All praise be to Allah. We praise Him, seek His Help and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our selves and the evil results of our actions. Whosoever Allah guides, there is none can misguide, and whosoever He misguides, there is none who can guide him. I bear witness that there is no true deity other than Allah, alone without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah send peace and blessings upon him, his family and his Companions until the Day of Recompense. To proceed:

O Allah! We complain to you of our weakness in strength and ability, and in front of other people. We complain to you of the numerous tragedies we face and the number of wounds we suffer!

The Muslim Ummah is drowning in tragedies, and there is no might nor power except from Allah! The Ummah is stuck and drowning in a pool of blood, and when you see its position in face of the enemy, you remember the saying:

[poetry]

The situation of the Ummah is such that it can be eulogized. It is under the control of the enemies, and you may never find another nation which has experienced such humiliation and harm as ours. It is suffering from many wounds and tragedies. In every part of it you find disaster, wounds, harm and punishment, and what has made things worse is that our Ummah has divided into parties and sects. Some of these sects overcome and subjugate others, and it is enough for the enemy to just stand by and watch. We have enough people in our Ummah to suffice them from doing their job. How surprising! Is this the same Ummah which has filled the pages of history with its heroes and great feats?!

Is this the same Ummah which the whole world heard about, filling the hearts of the enemy with fear and terror?

Is this the same Ummah whose ruler would say to a raincloud, “Send down your rain wherever you wish, for I will profit from the tax from your yield sooner or later!”

You see that Ummah has turned away from its religion and the reason for their glory, and day by day it grows weaker and more humiliated. Allah’s Messenger (r) described this state which the Ummah would fall into. In a hadith narrated by Abu Dawud:

If you deal in Eenah (a type of interest), involve yourself in agriculture and are pleased with it, and you leave Jihad, Allah will punish you with humiliation and subservience which He will not remove until you return to your religion.

The Prophet (r) informed us here of the disease and has told us its cure, which is to return to the religion. Thus, we will never be able to eliminate this humiliation and state of subservience from our Ummah except through Jihad in Allah’s Cause, and when we stop busying ourselves with matters of this worldly life so much that we do not fulfill the duties of our religion.

Thus, in order for the Ummah to break free from its state of weakness, it must return to its religion, and it must set out on the Path of Jihad in Allah’s Cause. Doing this will be fulfilling the Command of Allah and an excuse which we can present. It will also enrage the enemies of Allah, which is the first means, after Allah, for the Ummah to rescue itself from drowning in the pool of blood and mazes of humiliation.

My brother! How can we be pleased with staying back, while Allah says:

“O you who believe! What is the matter with you, that when you are asked to march forth in the Cause of Allah (i.e. Jihad) you cling heavily to the earth? Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter?” (Al-Tawbah: 38)

My brother! How can we be pleased with staying back, while Allah says:

“March forth, whether you are light (being healthy, young and wealthy) or heavy (being ill, old and poor), and strive hard with your wealth and your lives in the Cause of Allah” (Al-Tawbah: 41)

How can we be pleased with staying back, while Allah says:

“If you march not forth, He will punish you with a painful torment and will replace you by another people; and you cannot harm Him at all.” (Al-Tawbah: 39)

How can we be pleased with staying back, while Allah’s Messenger (r) said:

“Whoever dies without fighting or without making the firm determination to fight, dies on a branch of hypocrisy.” [Abu Dawud and others]

How can we be pleased with staying back while we see Allah’s Shariah being rejected, the Shariah of humans taking its place! We seek help in Allah!

How can we be pleased with staying back when we see our brothers being massacred, their honor being desecrated, and their homes being demolished, while the Muslims stand by and watch, while Allah calls them:

“And what is wrong with you that you fight not in the Cause of Allah, and for those weak, ill-treated and oppressed among men, women, and children, whose cry is: ‘Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will protect, and raise for us from You one who will help’.” (Al-Tawbah: 39)

How can we be pleased with staying back when we see the lands of Islam being occupied one by one, falling into enemy hands one after another? The scholars have explicitly stated that Jihad becomes an individual obligation (fard ‘ain) in three circumstances, one of them being when the enemy attacks any Muslim territory. They have explicitly stated that in this scenario, a child must set out on Jihad without the permission of his parents, a slave without the permission of his master, and one in debt without the permission of the lender, and that whosoever has the ability to fight must do so to the best of his abilities. Do those who are aware of the situation of the Muslims have any doubt that Jihad today has become an obligation on every able individual? After all we see, is there any room left for doubt or debate?

