After the Conquest of Kabul he returned to Madinah and stayed there for a few months. He was blessed with a beautiful voice, and he used it to make his famous audio cassette about his brothers killed in Afghanistan. The name of this cassette was ‘Qawaafil-us-Shuhadaa’ (Caravans of Martyrs). He always used to speak and think about one thing, that was Martyrdom.

Once he was asked, “Why do you hurry for Martyrdom, whereas you have not yet done much for Islam?” And he replied, “What did my brothers give for Islam, who were killed before me. Our souls are the most valuable things that we can give.”

In the summer of 1992 he heard about the oppression of his brothers and sisters in the Balkans and travelled with his brother from Madinah, Abul-Abbas, to Bosnia. Two months they stayed there until they fought in the defence of Sarajevo Airport. The fighting was severe and many fighters fled the battle field, except Abu Zubair and Abul-Abbas. Abu Zubair and Abul-Abbas stayed there and fought to defend Sarajevo Airport against the Egyptian United Nations until they fell down Shaheed.

We ask ALLAH (SWT) to accept them from amongst the Shuhadaa and to enter them into the Paradise Most High amongst the Prophets, the martyrs, the pious and the truthful.

NOTE: You will need the latest version of Real Player installed in order to view the video clip below. Download it free from http://www.real.com or click on this icon .

(Note: Videos/Audios no longer working. Presented here for informational purposes only)

Real Video (28 seconds):

Abu Zubair Al-Madani on Mount Igman, Bosnia, a few weeks before he was killed, with his own Nasheed playing in the background. Click the image below to watch the video in your separate pop-up Real Player.

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Muhammed Sa’eed Wahf al-Qahtaani

A number of scholars have seen it fit to address the question of espionage in the course of their discussions of Jihad. Because espionage is the most obvious form of treachery against the Muslims, especially in times of war. Their consideration of it within this context is a revealing point in itself. Therefore I have followed their footsteps and discussed the issue of espionage in the chapter of Jihad.

Spying is the ultimate form of treason, and for a Muslim it is a major sin. While it is a form of alliance with the disbelievers, the ruling on it may range from a declaration of disbelief and apostasy to a state of major sinfulness. If its motivation is a longing for the victory of the disbelievers, and a hope for their subjugation of the Muslims, then this is the act of a disbeliever, however if a person was motivated by a desire for some personal or worldly gain or something similar, then it is a major sin.

The story of the Prophet’s (sallallahu `alayhi wasallam) companion Haatib ibn Abu Baltaa is often related in this context. He was a veteran of Badr and of Hudaybiyyah, and was sent on the embassy to the Muqawqis, Patriarch of Alexandria and Master of Egypt, who returned him to Madeenah together with Maryam, the Copt. He died in the year 30 after the Hijrah at the age of 65. Allah (subhanahu wa ta`aala) warned us against espionage in the first verse of Surat al-Mumtahinah:

• O you who believe! Do not take My enemies and your enemies as friends, showing affection towards them, while they have disbelieved in the truth that has come to you. They have driven the Messenger and yourselves out because you believe in Allah, your Lord. If indeed you had gone out to fight in My Cause and to seek My Good Pleasure, then do not confide your affections to them, I am All-Aware of what you conceal and of what you reveal. Whoever among you does this has surely strayed far from the Straight Path.

At-Tabari remarked that you must not put yourself in league with your kith and kin, sons or daughters, if they are outside Islam; allying yourself to them and taking them into your hearts, since they could benefit you in no way on the Day of Resurrection, even if they were your closest relations. Those who are mindful of their duty shall enter Paradise and those who deny their obligations and are disobedient shall enter the Fire. [3]

Imaam al-Bukhaari informs us in the words of `Ali ibn Abu Taalib: Allah’s Messenger sent me, az-Zubayr and al-Miqdad somewhere saying: “Proceed till you reach the garden of Khakh. There you will find a lady with a letter. Take that letter from her.” So, we set out and our horses ran at full pace till we found the lady and said (to her): “Hand over the letter.” She replied: “I have no letter with me.” We said: “Either you hand over the letter or else we shall remove your clothes.” So, she removed it from her braid. We brought the letter to Allah’s Messenger; it contained a statement from Haatib ibn Abu Baltaa to some of the Makkan pagans, informing them of some of the intentions of Allah’s Messenger. Then Allah’s Messenger said: “O Haatib! What is this?” Haatib replied: “O Allah’s Messenger! Don’t hasten to give your judgment about me. I was a man closely connected with the Quraysh, but I do not belong to this tribe, while the other emigrants with you have their relatives in Makkah who could protect their dependents and property. So, I wanted to recompense for my lacking any blood relation to them by doing them a favor so that they might protect my dependents. I did this neither out of disbelief, nor apostasy, nor out of preferring Kufr (disbelief) to Islam.” Allah’s Messenger said: “Haatib has told you the truth.” `Umar said: “O Allah’s Messenger! Allow me to chop off the head of this hypocrite!’ Allah’s Messenger said: “Haatib participated in the Battle of Badr, and who knows, perhaps Allah has already looked at the Badr warriors and said: ‘Do whatever you like, for I have forgiven you.’” Thus, Allah revealed the above verses. [4]

Ibn al-Qayyim says that the tale of Haatim illustrates the permissibility of killing spies even when they are Muslims, since when `Umar wanted to kill Haatib the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wasallam) did not say: “You can’t kill a Muslim,” rather, he said: “Who knows, perhaps Allah has already looked at the Badr warriors and said: ‘Do whatever you like.’” So his response indicates that Haatib was spared only because he was a veteran of Badr. This leads us to conclude that it is permitted to kill a spy who is not protected by such a circumstance. This is the position of Imaam Maalik, Imaam ash-Shaafi`ee and Abu Haneefah say that a Muslim spy should not be killed. The Hanbalees are divided, though the opinion of Imaam Ahmad appears to be against killing a Muslim spy. Both sides found their arguments in the story of Haatib.

In the final analysis, the decision must be that of the Imaam. If the interests of the Muslims are best served by his death then he should be killed, but if these interests are better served by sparing his life then this is what should be done. Allah is best informed of the correct course. [5]

Ibn al-Qayyim added that there is another point raised by the story of Haatib. No matter how great the sin, so long as it is not Shirk, the blessings of some other great deed may wipe it away. This is what happened with Haatib whose crime of espionage was forgiven because of his earlier service at Bdr, since he had earned the Love of Allah and His Pleasure by his action at Badr. Allah was so pleased with him and proud of them that even a crime like espionage would not diminish this and shielded them from the anger of Allah; so the greater merit had overcome the lesser sin. This is a part of Divine Wisdom, He (subhanahu wa ta`aala) determines what is wholesome and what is not, He decrees reward and punishment, He makes the pure heart and the stricken one. And He (subhanahu wa ta`aala) said:

• Surely good deeds wipe out evil ones.

And Allah (subhanahu wa ta`aala) also said:

• If you avoid the evil deeds that have been forbidden to you We will forgive you your transgressions.

Ibn al-Qayyim continues by saying: Perhaps we should consider the depth of faith which lead Haatib to Badr, to put himself in the charge of the Messenger of Allah out of love for Allah and for His Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wasallam), over and above his affection for his family and his tribe, while they had remained in their homes amidst the enemy; his resolve never slackened and his faith never weakened even though it brought him face to face on the field of battle with those who still live with his own kith and kin. But when he was corrupted by the act of spying, the strength of his faith was enough to overcome it, and as his condition worsened he rose to meet it. Thus, when the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wasallam) saw the strength of his faith overcame his illness (spying), he said: “Who knows, perhaps Allah has already looked at the Badr warriors and said: ‘Do whatever you like, for I have forgiven you.’”

This is the opposite of the case of Dhul-Khuwaysirah at-Tameemee who challenged the Messenger of Allah and those who followed his example; those from among the Khawaarij, whose strict observance of their ritual obligation was the envy even of the Companions of the Messenger (sallallahu `alayhi wasallam), but of whom the Messenger said: “If I shall meet them, I will destroy them as the people of `Aad were destroyed,” and also: “Slay them for certainly there is great merit, with Allah, in killing them.” [8]

My own thoughts are that Imaam Maalik, Ibn Aqeel and others from among Imaam Ahmad’s circle are correct in saying that the Muslim spy should be killed, since the pardon in the case of Haatib was of a kind that could not be applied to anyone else. If it was Islam which had protected him, then it would not have been necessary to grant him any special pardon; because if a ruling is justified by the general, the particular will be of no effect. This seems the more reasonable analysis, although Allah is Most Knowledgeable of the correct course.

