Allah Most High has said:

“O ye who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allah; that ye may prosper.”

The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said:

“There will always be a group from amongst my Ummah fighting upon the truth and victorious until the Day of Judgment.”

The Muslim Ummah and the Mujahidoon of Al-Qaeda, pleased with the Decree and Will of Allah, and comforted by the Promise of Allah and His reward, received the news of the martyrdom of the garrisoned Mujahid, Sheikh Usama bin Muhammad bin Laden, may Allah shower him with His Mercy. We ask Allah Almighty to elevate his rank and reward him on our behalf and on behalf of the Ummah with the best of rewards.

As Jihad will continue until the Day of Judgment, as mentioned in various hadeeth, and as Jihad has become an individual obligation against the infidels who have invaded and occupied Muslim lands, and against the apostate rulers who have replaced Allah's Shariah (according to the Ijma' of the scholars); and as the best loyalty shown to the righteous martyrs and to the life of the Mujahid, Usama bin Laden, is to continue on the path of Jihad in the Cause of Allah and to come to the aid of the weak and oppressed Muslims; thus the general command of Al-Qaeda, after completing consultation, announce the leadership of Sheikh Abu Muhammad, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, (may Allah grant him success) in directing the affairs of Al-Qaeda. We ask Allah Most High to grant him, us, and all the Muslims the guidance to adhere to the Shariah and to remain firm upon the truth as Allah Almighty is pleased with, without change or replacement.

On this occasion, the General Command of Al-Qaeda would like to emphasize the following principles.

1. By Allah's Grace, Al-Qaeda seeks accordance with the Quran and Sunnah, and it is this to which they call. We adhere to the methodology of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, his righteous companions and pure and good family, may Allah be pleased with them all. And we adhere to the Ijma’ of the Salaf, from the Tabi'een and their students (Atba'-ut-Tabi'een), and those who followed on their path in knowledge and action, such as the four Imams and other scholars of Fiqh and Hadeeth, whom the Ummah has accepted and given witness to their goodness, and praised and prayed for their mercy generation after generation. We adhere to what they had consensus upon, and in other issues we do not choose other opinions not held by them. We seek, Allah willing, to be followers, not innovators.

2. By Allah's Grace and Aid, we seek to call to the true religion, inspire the Ummah to prepare and to fight, and practically implement this tenet by fulfilling this individual obligation by waging Jihad against the infidel invaders who have attacked Muslim lands, especially Crusader America and its orphan child Israel, and those who have aided them from the rulers who have also replaced Allah's Shariah. We wage Jihad against them with everything in our might, and we encourage the Ummah to make Jihad against them with their hands, their tongues, their wealth and their deeds as much as they can, until all invading forces retreat from Muslims lands, and Allah's Shariah is made sovereign. Allah Most High has said:

“O ye who believe! Fight those unbelievers who are nearest to you, and let them find firmness in you. And know that Allah is with those who fear Him.”

3. We reemphasize our support for all people fighting to make Islam supreme, based upon sound knowledge, and defending Islam and the rights of the Muslims wherever they may be, for Al-Qaeda is not affiliated to a certain piece of land or nationality. All Muslim lands are our lands, and all Muslims are our brethren. Faith is what ties us together and binds us in loyalty. We give no preference to Arabs over non-Arabs, rather, what is regarded is piety and righteous deeds.

We reemphasize to our beloved Muslims of Palestine the same tenet which Sheikh Usama, may Allah have mercy on him, stressed when he said, “We say to our brothers in Palestine, the blood of your children is the blood of our children, and your blood is our blood. Blood for blood and destruction for destruction. By Allah, we will never fail and desert you, either we will earn victory, or we will taste what Hamza bin Abu Muttalib tasted, may Allah have mercy on him.” We reemphasize to them that we will not accept compromise, not even for an inch of the garrisoned Mujahid land of Palestine, no matter who offers it to us.

We will accept no legitimacy of the supposed state of Israel, even if the entire world agrees to this. And we will neither accept, adhere to, or abide by any agreement, decision or treaty which acknowledges it, or which usurps from the Muslims even an inch of Palestine, whether it be from the United Nations led by the head criminals of the Earth, or from any other entity or organization. By the Help and Strength of Allah, we will continue our Jihad and struggle with our hands and tongue.

We will continue to expose the treachery of those who compromise the rights of the Ummah in Palestine, who work with Mossad and the CIA. And we will exert all efforts until Palestine, all of Palestine, is liberated, and the flag of Islam flutters above it and sovereignty is for the Shariah, as it was liberated by the heroes of Islam in the past such as Salahuddin.

