By Sheikh Dr Tariq Abdelhallem & Sheikh Dr Hani Al-Sibai

بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِٱلْحَقِّ عَلَى ٱلْبَـٰطِلِ فَيَدْمَغُهُۥ فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌۭ ۚ وَلَكُمُ ٱلْوَيْلُ مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ

(Rather, We dash the truth upon falsehood, and it destroys it, and thereupon it departs. And for you is destruction from that which you describe. 21:18)

Introduction:

We declare by we (the signatories below) are not affiliated with any organization like ISIS or Al-Qaeda or Al-Nusra Front or the Free Syrian Army or any others either directly or indirectly. We want to also emphasize that no one should imply that when we disown the actions or conduct of a specific group that this implies our association with any other group, specifically those Mujahedeen groups in Syria.

Having said that, we exhausted our efforts to communicate with all factions and strove our utmost to heal the rift and achieve reconciliation and we put forward an initiative to that affect, but with deep regret it became apparent to us that Shaytan has made his mark and produced multiple trials and tribulations. We were very patent in our approach and did not hasten any actions until all the factions were fed up with us as they thought that we were leaning toward that group or the other due to our defence at that time against any injustice that occurred to any group from the Mujahedeen or even those not from the Mujahedeen. Allah knows best the amount of pressure that was put on us by all factions, but we sought refuge in Allah and asked Him for more patience as we prayed to Allah to unite the Mujahedeen on one word and to put out the fires of Fitna between them; but Allah has His own plan for His creation. We were surprised and shocked by the statement made by the spokesman of ISIS and decided to break our silence and patience and release our own statement, since all patience has its bounds!

Based on the previous introduction, we hereby state:

1. The Furqan Institute that is affiliated with ISIS released a statement entitled “This is not our way nor will it ever be [Manhaj]” on 18 Jamada II 1435H which corresponds to 18 April 2014 as read by the official spokesman of ISIS which slandered the best of Jihadi leaders whom are steadfast and have not changed their ideology or methodology and have been and continue to be a thorn in the throat of theTawagheet[1] of the Arab world and the West.

2. The official spokesman of ISIS used emotional tactics (like those utilized byRawafidh regarding Karbala) to manipulate and play on the emotions of those who follow or align with or favor the inclination of ISIS leaders. Unfortunately, those followers have handed over their intellects to leaders who incite slander against the best of the Jihadi leaders. The very leaders and their Sheikh (Ayman Al-Zawahiri) whom we consider amongst the most righteous of our times.

3. We see nothing in the statement made by ISIS except a forecast of war and a bad omen. A level of extremism that we had not imagined this group reaching until it became obvious that it has taken over the minds of its leaders let alone its followers and supporters.

4. After months and many communication attempts that we hoped to help in uniting the forces, bridging the gap and bonding the position, we saw the complete opposite results on the ground. We bare witness that in all our efforts, we only found manipulation of truth and hidden lies while they spoke the best of words in private.

5. Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri foresaw their reaction and the prelude to war when he realized their misguided ideology so he pre-emptively decreed on the 13^th of Rajab 1434H that ISIS must return to Iraq for one year and the presence of ISIS in Syria would be looked into again at a later date. ISIS, however, refused unjustly to abide by the decree without any right or reason for their refusal. ISIS then launched a campaign of slander and defamation against the ruling of their leader Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri and they insisted on their position in lieu of their strength. Lo and behold; its forces in Syria and Iraq started to become expended and its ambitions of ruling and governing expanded as it neither gained ground in Iraq nor won or tasted victory in Syria.

6. After all this, finally the mask came off and the truth was revealed as Allah made the spokesman for ISIS reveal all that was hidden but suspected about their true extremist and misguided ideology. Al-Adnani made it clear beyond any doubt when he declared war against all Jihadi groups and Mujahedeen who were not part of their organization and their ideology that completely coincides and in alignment with that of the Khawarij in spilling the blood of Mujahedeen based on false premises and ridiculous suspicions. Despite the vast differences between ISIS and theHarooriya[2]and Khawarij of the past, since the people of ISIS are not a people of courage, knowledge, eloquence nor prowess like Khawarij, yet they matched the Khawarij in their worst characterization which is legitimizing the bloodshed of Muslims. Moreover, ISIS matched the traits of Qaramita[3], Isamilis, Hashasheen[4], and the people of the “Alamut” Catle[5] in spreading fear, terror, killings and anarchy in the Muslim world and the assassination of Caliphs like Al-Mustarshid Bil-Allah, Al-Rashid and the Vizier Nizam al-Mulk Al-Saljooqy and Sultan Alp Arsalan and Emad Ad-Din Zinky and the many attempts to assassinate Nor Ad-Din Zinky and Salah Ad-Din Al-Ayoobi along with their multiple assassinations of scholars and the foremost of this Ummah.