This particular revelation begins with the words: «O You who believe! Do not take My enemies and your enemies as friends», referring to Haatib, as a believer. But his example demonstrates the general prohibition, while at the same time the verse seems to suggest that what he did was to ally himself to the disbelievers in some way, and that in doing this he had strayed far from the path. Then the Prophet’s response to this: “Haatib has told you the truth, let him go,” also clearly indicates that he had not disbelieved, that he was a believer beyond any shadow of doubt, but that he had acted out of some worldly desire. If he had disbelieved, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wasallam) would not have said: “Let him go.” [10]

As for the disbeliever who is also a spy, such a person must be killed since this is what the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wasallam) did in the case of a spy from among the disbelievers. Ayas ibn Salamah ibn al-Akwa` stated that his father told him: “A spy from among the Pagans came to the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wasallam) and say speaking to his companions for some time, then went on his way. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wasallam) said: ‘Go find that man and kill him.’ So I killed him and stripped him of what he had.” [11]

Footnotes:

[1] Al-Wala’ wa’l-Bara’ According to the `Aqeedah of the Salaf (3/57-63) by Shaykh Muhammad Sa`eed al-Qahtaani (hafidhahullah).
[2] Surat al-Mumtahinah (60):1.
[3] Tafseer at-Tabari (28/61).
[4] Saheeh al-Bukhaari (8/633, no. 4890).
[5] Zaad al-Ma`ad (3/422) by Ibn al-Qayyim, with little alteration.
[6] Surat Hood (11):114.
[7] Surat an-Nisaa’ (4):31.
[8] Saheeh al-Bukhaari (6/618, no. 3611), Saheeh Muslim (2/746, no. 1066).
[9] Zaad al-Ma`ad (3/114).
[10] Irshaad at-Taalib (p. 15) by Salmaan ibn Sahmaan.
[11] Saheeh al-Bukhaari (6/168, no. 3051), Abu Daawood (3/112, no. 2653).

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Source: http://www.kalamullah.com/fatwa08.html

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Farewell Message from Azzam Publications

“Do you really think that you will enter Paradise without such trials as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, ‘When will come the Help of Allah?’ Yes, certainly the Help of Allah is near!“
[Quran 2:214]

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind

Most of Afghanistan has been recaptured from the Taliban, thousands of Afghan Muslim civilians have been killed, cities have fallen and lives have been lost. Elsewhere, thousands of Muslims have been arrested and detained in America, where they are beaten (by both the prison guards and other prisoners), tortured, humiliated and denied access to lawyers and their families. Muslim homes are being raided and Muslims being detained across Europe. Muslim web-sites, businesses and banks are being closed. In the midst of all this, Western leaders are at pains to explain that this is not a war against Islam and that the West loves Muslims. Scenes of the bodies of both the Taliban and the Foreign Mujahideen lying on the streets have been broadcast around the World much to the delight of the disbelievers and their hypocrite allies from amongst the ‘Muslims’ (e.g. some ‘official’ American and British ‘Muslim’ Councils, etc.)

“If a good befalls you, it grieves them, but if some evil overtakes you, they rejoice at it. But if you remain patient and fear Allah, not the least harm will their plans do to you. Surely, Allah surrounds all that they do.”
[Quran 3:120]

Amidst all this, the Muslims are asking many questions. Is it really a war against Islam? Why did the Taliban withdraw from all these provinces? Is the Northern Alliance going to uphold Allah’s Word on the Earth? Were the Taliban moderates or extremists? Are the Taliban finished? Are the Mujahideen finished? Has the West triumphed over Islam? Is it all over?

These are not the questions that Muslims should be asking, but rather, they should be asking themselves: Whose side am I on? Am I a ‘moderate‘ or an ‘extremist‘? Was the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) a ‘moderate‘ or an ‘extremist‘? What am I going to do about the situation? Am I going to sit at home and weep? Or go to the mosque and make dua? As for the Mujahideen whose bodies were shown on televisions across the World, they have nothing to worry about insha-Allah. They said they were going to fight to the last drop of their blood and they have remained true to their word, whilst others are waiting to follow in their footsteps:

“Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah (i.e. they have gone out for Jihad whilst not showing their backs to the disbelievers), of them some have fulfilled their obligations (been martyred in Allah’s Way) and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed in their determination in the least.“
[Quran 33:23]

We have written these few words in expectation of our site being closed yet again. Therefore, we advise all the Muslims to save a copy of this page and ponder about what it says lest our site is closed and we are not able to say it again. We also advise the Muslims to copy, translate into other languages if necessary and distribute this message all over the Internet. For clarity of expression, we have listed the important points we wish to make.

1. This war is, in Bush’s own words, a crusade. It is not a war against terrorism, but it is a war of Kufr (disbelief) against Islam. Any Muslim who disagrees with this has been defeated by the Western ideological warfare. The Muslims should not be naive and immature: they should know their enemies.

2. The history of this conflict does not go back to 11 September 2001. Nor does it go back to the bombing of a few embassies and ships. Rather, it goes back centuries from the time when the Jewish tribes gathered against the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) and the Christians launched the Crusades against the Muslims in the 12th Century of the Christian Era. Therefore, it is not a case of ‘let’s all join hands: Muslims, Christians and Jews and wipe out terrorism’, but it is part of a deeper plot to try and destroy Islam in the World. Why did the British invade Afghanistan in 1842, when there was neither an Usama bin Ladin nor the Taliban?

3. The American Government is an enemy to Islam and the Muslims, despite all the sympathetic statements given by Bush when he meets Muslim leaders and organisations in America. The American Foreign Policy regarding Iraq, Palestine, Bosnia, Kashmir, etc. is proof of this. The illegal imprisonment, torture and humiliation of thousands of Muslims in America at this very moment is also proof of this. Those Muslims who think otherwise are kidding themselves.

4. We condemn those apologetic and defeatist Muslims in the West who are making apologetic statements siding with the West and not believing or supporting their own brothers. By these Muslims, we specifically mean the likes of the American Muslim Council and ‘Sheikh’ Hamza Yusuf, who have openly taken sides with the American Government, without shame; as well as the Muslim Council of Britain to a lesser degree. These ‘official’ organisations do not represent the Muslim Ummah as they are manned by individuals completely out of touch with the reality of the affairs of the Muslims. These, who have never expended a drop of sweat or blood in Jihad for the sake of Allah like the Prophet (SAWS), his Companions and the early generations of pious Muslims, preferring instead to attend ‘official’ dinners and gatherings standing by the sides of Presidents and Prime Ministers whose hands are still dripping with the blood of Muslims, nodding their heads when these leaders speak. Like Bush said himself, you are either with the disbelievers (us) or the terrorists (Muslims). Therefore, those Muslims who are condemning the Taliban etc. have already taken sides and that is the side of Zionist-controlled America.

5. We believe the word of Usama bin Ladin and the Taliban, as Muslims, when they say that they had nothing to do with this terrorist act, over and above the word of a lying disbeliever like Bush. If they did it, they would proudly say so because they are not afraid of the reprisals from anyone.

6. America was going to attack Afghanistan by mid-October anyway, according to the recent Berlin Anti-Terrorism summit. 11 September was an excuse to speed up the process and give a ’cause’ for the crusade. The intentions behind this ‘war against terrorism’ is doubted even by non-Muslims, who do have good people within their ranks.

7. The Taliban Government have proved their Islamic legitimacy to the whole Muslim Ummah. Now, there are two sides: whoever is not on the side of the Taliban is a hypocrite. The Muslims all over the World must render as much financial, physical, medical, media and moral support to the Taliban as they can. If this means taking a year out from one’s university or work, then this must be done as the situation demands it. In addition, the Muslims must continue to make dua for them because it seems like the Muslims have forgotten their brothers in Afghanistan. The Taliban
have appealed for help from the Muslims but these appeals have fallen on deaf ears.
Did not the Prophet (SAWS) say that “A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim, he does not forsake him and nor does he betray him.” If you do not help your brothers in their time of need, do you really think that Allah will help in you in your time of need on the Day of Judgement?

8. According to the Four Schools of Thought as detailed in the article on our web-site on defending Muslim land under attack, once the first hostile disbeliever has entered Afghanistan and if the inhabitants of that country are not enough to defend themselves, defensive Jihad becomes Fard Ain upon every Muslim in the World without anyone’s permission, whether parents, scholars or teachers. In this case, we also believe that any Muslims who are able to go there and do not go there without a valid excuse are liable to be punished by Allah in the Hereafter. Examples of valid excuses are disabling injuries or lack of travel papers. Fear of interrogation or arrest by the authorities upon one’s return is not a valid excuse, since this is not certain to happen, whereas the Jihad is a certainty. The texts are clear in this regard. Those who prevent Muslims from going for Jihad are similar to those who stop a Muslim from making his Salah or fasting during Ramadan without valid excuse.

9. Regarding calls by Western leaders for ‘moderate‘ Muslims tackling ‘extremist‘ elements within their ranks, these are merely appeals to divide the Muslims. What is the ‘moderate‘ Muslim that these leaders refer to? One that does not pray or fast or wear hijab; one that agrees with the Israeli occupation of Palestine, one that thinks cutting off a thief’s hand is barbaric and one that thinks Islam is primitive and backward? There is no such thing as a ‘moderate‘ or ‘liberal‘ Muslim. If there was, in what category would be place the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS)? Would we say he is a moderate, a liberal, an extremist, a fanatic, a terrorist, a fundamentalist? He certainly would not be a moderate or liberal since he ordered 600-700 Jewish males to be beheaded in Madinah after the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayzah betrayed the Muslims and stabbed them in the back.
He also fought in 27 battles for the sake of Allah. Are we now going to call him a terrorist as well?

