Penned by: Abū Maysarah Ash-Shāmi
Background:
This article was published on 31st March 2014 by ‘Ubwa Laseqa. The author who is a well known writter on these topics and an expert in them covers the topic in great detail. This is what he had to say about this article in a recently published article in which he was adressing Al Shabaab.
NB: I had a good perception of Hani sibai when I wrote this old article(reffering to this bay’ah article), I was uniformed about his reality. It became clear to me later that he is one of the heads of Tajahhum and misguidance who don’t support except for his prestige and thoughts.
In The Name of Allah The Beneficent The Merciful
All praise is due to Allah the Greatest and the Most High, and may the peace and blessings be upon the cheerful avid fighter (Rasūli Allah) and upon his noble and pure household.
To proceed:
The respected shaykh Hāni Sibā’i the director of Al-Maqreze center for historical studies talked about the disagreement between the Islamic State and Jabhat Al-Nusrah. So the brother thought that the basis of this problem lies in the misconceptions (surrounding) the Bay’ah and the organizational relationship between the Islamic State and Tanthīm Al-Qā’idah. And this is far from the reality because the disagreement – after being only methodological, extended to a battle between truth and falsehood, that’s why it is important to understand some issues:
Firstly, Verily the Islamic State has an establishment on the ground, implemented and judged (between people and itself) with Shari’ah. Its governance stretches from Raqqa to Al-Barakah and large and complete pieces of land in Halab, Hims, Al-Anbār, Ninawah, Salāhuddīn, Diyāla, Kirkūk and other places. They established the prayers in this places and Hududs (prescribed punishments) and courthouses and Hisbah (commanding the good and forbidding the evil) agencies. We see the opposite if we look at the governance of the sahawāt and their ally Jawlāni. Their joint Sharī’ah board has neither knowledge nor power, it is corrupt and it corrupts because they included in the legislations the extreme Sūfis, Murji’ah, the Ikhwānis and the criminals (even the ex-regime tāghūt judges). Their slogan is: “No Sharī’ah during war” and they misinterpret with their desires the sentence: “No punishments (Hudūd) in Dār Al-Harb (the land of war. i.e lands ruled by manmade laws)”. For two years, they controlled some large and stable “liberated” areas, but we didn’t see any Hisbah or Hudud (punishments), except on the imprisoned soldiers of the Islamic State. And then we see the Jahiliyah statements like the one made by “Jaysh Al-Mujāhidīn” allies of Jawlāni saying that Hijāb is a personal freedom.
Secondly, Jawlāni’s group made its first priority fighting the IS, so they put in first, fighting the IS instead of fighting Hay’at Al-Arkān (General Staff Command Building of the Syrian armed forces) and the bandits, so they truly became: Murji’ah with the pagan coalition (SNC) and Aāl Salūl (Saudi), and Khawārij with the Islamic State.
Thirdly, Abū Abdūllāh Ash-Shāmi issued a fatwa based on lies, and he immediately made fighting the Islamic State compulsory because it’s a Tā’efah Muntani’ah (a refraining sect) from Hākimiyah (seeking judgement in Qurān & Sunnah) and labeled them as more extremist than the khawārij (while he contradicted in the description of the Hākimiyah which they refrained from), so he was similar to Ibrahīm Al-Salqīni and Adnān Al-‘Ar’oor.
So now the disagreement developed into an ongoing war between the Islamic State who have empowerment on earth (in one front) and the groups in the Jarba and Aāl Saud coalitions and the followers of Jawlāni (in the other front), so they lined up in one rank in order to achieve their goal by coordinating it on all levels. All praise is due to Allah who guided the defectors from Jawlāni to give their testimonies about the conspiracies.
Thus, the misconceptions surrounding the Bay’ah have no traces on the ground, because the defectors from Jawlāni front preform Hijra in dozens to The Islamic State territory even if the misconceptions (surrounding Bay’ah) weren’t clarified. It is because they saw the deviation in manhaj in this group (Jabhat An-Nusrah). Also the threats by Jawlāni, the Fatwa of As-Shāmi and their denial of the favors and the goodness they, in the past used to acknowledge, encouraged them (the defectors) to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State.
So the reality is different from what was imagined by the brother, because the muhājirīn and ansār do not obey someone who commands them to join a coalition with the secularists, salūli’s, Jahmī’s and criminals, nor do they obey the one who deviated in his manhaj, disobeyed his amīr (Abū Bakr Al- Baghdādi) and helped against him those whom there is no dispute in their kufr, even if the order(of obedience) was to come from all the ‘wise men’ of the world.
In order to refute the “Bay’ah” misconception by Allah’s Will, I shall convey the words of Dr. Aymān Al-Zawāhiri himself, with a short commentary, and from Allah we seek assistance.