7. This arrogant Takfeery impetus which is cloaked in claims of Walaa and Baraa (الولاء والبراء) and labels the best of the scholars and people of Jihad as innovators, sinners, misguided or apostates based on suspicious premises that stretch beyond imagination is in fact the same trait of the Khawarij, Rawafidh (Shiites) and Qaramita. It is not of essence that ISIS must match every trait of the Khawarij or Qaramita because the main common principle between them is the ease by which they declare other Muslims as apostates without proper evidence and then legitimizing bloodshed based on their suspect arguments that have no basis in reality.

8. The statement by the spokesman of ISIS is a pure fable that doesn't fool any scholar,Sheikh, student of knowledge or even straight minded Muslims. This statement only deceives those who are among the most laymen and ignorant of Muslims or those who falsely claim to be students of knowledge by its Inflammatory words and fabricated #hashtags in the cyber world of the Internet.

9. We advised ISIS numerous timed as did many others in private and publically and warned them against the extremists position and actions of many of its supporters, but they always responded by saying that those extremist individuals are infiltrated by RAND Corporation or the intelligence services of the Saudi government who are always seeking to smear the image of the Islamic State. They often said that they couldn't reply to every extremist who claims an action in the name of ISIS, but it is apparent now that the original bearers that held these extremist views was always at the highest levels in ISIS and not simply its followers. As a poet said: how could the shadow be straight when the body is perverse!

10. ISIS tried to destroy through false claims and delusion an ideological organization that has [i.e. Al-Qaeda] strained the powers of the Christo-Zionist might for almost a quarter century. ISIS' state is the new idol that they engraved with their own hands and tried to play on the emotions, dreams and hopes of average Muslims of reviving a new Islamic State, a dream that ISIS has surely destroyed with their new ideal.

11. The spokesman of ISIS said in the name of his organization that Al-Qaeda today believes in democracy and pacifism, supports the Muslim Brotherhood and is allied to the Sahawat, Majus and Hindus and even accepting and adopting the secular uprisings [in the Arab world]. Allah is our witness that this statement is pure lies and libel and even slanderous.

12. We reiterate that we are not part of or affiliated with any organization in the face of this Earth, however we recognize that the previous statement by ISIS' spokesman clearly implies Takfir of Al-Qaeda and its leader Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri because clearly the leaders of ISIS claim that Al-Qaeda is in support and loyal allegiance of Kufar.

13. Al-Adnani goes even further in his slander and false accusations of Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri and the other leaders of Al-Qaeda when he screamed out loud: “the issue is a misguided religious belief and a stray approach (Manhaj). An approach that has strayed from standing up for the deen of Ibrahim and rejecting the Taghoot with all its supporters; and replaced with pacifism and following the majority. An approach that shies away from mentioning Jihad and Tawheed and replaces them with phrases such as revolution, popular demands, uprisings, resistance, struggle, etc.”

To that we say: this is the true face of Al-Zawabiri with his misguided thought, his extremist views, his slander and defamation and his Takfir of al-Mujahedeen and slaughter of the best leadership of Jihad; but with a new name now in Syria of Al-Adnani! This conceited one discovered through the applause and encouragement ofother fools and no-bodies on the internet that Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri and the other leaders of Jihad have changed their ways and strayed from the Message of Ibrahim, AS, and that they no longer disbelief in Taghut. Adnani's statements can only have one meaning, that is because those who do not disbelieve in Taghut, are disbelievers.

14. So just like that and quite so simply, this lying slanderous individual claims that Al-Qaeda leaders and their Sheikh Ayman Al-Zawahiri no longer disbelieve in Taghutand that they've strayed from the true deen of Ibrahim, AS!! Of course, we should expect no less from those followers of Al-Zawabiri and their sleeper cells, except to execute his orders, to kill and murder members of Al-Nusra Front and the other Jihadi groups because they've all become apostates and none of them disbelieve inTaghut based on Al-Zawabiri's false claims and lies.