9. Any assistance that any Muslim gives to a disbeliever against the believers, whether financial, physical, language translation, clerical work, military, intelligence, or other, makes that Muslim an apostate, whose inheritance is forbidden for his children and upon whom the Janaza (Funeral) Prayer becomes forbidden. Therefore, if any Muslim lends any assistance to the disbelievers by spying on other Muslims or testifying against them, even for money, he does so at the expense of his religion. By refusing to assist the disbelievers against the Muslims does not mean that one automatically supports terrorist attacks against innocent civilians. One can agree or disagree with any action that takes place in the World but one cannot go against one’s religion and one’s people without him losing his religion. One of the ten things that make a Muslim into a disbeliever are to “assist disbelievers against Muslims’. It is not permissible for a Muslim to betray another Muslim in order to save himself. The Muslims should contact Muslim lawyers and attornies within their countries and ask for their rights concerning the law in speaking to law enforcement authorities. In most Western countries, e.g. Britain, one is under NO obligation to speak to either the intelligence authorities or the police, either willingly or unwillingly. One does not have to speak to them if they come to one’s house. One can politely refuse to speak to them and ask them to leave. Most people speak to them or cooperate with them because they intimidate and threaten, e.g. by knocking on people’s doors at 5am. Muslims should find out their legal rights and not be intimidated by this harassment. Those ‘Muslim‘ organisations that are telling the Muslims to assist the FBI, etc. with translation and other efforts, are calling the Muslims to disbelieve in Allah and His Messenger and we ask Allah to raise these ‘Muslims‘ up with the likes of the FBI on the Day of Judgement.

10. We expect our web-site to be opened and closed continuously. We also expect our Products ordering facility to close shortly but this is nothing to worry about because if that happens, we will put all of our books online through various sites, discussion boards and e-mail lists. Therefore, we urgently recommend any Muslims that are interested in our material to copy all the articles from our site and disseminate them through their own web-sites, discussion boards and e-mail lists. This is something that any Muslim can participate in, easily, including sisters. This way, even if our sites are closed down, the material will live on with the Grace of Allah. We cannot stress the importance of this: for the Muslims to copy and distribute all the material on our web-site, especially the stories in the Jihad Stories section. Furthermore, to frustrate the disbelievers in their war against Islam, we advise the Muslims to access our site via proxies or anonymous services, such as http://www.safeweb.com or http://www.anonymizer.com and the likes.

11. We advise practising Muslims to begin to plan to leave America and withdraw all their investments and cash from America. Recent events have shown the true bigoted nature of the American Government and some Americans. Thousands of Muslims are still imprisoned in America, they are being tortured, beaten, humiliated, their religion is being mocked at and they are denied basic rights. If anyone does not believe this, one only has to speak to a lawyer of some of the detainees. This shows the hypocrisy of leaders such as President Bush, who, every other day, tries to stress that this war is not against Islam or the Muslims and that the Muslims are loved by the American Government. Unfortunately, this does fool some Muslims especially when Bush opens fast with them, or attends their mosque. People will disagree with us calling for the Muslims to leave America and think about settling in Muslim countries. Just don’t blame us if you end up in prison with all your assets siezed, and no prospect of a lawyer or a trial. We have warned you: America is no longer a safe place for Muslims.

12. The path to victory is long, arduous, difficult and full of difficulties and obstacles. One who thinks that the Muslim Ummah will recover from its decline without sacrifices, without blood, without fatigue, without hunger, without imprisonment, without torture, does not attach any value to this Deen nor understand the method of all the Messengers, as Allah said in the Quran which we have quoted above:

“Do you really think that you will enter Paradise without such trials as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, ‘When will come the Help of Allah?’ Yes, certainly the Help of Allah is near!“
[Quran 2:214]

13. The time has come for the Muslims all over the World to begin making sacrifices for the sake of Allah and render assistance to the Muslims in Afghanistan. This includes physical, financial, material and emotional sacrifices. If the Muslims do not wipe the blemish off their Ummah, WHO will? The Muslims must not be apathetic and think that the efforts of one of them will not make a difference. On the contrary, each and every single Muslim counts, whatever his race, age, ability, skills or residence. Allah gives victory to sincere, correct actions, not to material strength. We STRONGLY recommend the Muslims to read the article by Sheikh Abdullah Azzam in the Jihad in Afghanistan section of our web-site, titled: Martyrs: The Building Blocks of Nations.

14. The war in Afghanistan is the beginning of a long war that will last several years, perhaps decades and eventually end with victory for the believers and a good outcome for the Muslim Ummah. This is not just an optimistic opinion, but it is part of our religious belief to believe that Islam will eventually become victorious even though the disbelievers may detest it.
Allah says in the Quran:

“It is He who has sent His Messenger with the Guidance and the Religion of Truth that He may proclaim it over all other religions, even though the polytheists may detest it.“
[Quran 61:9]

This time of tribulation and apparent ‘defeat‘ for the Muslims is only a process whereby Allah purges the ranks of the believers of hypocrites and those with diseased hearts. In these times, the hypocrites within the ranks of the Muslims surface and begin to say things like “We told you so,” and “See, the Muslims are no match for the World’s Superpower“, etc. The Companions of the Prophet (SAWS) went through tougher times and experienced more difficulties, but eventually the victorious outcome was for the believers. Therefore, those Muslims with faith in Allah know that this period is a test, preparing the Muslims for victory, separating the believers from the hypocrites and taking martyrs from amongst the ranks of the Muslims.

“These days (successes of war) we alternate between the people so that Allah may distinguish those who believe and that He may take from your ranks martyrs.
And Allah does not like the wrongdoers.“
[Quran 3:140]

15. The Muslims are lacking in media. Due to the advances of modern technology, it is easy to spread news, information, articles and other information over the Internet. We strongly urge Muslim internet professionals to spread and disseminate news and information about the Jihad through e-mail lists, discussion groups and their own web-sites. If you fail to do this, and our site closes down before you have done this, we may hold you to account before Allah on the Day of Judgement. As long as you mention that the source of the article was Azzam Publications and do not change them, you do not need our express permission to take all the material from our site.

16. Since our Products section will be closing shortly, we would like to inform our visitors that we are making arrangements for our books, audio tapes, videos and CD’s to be available from Maktabah Al-Ansar Bookshop, http://www.maktabah.net, who have secure, online ordering via credit card. Please check with them about stock availability before ordering. They will also be selling our new books such as the new edition of Join the Caravan. Bookstore owners and wholesalers interested in distributing some of our books through their stores should contact Maktabah Al-Ansar directly.

17. Due to financial restrictions being placed on Muslims donating to assist fellow Muslims, under the guise of financing terror, we urge the intelligent Muslim bankers, businessmen and others to take the initiative and find out new ways to collect money and send it directly to any Muslims who need it anywhere in the World, e.g. Pakistan. One of the easiest, safest and most convenient way to transfer money is by using the ‘Hawala‘ transfer system. One just has to ask around Muslim businessmen, travel agents and shopowners for details on this system.

18. In case our site is shut down again, please make a written and bookmarked note of the central MSANEWS News service where you should check for details of our new sites or postings.

19. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those Muslims and non-Muslims who have given us support throughout the years. If they wish to continue to support us, we only ask that they copy everything on our site and distribute as widely as they can, especially the stories from the Jihad Stories section, and the articles.

20. We ask Allah to give victory to those fighting for His Sake in the four corners of the Earth, to destroy their enemies and the hypocrites and to enable the Muslim Ummah to produce millions of martyrs as the price for victory in this Life and achieving Allah’s Pleasure in the Next.

Your brothers at Azzam Publications
20 November 2001

Source: Azzam Publications

LYRICS:

The catastrophe became eminent in 1924
The might of Islam’s Khilafah was no more
The world cornered the Muslims after depleting our core
They took out their militaries and came knocking on our doors
They then began to invade our countries from every shore
They taught us nationalism, tribalism and our unity was out the door
They made us pledge to useless flags and brought their kufr to our lands
They showed us their culture and we became instant fans
We abandoned our religion and so Allah abandoned us
We broke our deal with Allah within our mutual trust
We were supposed to remain obedient and in Allah place our trust
But we fell into sins and were betrayed by our lust
Allah sent us a Messenger who taught us success:
To aim for Jannah and love this dunya much less
But we took the blessings of honor and power for granted
So when we strayed from Islam, a wake-up call we were handed
The troops of the devil in our nations quickly landed
To colonize the Muslims, with their kufr so candid
But we still didn’t learn and so soon we became related
They were far from Allah and Islam is what they hated
We, too loved this Dunya, and our Iman had long faded
We didn’t realize that the gates of Jannah are gated
Earning Jannah means putting desires to the side
If we expect the gates of Paradise to open for us wide
But since we abandoned Allah and forgot our religion
Allah says Be and so He carries out His decision
The worst amongst us were made to lead us
But they, too were oppressors and didn’t even feed us
Allah withdrew our Khilafah and woke us up to a reality
That our success is with Allah and not with ethnic principalities
That we need to put our ethnicities and worldly love to the side
And hold firmly to the rope of Allah, not swimming with the tide
Our return to success as an Ummah resides
In following the Prophets’ and Sahaba’s lives
In learning about and adhering sternly to the Qur’an and the Sunnah
And implementing Allah’s laws collectively as an Ummah
To rise back to the top, we must return to our Deen
Beginning with our own individual beings
Then move onto our families, communites, and nations
Establishing with Allah the best of relations
So let’s invest in the Aakhira instead of over-enjoying life
And be prepared for this means considerable strife
The hatred from the mouths of the kuffar continues to emanate
The time is for Jihad, and Salam to the Believers who participate
Allah’s Messenger, Sal-Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam said
That the Kuffar would attack and Muslim blood would be shed
Because we’re obsessed with the Dunya and abandoned Jihad
That we love this life and would hate to be dead
And until we return to our Deen, this condition remains
That we stand humiliated until we rethink our aims
We are here to establish Islam on this Earth
So by the Will of Allah, let’s give Islam a rebirth!