Firstly, the minister (of war) Abū Hamzah Al-Muhājir may Allah have mercy on him dissolved the Al-Qāeda branch in the land of the two rivers (Iraq) without consulting his amīr Shaykh Usāma ibn Lāden (may Allah have mercy on him) in Khurassān. And this is something which cannot be denied by Dr. Ayman. So the minister (Abū Hamza) hastened with the declaration because the matter couldn’t be delayed neither according to the Shari’ah nor the situation, and shaykh Usāma recognized the legitimacy of the State because it is not permissible to postpone its establishment.
Appointing the Imām becomes an immediate duty upon ability,
Dr. Ayman said:
“The establishment of the Islamic state or emirate is a religious duty and a realistic necessity. This cannot be delayed for the lack of the best circumstances for electing the ruler. Otherwise, those who spread mischief and the enemies of Islam will seize the country, security will be lost, sanctities will be violated, and tumults will take place. The fruits of jihad in Afghanistan would have been lost had the Islamic Emirate not been established. This could also lead to the loss of these fruits in Iraq, especially since all the internal and external atmospheres in the two countries are prepared and are available for igniting infighting unless a legal and enabled authority was established to foil these conspiracies.”
“[In Iraq] previously the brothers made successive efforts to unify the ranks of the mujahidin first in the Mujahidin Shura Council then the Hilf (Alliance of) Al-Mutayyibin (the honourables), and then in the pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq by most of the jihadist groups, which pursue the right methodology and the mujahid and steadfast tribes, the brothers mentioned this in detail. Therefore, it would be unnecessary to repeat it. The best proof of this is the heroic steadfastness of the blessed state on whose rock the military campaigns, seditions, and conspiracies founder.” [‘Second Round of The Open Interview’ (Al-Liqā Al-Maftūh ) with al-Zawahiri, 2008]
So the establishment of an Islamic State is obligatory, that’s why Dr. Zawāhiri explained in his answers in Al-Liqā Al-Maftūh:
“The need for the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) and the religious and practical (shar’iyah) justifications for its establishment, particularly as such a need is to a great extent connected with a practical view of the field of struggle (battlefield). Our brothers in the Islamic State of Iraq are pioneers in that field. The brothers in Afghanistan have known a number of ISI’s notables at close hand, and they contacted them in various cases. They found in them nobility, a generosity of spirit, and a perspicuous view of the changing reality and storming events which they experienced and which hardened them. The best proof of their perspicuous vision is the enormous achievement they accomplished with Allah’s help, whereby they foiled the US and Iranian plans in the region, an achievement they began by digging their nails into the rock, in circumstances shrouded in defeat, despair, and being overwhelmed by the US invasion and Iranian coalition. They undoubtedly know their field better than anyone else. As for their fairness and truthfulness, all my brothers who lived with them testify to their truthfulness, honesty, renouncement of worldly pleasures, sound views, and good morals.” [‘Second Round of The Open Interview’ (Al-Liqā Al- Maftūh ) with al-Zawahiri, 2008]
So Abū Hamzah dissolved Tanthīm Al-Qāeda in the land of the two rivers (Iraq) while saying:
“I tell the venerable Shaykh, the brave hero, the Qurayshi Hashemite, who is of a Husayni origin, the commander of the faithful, Abu Umar al‐ Baghdadi: I pledge allegiance to you, to hear and obey, during difficulty and ease, wether in pleasant or unpleasant situations, and even against our preference and this is a promise not to dispute for power with the leader, and to say the truth wherever we are, and not to fear the criticism of anyone in the cause of Allah. And I announce the integration of all the formations that we have established, including the Mujahideen Shura Council, on behalf of my brothers in the council, under the authority of the Islamic State of Iraq.” [“There is no judgment but that of Allah” speech]
And this was confirmed by Dr. Ayman with his saying:
“There is nothing in Iraq today called al-Qaida, for al-Qaida organization in Mesopotamia (Iraq) has merged by the blessing of Allah with the other groups and Jihadi factions in the Islamic State of Iraq, may Allah protect it, and it is a Shar’i (legal) Emirate upon the correct manhaj, and it was established with Shurah and got the pledged of allegiance of majority of the Mujahideen and tribes of Iraq” [Fourth meeting with As-Sahāb Media]
And the Islamic State is truly established not just imaginary, Dr. Ayman said:
“And not that long ago, the Mujahideen established a government in Peshawar – outside Afghanistan, and everyone was happy about it, supported it and blessed it, and nobody condemned it, and many of those who are now condemning the Islamic State in Iraq, with their claim that “it doesn’t have enough power” actually supported the government of Peshawar at the time. And today, the Islamic State in Iraq is established in Iraq, and the Mujahideen are celebrating it in the streets, people are demonstrating to show their support in many cities and villages in Iraq, and mosques in Baghdad are openly showing allegiance to it. And even with all that, those people still say it doesn’t have enough power! The reason is that at the time, the circumstances were pleasing to Washington – but today Washington’s interest is at stake.” [Nasīhatu Mushfaq]
And he also said:
“I send my greetings and those of my brothers to our brothers, the Mujahideen in Iraq. And I congratulate them on the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq, and encourage the Islamic Ummah to back this young, fledgling state, for it – Allah permitting – is the gateway to the liberation of Palestine and the restoration of the Islamic Caliphate. And I also encourage all my Mujahid brothers in Iraq to join this blessed caravan to rescue Iraq of the Caliphate from the schemes of the Crusaders and their agents, the traitorous religion-traders, and to ruin what the beggar Abdul Aziz al-Hakim conspired about in Washington with his master, the defender of the defeated cross.” [The Realities of the Conflict between Islam and Kufr]
And he also said:
“The ISI’s banner and creed are one of the purest banners and creeds in Iraq. It has established an Islamic state that resorts to shari’ah only. It also declares that affiliation with Islam and loyalty to faith are above all other affiliations and loyalties, something in whose mud many movements that are affiliated with Islam are drowned in. It is a state that advocates and seeks and spares no effort to restore the awaited caliphate state. It also incites Muslims on this issue [‘Second Round of Open Interview’]
And major empowerment isn’t a condition for establishing an Islamic State, Dr. Ayman said:
“The so-called Hamas government in Gaza and Ramallah has been established and we didn’t hear those who condemn the Islamic State in Iraq, nobody said it’s not legitimate or lacks power. The half government in Ramallah and the other half in Gaza can’t even meet with each other! And the prime minister can only move if the Israeli army gives him permission! And many of their ministers and deputies have been arrested and imprisoned by Israel, but did we hear anyone say they aren’t legitimate or they lack power? Hamas even had to let down two thirds of its seats and abandon four fifths of Palestine and give authority to Mahmud Abbas to negotiate in the name of the Palestinians, but we didn’t hear those people condemning it or saying it lacks power!
And the Islamic State in Iraq – with the blessing and permission of Allah – has much more territorial control, soldiers and supporters than the so-called government of Hamas, its leaders can move freely, they threaten America, and America recognizes its danger. They defend every Muslim cause, from Grozny to Sebta and Melillia, they promised to free the Muslim prisoners, especially the symbol of Daawa and Jihad, Sh. Omar Abdurrahman, and they even launch campaigns against America in his name! And even with all that you consider it lacking power?
And on the other side, you have the Hamas leaders who declare themselves innocent from the Mujahideen, they even said in Moscow in a visit, that the Chechnya conflict is a “Russian interior problem”! And every day Hamas and Fatah fight and kill each other, and they justify it, then Arab regimes come to mediate between them! While the Islamic State in Iraq announced it only fights the spies and the traitors, and it declared itself innocent from those who spill unlawful blood, its leaders are ready to be judged and punished if they fall into any legal (Shar’i) crime, and even with all that, there are still media campaigns filled with lies against them, and you still believe them? What is this contradiction?
The reality is, the Hamas game where it goes concession after concession, is something the Zionists and Crusaders want, and the Arab regimes provide everything for it, while the establishment of the Islamic State in Iraq is an Islamic project of Jihad, being fought by the Zionists and the Crusaders – and hence by the Arab regimes as well.” [Nasīhatu Mushfaq]
And also it’s not a condition for the state to be free from mistakes, Dr. Ayman said:
“The Islamic Emirate is declared once it applies Islamic Law (Sharia) in the territories under its control, even if it makes mistakes, and Allah knows best” [Al-Liqā Al-Maftūh 2nd episode]
And retreating from some areas into the desert doesn’t mean they became a fighting organization after being a legitimate State. Also when the Arabian Peninsula fell out of the governance of As- Siddīq (Abū Bakr ra), that didn’t mean his State wasn’t legitimate. Likewise according to him, The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, their Statehood didn’t end because they retreated into the mountains.
