A Call to the Ummah & Mujahideen

From Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisey

(May Allah free him)

To the brothers, the leaders of the Mujahideen in Khorasaan, Yemen, the Islamic Maghreb, Sinai, Somalia and the Caucasus, may Allah protect them and use them to give victory to the Deen.

Assalam ‘Alaykum wa Rahmatullah,

As for what is to come…

I praise Allah, whom there is no Lord worthy of worship but He, and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the one who was sent with the sword before The Hour, so Allah alone is worshiped, no partners ascribed to Him…

You are aware, O Brothers, of what has happened and continues to take place in the field of Ashaam, the disagreements and infighting amongst the Mujahideen, which has deeply saddened the hearts of those who feel protectiveness over the Jihad and the Mujahideen. This state has kept awake [due to their worry] those who have concern over the Jihad and the Mujahideen and has also pleased the enemies of the Deen.

Perhaps you know that we have exhausted our efforts to be involved in mediation, as have other noble people, scholars, and Mujahideen. [You may also know] that we communicated with those concerned in the dispute and the infighting, and amongst them was al-Baghdadi; I advised him privately and advised his Tandheem[1]al-Dawlah publically. I also responded to some of the transgressions of their official spokesman, al-Adnani, as much as I was able to release from prison, even though his transgressions and reckless [talk] does not deserve to be responded to, more than this.

I also wrote to our beloved brother, the Sheikh, the Commander, the Mujahid  Ayman al-Zawahiri (may Allah protect him), and I put him in the picture regarding my efforts at a reconciliation initiative or adjudicating between Tandheem Al-Dawlah and Jabhat al-Nusrah. [I also informed him] that I would authorize some of my closest students to carry this out, whom I trust, and whom satisfy the conditions placed by Tandheem Al-Dawlah, which they previously were intransigent about, when they refused the[previous] initiatives of adjudication.

This is what I informed al-Baghdadi about, and brought to his attention that his refusal of these initiatives would place the burden on their shoulders in front of all the Mujahideen, and that they would reap the serious consequences of their actions.

I have also been in communication with some of those in positions of religious authority in al-Dawlah, and I have documented evidence of these correspondences, which exposes their fraud, their ‘beating around the bush’ and their lies when dealing with the leaders of Jihad, as well as other traits, which are not fitting for Mujahideen, whom should supposedly be the most deserving people to fulfil justice and witness for Allah the truth, even if it were against themselves.

You are aware that Tandheem al-Dawlah has spilled unlawful blood, and this is authenticated. [They have also] refused to comply with the [commands] of the leaders of the Mujahideen and their Mashayekh, [as well as] their (leaders and scholars) initiatives and advice. This is well-known, noted and also authenticated. [You are also aware] that ghuluw[2]has deeply affected the ranks of some of them, even their religious officials. Some of them even openly admitted that within their ranks are Kharijities.

You are aware that the likes of these people are forcefully dominating the Muslims in Syria, voicing their ideas publically, speaking in the name of Jihad and Mujahideen, while attiring themselves with the cloak of  ‘The Islamic State’ and using its terminologies has sullied and will continue to sully the Jihad, the Mujahideen and the desired Islamic State.

[All of this] will also create an alliance amongst the nations against the general masses of the Mujahideen, and it will also create the Sahawat.  This is because deviation from the shari’ah of Allah and from the Prophetic guidance will result in ghuluw, and naming things by other than its names. Oppression and killing [unlawfully] will definitely bring fruits that are the same as this evil tree.

You are aware that Tandheem al-Dawlah, their official spokesman, and their religious officials have been transgressing their limits with our leaders and scholars. [This is] especially [true] with our beloved brother Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri.

When they disobeyed him and rejected him, and the Mujahideen testified against their claims that they do not have a binding ba’yah to him (Sheikh Ayman), they began to justify their sin and their transgression against the Mujahideen, as well as their rebellion against their leaders and their rejection of the advices of their leaders, under the guise that al-Qaeda has deviated from the path of Jihad. They also [justified their claims] by picking holes in the statements of the words [of the leaders], which in reality are free from Islamic errors.