Abu Zubair Al-Madani, Madinah, killed in Bosnia in 1992 [PHOTOS AND VIDEO]

Abul-Harith Al-Bahraini, killed in Bosnia in 1992 [PHOTOS, VIDEO]

1993

Abu Sahar Al-Hailee, killed in Bosnia in 1993 [PHOTOS]

Dawood Al-Britanee, killed in Bosnia in 1993

Abu Muslim Al-Turki, killed in Bosnia in 1993 [PHOTO]

Jamaludeen Al-Yemeni, killed in Bosnia in 1993 [PHOTOS]

Abu Khalid Al-Qatari, killed in Bosnia in 1993 [PHOTOS]

Abu Saif Ash-Shahrani and Abu Hamad Al-Otaibi, Riyadh, killed in Bosnia in 1993

1994

Abu Muaz, Abu Abdullah and Abu Salih Al-Qatari, killed in Bosnia in 1994 [PHOTO]

1995

Abu Umar Al-Harbi, Madinah, killed in Bosnia in 1995 [PHOTOS]

Abu Musa Al-Almaani, killed in Bosnia in 1995 [PHOTOS]

Salman Al-Farsi, killed in Bosnia in 1995 [PHOTOS]

Al-Battaar Al-Yemeni, killed in Bosnia in 1995 [PHOTOS]

Abu Muslim Al-Imaraati, killed in Bosnia in 1995 [PHOTOS]

Abul-Mundhir Al-Yemeni, killed in Bosnia in 1995 [PHOTOS]

Abu Muaz Al-Kuwaiti, killed in Bosnia in 1995 [PHOTOS, AUDIO AND VIDEO]

Abu Thabit Al-Muhajir, killed in Bosnia in 1995 [PHOTOS]

Abu Hammam An-Najdi, Dammam, killed in Bosnia in 1995 [PHOTOS]

“I love Allah! I love Allah! I love Allah!”

“Never in my life have I seen one man love another man as much as I saw Abu Muhammad love Abul-Mundhir…” [Sheikh Abu Sulaiman]

Born into a family who were direct descendants of the Prophet (SAWS), Abul-Mundhir grew up in Makkah with his five younger brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, he found bad company even in Makkah itself and began to drink alcohol within the Sacred City of Makkah. By the time he reached his late teens, both of his parents had passed away and he was left with the responsibility to bring up his five younger brothers and sisters, being the eldest of them all.

In 1987, at the peak of the Afghan Jihad, one of his younger brothers left the house without Abul-Mundhir’s permission and he travelled to Afghanistan to join his brothers in the Jihad there. When Abul-Mundhir found out, he was furious. He tried for several months in vain to get his brother to return, but it was no use. Having exhausted all other means, Abul-Mundhir was left with no choice but to travel to Afghanistan himself in order to bring his brother back personally. Full of anger, he travelled to Afghanistan in summer of 1987 with the intention of bringing his younger brother back home. However, Allah had willed another purpose for his visit to Afghanistan.

The moment he crossed the Pak-Afghan border and entered Afghanistan, he felt his ‘heart shake’ as he himself later described. He experienced feelings of all types as he entered into Afghanistan, feelings that he was entering a divine and blessed place. Instead of searching for his brother, Abul-Mundhir decided that he may as well as get some military training whilst he was there and see for himself what all the uproar of Jihad was about. He thus travelled to Jalalabad and entered one of Usama bin Ladin’s Jihad training camps. He stayed there for approximately two months.

By the end of his training, his mind and heart and turned around 180 degrees. He was no longer interested in returning home himself, let alone search for his brother in order to send him home. As he left the training camp, he said to brothers with whom he had developed a close friendship:

“From Afghanistan, lights will shine all over the World.”

After spending some time on the Front in Jalalabad, he travelled to the Southern city of Kandahar, where some of the most vicious fighting in the whole of Afghanistan was taking place, due to the vast open, barren areas around Kandahar, hardly containing any natural cover. He stayed in Kandahar, fighting the Russian Forces and displayed unbelievable feats of bravery and heroism.

During one reconnaissance patrol, he ventured alone to the positions of the Russians in order to obtain intelligence about them. As he was approaching their positions, he came across a Russian post manned by six Russian soldiers and one Afghan Communist. Undeterred, Abul-Mundhir removed the safety catch from his assault rifle and quietly crept up to the post, without the enemy noticing. Once he was within five or xi metres of them, he opened fire on them. With the Help of Allah and his advantage of surprise, Abul-Mundhir was able to kill all seven of the enemy soldiers without receiving a single scratch. He gathered their weapons and walked back to the Mujahideen camp.

It was similar feats to this, together with his lovable personality and incredible popularity amongst the Afghan Mujahideen, who would normally keep to themselves and not mix too much with the Arabs, that he was chosen to sit on the Mujahideen Command Council for the entire Kandahar region. It was only a matter of time before the Council, together with all the other Afghan and Foreign Mujahideen in Kandahar, decided who they wanted to be their leader. After all, who else could they choose for their leader, other than the direct descendant of the Prophet (SAWS), who was, at the same time, brave, wise, intelligent, lovable and an excellent leader? In late 1988, Abul-Mundhir was made Ameer of the entire Foreign Mujahideen forces in the Kandahar region.

At that time in Kandahar, there was not a single man loved by as many people than Abul-Mundhir. Both the Afghan and the Foreign Mujahideen used to jokingly say to him:

“You are the Mahdi! You are our Ameer and you are the Ameer-ul-Mumineen (Leader of the Believers) since you are from the Quraish Tribe and a direct descendant of the Prophet (SAWS)!”

Abul-Mundhir would become angry at the brothers for saying that to him and he would seek forgiveness from Allah for them attributing something to him which he felt he was not worthy of. The Mujahideen also made many poems and songs about him to this effect and they would tease him with them. Whenever a successful operation would be carried out against the enemy, the Mujahideen would jokingly say to each other that Allah gave the Mujahideen success in the battle because of the presence of the Mahdi (i.e. Abul-Mundir) in their ranks. Abul-Mundhir would become very angry at such suggestions and would leave their company to sit by himself and seek forgiveness from Allah for what they were saying.

And so, month after month passed and the Mujahideen witnessed victory after victory until the Soviet Red Army withdrew from Afghanistan in February 1989, defeated and humiliated. The Jihad continued against the Communists and was not much lighter than the Jihad against the Soviets, since the Communists were still being helped by Soviet weapons, officers and logistics. Abul-Mundhir remained with his brothers, patient under fierce aerial bombing attacks and harsh conditions.

His Martyrdom

Thus came the summer of 1990, by which time Abul-Mundhir had spent over two full years in Afghanistan of which one year was spent as the Ameer of the Mujahideen in Kandahar. Abu Muhammad, the beloved companion and best friend of Abul-Mundhir, describes what happened on that midsummer evening, just before Maghrib (sunset) time.

“I was on a motorbike and had just returned to the Mujahideen base from the village nearby. I glanced in the distance and about 30m away I saw Abul-Mundhir sitting alone on a chair on the roof of a small stone house. The sun was about to set and the sky was filled with the reddish glow of Maghrib time. Abul-Mundhir was alone on the roof of the house and he was looking at the sky, making the remembrance of Allah. I looked at him and shouted to him, ‘Abul-Mundhir!’.

No sooner had I said that, that a 120mm mortar shell landed on the house and exploded. The force of the explosion knocked me off my motorbike and I fell to the floor. Once the dust and daze of the explosion had gone, I stopped worrying about myself, but immediately thought about Abul-Mundhir. I looked to the house and could only see rubble. All the brothers rushed to the house to see if Abul-Mundhir was OK. One of the brothers helped me to go there.

We reached the house, and there, in the midst of the rubble, Abul-Mundhir was lying, loudly shouting ‘Allahu-Akbar’ and ‘La ilaha illalah’. Large chunks of shrapnel had sheared open the side of his stomach and his inner body parts had spilt out. He was bleeding heavily. Immediately, the brothers rushed him to the Mujahideen ambulance and began the journey to Quetta, across the Pakistan border, where he could receive expert medical attention.”