The worst affliction is that that we see the enemies rampaging across the Muslim world, while we hold conferences to debate whether Jihad is an individual or communal obligation! Years come and pass while our lands are usurped and our honor is raped, and we are still on the first page of the “Chapter of Jihad” debating whether jihad has become an individual obligation or whether it still remains a communal obligation (fard kifayah)! Do whatever you are able my brother, and defend your brothers, and then say whatever you wish about the ruling of Jihad!

And what makes this affliction worse is that when we see those who give fatwa that Jihad is a communal obligation and prevent the Ummah from this duty, we see that he has never even seen the arenas of Jihad except on television. How does he know the situation so that he can give a fatwa?!

My brother! Even if it weren’t an individual obligation, it is still the most beloved of deeds to Allah! Sheikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taimiyyah said. “Whoever has drowned in sin, one of the best cures is Jihad in Allah’s Cause.” Allah (I) has said:

“O you who believe! Shall I guide you to a trade that will save you from a painful torment? * That you believe in Allah and His Messenger and that you strive hard and fight in the Cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives: that will be better for you, if you but know! * (If you do so) He will forgive you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow, and pleasant dwellings in 'Adn (Eden) Paradise; that is indeed the great success. * And also (He will give you) another (blessing) which you love, - help from Allah (against your enemies) and a near victory. And give Glad Tidings to the Believers.” (Al-Saff: 10-13)

What is causing you to stay behind my brother?

Are you staying behind because you hate to leave your family and homeland? Why, when Allah has said:

“Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allah brings about His Decision (torment). And Allah guides not the people who are Fasiqun (the rebellious, disobedient to Allah).” (Al-Tawbah: 24)

Nabighah Al-Ja’di set out on an invasion, and he said the following lines of poetry describing the condition of him and his wife:

[Poetry]

By Allah, she spent the night sitting, thinking of me,

tears flowing thinking of each other

O the daughter of my uncle, the Book of Allah has taken me out,

forcefully, can I prevent Allah from what He did?

How can you enjoy life with your wife and children while you see the condition of your brothers? Don’t you become sad when you see them? Don’t you love for them what you love for yourself? If we were in their situation, would you like it if they stayed behind like we are now??

My brother! How long will we stay behind and fail our Ummah while the enemies become more and more daring? Each time they increase their transgression, we retreat even more, not knowing how long we continue to doubt the purpose of confronting Satan and his party!?

Maybe it’s the strength of the enemy against the Mujahideen and the way they have all ganged up on them which causes you to remain sitting. You see the whole world attacking them at once. There are even people who claim to be their brothers in Islam who have sided with the enemy, while others have chosen to stand by and watch. If this is the reason you are holding back, then think: did Allah’s Messenger (r) gain victory, and did his Companions conquer the east and the west without severe times of war, to the extent that they would carry their weapons at all times, even while they slept, experiencing so much fear that they didn’t even feel safe in their homes, and feared even going out to relieve themselves?

May it’s because you see the severe sanctions placed against the Mujahideen and the tight siege laid on them. If this is the reason you are not setting out, where is your belief that it is Allah who is the Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong? The Prophet (r) ordered his Companions to make Hijrah while he had no place to shelter them other than the Masjid. People would see some of them falling to the ground, thinking them to be insane, but in reality it was their hunger and toil.

Think of how Allah’s Messenger (r) would leave his house for no other reason than hunger, tying two stones to his stomach due to the intense hunger. Think of how Allah’s Messenger (r) would dispatch a battalion with no food other than a sack of dates due to the fact he could find nothing else. If the Mujahideen were to do this today, the first to oppose them would be people on the pulpits and Television scholars, describing them as reckless, powerless, and having been hasty in confronting the enemy.

