration for us all. Allah has brought them from
We are currently witnessing one group (Syrian refugees)
thousands of miles away to replace those seeking nation- May Allah aid the oppressed Muslims of East Turkestan,
striving with their lives and all their wealth, even at the
alism, democracy, or even shamelessly seeking alliance ameen.
cost of drowning to death along the way, in order to reach
with the Crusaders against the Muslims. Allah says:
the lands of kufr – the lands of the Crusaders, only to be
May Allah give victory to the sincere Mujahideen, ameen.
humiliated by them upon arrival. On the other hand, the
﴾Give tidings to the hypocrites that there is for them
Turkestanis have and are still making similar sacrifices
a painful punishment - Those who take disbelievers as
in order to enter the land of Jihad - the blessed land of
allies instead of the believers. Do they seek with them
Shaam, and it’s here that they find honour, provisions, and
honour [through power]? But indeed, honour belongs
paradise in the hereafter. Today, the oppression of Mus-
lims is fast becoming an acceptable notion, and is widely to Allah entirely﴿ {4:138-139}
put to practice all over the world, from the East to the The Sunnah of Allah is that He replaces people if they turn
West – whether it’s at the hands of the Crusaders, or the back from the deen by those who fight for the purpose of
Communists.
The Turkestani Mujahideen also face a hardship that is
Dear brothers and sisters, to those of you who sit back at
distinctive only to them. Whilst most of the muhajireen
home and passively watch this oppression from your tele-
here keep in touch with their families, they cannot do so
vision sets, or read about it on stylish tablets, I advise you
- neither by phone nor by messenger. This is because the
to be mindful of the fact that this oppression will eventu-
communists can trace a Mujahid’s call or message back to
ally make its way to your doorstep. During the US invasion
his relatives and thus imprison and torture his family. This
of Iraq, the Syrians who chose to remain seated in the
has happened to one of the brothers here with us. After
comfort of their dwellings, watching the torture of their
his arrival in Shaam, this Turkestani brother contacted his
Muslim brothers and sisters at the hands of the treacher-
family and his father was arrested back in Turkestan. So
ous Rafidha, are now being tortured by the same Rafidha.
for the sake of the security of their families, they refrain
So know that, if you do not take necessary action against
from contacting them. As you can imagine, it is very
the enemies of Allah, you will be next on their hit list.
difficult to cut contact with your loved ones, especially
If your wealth or your efforts are not being used in the
when you are witnessing on a daily basis the ansar (whose
cause of Allah, and rather are being drained to the cause
families are still in regime-held territory) and mujahireen
of a multi-national company - you are losing out big time.

A
feeling of unease gripped us as our pick up truck passed
through the check point leading into Marea. The streets were
deserted and scattered all across this neighbourhood were
pieces of shrapnel and specs of black chemical residue. Entering Mar-
ea felt like entering the belly of the beast. A brother with us said: “No
matter what happens I don’t want you to talk me out of it, I’m letting
off (shooting). I’m not going to get caught.” What a sad state of af-
fairs that we are no longer watching our backs for surprise attacks
from the kuffar but are instead guarding ourselves against those who
claim to be the righteous soldiers of a supposed khilafa.
It was a ghastly sight, everything was in ruins and the question must
be asked: Why have IS, who sit some five hundred metres away, at- We wanted to visit the Marea hospital and see the
tacked this place with chemical weapons? I thought a ‘khilafa’ was people who had been affected by the blasts that had
supposed to unite the Muslims under one banner, not divide us. It occurred five days earlier, however due to tightened
doesn’t matter though, to them we are nothing but ‘murtadeen’ and security and a heightened sense of fear, we were de-
‘sahawat’. Instead of defending the Muslims from Bashar’s soldiers nied access. I was in Marea for less than a day and
who are approximately forty kilometres away, IS have left Bashar and upon returning home I was struck with illness. What
instead directed their arrows towards the innocent Muslims. The op- I saw in Marea and my subsequent illness reminded
pressed have now become the oppressors. me of how the Ba’athists, under Saddam al-Hussein,
would bomb the Kurdish people with chemical weap-
I got out of the car and walked around, assessing the damage and ons. And now we have a supposed Islamic State that’s
it wasn’t long before we came across a shell that hadn’t exploded. full of ex-ba’athists doing the same thing to the Mus-
Chemical residue was everywhere, scattered across the walls and lims. So it really comes as no surprise that this town
even on top of cars. We walked through a house that no longer had a has been attacked in such a manner. This cancerous,
roof and as I examined the wreckage I found a football and toys. How barbaric group that poses as an Islamic movement
could the IS group do this? How could they attack innocent men, must be stopped. It’s time to stop calling them “our
women and children like this? This is something that the kuffar do, brothers”, for they will not hesitate in attacking us
not the Muslims. Is this bringing back izzah to our deen? No! Is this and chopping our heads off – all in the name of their
the long awaited, grand return to a khilafa upon the methodology illegitimate khilafa and for a man who has no right to
of the Prophet Muhammad ‫ ?ﷺ‬I think not and many would agree call himself the khalifa.
Civilians targeted with chemical gas by the gang of Baghdadi with me.
56
M y story starts when I was with the Is-
lamic State group - at the time it was
referred to as the Islamic State of Iraq and
MAN ON THE MOUNTAIN
So I prayed, consulting my Lord, knowing full
well that He would guide me in my affairs. I
Shaam (ISIS). Now I won’t get into why I cannot quite remember whether it was that
embarked upon the journey of jihad or why same night or the night after, but as for the
I joined IS because that’s all irrelevant as to dream - that I remember clearly. I dreamt that
what I’m about to convey to you. I was standing in front of a mountain and as I
looked up, I saw a man standing at the top of
I joined IS about eighteen months ago and this mountain. He looked very beautiful and
as soon as I enrolled, it wasn’t long before I he wore an amamah (scarf or turban) and a
started to have my have doubts about them. pair of unique square-shaped spectacles. I
Sure, they were fighting jihad against Bashar looked up at him and he looked back at me
and his allies, but I couldn’t quite understand and said:
why they were killing the other Mujahideen
and their persistence and great desire to make “You and I are going to join Jabhat al-Nusra.”
takfir on the other jihadi groups.
The following day I narrated this dream to
After a series of incidents, disputes and con- my companions and they immediately told
cerns over the loyalties of our amir (leader), me: “This is from Shaytan.” For a small period
we felt that it was time to move on. We made of time, I too shrugged this off as a satanic
shura (consultation) amongst ourselves and dream. At this moment in time, the ulama -
decided that it was time to travel to Raqqah, the heavyweights that had been advising the
to join the rest of the IS battalions instead of Mujahideen from Bosnia to Afghanistan to
remaining isolated far from IS’s heartland. Al- Iraq - had started to speak out against the IS
though we decided to cross over to IS central, group. They urged the sincere to leave their
I still had my doubts about the organisation ranks and warned the Ummah to avoid them.
as a whole. I was with my cousin and a few
friends at the time and they were adamant Slowly but surely, the ulama started giving
about crossing over but I simply didn’t want advice with regards to this group and their
to get stuck and have no option of leaving advices were hard to ignore. I’d just like to
in the future, should there be a need for it. point out that we don’t blindly follow the
Therefore, I told them that I would pray is- scholars and that they are fallable just like
tikhaarah and that I would inform them of the rest of us. Now to those of you who reject
my decision after having consulted my Lord. the ulama, I ask you: ‘What’s changed exact-
ly? We followed their advices throughout the
other jihads, so what’s different in this Jihad?
Are they all suddenly upon misguidance be-
cause they don’t support a ‘khilafa’ which
makes takfir on the other Mujahideen groups
and prioritises the slaughtering of innocent
Mujahideen over fighting the Assad regime?’
AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION 58

HE WALKS IN ENACTMENT
So we left. We packed our bags and told the A year went by and All praises be to Allah, we
ansar that we were going to tend to a few du- managed to stay out of the fitna, and instead
ties out of town. It was a very confusing time, concentrated our efforts solely on fighting the
and in light of what the scholars had said, we Assad regime. Although we did not join them in
decided to withdraw from IS entirely instead of an official capacity, we often worked alongside
crossing over to Raqqah. We wanted to clear Jabhat al-Nusra and in early 2015 we started
our heads, seek advice from the other Mujahi- doing ribaat with them against the Nusayris
deen and to think about the path ahead. (Alawites).
A couple of weeks later, we ended up in a One morning, after having been dropped off
beautiful mountainous region of Syria known by the pick-up truck, we were traversing along
for it’s refreshing winds and picturesque scen- the muddy path to get to the bottom of the
ery. The leader of a small group that we be- mountain and from there we would then climb
came good friends with, allowed us to stay in the pathway to reach the ribaat station at the
his house and it was here that we started to top. As I climbed the rocky surface, I looked up
properly research the fitna and gain other Is- at the ribaat post ahead of me and by Allah, it
lamic knowledge. We also did some training was just like in my dream: standing at the top
and enjoyed the time off – away from all the of the mountain was the same brother from
madness of takfir and spiteful discussions that Jabhat al-Nusra. He stood on the jagged boul-
many of the delusional soldiers of IS (that we ders and he wore his square-shaped glasses.
personally knew) frequently engaged in. Once I spotted him, I started to smile and I said
One evening, a car rolled up outside our house. to myself:
One of the brothers had invited his European
friend to come and visit him in our new resi- “You and I are going to join Jabhat al-Nusra.”
dence. I sat there on my mattress waiting for
the adhaan (call to prayer) to go for salah when I’d like to point out that we shouldn’t take
the European brother entered the room saying dreams as evidences, but they can be signs of
“As Salaamu’alaykum.” I looked up to greet him khair (good or goodness) and Allah knows best.
and was slightly taken aback: subhan’Allah! It The dream I had had a year earlier played itself
was him! It was the man from my dream and out before my very eyes. I have now joined the
he was wearing an amamah and the glasses ranks of Jabhat al-Nusra and it’s not the dream
were exactly the same. After he had left, I told that led me to them, but it was hard research
my companions who he was and they were and paying attention to the works of the ula-
very shocked. ma that had a hand in my decision to join this
group. And of course, always asking Allah, the
Most High, for His guidance.
So brothers and sisters, if you are sincere and
seek the truth, know that He, the Most Glo-
rified, will guide you. As I opened this article
with one ayah, I close with another, so let us
remember and never forget:
“Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me.”