15. We know with certainty that Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri and the other leaders of Al-Qaeda did not sacrifice their lives except because they disbelieved in the Taghut and due to their firm conviction in the Shariah of Islam until the deen is all for Allah. Now comes this Zawabiri of Syria following his own whims, which have misled him away from guidance, fabricating falsehood and promoting it to the masses of his 'state'. The problem is that some of those who are resigned to the sidelines of knowledge believed the Zawabiri of Syria and began justifying his false claims to fill a void in themselves, as the proverb says “oppose to be known”. These “dwarfs” realized that they will never be known in the shadows of “Giant scholars” and thus they attached themselves to the riffraff and those afflicted by an inability to understand, thus the ignorant one assumes they are 'Sheikhs'. And praise be to Allah who has protected us from their affliction.

16. We ask: does this type of speech befit a man who is presented as the official spokesman of ISIS? Or is this the speech of an immature and inexperienced youth who has effectively torn the united front of Jihad as its being attacked by Arab and foreign tawagheet alike?

17. We pray that this is for the best of Jihad and Mujahedeen, since a people with misguided ideology will never succeed. In fact, ISIS has effectively declared its own doom when they declared that they will fight and kill Muslims until there's not a single man left. It is the same as the declaration by the Harooriya and its ideology and it will have the same ending insha Allah; unless they repent to Allah and return to the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

18. The ways and policies of ISIS, after long trying to hide them, have come to fruition and they are the same ways and policies of the Harooriya, Qaramita, and Hashasheen; namely: assassinations, murdering of Muslims, legitimizing the bloodshed of the innocent, unrepelled even by the killing of children, the elderly or women – because of the claim that they are all apostates.

19. They claimed the slogan of “إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ” (Governorship is only for Allah 6:47) and thought that they are following the truth and everyone else is upon falsehood. It is the same claim and the same methods of Khawarij and we hope that it will have the same ending, because their likes do not heed the example of others who perished followed the same (innovation) and bidaa.

20. They pretended to revere Sheikh Osama bin Laden, may Allah have mercy on him. They falsely and deceptively claimed that they follow his way and that Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri changed and strayed from Sheikh Osama's ways. But they conveniently forgot that Sheikh Osama himself praised the Arab Spring revolutions in his last audio recording, referring to is as the great historical event. In fact he had suggested establishing a Shura council to help guide the revolutions and angry masses to achieve their goals, as he said, and provide support to other nations to start their revolts.[6]

21. Again we ask: did Sheikh Osama bin Laden himself, O' you who claim to cling unto the drape of Osama, change his own ways or stray from the right path? We ask those supporters of the 'state' of aggression and slander, who still have a grain of intelligence left to listen to Sheikh Osama's recording if they seek the truth and want to protect themselves from the fire of ISIS. If they find objection in being named as descendants of Ibn Muljim in his misguidance and spilling of blood, then surely Ibn Muljim is not so different from them.

22. The martyred Sheikh Osama never made Takfir of Muslims nor did his successor Sheikh Ayman Al-Zawahiri. ISIS is the one that departed from the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺand followed the path of Al-Zawabiri and Abdul Rahman Al-Zaytouni so the end of your group will, insha Allah, be similar to the end of the Armed Jama'a Islamiya in Algeria and Shokry Mostafa's group in Egypt which are no longer in existence.

Conclusion

Based on what we stated above and what we shall comment on in future articles and recordings, insha Allah. We declare that we disassociate ourselves from the actions and behaviours of “The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria” and their leaders unless they repent to Allah and renounce their wrongdoings. We also warn the youth from the Mujahideen and others from the evil ideology of ISIS which is clearly apparent to those who understand and have studied the ideologies of other misguided sects like Khawarij and Qaramita. We believe that the hadith narrated by Abu Saeed Al-Khodari, may Allah be pleased with him, clearly applies to ISIS when the Prophet ﷺsaid: “A group of people will emerge during your time whom you'll feel that your prayers, fasting and actions are inferior to theirs. They recite the Quran and it doesn't go past their throats[7]. They will depart from this religion like the arrow departs from the bow.”[8]