My brother, do you stay behind because you think you are fulfilling some need of the Ummah or that you are doing some good where you are? We also believe that you are doing some good where you are, but can you do anything superior to making Jihad in Allah’s Cause? As mentioned in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Allah’s Messenger (r) was asked about a good deed equal to Jihad. He responded that he would not be able to perform it. Then he said:

«Can you pray without tiring and fasting without breaking it from the time the Mujahid leaves [until he returns]?»

“Do you consider the providing of drinking water to the pilgrims and the maintenance of Al-Masjidal-Haram (at Makkah) equal to the worth of those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and fight in the Cause of Allah? They are not equal before Allah. And Allah guides not those people who are the Dhalimoon (polytheists and wrong-doers) (Al-Tawbah: 19)

Yes brother, you are doing good things, but Allah has made it an obligation upon you to defend the honor of your sisters and the lands of Islam. Let’s set out and seek forgiveness from Allah, in hopes that Allah will forgive our sin of remaining behind.

My brother, is there any good superior to defending the religion and the Muslim lands in a time when the enemies are many and helpers are few? Is there anything better than setting out with your wealth and selling your soul for a meager price in order to achieve the Pleasure of Allah, proving loyal to the deal you made with Allah, about which He said:

“Verily, Allah has purchased of the Believers their lives and their properties for (the price) that theirs shall be the Paradise. They fight in Allah's Cause, killing (others) and being killed.” (Al-Tawbah: 111)

My brother, maybe what prevents you from making Jihad is that you hear that some Mujahideen make some mistakes and cross the bounds. Is there any proof in the Quran or the Sunnah that mistakes are a valid reason not to make Jihad in Allah’s Cause, or does it actually make two things an obligation on you, them being Jihad and also advising your brothers?

Tell me my brother, can anything be done without mistakes? Did not the best of armies to set foot on earth, the army of Muhammad (r), make mistakes? In the battle of Uhud, Ibn Ubayy retreated with a third of the army, deserting Allah’s Messenger (r) and those with him in the most difficult of times. Can anyone say that making Jihad with Allah’s Messenger (
r) is not proper because his army was filled with hypocrites?

In the Battle of Tabouk, a group of hypocrites sought to assassinate Allah’s Messenger (r). Can anyone say, “How can we make Jihad under a leader whose troops sought to assassinate?”

Usamah b. Zaid (rh) misunderstood the ruling and killed a person after he had pronounced the testimony of faith, but Allah’s Messenger (r) did nothing more than say:

“What will you do when [his testimony of] Laa ilaaha ill-Allah is brought forth on the Day of Resurrection?”

Did he remove him, order him to be removed, cease to fight Jihad with him or give a sermon exposing his mistake? Rather, once an individual in a battalion, he was later made to be a commander of an army under the leadership of the first and foremost Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all!

Once Khalid b. Waleed (rh) launched an invasion against a tribe. [When he called them to Islam, they accepted,] but said, “Saba’na (we have become Sabeans)” and could not say “Aslamna (We have become Muslims” properly. Khalid [did not ascertain what they meant, and so he] began to kill them and take prisoners. When Allah’s Messenger (r) heard of this, he did nothing other than raise his hands and say, “O Allah! Indeed I am innocent from what Khalid did!” This did not prevent Allah’s Messenger (r) from saying that he was a ‘Sword from the Swords of Allah’.

There were people in the army of Allah’s Messenger who killed themselves, stole from the spoils, and drank wine. The father of Hudhaifah b. Yaman was even killed by accident in the Battle of Uhud. Do you seek an army more pure than that of Allah’s Messenger (r)?

The true calamity, my brother in Islam, is that we have searched for every mistake of the Mujahideen, speaking about them and exposing them in the media, but we haven’t done a fraction of what they have for Islam. They have left their wealth, families and homes, while we remain in our homelands with our wife and children. The face fear, hunger, and severe times while we live peacefully and comfortably, becoming fat and indulging in the luxuries of life. At the same time, we expect the Mujahideen to heed our calls we make by remote control, and if they don’t, then their Jihad is illegitimate and it is impermissible to support and aid them, or even pray for them! If you were to ask one of them where they heard about these mistakes, he would say the he read a statement from the Ministry of Interior or heard some news on television! The best response one of them can give is that they heard it from a trustworthy person. Amazing! Don’t you know that Allah’s Messenger (r) was informed of some news by a person he thought as trustworthy, to which Allah (r) said:

“O you who believe! If an open sinner comes to you with any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance…” (Al-Hujuraat: 6)

Shouldn’t we visit them and see what’s really going on, experience it, and then enjoin them with good and forbid them from evil? If we find that they heed our advice, well and good, and if not, then we have an excuse in front of Allah.