(26:62)
HE FOUND YOU LOST AND GUIDED YOU

AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION 59
withdrawn from that area. I have been deployed to Q: Can you tell us how Dawlah has changed
another outpost...Now a lot of people are calling since its arrival in Syria to now? What are
this a fitna but in my opinion everything is very some of your experiences with them?
clear and it has been for quite some time. Only Abu Usama: To be honest I used to be a big fan
recently are people finally starting to wake up to of IS although I was with Jabha. But they became
their atrocities. IS have attacked our brothers with
increasingly intolerant to anyone outside of their
suicide bombers and have made their treacherous group. They would snatch bases, academies and
intentions very clear. It’s very sad and what I don’t
weapon depots and started to kill the leaders of this
understand is that whilst being smashed and bat- jihad with suicide belts. It’s bewildering how many
tered by the Kurds in their own desert lands, they of these guys were amongst us and had bay’ah to
would rather concentrate their efforts here on the our leaders, I remember tens of them, maybe even
Muslims in Halab who have done nothing to them. hundreds. Sometimes we would discuss issues re-
This is all very strange. garding Jaish al-Hur (Free Syrian Army) and Ahrar
(ash-Shaam) and it became increasingly evident
Q: Not so long ago, a lot of stuff was being that our ‘brothers’ were planning to betray us and
said on social media; rumours flying about our jihad by increasing the enmity between the
everywhere that Dawlah (IS) had attacked the Muslims.
brothers of Jabhat al-Nusra whilst they were
fighting the regime? Is there any truth in this? Q: A lot of brothers don’t want to fight Daw-
Abu Usama: Yes it’s true! Wallahi I have witnessed lah. Why are you fighting them?
this strategy on two occasions. Once whilst we Abu Usama: I am fighting them because they are
were attacking Maharda, a Christian City in Hama. an entity of aggression against the Ummah and
Another time whilst attacking the Rafidhi Nubl exhibit khariji (singular form of khawaarij) be-
City and Zahraa settlements in Halab. We went to haviours which must be suppressed. I believe that
Maharda with power, a strong force of men and they must be fought so that we can protect the
whilst we pushed to destroy the regime there, Muslim blood.
Dawlah decided to attack us back in North Halab
where our numbers were considerably less. And a Q: How’s your injury? Did you get shot by
similar thing happened in Nubl and Zahraa. Baghdadi’s followers?
Abu Usama: The IS group hasn’t as of yet got me.
Q: A lot of people from the United Kingdom It was Bashar who shot me, not Baghdadi. I’m fine
In light of the recent advancements Q: As Salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,
mistakenly believe that Jihad is synonymous though; thanks for asking. Alhamdulilaah, right
from the IS group in places such as how are you?
with the IS group and as a result of this, with now I’m just resting up and spending time with
Halab (Aleppo), we have decided to Abu Usama: Walaykum’Asalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakhatuhu,
more or less no questions asked – they run the brothers.
reach out to a British fighter on the alhamdulilaah I’m good and yourself?
towards IS without understanding. As you’re
front lines; to ask him about this fitna
from the UK, why didn’t you also go to IS?
and his personal experiences with the Q: Yes alhamdulilaah, barakha’Allahu feek...Okay let’s
Abu Usama: Alhamdulilaah I was fortunate
IS group. get right into it...What happened in Halab before Jabhat
enough to be surrounded by knowledgeable broth-
al-Nusra withdrew from the ribaat stations there? And why
ers during the fitan created by IS and I had many
Meet Abu Usama Britani. He is a is there all this bloodshed?
unsound opinions which were cured by the texts
twenty three year-old former Chris- Abu Usama: Bismillah. What’s happened in Halab has been very
and correct understanding of scholars and schol-
tian from Central London and has disturbing for those truly concerned about this blessed Ummah.
arly Mujahideen. I see that most British emigrants
been with Jabhat al-Nusra for approx- Alhamdulilaah, these menacing assaults from the IS group were
to Syria joined IS because of its slick media pro-
imately two years now. Since his arriv- quickly quashed by the grace of Allah. The honourable Muja-
ductions and newly found global status which has
al in the blessed land of Shaam, he has hideen carried out a series of storming operations in order to
been boosted by the non-believers.
witnessed the fitna unfold before his repel these aggressors when they arrived in their numbers to
very eyes. Let’s see what he had to say attack us and the other groups. Alhamdulilaah we were suc-
when we sat down with him. cessful in repelling their advances and as you know, we have
A VIEW FROM THE FRONT LINE
Q: WHY DID YOU EMBARK UPON THE Islamic Salvation Front’, also known as the ‘FIS’) that al- (doing nothing)! The Imam al-Baghdadi wrote a book
PATH OF JIHAD? most reached its goal (of ruling), through the method of Q: HOW DOES FIGHTING ALONG on the subject called ‘Knowledge Mandates Action’.2 So
ABU FIRAS: To change the reality and situation of parliamentary elections. When the Algerian Army, Amer- WITH THE SYRIAN NATIONAL ARMY when you learn from ahadith that Allah has ordered
the Ummah, which suffers from (the adverse effects of) ica, France, and the (rest of the) European nations kicked AGAINST ISRAEL COMPARE TO FIGHT- you with Jihad, what are you going to do? Are you just
changing the Shari’ah, such as oppression and distance into action because of the fact that Islam might reach ING JIHAD IN THE PATH OF ALLAH? going to keep on learning? So you’ve learnt for a year or
from the religion. The Islamic Ummah from the middle the ruling position through democracy, they all ‘cursed’ ABU FIRAS: Of course fighting with (in) the Syrian two, three, four, five years…do you just keep on studying
of the Ottoman Khilafa has not ruled by the (complete) democracy, and the Algerian Army overthrew the FIS. Army is not Jihad. And fighting with the Syrian Army (without implementing any of what you’ve learnt)? The
Shari’ah. Even at the end of the Ottoman state’s era they may be perceived to be Islamically legitimate (in the era famous Imam Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak sent a letter to
were not ruling by the Shari’ah, and there was some The second contemporary attempt, when the ‘Arab of the Arab-Israeli Wars of the 1960s and ‘70s) if it is al-Fudhayl ibn ‘Iyadh, while he (Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak)
tinkering with the religion. Spring’ began in Misr, and Morsi was successful in the done against the Israeli Army. As for fighting other than was doing ribaat in Tarsus (a city in modern-day Turkey)
elections and reached power. Along with the fact that Israel, then it is not (even) perceived as Jihad. Even in the saying:
When the Khilafa fell, it fell in it’s reality, but also in its he compromised every compromise for the ‘International case of fighting Israel it is not a real Jihad – it may have O Worshipper of the two Holy Masjids! Were you to
‘image/illusion’. The Ummah began to search for the Community’, and he signed each remaining agreement a slight semblance of jihad just because the fighting is see us, you would realise your worship is mere play.
return of Allah’s rule on Earth. There were many Islamic with the state of Israel, and he accepted the previous against a kafir Army. There is a difference between fight- For the one whose tears fall down his cheek (in wor-
movements whose purpose was the restoration of the (non-Islamic) laws, wherein the selling of alcohol and ing - seeking to take over a piece of land, and (fighting) ship),then in turn, our blood flows down our necks (in
khilafa in the lands of Islam. However, most of them prostitution increased, so that the people would not be- seeking to implement the laws of Allah. battles).
failed because the ‘body’ of the Ummah was rife with come angry – I mean (here) the people of democracy, and
‘wounds’. not the people (the Muslims) in general. And with all of This is what occurred with me after the battle of ‘73 Or him whose horse tires in pursuing pretence, then
these compromises, America still was not happy, so Abdel (against Israel): The Commander of the division was a our horses toil on the morning of combat.
In the end, the ideology of the people for restoring the Fattah el-Sisi was funded by Saudi Arabia. I mention Brigadier-General, he asked me, “What did you fight for?” For you is the smell of fragrance, but our fragrance is
khilafa consistently returned to two forms; (1) Through Saudi here because they are the most in active enmity I replied that “I fought to free the lands of the Muslims the dust and dirt kicked off, which is more pleasant.
Jihad, which is the religiously ordained path according towards Islam, and the Emirates (UAE), which are the (from the kuffar), not to conquer this hilltop, or this area
to the Shari’ah of Allah, and commanded by the Prophet police of America. And they began to fund people until of land. The Muslim blood is worth (much) more than And indeed, the words of our Prophet have reached
‫ﷺ‬. Allah says: ﴾Fighting has been enjoined upon you they had overthrown him (Morsi). this soil that we fought over.” The only time we fight for us, a correct and truthful statement, which cannot be
while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing land is if the laws of Allah are implemented upon it. denied.
and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and So then (we can see) that the way of democracy is a The dust stirred up by the Horse of Allah which enters
it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not.﴿ failure practically, not to mention not being permissible The origin of Jihad is the one who is doing it for the sake a man’s nose. Can never coexist with the smoke of a
{2:216} Islamically. Democracy is the ruling of the people, and we of Allah, in the path of Allah. As for the one who fights blazing fire (Hell).
do not have the ruling of the people in our religion. The for the purpose of expanding his land, then this is not This is the Book of Allah which shall judge between
And the saying of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬: “He who does not go people are commanded to perform the order(s) of Allah, ‘for the sake of Allah’. So there is no doubt that there is a us. Surely, the Martyr is not dead and this can never
out to fight, or has the intention to, dies upon a branch and it is not the people who rule (judge according to big difference between fighting under an Islamic ban- be refuted.
of nifaaq (hypocrisy).” Also his ‫ ﷺ‬saying: “I have been their own desires). The people are servants – every per- ner, and fighting under a secularist Ba’ath banner, even
ordered to fight against the people until they testify son, every human, is a servant of Allah, whether they like though it may be perceived as Jihad and there be an So therefore, knowledge is learnt to be acted upon.
that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and it or not. They are either servants through love, happiness illusion of Jihad (present, because of ‘Muslims’ fighting While the scholars (of the past), if they ever differed on a