One driver and two brothers accompanied Abul-Mundhir in the ambulance. One of these brothers was Julaybeeb, from Makkah, and the other one was Sheikh Abu Sulaiman, also from Makkah. Sheikh Abu Sulaiman describes the journey:

“Night had fallen and the sky was dark by the time we joined the main road to the Pakistan border. The driver was driving without lights, since the enemy would almost certainly have bombed us had they seen us. Abul-Mundhir had lost a lot of blood. He was still conscious, but in a daze. He was saying to me:

‘O Abu Sulaiman! I love Allah! I love Allah! I love Allah! O Abu Sulaiman! I am fed up from this Worldly life! I want to go to Allah and rest once and for all, away from this World! O Abu Sulaiman! I really love Allah! I really love Allah!’

I replied to him,

‘O Abul-Mundhir! What are you saying?! You are the Ameer of the Mujahideen! You have only received a slight injury. Soon we will be in Quetta, have your injury attended to and then you’ll come back!’

However, he kept on saying to me:

‘No, O Abu Sulaiman! I have had enough of this World and want to rest! Abu Sulaiman, I really love Allah! I really love Allah!’

Saying this, he fell asleep. The journey was long and we had now been travelling for several hours into the night. A little distance before we reached the Afghan border town of Spin Boldak, I fell asleep but Julaybeeb remained awake.”

Julaybeeb describes what happened next:

“Sheikh Abu Sulaiman was very tired and had dozed off to sleep. Abul-Mundhir was also asleep. A little while later, Abul-Mundhir suddenly opened his eyes. He stared into the distance, raised his right index finger and began to say ‘La ilaha illalah Muhammadur-Rasoolullah’, ‘La ilaha illalah Muhammadur-Rasoolullah’, ‘La ilaha illalah Muhammadur-Rasoolullah’. After saying that three times, he closed his eyes and his pure, innocent soul (we hope from Allah but do not sanctify anyone above him) left his body to join the One he was impatient to meet.

As that happened, I witnessed two things for which Allah is also Witness. The entire ambulance filled with a beautiful scent the likes of which I have never ever experienced before in my life. Secondly, I heard a sound inside the ambulance, similar to the sound of the humming of bees and the chirping of birds, even though we were in an ambulance in the middle of the Afghan desert, in the middle of the night.”

Sheikh Abu Sulaiman later commented that this sound was probably the remembrance being made by the Special Angels of Mercy who descend and personally witness the great ceremony of the Shaheed’s soul leaving his body to join its Creator.

The ambulance continued to the town of Spin Boldak, near the Pakistani border, where Abul-Mundhir was buried. Sheikh Abu Sulaiman himself placed Abul-Mundhir’s body into his grave, where it remains to this day to be raised up infront of Allah on the Day of Judgement, from a blessed land; the land on which there fell the blood of caravans upon caravans of martyrs in order to bring life to the Muslim Ummah.

Sheikh Abu Sulaiman and Julaybeeb returned to Kandahar with the sad news. This news hit the Mujahideen like a thunderbolt that devastated them. The Mujahideen began to weep at the loss of their dear friend, brother, leader, fighter, warrior, example, and direct descendant of the Prophet (SAWS). That day was not the day that only the Foreign Mujahideen wept, but it was also the day when hundreds of the Afghan Mujahideen, who rarely weep even when their parents die, wept at the departure of Abul-Mundhir from this World on his journey to the Eternal Paradise in the Company of His Beloved.

“From the Fields of Football to the Building of Nations”

Allah thus decreed that the name of this martyr be the same as that of the Guardian of Paradise. Perhaps his soul had met Ridwaan in the gleaming of a river at the gate of Paradise, under the Green Dome from which their provision emerges from Paradise, every morning and evening. And what about you, O Ridwaan! You divorced the life of this world and turned your back on it. Why did you deprive your fans and your crowds of seeing you on the football field? And what about you, O Ridwaan! You shied away from football club tours to Europe and the West, so your worries would desert you.

What kind of choice is this, that you sacrifice the nourishment and education of Europe, with its comforts and modern luxuries, for stale bread and bitter tea?

O Ridwaan! Did you not need to think to wed any of the beautiful young ladies, to have as your life companion? Who will marry you, now that you forsook the football club? Now that you fled from this world and its people to search for death on the mountain peaks?

Hopes and concerns have been lifted, and the soul has been cured and has fluttered in the search of the Hoor-ul-Ain, after being infatuated with the gazelles of mud, and women of this world.

“If the ambitions of souls were high, the bodies would tire of their desires.”

Ridwaan was satiated with the delights of this world and the water of its seas, so he increased in nothing but thirst. It was as though he lived the last days of his life on the verses of Abu Nawaas:

“I seized the same opportunities as sinners,
And I chased freedom and pleasure wherever they were chased,
And I reached what a man reaches in his youth,
And the juice of all that is sins.”

He fled to Allah, and believed that there was no sanctuary from Allah except with Allah. He began taking an interest in Hadeeth, so much so that the brothers would call him ‘the small Al-Albani’.’ He fled from evil and everything associated with it, and he detested slander and backbiting. He fasted a lot, and this was witnessed by the members of the Unit of Hamzah bin Abdul-Muttalib. This unit headed towards Faaryaab, and won its soul by being anointed with the blood of Ridwaan.

He had come to the Land of Jihad a year earlier, and he was trained upon his arrival. He then proceeded to Logar where Allah decreed for him to be a soldier, under the authority of Abul-Junaid, the Commander of the Unit of Hamzah bin Abdul-Muttalib. Ridwaan was despatched to Faaryaab (which is, on average, the furthest city from Peshawar in Afghanistan), but on the way he fell into the captivity of the Shiite tribe of Bamian, but Allah – Glory be to Him and how Exalted is He – ordained their eyes to be blinded to Ridwaan, not noticing that he was in fact a Saudi Arab. If this had not happened, they would have indeed bitten into him with their molars, and demanded a ransom in the sum of millions, as they had previously done to three Arab doctors in Wardak. They had taken them prisoner a year earlier, demanding millions in exchange for their release, despite the many similar promises of release in the past.

Ridwaan was released and united with his beloved Abul-Junaid, after which he headed for the province of Qaysar. There he participated in an operation against the Russians, followed by Operation Fort Yalbeekee. Then he went to Andkhvoy, on the borders of Turkmenistan. This place had collapsed under Russian Imperialism, yet its fragrance still suggests the mood of the cities which were, once upon a time, filled with the sights and sounds of life.

Khurasan:

Turkmenistan was once a large province of Khurasan. Yaaqoon Al-Hamawee said of it,

“As for the distinguishing marks of Khurasan, they are its knights, its chiefs and its notables.”

This country leaves an impression on the depths of saddened souls, because its civilisation mourns its past days:

Turkmenistan joins Surkhus (he land of Al-Surkhussi, who authored ‘Al-Mabsoot’ ) with Bayhaq (the land of Al-Bayhaqi, the collector of hadith who authored ‘Al-Sinan al-Kubraa’ ). There is Marw, the metropolis of Khurasan (the land of Abdullah bin al-Mubaarak and Ahmad bin Hanbal ). And there is Amd (the land of Al-Amdi who authored ‘Kittab al-Ahkam fi Usool al-Ahkam fi Ussol al-Fiqh’). And there is Abyord (the land of Abyordi, the writer of ‘Muhammad bin Ahmad’ in 507 AH). And there is Nisa (the land of Al-Nisaa’i, the collector of hadith who authored ‘Al-Sinan’). And there is Jarjaan ( the land of Al-Jarjaani, the writer of grammar). And there is Zamakhshar ( the land of Al-Zamakhshari who authored ‘Al-Kishaaf fit-Tafseer’). And from which land on earth has come more scholars than this land? This land, in which the traces of Islam has vanished and the purchase of the Quran has become forbidden, in as much as the presence of a Quran in a household is deemed a crime, subjecting the owner to a four-year prison sentence.

Northern Afghanistan was also one of the provinces of Khurasan, but political tendencies tore it to pieces and the Bolshevik military dictatorship divided it into three sections:

1) One section remained in Afghanistan and Hindu Kush and north of it, and joined Herat with all the provinces which are situated north of Kabul. Its most important cities are Herat, Balkh, Meymaneh, Taaloqaan, Faizabad, Baghlaan and Boolakhamri. The area of this site is 200 000 km2.

2) The second section is lands of the Caucasus and the Turkmen (under the rule of Soviet Imperialism.) Its area is 450 000 km2.

3) The third section is the province of Khurasan in Iran, and its area is 100 000 km2.

Its population is 12 million:-

i) 4.25 million are of Turkish origin, and they are the Turkmen, the Kryzmyrs, the Uzbeks and the Caucasians
ii) 3.75 million are of Persian origin and they are the Tajiks in Afghanistan, and the inhabitants of the district of Mazendran in Iran.
iii) 3.5 million are of mixed Turkish and Persian origin. They are the Pushtun in North Afghanistan.
iv) 0.5 million are of Russian origin and they are the arbitrating Imperialists

A Realised Hope

The Arab brothers were eager to set foot on this Islamic land which had vanished behind the Red Iron railing since the beginning of this century. Allah thus ordained for them the fulfilment of this aspiration, so they entered into this land and returned rejoicing at the realisation of this desire they had.