How long? How long will you criticize truthful men for small things incomparable to their immense sacrifices for Islam, preferring and quoting others who have given no sacrifice worth mentioning for Islam which you can use as a proof of their truthfulness and steadfastness. “O people of Kufah! I will not ask you about small sins, making you do worse!”

What if the Mujahideen did not carry out this Jihad which many of our own people criticize? Would the Jews restrict themselves to the borders they have made for themselves now? Would America limit its acts of aggression to Iraq and Afghanistan?

By the Grace of Allah, the Mujahideen are like a strong wall stopping the march of the Zionist-Christian Crusade, but in spite of this fact, they are still being abused by the slaves of Allah. What we should have done is to thank them, support them, and stop people from abusing them, and this is the lowest level of faith (Iman).

What is also amazing is that we see people making mistakes, and they give excuses, or excuses are made for them saying that making mistakes is human. But as for the Mujahideen, their mistakes are unforgivable and unforgettable forever! We see the speck on dirt in their glass, but don’t see the twigs in other’s!

“Woe to Al-Mutaffifun (those who give less in measure and weight). Those who, when they have to receive by measure from men, demand full measure. And when they have to give by measure or weight to (other) men, give less than due.” (Al-Mutaffifeen: 103)

But the thing that will certainly lead to destruction is when you see those known as scholars and preachers accepting partial-solutions, compromising Islam, buttering up to the rulers, and joining hands with the Rafidites, and leading secularists, seeking to please all sides of the conflict, keeping to the middle of the tug-of-war. As for the Mujahideen who are their brothers in Islam, they do nothing other than claim their total innocence from them and reject them, announcing this rejection with or without reason, as Ibraheem (u) announced his rejection of his people and showed them enmity and hatred forever. If you were to think a little about them, you would find that they are more critical of the Mujahideen than the infidels. What is more astonishing is that you find some of them calling to plurality and co-existence with the Jews and Christians, and yet never cease to announce their innocence and rejection of the Mujahideen! Some are even worse, praising of the Leaders of Infidelity in their efforts against what they call terrorism! O Allah! How amazing and strange this is! What is even more amazing is that those who are keen to criticize the Mujahideen in all the three ways [mentioned in a hadith, with their hands, tongues and hearts], even if there is a legitimate difference of opinion in the legality of what they are criticizing, see the enemies of Islam swimming in the blood of Muslims and licking up their honor without any response worth mentioning, even if he was weak. What is the harm in keeping silent and leaving things how they are? Even though silence [of the scholars and preachers] is a huge problem, it is still favorable to siding with the enemies in their war with our brothers.

My brother in Islam, it is just to ask those who have remained behind about the people in the battlefields and their Jihad? You see this cheater praising some and criticizing others, criminalizing and making impermissible and making false testimonies or at best, judging without seeing with his own eyes. Not only has he cheated the Mujahideen, but he has opposed the truth which they hold fast to. You see the envious and those filled with desires applauding this or that person who has remained behind, as if he has brought them an excuse, selling their religion for them for a misconception, them believing it due to their desires, in reality being nothing other than a fabrication, and their hatred is cooled. How true that none recognize men but men, and none know their true worth except those among them.

Indeed the enemy has made many gains over us and have cause us much devastation, but the thing that enrages them the most and foils their plans is our adherence to Islam, from which is the obligation of unity.

The enemies have succeeded in dividing us and devouring us one by one. They have subjugated us by employing people from ourselves, They stand by and watch, laughing. There is no other solution than we join ranks and fight them, joining forces to strike them. Otherwise, we will remain in the same state, if not worse. A united body (Jama’ah), no matter how limited their capabilities may be, is a force which the enemy fears, and will make them think a thousand times before doing anything, that is if the means are fulfilled, making preparations for warfare, as Allah has commanded.