that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish the and obedience, or they are servants through compulsion. against kuffar). matter, they used to say: “Send it to people of the front
Prayer and give the Zakah. Then, if they do that, their Is there anyone that can transgress upon Allah? And even lines”. It is because Allah said in His Noble Book: ﴾And
blood and wealth will be protected from me – except in if they have transgressed (upon the limits Allah set forth Q: WE CAN SEE THAT YOU HAVE STUD- those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to
accordance with the right of Islam. And their reckoning for mankind), then they will surely die – and when they IED ISLAMIC SCIENCES EXTENSIVELY. Our ways. And indeed, God is with the doers of good.﴿
will be with Allah, the Exalted.”1 Thus, the way ordained are in the grave Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala (Glory to WHY DID YOU STILL FIND THE NEED {29:69}
by the Shari’ah of Allah to restore the khilafa is Jihad. Him, the Exalted) will surely bring them to account. So TO PHYSICALLY PARTICIPATE IN JI-
therefore, there is no other path other than the path of HAD, RATHER THEN JUST REMAIN- Meaning, the ones who are in Jihad are guided by Allah
(2) And then there is the way that some of the people Jihad, and that is why I chose this path. Even when I was ING IN THE CIRCLES OF KNOWLEDGE, to the truth. Therefore, if there was a matter that (the
have invented, in which they think that they could possi- in Secondary School and the Syrian Military Academy, I STUDYING AND ISSUING FATAWA, AS scholars of) the cities disputed about, they tended to
bly arrive at the restoration of the rule of Islam; and it is used to believe that this (these things) would benefit my IS THE CASE OF MANY OF THE ‘SCHOL- send it to the ones in the front lines (the Mujahideen), as
democracy, along with voting and elections. But democ- Jihad. But I was mistaken because these things were not ARS’ OF THIS AGE? they are more knowledgeable in (such) matters. So know
racy and elections have failed by the hands of its own permissible Islamically. ABU FIRAS: The scholars (past and present) have that knowledge is not just stored in the brain, or written
“
people (adherents), and not from the hands of anyone authored works on this topic, and they said: “Knowl- in books.
else. So every time the Muslims came close to having THE ONLY TIME WE edge mandates action.” People (in general) study so that
they can work (act) upon what they learnt. Have you Q: WAS THERE EVER AN INCIDENT
some influence on the rule, a coup would occur. The
coldest (severest) of these coups which everyone is aware FIGHT FOR LAND IS IF seen people that study just for the sake of studying? For THAT CAUSED YOU TO CHANGE THE
of, were in Algeria, and in Misr (Egypt). THE LAWS OF ALLAH example, if a man studied to become a carpenter. So he DIRECTION OF YOUR LIFE?
ABU FIRAS: Alhamdulillah, since my youth, my
ARE IMPLEMENTED learnt and passed the stages associated with becoming
a carpenter. Then after all of this, he just sits at home understanding has (always) been that this Ummah never
In Algeria there was the ‘Salvation’ movement (‘The
UPON IT
EXCLUSIVE
came (or will come) to change except through Jihad. And wall, if we like we can build it here or if we like we can movement with a slight makeup of Islam, and if they were
alhamdulillah, up until now I (still) have this understand- build it there. It’s worship and worship is fixed (meaning to stand in the sun for an hour and the makeup were to
ing. And I pray that Allah lets (causes) me to die upon it doesn’t evolve from time to time). We are ordered to melt, then you would see their true colour.
this. prescribe to the legislated texts ordained upon us regard- The Afghans, what did they say previously?3 They used to
ing worship. take open aid – known to everyone, from Saudi Arabia,
Q: FROM YOUR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE America, and some of the European nations. Their Jihad
- IS THERE ANY ADVICE THAT YOU From the important points: the people (of Jihad) start finished and there’s no word for them. And Sayyaf has
THINK MAY BENEFIT TODAYS (AND to deviate from the path they are upon because of the ended up in the secular (US installed puppet) government
TOMORROWS) MUJAHIDEEN? ‘help’ they receive – they come to you saying: “We will along with Karzai. Everyone who takes aid from the kuffar,
ABU FIRAS: There are one or two points from (my) give you help/support without conditions.” So the people then their Jihad ends, and their tamkeen (authority) is
experience that I will speak about: Whenever a group accept this, and this is the first deviation. The Prophet ‫ﷺ‬ gone, and they deviate, then they’re gone with the wind.
of youth create a group for jihad, know that all of the said: “Indeed we do not seek help from the mushrikeen” And even if in the beginning it is said: “We take with no
powers of kufr will oppose them. And they will fight you (Sahih Muslim), and “We do not seek assistance from the conditions”, then this is not but a trick from Shaytan.
in many ways. For example, they will fight you with an mushrikeen against the mushrikeen” (Ahmad). (Even if) in the beginning they (truly) may not have put
open declaration of war (combat), they will approach you any conditions down. These are the two most important
in the form of scholars - assisting you with ‘advice’, or in So the distorters of the truth from mankind and jinn points in my view, and all praise is for Allah the Lord of all
the form of well-wishers feeling sorry for your plight and came to lure them away from the truth (with doubts). the worlds.
‘miserable’ situation, until they try (their best) to deviate But rather there are texts in the Qur’an (warning us
you from this path. So be careful and beware of leaving against listening to them), Allah says:﴾…So do not take Q: CAN YOU ADVISE US ABOUT THE
this (obligatory) path. from among them allies until they emigrate for the SCHOLARS
cause of Allah. But if they turn away [i.e., refuse], ABU FIRAS: I will give you a principle with regards
When Sheikh Usama made a group based in the ‘Lion’s then seize them and kill them wherever you find them to scholars. This (principle) is not from me, but was stated
Den’ , the Saudi Arabian government sent him dozens and take not from among them any ally or helpers.﴿ by Imam ibn Taymiyyah…it is called the principle of the
of ‘scholars’ telling him that this (physical Jihad) is the {4:89} ‘Taifah Mumtani’ah’ (the abstaining group). This can be
wrong path – “You’re a wealthy man; you can serve the a country, a government, a party, or a (relatively small)
Jihad in a different matter. If you come back to Saudi you So Allah and His Messenger ‫ ﷺ‬prohibit the believers group. This group which is formed, or abides by (a) legis-
can give one speech in which you can collect millions of from taking the kuffar and the munafiqeen which are lation, code of conduct, or an internal agreement. It has a
Riyals to support the Jihad, and you are not in need to known outwardly as Awliya (pl. of Wali – friend, pro- leader, and they assist one another. Its ruling is one: if it
go yourself and carry a rifle.” It was their concern to take tector, supporter) and He prohibits us from seeking is good, then it is good. And if it is bad, then it is bad. So
him out of the mountains, down to the city, far away victory from the kuffar. So how come we accept seeking these scholars which are employed by the tawaghit (pl. of
from the atmosphere of Jihad. And they came to him in aid from them which is less then seeking victory? The taghut) are a part of this taghut (system).
many forms; saying that you should collect money, or Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬in the beginning of the treaty used to accept So they asked me: “Ibn Baz, is he part of the (Saudi) ta-
that it is not permissible that you gather all of the Arabs gifts from the mushrikeen but then Allah prohibited this ghut?” I said: “Yes.” Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, al-Fawzan, the ‘Coun-
(Arab Mujahideen) together in one front line because it action for him. There are authentic ahadith in ibn Majah, cil of Scholars’; who are they? They are (all) employed by
will be targeted and will harm the Afghans, and it will be al-Mustadrak and Nasa’i. Hakeem ibn Khuzaama and the King of Saudi – he is the one who appoints them, he is
in competition with the Afghans…And their goal through he is the son of the sister of Khadijah (the wife of the the one who pays their wages, and he is the one who tells
all of this was just to make people stop Jihad. Prophet ‫)ﷺ‬, he came to the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬with a mantle them to write fatawa. Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked: “Don’t
and said to him: “I want to give you this as a gift.” The you see the American bases in Saudi Arabia? Why don’t
So, any group that seeks the path of Jihad, the shayateen Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬asked him: “Have you become a Muslim?” He you issue a fatwa regarding (condemning) it?” He said: “I
(pl. of Shaytan) from men and Jinn will come to them to said “No.” So the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said to him: “I have been only issue a fatwa when I am requested to by the King. So
try and change their perception, or make them deviate prohibited from the zabad (gifts) of the mushrikeen.” He if the King asks, we will answer.”
away from this path. For example here (Syria) they used said to him: “Oh Messenger of Allah but I have brought
to say: “Just say to people that your goal is to get rid of you a gift”, he ‫ ﷺ‬replied: (only) for its price, as for a gift Q: SO IS IT PERMISSIBLE TO TAKE
the government and to lift oppression off of the people. then no, but when the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬saw that he was per- KNOWLEDGE FROM SUCH SCHOLARS?
Say you want to gather the people upon justice. Say sistent upon giving him a gift, then he gave him in return ABU FIRAS: We may take Knowledge that is not tied
whatever you want, but just don’t say that your goal is for it. Iyyad ibn Hummar al Mujashari came with a camel to any politics from them. If it comes to salah, wudhu
Jihad in the path of Allah.” So any deviation at the be- to the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬, and he said: “I was prohibited from (etc.), we will take from them. However, Sheikh ‘Uthay-
ginning of the Jihad, even if it is by just one centimetre, the gifts from the mushrikeen.” meen gave a fatwa about Hajj upon the request of the
will become kilometres by the end. As for us now in the jihadi organisations, then the devi- King that was not Islamically correct…He ruled that the
The second thing, which is more important than the ancy begins with the acceptance of such gifts/support. one who has entered Saudi Arabia on a visa (other than
first: Jihad is a form of worship. And with worship we And there are many instances in Islam that confirms this. for Hajj), then he overstays and performs Hajj, then his
only accept that which Allah and the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬have The Muslim Brotherhood used to take help (from the kuf- Hajj is baatil (because of not having a valid visa, therefore
legislated for us. Jihad is not like for example, building a far) in the 1980’s, and they ended up being a secularist not having the permission of the ‘Wali al-Amr’ (King) to