Allah ordained for Ridwaan to fall in the most honourable manner in this Land of Martyrs. Ridwaan was keen to participate in every battle, hoping that he may be one of the lucky martyrs. The day finally came in which the brothers engaged in a battle against Karwaan Bashi in Meymanah, the capital of Faaryaab. The combat intensified, and revolved around Allah’s enemies. Allah’s soldiers were victorious, and Ridwaan was shot in the chest – his own hope was finally realised. He passed onto Allah, after he transferred from playing with balls in the air, to throwing balls of fire on the enemy. And after his energy shifted from the field of football to the field of building and leading nations. Many of the brothers anticipated his martyrdom on the basis of his manners and deeds, which paved the way for this great honour.

Glad Tidings

I read a hadeeth which applied to Ridwaan and the likes of him, who return to Allah after a period of Jaahiliyah (pre-Islamic ignorance), who were afraid of the outcome of their sins, then escaped to Allah as fugitives from their sins and covetous of martyrdom.

In this hadeeth, the Prophet – Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him – said:

” Those killed in battle are three: 1) A believing man who strives with his soul and his wealth in the Path of Allah, such that if when he met the enemy, he fought them until he was killed. He is the tested martyr, in the tent of Allah under his Throne. The Prophets are not preferred over him, except by the virtue of their Prophethood. 2) The second is a man who feared himself from his sins and wrongdoings, so he strove with his self and his wealth in the Path of Allah, such that if he met the enemy, he fought them until he was killed. This is the purifier which removed his sins and wrongdoings. The sword erases sins. He was entered into Paradise by any of eight doors he so wished. 3) The third is the hypocrite who strove with his self and his wealth in the Path of Allah, such that when he met the enemy, he fought them until he was killed. This man is in the Hell Fire, as the sword does not erase hypocrisy.”

[Related by Ahmad, with a good chain. Authenticated by Ibn Hibban]

“…The treatment is prayer, then food, then medicine.”

I only met a few people who had such nobility and honour. He arrived from Britain, prompted by his vast hope for attaining martyrdom by which to enter Paradise whose width is that of the heavens and earth. He was studying paediatrics (children’s medicine), but the longing for Paradise pulled him to the land of Glory and Jihad. He could no longer bear to see the traffic of the busy London streets nor the smoke of its factories. His ears could no longer bear to hear the surge of the Thames, or the ticking of Big Ben. He found a new love, that of Afghanistan, which seized his heart, so he tried to join it.

He was born in 1951 in Benghazi, Libya. He attained a MBBS degree from the University of Qaaryounis in Benghazi.

In Ghaznee

He reached the land of Jihad and searched its field but did not find a single Arab doctor on the frontline. So he carried his gun in one hand, and his knife and first-aid kit in another. After enquiring further, Allah guided him to travel with the Mujahideen to Ghaznee, where he stayed for eight months, eating, drinking and sleeping with the Mujahideen, not thinking of wages nor searching for luxuries of the worldly life in London compared to the life of a Mujahid, where a meal consisted of bread and tea. As for dinner, it was Afghani broth, which had a thick layer of fat and none of the non-Afghans were safe from the possibility of severe diahorrea, which could sometimes be fatal.

The Arriving Arabs

The arrival of the first group of Arab Mujahideen to North Afghanistan – Abdullah Anas, Abu Asad and Muhammad Ameen – was a blessing amongst blessings. It took them 46 days to reach Balakh (Mazaar Shareef) after which Muhammad Ameen was on the brink of death, and the youth of Abdullah Anas had fallen. And Balakh was filled with the people wanting to see the Arabs they used to read about in books. How many old people whose hair had turned white, walked on snow for days, leaning on his walking stick with his right hand, while taking, by his left hand, his young or grandson, for this child to get the blessings of an Arab hand on his head.

The Return from Ghaznee

I met Dr. Saalih on his return from Ghaznee. Abdullah Anas had already returned from Mazar Shareef after he was appalled at the presence of French westerners in a hospital equipped with modern instruments. Abdullah Anas flew into a rage with the leader of the area, Muhammad Alam, and the judge of the area, Abdullah. Their answer was: “Until now, we have not seen an Arab before you, and those French people had arrived a few years ago. Why don’t you bring an Arab Muslim doctor, or a non-Arab, so we can dispense with these people?”

Abdullah Anas persisted in search for an Arab doctor, so Allah ordained to lead him to Dr. Saalih, another Egyptian doctor, so they headed for Balakh – the city of knowledge and scholars, famous in its history.

The Arrival of Dr. Saalih

Dr. Saalih arrived in Balakh and the French had reached into the depths of people’s hearts. Not only did they treat them for their illnesses, but they also took presents and sweets to the patients, visited them at home, and gave them money.

Upon the arrival of Dr. Saalih in Balakh, the French were alienated from the land. After the hearts used to open to allow these foreign doctors to enter into their depths, suddenly they were immediately discarded following a ruling by the judge Abdullah, which stated: “Treatment by the French is forbidden, as is mixing with them and sitting with them.” Thus, in space of one day, Balakh had become hostile towards them. treatment by them was previously a necessity, and necessity are considered as such by their need, but there was no longer a need. The French felt this hostility and isolation, so they said to the leader of the province, “It appears you have no need for us.”

The reply was “Yes,” so the French asked to take their instruments, to which the Mujahideen did not object, and said to the French: “Whatever you want to take, take it and leave the area.” The French did so.

The Miracle of Dr. Saalih

A short time before Dr. Saalih’s arrival, one of the Mujahideen had been affected with the shrapnel in his spine, which reached his spinal cord and paralysed him. He was shown to the French who said, “It is impossible for any doctor to cure this.” But they uttered the word of disbelief, they said “Allah is unable to cure him.” Glorified be He from the (great falsehood) that they say!

Then this Mujahid was shown to Dr. Saalih, who said to me, “I found him to be broken, physically and emotionally. He became unable to leave the bed. He would urinate and empty his bowels on himself. So I said to him, ‘It is simple, it is simple, if Allah wills. Our Lord will cure you.’” Dr. Saalih said, “I told him to uplift his broken spirit.”

Dr. Saalih began to treat him with medicine and prayer. It was only a short period of time before the Mujahid was restored to health, and rushed to the front line to continue his struggle on the path of goodness facing the enemies of Allah.

The people of Balakh began to repeat:

“A righteous (Saalih) friend has arrived. His name is Dr. Saalih.”

Two Years in Balakh

Dr. Saalih has spent two years in Balakh. He was a very good father and educator to the Arab brothers. Sometimes, he could be found teaching them Quran, other times you would find him sheltering them around him like the hen does to its chicks. Thus the Arabs became very attached to the hospital and were unable to part from it. Their military work became focused on the area surrounding the hospital. It was there, on a hill top, that Marwaan Hadeed, the Syrian that we love, the Mujahid, passed away.

His Arab brothers called him ‘Abu Haatim’ because of his generosity. He never saved any of his wages, he spent his money either buying things for his Arab brothers or things for the hospital. due to the shortage of medicine, he was forced to send us to Peshawar to ask for an advance on his salary for the next six months, so he could buy medicine for the hospital.

Abbaas said: “I lived with him for six months and used to advise him to decrease some of his spending. To this he would reply, ‘It is my trade between myself and my Lord.’”

A Marriage Proposal

It is known that Afghans are strict in letting their daughters marry non-Afghans, but with Dr. Saalih, it was they who offered their daughters to him in hope, for what they thought of his goodness and loyalty.

The Return from Mazaar Shareef

Dr. Saalih returned to Peshawar and stayed there for a while. The Battle of the Lion’s Den took place in Ramadan 1407AH (1987), he participated in it and was wounded. You never hoped to see him in a place which was blazing with fire, but you always saw him there. The doctor’s wounds were not serious. He was on the frontline of fire where the earth erupts with volcanoes and the sky showers the earth with burning lava.

Neither the stallion, roaring on the day of the attack,
Nor the angry tiger, nor the lion, nor the leopard,
Are keener than him when he rushes to a battle which breeds heroes or kills them.
How many did his hands kill?
If death was delayed from its appointed time,
He would love it, and would not be late for it.

The Caravan of Takhaar

We then chose him to accompany the caravan of Abu Ibraaheem to Takhaar. The caravan was the biggest one to have entered Afghanistan, and carried with it whatever one could imagine of appliances, medicine, and boots. It also contained twenty-one Arabs whom Abu Ibrahim had selected from various camps. The caravan also had another two doctors, Dr. Abu-Dardaa’ Al-Misri and Dr. Muhammad Umar Al-Iraqi. Upon their arrival to Takhaar, they had a medical course for a group of Afghans and trained them as nurses. He only used to treat patients after taking from them their packet of cigarettes and made it a condition of his care.

Dr. Saalih stayed in the hospital for 16 months, but he was searching for the fighting. He wanted death wherever he could find it.

The Song of Dr. Saalih

He always used to repeat the lines:

“What do you want?
I want a single people on the Qur’an,
Who do not fear threats or promises,
Who take the example of Usaama bin Zaid and Khalid bin Al-Waleed.
It’s only hope is to die as a martyr in the Way of Allah.”

The Return from Takhaar

Dr. Saalih returned from Takhaar in Ramadhan 1409 Hijri, but did not rest or settle. The Battle of Jalalabad was fierce, and at its most intense period. He entered into it, both exercising his skill and satisfying his appetite, his love for fighting.

