“How
Can We be Pleased in Staying Behind”: Mujahidun Al-Malahim’s
Audio Release
05 May 2010
By Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Rubaish
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]
If you were to see a slave of the tribe of Taim,,
You would wonder which of them was the slave.
Matters are decided when Taim is not present,
And when they are, none even bother to ask them
about the matter.
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:
« إذا تبايعتم
بالعينة وتبعتم أذناب البقر ورضيتم بالزرع وتركتمالجهاد سلّط الله عليكم ذلًّا لا ينزعه
عنكم حتى ترجعوا إلى دينكم »
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:
« من مات ولم يغزُ
ولم يحدث نفسه بالغزو مات على شعبة من النفاق »
“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?
If I return, the Lord of all humans will bring
me back,
but if I meet my Lord, then seek another
I am neither lame nor blind so to be excused
nor weak from a disease without ability.
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:
« هل تستطيع إذا خرج
المجاهد أن تقوم ولا تفتر وتصوم ولا تفطر »
«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:
« فكيف تصنع بلا إله
إلا الله إذا جاءت يوم القيامة »
“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.
[Poetry]
Don’t blame them so much, woe be to you!
Or fill the position they are filling
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]
You seek to reach the highest of stations for a
cheap price,
in order to retrieve honey you must feel the
stings of bees.
[Poetry]
Don’t think that might and glory is a date which
you eat,
You will never attain might and glory without
tasting medicine.
Whoever wishes for something else can seek excuse
with the saying:
[Poetry]
Leave noble things and don’t set out to attain
them,
Remain seated, for indeed you are delighted in
eating and clothing!
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]
If you have not planted anything, but see others
reaping their harvest,
You will regret that you fell short when it was
time to plant seeds.
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.