EXCLUSIVE
perform Hajj!). So the statement that you tend to smell normal lad from Saudi that had come for Jihad. He start- mountains could not make him shift. For example, when Q: WERE THERE ANY MISTAKES YOU
the slightest whiff of politics – then we refuse these from ed to, bit by bit, gain notoriety after 1987. Sheikh Usama he wanted to destroy the statues of Buddha, all of the NOTICED IN THE AFGHAN JIHAD THAT
them. As when he (they) speaks, he does not speak from bin Laden, when he came to jihad was not the same delegations from around the world would come to him – ARE ALSO EMERGING OR PRESENT
his own (free) opinion, rather he speaks according to the person as was after the ‘Lion’s Den’5 and after starting even Yusuf al-Qardawi came to him. Back then I thought TODAY IN THE JIHAD IN SYRIA?
opinion of Fahd.4 And sometimes he does not even speak Al-Qaeda (AQ). He did not come with the same thought that even if a thousand ‘scholars’ came to him, he would ABU FIRAS: In 1981, the Jihad in Syria had come
according to the opinion of Fahd, but rather the opinion and understanding he (later) was famous for, but rather not budge the breadth of a hair. He was very strong in his near to an end, officially it ended in 1982. But in ’81
of Bush (former US president George W. Bush), who tells he learned this in Jihad. He was just a young brother who stances. we had a clear picture that there would be no fruits of
Fahd what to do! associated/accompanied the students of knowledge, that Turkey Faisal, who was then the head of the Saudi Secret this Jihad, and the news that was spreading was that
For example, ibn ‘Uthaymeen, ibn Baz, and the whole gained benefit from them and developed himself over Service, wanted Sheikh Usama from him. Sheikh Mulla the Jihad was in Afghanistan. In reality, the news was
‘Council of Scholars’ were asked about the issue of seek- that time. ‘Umar said to him: “Before Islam, if a guest came to us, over-exaggerated but at least Afghanistan was a Mus-
ing help from the kuffar (before the Gulf War (1991/2)), we would never hand him over, even if our whole tribe lim country, and the Soviets had come to overtake it…
and they used as proof the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be would be annihilated. So how in Islam, when he is a So this Jihad was prescribed (wajib) upon us. However,
pleased with her) in Sahih Muslim about seeking aid from Muslim and a Mujahid, and between us and him is the when we got there, we realised that this was a Jihad but
the kuffar. But when America wanted to enter Saudi covenant of Jihad, how can we hand him over? This is was mixed with a lot of mistakes. We thank Allah that it
Arabia on the pretext of invading Iraq, it became permis- impossible!” Turkey responded (threateningly) to him: produced a whole generation of Mujahideen for all parts
sible. Who told them to change their fatwa? Either Bush “You know that you will provoke the enmity of the Arab of the world.
or Fahd. So Fahd ordered them (and they obeyed). and other countries around the world?” He replied: “Do There are many mistakes in this current Jihad, for exam-
So, I personally say that anyone who wants to fight for Q: SHEIKH ABDULLAH AZZAM (RAHI- what you want, this does not bother us.” ple - there’s chaos and a lack of general organisation. The
their religion and honour should not (it is best not to) MAHULLAH)? He used to be convinced that if a deed he was perform- formation of groups based solely on military strength –
take any fatwa from anyone who is employed by these ABU FIRAS: Shiekh Abdullah Azzam arrived in ing was for the sake of Allah, then nothing else would this is something present here –and they do not have any
(apostate) governments. As for the scholar that is em- Pakistan in 1983. He had been a lecturer in a Jordanian bother him. He used to be a man of little speech but idea of how to run a government. The Afghans, right up
ployed by these governments, we do not take their polit- University. After being discharged from there, he was great action. The Majlis ash-Shura (consultative com- until the end of their time (fighting the Soviets through-
ical fatawa, as they are a part of this Taifah Mumtani’ah. employed in Saudi Arabia in the Department of Da’wah mittee) of the Taliban, or at least sixty per cent of them, out the ‘80s) were like this – they did not think about
And there is no doubt that he will be defending them. wal-Irshad (Dep. of Propagation [of Islam] and Guid- would say that if you won’t hand him (Sheikh Usama) creating an Islamic State with the correct institutions.
ance). However, when they saw that his thought revolved over, then at least ask him to leave so that the harm is Also, not to have an Internal Affairs Ministry allocating
Q: WHO DO YOU TAKE YOUR KNOWL- around jihad, they did not like this, so they sent him lifted from us. He replied: “No way!” You get the feeling the correct people the correct (and most beneficial for
EDGE FROM? to the University of Islamabad. He used to teach in the that he is a man of principles and firm ‘Aqeedah. the Muslims) positions.
ABU FIRAS: As for me, in old matters, I depend on University three days a week, and the remaining days he
reading. And in new matters, I depend on Nasir ad-Deen would spend in Peshawar where he became close to the
al-Albani. As for fiqh al-waqiah (fiqh of the reality on Afghan Jihad.
the ground/current politics), then I depend on my own He was different from Sheikh Usama because he had
reading. There are also scholars who are not famous extensive Islamic knowledge when he came – he was a
- because as we said, the way they become famous is Sheikh, and he shone straight away. He had an extreme
through the TV. Does anyone of you know Sheikh Shuayb love for Jihad…you could say - ‘It ran in his blood’! In his
al-‘Uqlah? He was the sheikh of ibn Baz but no one summer holidays (from teaching at the University) he
knows him because he didn’t support, or agree with the would go to Jordan, Saudi, and wherever else he was able Q: AND SHEIKH AYMAN AZ-ZAWAHIRI
Saudi government. We had weekly meetings and lessons to go, and give lectures calling people to Jihad. He stood (HAFIDULLAH)?
with the scholars, but they’re not known, for example out as a Sheikh for the Mujahideen. ABU FIRAS: Sheikh Ayman stands out in his hilm
Abu Sa’eed al-Qahtani. And there are others, but we (meekness), patience and calmness. He does not get
don’t want them to be harmed (if we were to name and angry, he does not get frustrated. Whatever news reaches
expose them). him, he reacts with calmness. It was due to this that he
was able to deal with many of the problems he faced
with calmness. And he is extremely loved by those who Footnotes
know him and are close to him. 1
Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidi, Nasa’i, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Ahmad, al-Bayhaqi,
In the fiqh of Leadership a leader needs to have two Ibn Habbaan, al-Darqutni, and Imam Malik.
qualities: he must be beloved, and he must be respected. 2
Iqtidaa-ul-‘Ilmal-‘Amal. He is Imaam Abu Bakr Ahmad bin ‘Alee Al-Khateeb
Al-Baghdaadee, and died in the year 463 hijri.
Q: SHEIKH MULLA MUHAMMAD These two characteristics are very hard to find in some- 3
Gulbuddin Hekmatiyar, Yunus Khalis, Ahmah Shah Mas’ud, Abd ul-Rabb
‘UMAR (RAHIMAHULLAH)? one, because to be loved you have to be soft, but to be al-Rasul Sayyaf, Burhanuddeen Rabbani, Muhammad Nabi, and Ahmad
ABU FIRAS: When you tend to meet people you respected you have to be firm. I believe this is found in Gailani.
4
He was Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz al-Saud. He was the King of Saudi Arabia from
Q: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT SHEIKH can generally tell that they have characteristics of the Shiekh Ayman. 1982 until his death in 2005.
USAMA BIN LADEN (RAHIMAHULLAH) lands that they are from. Sheikh Mulla ‘Umar was a man 5
Referring to the well-known ‘Battle of Jaji’ in 1987, wherein Russain Special
ABU FIRAS: I was there before him in ‘81 and the that loved to work and would not speak much. When Forces staged a large scale attack on the ‘Lion’s Den’ camp, resulting in a
heavy and humiliating loss for the atheist Russains, and to Allah belongs all
first time we saw him was in ‘83. He was just like any he was convinced with the validity of an Islamic matter, praise.
EXCLUSIVE
Therefore, whoever looks into the stages of the Some people think that Jaish al-Fath is just mutual of Jaish al-Fath to be an organised army results in
conflict in Shaam will find that it all started with military work. No, it’s much more than that, thanks strikes from several sides at the same time and the
the children of Dar’aa (often referred to as the to Allah. Jaish al-Fath is military work, cooperating consecutive or the synchronised strikes that have
“Cradle of the Revolution”). This first stage was in administrating the cities of the Muslims, coop- hurt the regime severely. In addition, there’s the
the stage of peace. Which was then followed by erating in Islamic courts and cooperating in public training of the inghimasi and the istishhadi bat-
the second stage – where the people moved to services. talions. These, I believe, are some of the military
the general unorganised jihad, each one carry- factors that have played a larger role in making this
ing his weapon and fighting. After that, it moved qualitative shift.
on to jihad for the sake of Allah, with the Islamic
groups adopting a project and thereafter, the
NOT JUST A FIGHTING FORCE What does Jaish al-Fath promise the Ummah that
jihad moved to the fourth stage, the stage of it will do? Jaish al-Fath is in a state of dependence
As for what Jaish al-Fath has done - it has done a
fierce uprising - the reappearance of the Kha- on Allah and is preparing for a huge battle, topping
lot, and all praises are due to Allah. Jaish al-Fath,
waarij, and what it caused of confusion in the the battle for Idlib City, in terms of numbers, muni-
with the power of Allah, has liberated an area within
ranks of the Muslims. Afterwards came the fifth tions and weapons. And we ask Allah to please the
six months that equals what had been liberated
stage - the stage of weakness and disunity; then Muslims by liberating this city.
since the beginning of the Jihad in the North. It
the stage that we are going through right now
has liberated all of Idlib, Ariha and what is up until
which is the stage of the unity of the Muslims May prayers be upon our Prophet Muhammad and
Jisr al-Shughour and Sahl al-Ghab through fierce
represented through the blessed alliance of all of his companions.
battles where the infidels have lost more than two
Jaish al-Fath. This coming together of the differ-
thousand soldiers, a huge number of tanks, and
ent groups is a direct obedience to what Allah
hundreds of prisoners. Jaish al-Fath has also pro-
says: ﴾ And hold fast, all of you together, to
vided the needed public services for the Muslims in
the Rope of Allah, and be not divided among
Idlib, Ariha and Jisr al-Shughour. Such as electrici-
yourselves. ﴿ {3:103}
ty, water, aid distribution, restoration of phone lines,
lighting and the maintenance of roads and public
spaces. Besides the da’wah activities, they have
also united the judiciary councils in these areas and
eliminated most of the previous iniquity and corrup-
tion.
Lastly, what is the secret of the success of Jaish