We also call upon the Mujahedeen of this Ummah and its youth, who have learned the right and pure Aqeeda of Tawheed and has not been tainted by other secular ideologies nor any alliances of disbelief, to be weary of extremism and extremist ideologies. Be cautious of extremist groups because they are a people of deceit and betrayal; they will kill Muslims and spare idol-worshippers. Do not be fooled by their sweet talk, as Allah says “وَإِن يَقُولُوا تَسْمَعْ لِقَوْلِهِمْ” (and if they speak, you listen to their speech 63:4) and don't be misled by Al-Adnani's speech which incidentally pales in comparison with the speech and eloquence of Qitri ibn Al-Fuja'ah, a popular speaker of Khawarij. Additionally, if you learn the history of Khawarij and the actions of their leaders like Najda bin Aamir, Nafi'a bin Al-Azraq, Shawthab Al-Khariji and others you would certainly recognize that ISIS is following their path of innovation and straying away from the path of Sunnah.

Finally, we call upon the leaders of ISIS to repent to Allah and submit and abide by a proper judgement in the charges against them and to bring forth any grievances they have to a Shariah court as was suggested by Sheikh Ayman Al-Zawahiri in his latest speech entitled “Between Pain and Hope”.

However, if ISIS continues to refuse any arbitration and continues its hardline stance, then they bear the full responsibility for the bloodshed in Syria. Furthermore, your strategy of suicide bombings on the people of Tawheed and leaders of Mujahedeen along with their families and children, tearing apart their limbs, is only a strategy that hastens those young youth bombers to their doom in hell-fire (By the will of Allah). So if you seek to rectify Jihad as you falsely claim by killing its leaders then “Indeed, Allah does not amend the work of corrupters” (10:81).

We also urge those who are sincere amongst the scholars and Sheikhs anywhere around the world to fulfill the right of Allah upon them and declare their position about the events in Syria and to disown and disassociate themselves from the action of ISIS and its corrupt ideology.

We ask Allah SWT to give guidance to the leaders of ISIS, to bring them back to the true path, to guide them to repent from their actions, to submit to a Shariah Court and to spare the bloodshed of Muslims. We ask Allah SWT that if ISIS shall not be guided then to show us His Power in destroying them in order to spare the lives of Muslims, Mujahedeen and the Jihad from their evil. In their extremism and misguidance they will only increase the Muslims in misery, and will produce only aKharijite aggressor who will fill the earth with corruption.

We hereby declare that we delivered the message, O Allah you are our witness.

Saturday 19 Jamada II 1435H, 19 April 2014

Signed by:

Sheikh Dr Tariq Abdelhallem

Secretary-General of the Sunni Movement in Egypt

Signed by:

Sheikh Dr Hani Al-Sibai

Assistant Secretary-General of the Sunni Movement in Egypt

Appendix

Sheikh Osama Bin Laden's last recorded speech regarding the events of the Arab Spring:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmORn0pKisI&feature=youtu.be

1] Tawagheet is plural of Taghoot which means anyone or anything that crosses it boundaries of servitude to Allah and claims some of the rights of Allah to himself. In this context, Tawagheet are the rulers of Muslim countries who claimed that they can legislate independently of what Allah decreed and claimed the right to define what is permissible and not permissible regardless of what the Shariah states.

[2] Khawarij have historically been referred to as Harooriya based on the name of a town where Ali bin Abi-Talib fought them and defeated them.

[3] The popular nickname of a group of Ismaili Shiis who founded the Fatimid dynasty in the tenth century. Initially, the Qaramita challenged the Abbasids in the Iraqi and Syrian deserts. Although defeated in 906 , they later established an Ismaili republic in eastern Arabia. From there, the Qaramita carried out extensive raiding in western Arabia and Iraq and stole the Black Stone of the Kaaba. In 909 their caliphal candidate al-Mahdi , with the help of a Berber tribal bloc, overthrew the Rustomids of Tahert and the Aghlabids of the eastern Maghreb, thereby establishing the Fatimid dynasty

[4] A secret cult of Nizari Ismailis that terrorized the Muslim world. They relied on Hashish to subdue its followers and gain their obedience to commit murders. It is the origin of the English word “assassins”.

[5] The headquarters of the Hashasheen (assassins) was a mountain fortress located in Alamut region in the South Caspian province in Iran, approximately 100 km from present-day Tehran.

[6] Refer to the Appendix for a link to Sheikh Osama Bin Laden speech

[7] A euphuism to describe that the meaning of the Quran doesn't enter their hearts

[8] Reported by Bukhari