“The noise of weapons pleases my ears,
And the shedding of blood excites my soul,
So how can I be patient against the plot of the envier,
And how can I bear the plot of the enemy?”

He stayed in Jalalabad amongst his brothers who had been swallowed by the land one after the other, till the number of martyrs equalled ninety, including many of the best soldiers in the Land of Tanjarhaar. Indeed, they were the cream of the nation, the best of its children – we consider them thus and we do not elevate anyone above Allah.

Dr. Saalih’s treatment

He used to tell the patients that the treatment is prayer, then medicine, then food

Martyrdom on 20 October 1989 (20 Safar 1410AH)

Thus came the bomb which Allah decreed to mark the end of the journey. So it seized him along with another honourable brother, Ahmad Al-Mubarak As-Somali, and the life journey of the Arab Muslim doctor ended; the doctor who led the race to Afghanistan, since he was the first doctor to enter Afghanistan. The body which was dyed with blood reached Peshawar and the funeral walked in a dignified procession to Pabi where the graveyard of the martyrs lay. There, Dr. Saalih was buried between his martyred brothers, both Arab and Afghani.

I mourn for you, not lying, the pain does not go,
O’ you, at whose meeting the eternal Hoor smile,
If all of the wounds of my heart were healed,
The wound caused by you, O Doctor, would not heal,
When you were torn open, we crushed all of the victory,
If only my people knew what we had crushed.

CHAPTER 11: THE INTENTIONS IN JIHAD:

The Reward For Jihad Only Occurs When The Intentions For Fighting Are Purely For The Sake Of Allah:

161. Anas narrated: The Messenger of Allah said when we returned from the battle of Tabook and were across from Madina: “Every step you took, and every valley you crossed, there are people in Madina who were with you” The companions asked: “How would they share in the rewards while they were in Madinah?” The Messenger of Allah said: “They are the ones who wanted to join you but were unable to” 289

162. Abu Musa al Ash’ari said a Bedouin asked the Messenger of Allah about the man who fights for booties and the man who fights to be remembered, so who is in the sake of Allah? The Messenger of Allah said: “The one who fights to make the word of Allah far above is the one fighting for the sake of Allah” 290

163. Abu Hurairah narrated that a man came to the Messenger of Allah and said: “A man wants to go for jihad and he also wants a worldly benefit,” The Messenger of Allah said:  “There is no reward for him” When the people heard that it worried them. They told the man go back to the Messenger of Allah and ask him again, maybe you didn’t understand him last time. He went and asked him again. The Messenger of Allah said: “There is no reward for him,” They told him to go for a third time. But the Messenger of Allah had the same response” 291

164. Abu Ya’la bin Muniyah said: When the Messenger of Allah allowed fighting I was already an old man incapable of fighting. Also I didn’t have a servant to go in my place. So I hired someone to replace me and as a payback he gets his share of the booty. He said: “I don’t know how much my share of the booty would be so why don’t you specify a certain amount of money for me?” I told him: “I can give you three dinars” When it was time to pay him I told the Messenger of Allah about it. He said: “I do not see for him any reward in this world or the Hereafter for his fighting except those dinars you promised him” 292

165. Abu Hurairah narrated that Amr bin Aqyash had lend money with interest and he didn’t want to become a Muslim until he collects it. On the day of the battle of Uhud he asked: “Where are my cousins?” They said: “At Uhud” He asked: “Where is so and so?” They replied: “At Uhud” He asked about someone else and he was told they are at Uhud. He went ahead and put on his armor and went to Uhud. When the Muslims saw him they said: “Stay away from us Amr” He said: “I’ve embraced Islam” He then fought until he was injured and was carried away to his family. Saad bin Muadh told his sister to ask him whether he fought for the protection of his people or for the sake of Allah and his Messenger? She asked him and he said: “I fought for the sake of Allah and his Messenger” He died and entered into Paradise without praying even one prayer. 293

166. Abu Hurairah narrated: I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “The first whom Allah will judge on the Day of Judgment is a martyr. Allah will show him his blessings on him and would then ask him how did you use these blessings? The martyr would say: “I fought for you until I was killed” Allah would say: “You are lying. You fought in order to be recognized as a fighter and you got that” Then Allah would order that he be carried to Hellfire” 294

167. Ibn Masood said: When the armies meet, the angels descend to write down the men according to there state: They write that this person is fighting for money, this person is fighting for power, this person is fighting for recognition, and this person is fighting for the sake of Allah. The ones who fought for the sake of Allah are the ones who will have Paradise.

The Different Intentions In Jihad:

Having a pure intention in jihad is important since Allah doesn’t accept the jihad of a mujahid unless he is fighting with the right intention. There are different intentions of the mujahideen:

1. The pleasure of Allah:

There are mujahideen who intend with their jihad the pleasure of Allah. They do jihad because they believe Allah deserves to be served through this ritual. They do it for no reason other than gaining the approval of Allah. The ones with such an intention are few.

2. Love for Islam:

Some mujahideen participate in jihad because of their love and vigilant care for Islam. They want Islam to be victorious and they want disbelieve to be defeated.

There is no doubt in the validity of these two intentions. An evidence that a mujahid is basing their jihad on one of the two intentions is that they wouldn’t care in having others know about their jihad and they won’t brag about it. As long as Allah knows about their jihad that’s sufficient for them.

3. Seeking Paradise:

Some mujahideen do jihad for the sake of entering Paradise and being saved from Hellfire. This is the intention of most of the mujahideen. They want Paradise and they fear Hellfire. Now some say that this intention is not sufficient to reach the status of martyrdom. But the correct opinion is that this intention is sufficient in reaching the status of martyrdom and there is an abundance of evidence from Quran, Sunnah and the action of the Sahabah to support that.

Allah says:

“Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah, so they kill and are killed. [It is] a true promise on Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Quran. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment.” 295

“O you who have believed, shall I guide you to a transaction that will save you from a painful punishment? You believe in Allah and His Messenger and strive in the cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives. That is best for you, if you should know. He will forgive for you your sins and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence. That is the great attainment.” 296

168. The Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever fights in the path of Allah the time it takes to milk a camel is granted Paradise” 297

169. The Messenger of Allah said: “Don’t you love that Allah forgives you and admits you into Paradise? Then fight in the path of Allah” 298

170. Anas bin Malik narrated that on the day of the battle of Badr, the Messenger of Allah said: “Stand up and face Paradise, the width of which is like the heavens and earth” Umair bin al Hamam said: “O Messenger of Allah, Paradise the width of which is like the heavens and earth?” The Messenger of Allah said: “Yes” Umair was eating from some dates in his hand. He said: “If I am going to live as long as it takes to finish eating these dates that’s a long time!” and he threw away the dates and rushed to the battlefield and was killed. 299

It appears from the hadith that Umair fought for the sake of Paradise.

171. Shaddad bin al Haad said that a Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah. He believed in him and followed him. When it was the battle of the Trench the Messenger of Allah was dividing the booties of war between the companions. So he gave him his portion. The Bedouin said: “what is this?” They said: “The Messenger of Allah sent this to you” So he went to the Messenger of Allah and said: “What is this?” The Messenger of Allah said: “This is your share of the booties,” He said: “That’s not why I followed you. But I followed you in order that I be shot at right here – and he pointed to his throat – with an arrow so I can die and enter into Paradise!” The Messenger of Allah said: “If you are truthful with Allah, Allah will be truthful with you” A little later they went to fight. The Bedouin was carried back to the Messenger of Allah with an arrow injury in his throat. The Messenger of Allah asked if it was he? They said: “Yes” He said: “He was truthful with Allah and Allah was truthful to him” Then the Messenger of Allah said: “O Allah this servant of yours made hijrah for your sake and then died as a martyr. I am a witness over that” 300

Notice here how the Messenger of Allah said: “I am a witness over that” when all what the Bedouin wanted was Paradise. If this was an invalid intention he would have corrected him on the spot when he heard it from him.

4. Self-defense:

Some people only fight when fought. They have no intention but defending themselves. The person with such an intention is close to the above three mentioned intentions but is nevertheless lower than them in status.

Al Nawawi states that there are three categories of martyrs:

• A Shaheed in this world and the Hereafter: This is the one who was killed in the path of Allah.
• A Shaheed in the Hereafter alone but not this world: This applies to the one who drowns or the one who dies in a plague.
• A Shaheed in this world only but not in the Hereafter: This applies to the one who is killed in battle but didn’t have the right intentions or stole from the booties.

5. Both jihad and booties:

There are some who go out with the intention of fighting for the sake of Allah but they also have the intention of winning booties. The scholars differed in this situation. Some consider this to be an invalid intention and there is no reward for such a jihad, in fact there is punishment because such a person was fighting for this world.

But other scholars consider this intention to be acceptable and this is the opinion of the majority of scholars. This is the correct opinion because it fits the actions of the Sahabah. Al Qurtubi states that: The Messenger of Allah went to intercept the caravan of Quraish led by Abu Sufyan. This is evidence that fighting for booty is fine because it is a halal source of income. This refutes the opinion adopted by Imam Malik that this is a fight for this world. There are hadiths that state that whoever fights for the word of Allah to prevail is in the path of Allah and not the one who fights for booty. But the meaning of this hadith is that if someone has the intention of fighting only for the booty, that is an invalid intention in jihad.