al-Fath? I would say - and Allah knows best - that
Jaish al-Fath is the nightly du’a of an oppressed
person, which went up through the seven heavens,
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Mer-
“
and was accepted by the Lord of the worlds (all
ciful. All praises be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and
salutations and peace be upon our Prophet Muham- Jaish al-Fath is praises be to Him). However, if we switch focus to
the earthly reasons, we will find that Jaish al-Fath
mad, all of his family and companions.
With regards to what I have been asked about the prog-

military work, co- employs new techniques, the first of them being
dependence on the elite warriors in the path of Al-
lah, for Allah says: ﴾ “Fear Allah and be with those
ress of Jaish al-Fath thus far, what I think - and Allah
knows best - is that the experiment of Jaish al-Fath
operating in admin- who are true.” ﴿ {9:119}
is a new stage in the stages of the conflict in Shaam
between Islam and infidelity, and it might be a part of istrating the cities Thus, it is important to consider the aspect of
having fierce fighters known for their strength in
the fulfilment of the promise of Allah (all praises be to
Him) to the Jihad in Shaam. We have been and are still of the Muslims, co- battle. When the battle of Hunayn became tough,
the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬called the true people to the front-
saying: “Let the Jihad in Shaam be, for it is decreed.”
Whoever examines the Jihad in Shaam will find that
whenever the people claim that the jihad has subsided,
operating in Islamic lines, saying: “O Ansar, O Muhajireen,” because of
what he knew about them in terms of toughness in
Allah sends someone who can bring back the strength
to the jihad against the Nusayris and the Rawafidh and
courts and cooper-
“ fighting, and this is the first point. The second point
is the generosity of the groups in giving weapons
and ammunition, so the tanks are not just firing
I think – and Allah knows best – that the masses of the
Muslims in Shaam will not rest until they have reached ating in public ser- power anymore, they have become an attacking
force, and this was encouraged by the agreement
the walls of Masjid al-Aqsa.
vices. of Jaish al-Fath. Together with that, the formation
THE PROGRESS OF JAISH AL FATH
ATONEMENT point that the subjects may collapse. As they were being
The convoy came to an abrupt halt in the middle of town
lashed, the judge was constantly scrutinising the way in
and the Shari’ah court guards descended from the vehi-
which the guards were flogging them and at times he
cles once again, this time cocking their rifles. Traffic came
would intervene if it wasn’t being done correctly. Once
to a stand-still and the town’s people gathered around to
the lashings were over, the people started to chant: “Alla-
see what was going on. The head judge took hold of a
hu Akbar!! Allahu Akbar!!” Justice had been served and
microphone and started to address the people – telling
to my great surprise, the spectators rushed to congratu-
them why these men were about to be lashed. After it
late the two men. This was a truly joyous moment; it was
had been made aware to the Shari’ah court that they had
as if the two men had just taken Shahada and entered the
committed this act of kufr, these two men were arrested
fold of Islam for the first time. It is often easy to forget
and imprisoned for two weeks. After having repented,
that vetting out Islamic justice is not something that we
they were then sentenced to one hundred and fifty lashes
should enjoy. Rather, it is a necessity and it’s for the ben-
in their home town, in front of their neighbours, family
efit of both the perpetrator(s) and society as a whole. For
and friends. Furthermore, should they commit such an
the guilty, being punished in such a manner is a means
act of kufr again, they would face execution.
of atonement for having sinned, and for society at large,
it is a deterrent and a reminder of the consequences that
Under the supervision of the head judge, the men were
come with violating the laws of Allah.
lashed as part of a public spectacle event. The mind per-
ceives the concept of lashing as something brutal and se-
vere but what I saw was neither soft nor excessive to the
THE MERCIFUL hard to comprehend, given that the