We reaffirm to our brothers in Afghanistan that we are by their side, with our souls and all else we own, under the leadership of the Leader of the Believers, the Mujahid, Mulla Muhammad Umar, may Allah protect him, to oust the Crusader American occupation from this pure and patient land.

We reaffirm to our brother Mujahideen, our fellow journeymen on the path of endurance, challenges, and confrontation of the Crusades against Iraq - the Land of the Caliphate and Knowledge; Somalia - the Land of Hijrah and Jihad; the Arabian Peninsula - the land of Revelation, Wisdom and Faith; the Islamic Maghreb – the Land of Garrison, Defense and Resolution; and Chechnya – the Land of Endurance and Determination; that we will continue to fulfill our oath and follow our path, as a solid structure, a tight row, unified in word and in heart, and under a pure banner. We fight the same enemy, though with difference faces and names. We will show no weakness, doubt, or retraction. We inflict harm and we are harmed, we prove victorious and are defeated, but the final end is for the Believers.

“Said Moses to his people: “Pray for help from Allah, and (wait) in patience and constancy: for the Earth is Allah's, to give as a heritage to such of His servants as He pleaseth; and the end is (best) for the righteous.””

4. Allah said:

“And why should ye not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)? Men, women, and children, whose cry is: “Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect; and raise for us from thee one who will help!””

The Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam said,

“Free the imprisoned....”

We ask Allah that He helps us to work to free our imprisoned fellow Muslims, the lions in chains, who have proved patient, and have endured and sacrificed, and have suffered due to the defense of Islam and the Muslims. We affirm them that we have not forgotten them, nor will we ever, Allah willing.

We have not forgotten the Mujahid, the scholar who spoke out for the truth openly, Umar Abdurahman. We have not forgotten our brothers in Guantanamo, Baghram, Abu Ghuraib, the rest of the secret and open prisons of America, and every other Guantanamo erected by the agents of America under their supervision across the Muslim lands.

“And they ill-treated them for no other reason than that they believed in Allah, Exalted in Power, Worthy of all Praise!”

5. We aid and support the uprisings of our oppressed and subjugated fellow Muslims which occurred against the oppressive and corrupt idolic tyrants after they made our Ummah taste the most bitter of punishments, in Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Syria and Morocco. We encourage them and the rest of our people to rise and continue in their struggle, exertion, and resolution until all the corrupt and oppressive governments, who have been imposed upon us by the West to assist their plans and wills, are done away with and until the true and complete sought-after change comes about. This can only occur when the Muslim Ummah returns to Allah's Shariah (after having been sidelined by the colonial forces), until the Shariah makes a full and pure return and governs the Muslim Ummah, unchallenged by other sources of legislation, and until all religion becomes for Allah Alone.

This change will never occur unless the Ummah rids itself from all forms of colonization, hegemony and military, economic, cultural and media dominance imposed upon us by the West. It will never be achieved until it frees itself from all forms of political and societal injustice, and all this is not possible without proper and serious preparation, constant encouragement, and continuous Jihad, fighting power with power. The religion is maintained with a book which guides and a sword which champions, and Allah is Sufficient as a Guide and Champion.

6. We extend our hands and open our hearts to work with all those who seek to aid Islam from the various Islamic groups and organizations and outside them. Let us work together and aid each other to oust the invaders from Islamic lands, and to aid the Shariah until it governs and leads the lands of Islam instead of remaining something governed and led, and until all other constitutions and laws which oppose it are invalidated. Let us work together to overthrow these corrupt and corruptive regimes, and purify our lands from all forms of injustice, subjugation, evil and corruption, all in accords with the verse:

“Help each other in righteousness and piety...”

Along with this belief, we also reserve our full right to advise our brother Muslims.

7. Our upright religion forbidden all types of injustice and oppression, towards Muslims or otherwise, friend or foe. Due to this, we affirm to every oppressed person in this world, most of whom are victims of Western and American crimes, that our religion is one of justice and equity. We feel for the suffering of all weak and oppressed. The result of our Jihad against American hegemony will be the alleviation of the injustices to which they are subject, and it is an influential factor in their liberation from Western and American exploitation which has enslaved them, stripped them of their resources, and spoiled their environment and life.

This is our message to the Muslim Ummah, and to all those who seek truth and justice. Allah is the one to fulfill our goal, and He is the one to Guide.

Our final prayer is that all praise be to Allah, the Lord of all that exists. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and companions.

The General Command of Al-Qaedah
Rajab 1432/ June 2011

Translated by:
The Global Media Islamic Front
Observing Mujahideen News and Inspiring the Believers

Submitted by a Mujahid

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