As a result of the words [of their leaders], their criticism and prejudice is an indication of their ill-understanding and false goals. All of this is done in order to justify their sins, their repudiation and their splitting of the ranks of the Mujahideen. These justifications prove their superficiality, shallow thinking, their loose fiqh, their leniency towards ghuluw and their over-exaggeration of matters [by] giving them more than their weight.

I heard the most recent statement of al-Adnani, which is a sample of this [mentioned traits]. It is also a sample of many other attributes, which are scattered in their other statements, in which they clearly state their refusal to the adjudication instructed by the Commander, Sheikh al-Zawahiri.

The adjudication was the core of our initiative which I wrote to Sheikh Ayman and to them [Tandheem al-Dawlah]. Based upon their refusal, which was clear, and that every person on the earth heard, this shut every door that was open for reconciliation and adjudication was no longer an option, leaving no room for anyone else to talk.

Henceforth, there is no longer a benefit to procrastinate, delay or wait. [The only thing that can come out this is] that we would be silent in forbidding evil and the revocation of the wrong! It then became incumbent upon us, and upon all of the scholars of Jihad and the leaders of Jihad all over the world to say a word of truth, join the ranks of the people of truth and make clear the group of aggressors who have refused the adjudication, this group who has disobeyed the orders of their leaders and head scholars.

Based on this, I announce, here, that Tandheem al-Dawlah fil-‘Iraq wal-Shaam, is a deviant organisation from the path of truth, [they are] aggressors against the Mujahideen. They lean towards ghuluw . They have become embroiled in the spilling of unlawful blood, the sequestration of their wealth, war booty, and [the] regions which they have liberated from the [Asaad] regime, [This group] has besmirched the name of Jihad and the elite Mujahideen. [They have] turned their rifles from the chests of the apostates and those at war[3][with the Muslims] to the chests of the Mujahideen and the Muslims, as well as other documented deviations.

I also call upon all Mujahideen to adopt this statement [as their official stance], and publically align with it, giving victory to the truth and its people. I also call upon the members of Tandheem al-Dawlah to join the ranks of Jabhat al-Nusrah, giving bay’ah to its leaders. This is our fatwa to them and what I encourage them to do and chose for them. I also call upon all Islamic Jihadi websites, and others who are concerned with the affairs of the Muslims and their Jihad, to spread this statement and give victory to it and to refrain from publishing Tandheem al-Dawlah’s media releases.

This statement is the same as retracting the Islamic pretext from this rebellious organization. It is the same as claiming innocence and disavowal from its extreme methodology, it’s spilling of unlawful blood, which has distorted the name of Jihad and Mujahideen and has been misguided from the path of Allah due to its deviation, its aggression and its refusal of the ruling of Allah.

Because of their deviation and their repelling of the adjudication, their refusal of all initiatives, I was compelled to this stance, only after we had forwarded advice to him [al-Baghdadi] and corresponded with his commanders and religious officials in secret and in public.

This was also after his complete disregard of the calls of his leaders, scholars of Jihad and his rejection to succumb to the adjudication, and as a result he became mumtani’ [4]of the shari’a  and refused to return the rights of the people to them, just as he refused before to obey his leaders. It then became incumbent upon us to say the truth after exhausting all efforts and trying all avenues to return him back to the correct path, but he refused and they all insisted - him, those commanders with him, and the religious officials – to adhere to their deviation.

It also became incumbent upon the people of Jihad to warn against him, and to call the Mujahideen to dissociate from him and join the ranks of the people of truth and Jihad, the truthful and pious. This is in order for the matter of Jihad to return together and the ranks of the Mujahideen to unify. Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in a row as though they are a [single] structure joined firmly. He does not want for the people of Jihad to be disunited and scattered which will only cause our strength to depart, weaken the Jihad and cause the enemies to turn against us together.

We ask Allah, the Most High, to unify the ranks of the Mujahideen upon the command of the most pious men amongst them and that He raises the flag of Tawheed and tumbles the flag of shirk and falsehood.

May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon His Prophet.

Written in the middle of Rajab 1435 Hijri
Corresponding to May 2014

Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisey

[1]group/organization

[2]Extremism

[3]Technically, it is the term muhaarib

[4]To reject the law of Allah