blindfolded man was a regime sol-
laws of Allah but let us remember
that Islam is a religion of mercy, so
SERVANTS dier and had been caught trying to why should he be denied the right
The call to prayer blasted through flee the hospital in Jisr al-Shughour to pray one final time? In contrast,
the dusty streets signalling that approximately two months earlier. it is those that claim to implement
it was time to perform the Asr The other two prisoners had openly pure Shari’ah and claim to be the
prayer. The drivers switched off cursed Allah, the Most High, which face of true Islam that have recently
their engines, the judges opened is an act of kufr. slapped and mocked a Jaish al-Is-
the doors and the Shari’ah court lam fighter when he asked to pray The laws of Allah being implemented
guards jumped down from the I followed the prisoners into the foy- before his execution. Now before
back of the pick up trucks. It was er and after having made ablution, I you start ranting that “the actions
the 29th of Ramadan 1436 and the stood and observed the regime sol- of a few don’t reflect the majority...”,
brothers were about to implement dier as he faced the wall. I noticed let us remember that it’s incum-
the hudud1 of Allah in this month that his lips were moving, he was bent upon the Islamic State group
of great blessings. uttering the Shahada (testimony to condemn such an incident if
of faith) and it was at this moment it’s within their official policy that
The car door slid open and the that I thought to myself - in a cou- something like this should not hap-
guards took hold of the three pris- ple of hours this man will have re- pen. However, sometimes silence is
oners and escorted them back into turned back to his Lord. A thought an indicator of approval and Allah
the foyer of the compound. One struck me all of a sudden - will the knows best. Thus, a clear distinc-
of the prisoners was blindfolded, prisoners be allowed to pray? As we tion is seen here between the ex-
whilst the other two were allowed formed a line to perform the salah, tremists in Shaam, who have now
to view their surroundings. All of the head judge ordered that the ventured out into other regions,
them were handcuffed and as they prisoners be allowed to pray and and the Mujahideen operating in
were led away from the vehicle, this put my heart at ease. and around the Idlib, Hamaa, Alep-
they were neither abused nor sworn po and Lattakia areas.
at. In fact, they were treated with These prisoners, and in particular,
mercy. Now this may be somewhat the regime soldier, had violated the
THE BLINDFOLD are greater disbelievers than the Jews and Christians.
Nay, they are greater disbelievers than most of the
COMES OFF mushrikeen (polytheists from other than Ahl ul-Ki-
Now to those of you who are expecting vivid descrip- tab), and their harm to the Ummah of Muhammad
tions of a head being separated from its body or how ‫ ﷺ‬is greater than the harm of the disbelievers who
a child smirked at the camera before he pulled the are in war with Muslims...”
trigger, you’re going to be somewhat disappointed
with this final segment. Once the public spectacle Therefore, let there be no mistake about it. The Muja-
was over, the convoy left this busy town, and head- hideen in Shaam are not fighting against the Muslims;
ed for a Turkish boarder town where the execution rather we are engaged in combat against a nusayri re-
would take place. gime that commits major shirk2, which is a nullifier
of Islam. And those Sunnis that fight for the Assad
After a thirty minute journey, we arrived at the are- regime have taken the kuffar (Nusayris) as allies over
na of the final spectacle of the day. The prisoner was the Muslims and have openly oppressed the people
ushered out of the vehicle for the final time and you and fought the Mujahideen.
could notice the signs of anguish on his face - he knew
that his time was up. There was a refugee camp close
by and the inhabitants, who were going about their
TO THE SOLDIERS IN
daily lives, stopped to look on as the Mujahideen, the BASHAR’S ARMY
implementers of Allah’s laws on this Earth passed by. Powerful words followed this ayah of the Qur’an as
the judge told the people (addressing the soldiers
A companion of mine, who was eager to get some re- in the Assad regime) to seek forgiveness from Allah
ward for having a hand in the execution, approached before the Mujahideen gained power over them. He
the head judge and asked him if he would use his went on by proclaiming that “If we catch you, you will
handgun to kill the prisoner. The judge gladly accept- face the sword [and] wallahi we will not forget what
The head judge carrying out the sentence
ed this request and we then followed the rest of the you’ve done to us!!” He concluded by stating that the
people down the valley towards the execution point. ruling on this soldier, who was caught in the ranks of
The microphone was switched on once again and this the Assad regime, was death and that this was the rul- Justice had been served and if this man was sincere in to see) nothing but Islam and it’s such a shame that there
time, it was another judge who addressed the people. ing of Allah. “May Allah be pleased with this ruling his repentance then - and Allah knows best - he will have are so many lies being spread across social media about
Meanwhile, the head judge, who now wore a bala- [and] may this bring us closer to Allah.” Upon say- died as a Muslim. the sincere Mujahideen who have sacrificed their lives for
clava, stood over the prisoner as he sat on his knees, ing this, attention now turned to the head judge who Allah’s religion and the oppressed.
waiting for the inevitable. Holding the pistol in one raised his arm, pointing the gun at the sky and as he
hand, the head judge leaned forwards and pulled off lowered it, bracing himself to fire, he supplicated:
WITNESSING THE TRUTH May Allah give those that spin tales about the Mujahi-
Before his arrival, one of my companions who had recent-
the blindfold, revealing the man’s face. The co-judge ly entered the country, had been slightly concerned about deen what they deserve, ameen.
started his speech by quoting the ayah about taking “O Allah, this is for our sisters in the prisons who the lack of Shari’ah being implemented in these parts of
the disbelievers as allies: have been raped and for those in the refugee camps. Syria. Subhan’Allah, within weeks of his entry, Allah put May Allah destroy the Kuffar, the murtadeen and the
his heart at ease by allowing him to witness first hand Khawaarij, ameen.
﴾O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and O Allah, this is in revenge for [what’s happened to] the hudud of Allah being implemented by the brothers
the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one our children.” of Jabhat al-Nusra. He was so excited about having wit- May Allah give victory to the Mujahideen, ameen.
another. And whoever is an ally to them among you - nessed this execution and couldn’t wait for the next one
then indeed, he is [one] of them...﴿ {5:51} He pulled the trigger and the bullet pierced the back so that he could hand the judge his own handgun and By Abu Faruq al-Muhajir
of the prisoner’s head. Instantly, he buckled forwards share in the rewards.
Now to those of you who are slightly confused – yes and slumped to one side. The crowd erupted, chant-
- the Nusayris (Alawites) are Kuffar. Ibn Taymiyyah ing: At one point he even expressed to us that there were a lot Footnotes
(rahimahullah) states in Majmoo’ al-Fatawa 35/145: of lies being told on social media and that he never ex- 1
The prescribed legal punishments for specific crimes.
“These people named “Al-Nusayriyyah”, and other “Allahu Akbar!! Allahu Akbar!!” pected to see the Shari’ah being implemented in the ter-
2
Although there are many Nusayri sects within the Nusayri sect itself, their beliefs are very
similar. Their core belief is centered around this idea that Ali (ra) is God incarnate and that he
groups from among the Qaraamitah and Baatiniyyah, ritories controlled by the ‘rebels’. He saw (and continues created the Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬, who in turn created Salman al-Farsi (ra).
JUDGEMENT IS FOR NONE BUT ALLAH

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be
upon the Messenger of Allah. AMN AL-MUJAHID “to be
developed by or promoted by your brothers in the jihadi
media. One example is TrueCrypt, a program that encrypts
the contents of an internal or external hard drive. During
download-
We, your brothers in the Technical Department of GIMF, Anonymity and encryption are the virtual weapons of its development and even after it had ceased, both de-
would like to thank the brothers of Al-Risalah for their the ansar and muhajireen alike to defend against ene-
ed ONLY velopers and users boasted that TrueCrypt offers the best
work on this magazine - may Allah make it beneficial my intelligence. By the grace of Allah upon His faith-
from the security for users and there are no security vulnerabilities
for the entire Muslim Ummah and the Muslims in ash- ful servants, your brothers in the Technical Department website of with which one can access protected data. This was the
Shaam specifically - and for dedicating a technical sec- of GIMF as well as the brothers in Al-Fajr Media Cen- the Al-Fajr prevailing belief until recently, with the discovery of bugs
tion in its pages, where we explore recent developments ter have developed encryption software to protect your Technical that allow the compromise of an entire system.
in the field of computer technology and raise awareness communications on your personal computers and mobile Commit-
about Online security. phones. These software packages - Asrar al-Mujahideen, tee” An audit of TrueCrypt by Google researchers discovered
Asrar al-Dardashah, Mobile Encryption, and Amn al-Mu- two major security flaws that allow attackers to obtain el-
Everyone, the ansar and muhajireen, must understand jahid - are the arrows in your quiver to pierce the eyes The software is available for Windows PCs and Android evated privileges on a system if they have access to a lim-
the significance of Online security. Just as the Mujahid of the spies. mobile devices and is an absolute must for the ansar and ited user account. This comes over a year after developers
must be aware of his surroundings when physically enter- muhajireen when communicating via email and exchang- ceased work on TrueCrypt, during which security research-
ing enemy territory, he must take necessary precautions In this issue we discuss Amn al-Mujahid, an encryption ing documents and files. These messages are encrypted and ers claimed it was safe to use and contains no intentional
when entering the virtual world on the Internet, where program for secure communication, in particular. Just as decrypted with keys you share with contacts you yourself backdoors. And while VeraCrypt, an open-source project
those who lurk in the shadows for him are far more nu- a Mujahid does not enter the battlefield without his Iman verify, making it impossible for intelligence agencies to based on TrueCrypt code that seeks its continued develop-
merous, and the pitfalls many. Indeed, it is no secret that and his weapon, you must not exchange correspondence discover their contents. Thus, if your email is hacked, your ment, released patches for the two vulnerabilities, there is
the enemies of Allah and their apostate agents spare no without encryption. Released in Safar 1435 (Decem- mobile lost, or your account information compromised on no guarantee that other vulnerabilities and backdoors do
expense to hunt down the Mujahideen and their sup- ber 2013) by the Technical Committee of Al-Fajr, Amn the jihadi forums, if you use Amn Al-Mujahid to encrypt not exist. Therefore, any ansar or muhajir that uses these
porters with the most sophisticated technology available. Al-Mujahid employs encryption technologies in the Ad- your private messages there is nothing to fear. two applications must be very careful and avoid them.
Intelligence agencies spy on communications, develop vanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Twofish for users
espionage programs, and work with software companies to protect not only their communications, but their files
and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to determine the lo- as well, in an intuitive, easy-to-use graphical interface. The release from Al-Fajr provided detailed tutorials ex- As GIMF recently announced its creation of an official
cation and identity of users. If the head of the Crusader plaining the use of the software in Arabic and English, and Telegram channel (telegram.me/GIMF_Channel), we are
West, America, uses these tools to spy on its own citizens is to be downloaded ONLY from the website of the Al-Fajr pleased to announce two accounts through which the
and allies, then just imagine what it has deployed for the Technical Committee: Mujahideen may contact us with any questions related to
Mujahideen who fight for the sake of Allah. “The soft- Online security and the technical field:
In this section we will provide tools, suggestions, and in-