Another evidence that such an intention is acceptable is where Allah says:

“…Allah has promised you much booty that you will take…” 301

One  cannot  imagine  that Allah  would  promise  his  servants  booty  but disallow them to desire it! The action of the Messenger of Allah is also evidence. He has sent many raids on the caravans of the nonbelievers. Some other references to show that such an intention is valid:

172. Abdullah bin Huthafah said: “The Messenger of Allah sent us on a raid to win booty…” 302

This is clear since the Messenger of Allah sent them specifically to win booties.  Now  taking  booty  does  decrease  the  reward  but  it  does  not invalidate the intention of jihad:

173. Abdullah bin Amr bin Al Aas narrated: The Messenger of Allah said: “Any army that wins and takes booty has received two thirds of their reward. But if they loose and take no booty they receive their entire reward” 303

6. Booty:

There are fighters who join jihad for no purpose other than financial reward of booty. If they were faced with the prospect of fighting without any financial compensation they would not be willing to participate. For these, there is no reward whatsoever and if such a person dies he is not a Shaheed.

7. Recognition:

There are some who fight for fame and recognition. Such a person is not a mujahid and if he dies he is not a Shaheed. He would also be one of the first to be thrown in Hellfire according to the hadith.

Now if a person has both intentions of fighting for the sake of Allah, and recognition, then he would not be rewarded nor would he be punished.

Al  Tirmithi narrates:  The  Messenger  of  Allah  said: “On  the  Day  of Judgment, when Allah will  bring  together the first and  the last, an announcement would be made: “If someone associates someone else with me in the intention of their deeds, then let them seek their reward from whom they associated, because Allah accepts no associates”"

8. Despair:

There are some who fight in order to die and get rid of their painful weakness, debt, poverty, despair, or life of difficulty. When they fight they are not thinking about pleasing Allah or raising high his word.

For such a person it is possible to state that he is not considered a Shaheed because it wasn’t a jihad done for the sake of Allah. One can also argue that he is a Shaheed because he made sure that he doesn’t take away his life except in this manner, i.e. fighting the enemies of Allah. So if he could have faced death by the hands of armed robbers for example or an illness he wouldn’t have opted for it.

I would be more inclined to adopt this second view: That he is in fact a Shaheed, even though he is nowhere close to the sincere martyrs.

Rulings On Being Paid For Fighting:

Scholars differed on the ruling of taking a payment in exchange of jihad; some allow it while others prohibit it.

The ones who allowed it required that the payment should not be a condition set by the mujahid to fight. So if the payment is withheld the mujahid should still be willing to fight. If that’s not the case then the intention of the fighter is merely the worldly compensation rather that the sake of Allah.

If a person only takes the payment because of their poverty, and they cannot make jihad without such a payment, then there is no problem with the intention of such a person.

174. The Messenger of Allah said: “The fighter would get his reward, while the one who financed the fighter would get his reward plus the reward of the fighter” 304

Seeking  Recognition  In  Jihad  After  Starting  It  With  A  Sincere Intention:

If a person starts out with a sincere intention but then sought recognition from their jihad then: All the acts of worship that were done before the change in intention are valid and accepted, while the deeds done after that are lost. If the person started with the right intention but when the armies met he fought only to avoid turning away and being accused of cowardice, then such a person has lost his rewards.

Therefore the mujahid needs to clear his mind and heart from feelings of desire for recognition, arrogance, expecting praise from others or fearing their criticism and should make jihad against his self to insure that his fighting is for no purpose other than pleasing Allah.

The Ruling On The One Who Boasts About His Jihad:

The mujahid may have the right intention throughout his jihad until the battle is over. But after that he might feel the urge to speak about his jihad to people who didn’t attend it in order to have them know that he is a mujahid. Or he might narrate stories intended to display his courage and skill in fighting.

There are references that such an act destroys his reward:

175. A man came to the Messenger of Allah and told him: “I have been fasting everyday,” The Messenger of Allah said: “Neither did you fast nor did break your fast” 305

Meaning: by bragging about your fasting you lost the reward of it so it is as if you didn’t fast.

Therefore a person should not reveal to others his jihad or in that sense any of his good deeds in order to preserve his rewards.

But  if  there  is  a  benefit  in  him  talking  about  his  jihad  like encouraging others, or strengthening their hearts then that is allowed as long as his intention is the benefit and not to show off.

176. The Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever shows off his deeds, Allah would belittle, and humiliate him” 306

A Mujahid Who Goes On Jihad And Dies Without Fighting Is A Shaheed:

Allah says:

“And whoever emigrates for the cause of Allah will find on the earth many [alternative] locations and abundance. And whoever leaves his home as an emigrant to Allah and His Messenger and then death overtakes him – his reward has already become incumbent upon Allah. And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.” 307

177. Abu Hurairah narrated: The Messenger of Allah said: “The likeliness of the mujahid is like the one who is praying and fasting without taking a break from praying and fasting until he returns back to his family with booty or reward, or Allah would take his soul away and enter him into Paradise” 308

178. Abu Hurairah narrated: The Messenger of Allah said, “Who are the martyrs?” The companions said: “The ones who are killed in the path of Allah” The Messenger of Allah said: “Then the martyrs in my nation are but a few. But the one who is killed in the path of Allah is a Shaheed, the one who dies in the path of Allah is a Shaheed, the one who falls off his mount in the path of Allah is a Shaheed, the one who drowns in the path of Allah is a Shaheed, the one who dies in a plague in the path of Allah is a Shaheed, the one who dies of an internal illness in the path of Allah is a Shaheed…” 309

Saburah bin al Fakah narrated: I heard the Messenger of Allah say, “Shaytaan has intercepted the son of Adam on his path towards Islam and told him: Are you going to become Muslim and leave your heritage and the religion of your forefathers? But the son of Adam disobeyed him and became a Muslim and was forgiven. Then Shaytaan sat for him on his path to hijrah and told him: Will you make hijrah and leave behind your home and land? He disobeyed him and made hijrah. He than sat for him on his path towards jihad and told him: Are you going to fight and it is an exhaustion of your self and wealth? You would go to kill and would be killed and then your wife would be taken and your wealth divided. The son of Adam disobeyed him and went on jihad.” The Messenger of Allah then said: “Whoever does that, it is incumbent upon Allah to admit him to Paradise,  or  if  he  dies  by  his  animal  striking  him  he  would  go  to Paradise” 310

Some scholars consider the status of the one who is killed in the path of Allah and the one who dies in the path of Allah to be equal; they are equal in martyrdom and reward. But the stronger opinion is that they are not. There is a difference between the one who is killed and the one who dies a natural death in the path of Allah. Obviously the one who is killed has a higher status and is preferred in a few ways:

• Ibn Habbaan narrates: The Messenger of Allah was asked about the best jihad. He said: “The best jihad is the one in which your horse is slain and your blood is spilled” So the one who is killed has practiced the best jihad.
• The dead is called dead even if he dies in the path of Allah while the Shaheed is not considered to be dead according to the ayah: “And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah, “They are dead”. Rather say, they are alive, but you perceive not.” 311
• The killed would have his injuries witness for him on the Day of Judgment. The injuries would gush with blood that smells like musk.
• The killed in the path of Allah would desire to come back to this world again and again to be killed in the path of Allah. That does not happen with the one who dies a natural death in the path of Allah. In Sahih Muslim the Messenger of Allah said: “There is no soul that dies and faces reward from Allah that would be pleased to go back to this world, even if it would be given the world and everything in it, except for the Shaheed. He wishes to come back to this world in order to be killed again in the path of Allah. That is because of the great reward he sees given to the Shaheed.”
• Being killed in the path of Allah forgives all sins. That is not the case with natural death.
• The one who dies in the path of Allah is prayed on. But for the one killed there is no prayer of janazah offered. Because prayer is performed to ask Allah to forgive the dead and since the Shaheed already has his sins forgiven why offer a prayer for him?

289 (Bukhari – Abu Dawud – Ibn Majah)

290 (Bukhari – Muslim)

291 (Abu Dawud – ibn Habbaan – al Hakim (authenticated by al Thahabi))

292 (Abu Dawud – al Bayhaqi – al Hakim (authenticated by al Thahabi))

293 (Abu Dawud – al Hakim (authenticated by al Thahabi))

294 (Muslim – Nasa’i – al Hakim)

295 (Al Tawbah 111)

296 (Al Saff 10-12)

297 (Ibn Habbaan  – al Nasa’i  -al Tirmithi  – al Darimi  – Ahmad  – Ibn Majah)

298 (Tirmithi – Ahmad)

299 (Muslim – al Hakim)

300 (AbdulRazaq – Nasa’I)

301 (Al Fateh 20)

302 (Abu Dawud – al Bayhaqi in Sunnan)

303 (Muslim)

304 (Abu Dawud)

305

306 (Tabarani)

307 (Al Nisa 100)

308 (Ibn Habbaan – Bukhari – Muslim – al Nasa’i)

309 (Ibn Abu Shaybah – Abu Dawud – al Nasa’i – ibn Majah)

310 (Ahmad (Hassan))

311 (Al Baqarah 154)