By the Lord of the Ka’bah, the Jama’ah, is a strong and lofty structure. Say whatever you wish about the spiritual and physical and strength which results in Iman. Forming one united body is an act of worship commanded in the religion for the Ummah. Whatever extent the secessionists succeed, and whatever they carry out to achieve this goal, the obligation will still not be achieved, yet their actions will be applauded [by the enemies].

I believe the sincere people of this Ummah have learned from their experiences in recent history. They now understand that unification is the secret of strength, and its absence is as loss of spirit and strength. Thus, they have thrown away their personal inclinations and have stopped the highway robbers who seek secession and to divide. They have come to understand with their keen acute vision is that this body which is covered with wounds can only be cured by Jihad. Everyone must try to cure it. They must not stop at the diseased body.The body is diseased if the heart is diseased, and for this reason they started with the heart, seeking to cure that which supports the whole body. If the heart is healthy, the whole body is healthy[1]. The disease which has plagued the Ummah is disunity, division and dispute, which in actuality are the main aspects of the religion of Satan and his deeds. He has lost hope that those who establish prayer will worship him, so he resorted to creating differences, dispute, enmity and hatred amongst them. Those who follow their desires and those who listen to them and follow them obeyed him, and thus people grew apart from each other and the matter grew even worse. Its cause was nothing other than a desire which its holder painted with colors of Islam and Truth, using it to snatch the fruits produced by the efforts of the sincere until he reached his goal, leaving them in the barren desert, without water or plants, but only a mirage in front of them.

The Ummah will never be free from its enemy except through its unity and standing as one rank in the face of this falsehood, choosing men who have no concern other than what is in the interest of Islam and strengthening the defenses of the Muslims.

The fact that there are mistakes does not cancel the obligation to unify, as it is an obligation upon us to join hands and strive to eradicate evil, obeying the commands of Allah and eradicating evil. We must forget about those people who merely chant mottos, those who have no experience in warfare and the plots of the enemies, and others who the enemy has tricked into speaking in their favor in the name of Islam, or who do so due to their spite, envy, or for money or power. These people are scum and hollow-hearted, leading the Ummah into pitfalls in order to snatch the fruits of the sincere so they alone can live without worry.

We must also understand that the infidels success in destroying a nation does not mean that the united body has failed, that there is no point in striving, or that its people were tried to pick the fruits too soon, although this may sometimes occur. The young boy in the story of the People of the Ditch, caused his own death and took along a whole nation who were burned to death. According to the slaves of money and wealth, this was not a success for them. However, Allah revealed verses which will be recited till the Day of Resurrection as a proof of their success in this world and the next. Can one say that the young boy led the Ummah to a lost battle?

If you seek to form a united body which will not be confronted by enemies, then you are seeking to quench your thirst from a mirage. No united body can reap the desired fruits until the enemy fights them and they engage in fierce battle. War has its good days and bad ones. Injury and death are inevitable and necessary consequences. People will die under rubble and others will be captured or become homeless. We may even see times of hunger, fear, and a lack of medicine. This is the only way, but then comes the end [which is in our favor]. We want something else, then we want Allah to give us something He did not give His Messenger (r).

[Poetry]

[Poetry]

Whoever wishes for something else can seek excuse with the saying:

[Poetry]

We must understand that the religion of Allah will rein superior, and the army of Allah is the one which will gain victory. They are the ones who will win in the end, by Allah’s permission. The true success and pride is for those people who are chosen to attain it. When Allah wills that his believing servants gain sovereignty and bring victory to His Religion, those who were involved in this will rejoice, and those who did not will regret. At that point, we will remember the saying of Allah:

[Poetry]

Indeed the time has come for us to set out in Allah’s Cause and join hands with our brothers and have patience with them in times ease and difficulty. If we do this while relying upon Allah, then and only then will the sun of victory shine its rays over the Muslim world, illuminating the Believers and blinding the infidels.

[1] In allusion to a well-known hadith of the Prophet (r).

O Allah! Bring victory to the Mujahideen fighting in your Cause everywhere!

O Allah! Unite them upon the Truth!

O Allah! Aid them with the unknown troops of the Heavens and the Earth!

O Allah! Shower them with patience, make them firm and steadfast and give them victory over the infidels!

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