ware is http://alfajrtaqni.net/english.html
@GIMF_Media on Telegram
formation to assist the brothers and sisters in using the available TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENTS @GIMF on SureSpot
Internet, personal computers, and mobile devices safely
and securely. for Windows ‘TrueCrypt’ EXPOSED Twitter: @J_Eielamiya3
PCs and An-
droid mobile
We would like to raise awareness about the encryption For more information about trusted encryption programs,
software developed by the kuffar that you might be uti- visit us on www.GIMFMedia.com
devices” lizing to protect your data. First, it is of utmost impor-
tance to exercise caution when using any application not Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF)
ENCRYPTION
Among the
Believers
are men
who have
been true
to their
covenant
with Allah
PURPOSE
We were walking back home. During a heated dispute regarding the manage-
ment of some of the Mujahideen groups, I told Abu Hamza, “At the end of
the day, we are just soldiers, with a limited scope to change the reality on the
ground; we should rather be aspiring for Shahada.” He replied: “No, I feel that
Allah (the Most High) sent me here for a purpose. I have been given the op-
portunity by Allah to help the people, educate them, and fund Islamic projects
with the donations Allah has blessed me with - to create a new (better) gener-
ation in Shaam.”
I was a little surprised and saddened by his words. Yet, here I am writing
about him, and He is – if Allah wills – receiving his provisions from the gardens
of Paradise during the day, and resting under the Throne of the Almighty by
night.1 He is my friend; the preacher, the aid worker, the teacher, the Mujahid
we all knew as Abu Hamza Sudani.
REMNANTS OF FAITH
Abu Hamza experienced a turbulent teenage life - street fights, police chas-
es, narcotics, and the R rated thug life, to which the foolish aspire. He would
sometimes say things like, “Although I was involved in all sorts of evil, there
was always remnants of faith inside my heart.” Allah guides whom He wills.
From the deceptions of the glittery Western lifestyle, Allah turned his heart
to, and filled it with the love of Islam. Leaving the life of waste and delusions
behind him, he started climbing the ladder in pursuit of the elevated status
promised by Allah to those who repent and do good deeds.
He was very active in street da’wah, and was eager to convey to the people the
message that Allah had tasked him with. By the permission and mercy of Allah,
he was able to call many of the disbelievers to the light of Islam. Among the
things that he would reminisce of after having left Australia, were the da’wah
tables and the weekly gatherings with the brothers after every Friday Prayer.
He became a practicing and devoted Muslim, but his road to salvation was
being narrowed by neighbouring disbelievers, hypocrites, anti-Islamists, and the
vast ignorance of the masses with regards to religion in Australia. Therefore,
he decided to leave for Egypt, with the hope of learning what he loved most
- Islam. During our conversations he would often mention his experiences in
Egypt; how the students of (Islamic) knowledge had such a beautiful routine of
prayer and study. “Every night in Ramadan we would go to a different masjid
to pray, as most of the imams had beautiful recitations,” he narrated.
However, Allah had decreed differently regarding his trip to Egypt, as Allah is
the best of planners. He told me that the coup2 had started a short time after

his arrival. Naturally, as access and safe-passage through to the IS group, In our free time, we would often go to an area (not
a Muslim, trying his best his efforts returned fruitless. Every subsequent far from the ribaat station) where we could catch
to worship his Lord, Abu attempt he made would result in failure. He was a phone signal so that we could talk to our parents
Hamza refused to be passive later quoted as saying; “Subhan’Allah, the brothers I back home. He did not mention to his mother that
whilst oppression was taking place knew from IS either had their phones off or did not he was in Syria as she was very ill, yet spoke to her
all around him. During these times he reply, and the ones that I did manage to contact, despite the thunderous roars emitting from explod-
was very active Online and his first-hand said: “Don’t come!” Alhamdulillah now I can see ing barrel bombs and the MIG missiles, so we used
experience of the oppression imposed on the that after (praying) istikhaarah (guidance prayer), to make a variety of excuses for the background
Muslims by the Sisi regime brought him closer to Allah kept that road closed for me.” Eventually, noises. Although much to our delight, with the help
the Most Merciful. Allah assigned for him another helper who would of Allah, the MIGs and/or helicopters usually came
arrange for him to travel to the outskirts of Lattakia either before, or after our phone calls!
From Abu Hamza’s own statements, it was the where he immediately joined Jabhat al-Nusra.
love of Jihad and disgust at the oppression meted The brother was, with no exaggeration, devoted to
out by the Assad regime that motivated him to Although he registered with Jabhat al-Nusra, he the worship of Allah. After spending a consider-
make hijrah to Syria. However, during his first trip was very busy during this initial period trying to able time in Syria, I can say that I have seen many
to Syria, he wasn’t able to truly taste the fruits of establish an independent network for the distribu- brothers who just manage to keep up with the
Jihad in the cause of Allah. During the early days tion of aid for the displaced and needy. He would obligatory acts of worship. But Abu Hamza was dif-
of the Syrian Revolution, many of the groups that use the donations he had received to help the ferent. He almost never missed the Sunnah prayers
were fighting Bashar were scattered and unorgan- hardest-hit areas, and those most in need. After before and after the obligatory prayers. During his
ised. A lot of them were un-Islamic, preferring to be a short period of time, he was summoned to the last months, he fasted most Mondays and Thurs-
governed by democracy rather than Shar’Allah (the frontier lands to help in defending the Muslims in days. He would also pray tahajjud (night prayers).
laws of Allah; Shari’ah). In addition to this chaos, the Turkmen area. This occurred at a time when He once told a brother; “Allah answers all my duas.”
his mother’s illness played heavily on his mind the brothers from a number of groups were already The brother said “So I take it you haven’t asked
and his inability to reach out to better contacts so involved in a major offensive in Kessab. However, it Allah for Shahada then?” He smiled and replied; “Of
he could join an Islamic fighting group, were all would prove to be in those first days of ribaat that I course I have.”
“He once told a brother; factors that discouraged him to the point that he really got to know Abu Hamza. Another brother mentioned his night prayers during
eventually despaired and left Syria. winter at another ribaat point located at the top
‘Allah answers all my of a mountain. He said: “Every time that I would
duas.’ The brother said THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
“OF COURSE I HAVE”
We were stationed at one of the toughest ribaat
awake in the depths of the night to pray, I would
find our dear brother Abu Hamza already awake
“So I take it you haven’t After a year of waiting, Abu Hamza decided to points present in the coastal province of Lattakia. and engrossed in prayer to His Lord. He would
asked Allah for Shahada embark upon the caravan of Jihad and honour once Tank shells are for breakfast and barrel bombs are
again. This time around, the clear banners of Islam for dinner. The ominous MIGs, like hunters of the
be wearing his thick jacket and hat, since despite
being inside, the wintertime temperatures in the
then?” He smiled and re- were raised for all to see. However, unfortunately night, are scavengers over this dead animal. Nev- mountains would be severe – at times falling below
along with this, was the dubious cloud of fitan. He ertheless, Abu Hamza used to love ribaat and was -10°C. The brothers would regularly go outside to
plied; “Of course I have.” had originally decided to travel to Syria to join the never late for his shifts. During our free time, we perform ablution for the Fajr salah, only to find
Islamic State group (IS, but known at that time as would engage in various conversations ranging that the water in the tankers had frozen solid over-
the Islamic State in Iraq and Shaam (ISIS)), as he from the deceptions of the dunya to the fitna of night!” It is from Allah’s Mercy that He guides His
saw that many of his friends were already there. IS. He would often mention the extremism of his slaves, and also from His mercy that He gives them
This was during the times of the fitna, where many friends that had joined IS, and it was obvious that the ability to worship Him - some more than others.
things were still unclear. As he waited, trying to get he disapproved of it. He gives this great bounty to whomever He wills.
EVERLASTING REWARD
A MARTYR IN WAITING He also commented regarding IS’s killings and glori-
HIS FINAL MOMENTS
The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said “There is nothing We ran across the no-man’s land between our
fied slaughter videos by saying something along the Him], and enter among My [righteous] servants. And
which weighs heavier on the balance than good char- positions and that of the enemy, a distance which
lines of: “I would be happier if I could invite them to enter My Paradise.﴿ {89: 27-30}
acter.” (Sahih al-Bukhari) lay exposed to every enemy position – and nearly a
Islam and they would become Muslims, rather than Al-Hakim narrated that Mu`ath Ibn Jabal said: The
kilometer in length. Abu Hamza, and the Amir (lead-
(simply) slaughtering them in such ways.”3 Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said:
Anyone who has met, knew, or spent prolonged time er) of the operation were the first two to reach the
“He whose last words (in life) were ‘La ilaaha illal-
with Abu Hamza would only love his character more. enemy lines. His fitness was admirable, with most of
laah’, (there is no deity worthy of worship except
Subhan’Allah, sometimes I would wonder how Al- the other brothers being left completely exhausted!
lah completely washed away his troubled past, and
COMMENCEMENT Upon reaching the enemy positions, the brothers
Allah) shall enter Paradise.”5
After remaining in the land of Jihad for more than a
clothed his character with the light of Islam. He never were divided into two groups, and that was when we
year, and being steadfast upon the command of Allah,
argued with other people unless he felt that it was parted ways for the last time in this life – may Allah
the dawn of a final glorious battle appeared on the
absolutely necessary. He was very patient and kind. I reunite us in al-Firdaws! Ameen.
horizon for Abu Hamza. As the Mujahideen busied
also remember this one occasion when he was go-
themselves, both physically and spiritually, our be-
ing through a financial crisis, so I offered him some One of the brothers that was with Abu Hamza in his
loved brother focused and concentrated his efforts on
money, and he responded by saying: “If you want to assault group later related the incident:
the spiritual aspect. It’s as if I can still see him sitting
donate (money), then there is a poor kid who needs By the time the Mujahideen reached the enemy’s
on his mattress reciting the Book of Allah in the final
medical treatment – give me the money, and I will defense lines and entered their trench network,
hours before the battle. The battle was scheduled for
take him to the doctor.” they split into two groups and entered between the
a Tuesday; he arrived on Monday morning straight
enemy ranks. As soon as the defenses were breached,
after Fajr. The brothers prepared a large meal before
His concern was with the people of Shaam. He wrote the brother (who related the incident) came across
the battle, but Abu Hamza was fasting. The night
in one of his Online posts; “I wonder how many some of the kuffar and a violent fire fight erupted.
before the battle, we sat there talking about the
brothers today are concerned about the suffering of As the brothers Kalashnikov magazine emptied and
situation of the Ummah, and one of the last things he
the people in Shaam, and how many only care about the almost deafening rattle of semi-automatic gun-
told us was: “These days the Muslims follow the ayah
their favourite (fighting) group in Shaam?” He was fire was briefly lulled, he noticed someone’s presence
of Allah; “Stern towards the disbelievers,’ and forget
good friends with a doctor, and I remember him say- behind him amidst all of the chaos and flying bul-
the preceding ‘Merciful with the believers’{5:54}, and
ing: “Most people disregard the ill here in Syria, but I lets – it was none other than Abu Hamza, who then
they are now actually stern towards the believers and
want to give priority to these people, as they have no spoke a few words of reassurance to his brother.
disbelievers.”
one.” He would even make ten hour round trips with
his doctor friend to a distant hospital to take the sick The two brothers, alone in the den of the kuffar
Abu Hamza was chosen to be amongst the assault
there. I myself have personally seen him exhausting remained focused, placing their trust in Allah and
group in the operation, a position that he accepted
himself in trying to find ambulances for these trips. seeking His pleasure, while taking cover momentar-
willingly and courageously. During the operation,
He was also funding and monitoring thirty maahads ily under a hail of enemy bullets. Whilst the brother
after some hours of pounding the enemy positions
(Islamic schools), and he would personally visit them busied himself reloading his magazine, he handed Footnotes
with artillery and heavy weaponry, the call came over
and provide them with salaries, pens, gifts, etc from Abu Hamza the empty magazine. When, a few sec-
the radios for all of the weapons fire to be directed 1
Ibn Abbas narrated: The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said: When your brothers
the received donations. He used to do all this during onds later, he asked Abu Hamza to return his maga- were killed at Uhud, Allah placed their souls in the insides of green birds
at particular points and to cease fire on the intend-
his time off from ribaat. zine, he received no response. flying on the banks of the rivers of Paradise and eating from the fruits
ed area of ground assault. Before we left to join this thereof. At night they seek shelter in lanterns hanging in the shadow of
Although this great brother was accused of being He then glanced to his right to find blood on the
blessed assault, Abu Hamza raised his hands, and kept the throne. When they found their delicious food and drink and their nice
a secret IS supporter, witness accounts all seem to empty magazine, and Abu Hamza prostrating, fore- resort, they said: “We wish that our brothers knew what Allah has done
making the supplications: ‘Ya Qawi, Ya Jabbar’4. On for us so they don’t abstain from Jihad and they don’t recoil from fight-
conclude the exact opposite. Abu Hamza would con- head on the bare earth, in much the same way as he
seeing him, I started to make supplication as well and ing.” Taken from Mashari al-Ushwaq, Page 117 (note: translation being
fide in us as to how he had been wrongly accused of used to in salah, repeatedly reciting the testimony corrected in some places).
little did I know, that supplication was to be his last.
being an IS supporter. I remember him mentioning his of faith (there is no deity worthy of worship except
When Sisi and his thugs overthrew Morsi.
2
encounter with an IS sympathiser. Abu Hamza asked

this person about the unknown IS scholars and the
“He then glanced to his right Allah) until Allah the Almighty, the Giver of life and
death, had decreed for the angels to remove the soul
to find blood on the empty
3
Abu Hamza was referring to IS killing aid workers who were devoted to
need to follow the truthful scholars. The IS supporter of His servant from his body, and from the life of this
helping Muslims, and not spies.
replied that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Adnani were magazine, and Abu Hamza world to the everlasting abode!
their prominent scholars. Abu Hamza responded by We ask Allah to accept his efforts and enter him
asking him: “As far as we know, most great scholars prostrating, forehead on the amongst the ranks of the Martyrs. As Allah says: ﴾
4
Names of Allah. “O Almighty. O Compellor.”
are known for their books and writings, so do they bare earth, in much the same [To the righteous it will be said], “O reassured soul, 5
Abu Dawud narration (3116), Al-Hakim (1/351) and regarded it authentic
hadith and At-Thahabi agreed with him.
have some acknowledged academic works?”
way as he used to in salah” return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to

Hamza
Assalam Alikom Hamza, as I’m writing this you’re now the
size of a blueberry. A few weeks ago you were just a sperm
then Allah made you a clot and now you are a fetus in
your mother’s tummy. I’m writing you this to remind you
of how we were all created and how little and hopeless we
were then eventually Allah gave us power and strength.
He then tests us to see what we will do with this power
and strength, and sees whether we will forget where we
originally came from, “just a sperm”.
I doubt that I’d live long enough to watch you grow or

see you at the age when you’re able to read this and un-
derstand it. I named you Hamza because Hamza RA is
the Amir of the Martrys in Jannah, and I wish martrydom
for you; martrydom comes through Jihad, and Jihad is
the path I wish for you. Live with honor my son and bow
down to no one but Allah. Never take a believer as an
enemy or take a kafir as a friend. Nev-
er seek guidance away from the Quran
and Sunnah. Carry your mother in your
heart. Seek the pleasure of your Lord in
everything you do and never fear the
blame of the blamers. Be like a bullet
in the Gun of Islam and let the Gun
shoot you wherever Islam needs you
and remember me in your Dua.
A letter from Abu Hamza (rahimahullah) to his son,

who was born after his Shahada.

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Editor’s Note

As Salaamu’alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

Victory Loves Preparation

“AND KNOW THAT THE MUJAHID DOES NOT

WITH THE HUR AL-AYN”

AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION | 7

upon us to me. When I arrived in Kandahar I

AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION | 12

17 | AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION | 18

W e shouldn’t limit victory to the customary and

AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION

There are more than eleven forms of victory.

There can be many other ways Allah can help.

AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION

THE MOUNTAINS OF TURKESTAN

THE MARKETS OF FAITH

AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION | 48

HE LAUGHED I also believe that as a Mujahid, a large part of your

One of the major Turkestani groups here is the ‘Hizbul

THE MOUNTAINS OF TURKESTAN

53 | AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION

AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION 58

“Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me.”

HE FOUND YOU LOST AND GUIDED YOU

Lastly, what is the secret of the success of Jaish

With regards to what I have been asked about the prog-

THE MERCIFUL hard to comprehend, given that the

JUDGEMENT IS FOR NONE BUT ALLAH

In this section we will provide tools, suggestions, and in-

AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION | 90

encounter with an IS sympathiser. Abu Hamza asked

AL RISALAH | VICTORY LOVES PREPARATION | 94

I doubt that I’d live long enough to watch you grow or

A letter from Abu Hamza (rahimahullah) to his son,

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