Dr. Ayman said:
“Ask those who cast doubt on the enablement of the ISI and its control of land: Can anyone deny that the blessed state controls, at least, one square kilometer of the land of Iraq? If the answer is yes, and it is so, praise be to Allah, then why do you deny it the right to establish an Islamic state on the land it controls? What area did the state in Madina al Munawarah control before the raid of the confederates (ghazwatul Ahzāb)? And how was the situation in it during the raid of the confederates? The Qur’ān describes this and says:
“Behold! They came on you from above you and from below you, and behold, the eyes became dim and the hearts gaped up to the throats, and you imagined various (vain) thoughts about Allah. In that situation were the Believers tried: they were shaken as by a tremendous shaking. And behold! The Hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease (even) say: “(Allah) and His Messenger promised us nothing but delusion!” Behold! A party among them said: “You men of Yathrib! you cannot stand (the attack)! Therefore go back!” And a band of them ask for leave of the Prophet, saying, “Truly our houses are bare and exposed,” though they were not exposed they intended nothing but to run away.” [Al-Ahzab 33 verses 10-13] Almighty Allah then says: “You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah. When the Believers saw the Confederate forces, they said: “This is what Allah and his Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger told us what was true.” And it only added to their faith and their zeal in obedience. Among the Believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah. Of them some have completed their vow (to the extreme), and some (still) wait: but they have never changed (their determination) in the least: That Allah may reward the men of Truth for their Truth, and punish the Hypocrites if that be His Will, or turn to them in Mercy: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And Allah turned back the Unbelievers for (all) their fury: no advantage did they gain; and enough is Allah for the believers in their fight. And Allah is full of Strength, able to enforce His Will. And those of the People of the Book who aided them – Allah did take them down from their strongholds and cast terror into their hearts, (So that) some you slew, and some you made prisoners. And He made you heirs of their lands, their houses, and their goods, and of a land which you had not frequented (before). And Allah has power over all things.” [ Al-Ahzab 33 verses 21-27] Are these not Qur’ānic facts?” [Al-Liqā Al-Maftūh 2nd episode]
And he also said:
“About those who object to the Islamic State by saying that it is not fully consolidated, Sh. Usama says about them: “Whoever ponders upon how the first state of Islam has been during Uhud and Al-Ahzab when everyone was terrified, and when the Arabian Peninsula almost turned apostate after the death of the messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, would know that absolute consolidation is not a precondition for vowing allegiance to the imam or the establishment of the Islamic State.” [Al-Liqā Al-Maftūh 2nd episode]
And Shaykh Usāma ibn Lāden said:
“The fall of the State doesn’t mean everything has ended, and doesn’t mean that the Jama’a of the Muslims and their Imam has ended” [As-Sabīl li ihbāt Al-Mū’āmarāt]
Also Abū Bakr Al-Husainī Al-Baghdādi received the Bay’ah as an Amīr of the believers in the Islamic State of Irāq, he didn’t receive the Bay’ah as amīr of an organization. We can read the following in a statement by Shūrah council of the Islamic State in Irāq:
“The Shura Council has taken its time for all the past period, meeting the ministers of the State, its amirs, Ahl al-Hal wa al-Aqd, people of authority and opinion, and we can send glad tidings to the Islamic Ummah, especially its Mujahidin vanguard, especially the shaykhs of the ummah and the leaders of jihad everwhere that the opinions have all agreed upon the allegiance to the Shaykh, the Mujahid, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Hussayni al-Qurashi as Commander of the Faithful (Amir al- Mumineen) in the Islamic State in Iraq, and appointing the Shaykh Mujahid Abu Abdullah al- Hussayni al-Qurashi as his minister and second in command. Those two respectable Shuyukh are people of abundant knowledge and pioneers in da’wah and Jihad for the sake of Allah, we consider them such and Allah will be their judge” [Bayān Majlis Shūra Dawlat Al-‘Irāq Al-Islāmiyyah]
This was also confirmed by the official spokesman of the Islamic State Abū Muhammad Al-‘Adnāni As-Shāmi in Ramadan 1434 H when he said:
“And when we lost our Amir Abu Umar al-Baghdadi, Allah blessed us with better than him insha’Allah – we consider him such and Allah will be his judge – our Emir Abu Bakr al-Husayni al-Qurashi al-Baghdadi, Amir al-Mumineen may Allah protect him and guide his footsteps. Likewise is his deputy Abi Abdillah Al-hasany Al-Qurashy Al-Baghdadi hafidahullah. And if we lost our minister of war, the lion Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, he had raised men and left behind him crashing jungle lions, then here is Abu Sulayman An-Nasir Li Dinillah in the battle field, so gald tidings and don’t worry, the Islamic State is staying by the permission of Allah, despite the anger of the hateful” [The Islamic State will stay – inna Dawlat Al-Islām Bāqiyah]
Instead of opposing this description (Amīr of the believers in the Islamic State) he (Dr. Ayman) confirmed it by reciting this poem:
In the land of two rivers (Iraq), It (JN) is supported by batallions***
And by an Islamic State that assaults and roars***
To her, daily in Iraq are new incidents (fightings) ***
In the sea of deaths, the deaths being like valley openings [i.e. many] ***
The soldiers of Abubakr have confronted apostasy***
Triggered by the dollar, inciting and gathering it***
So it’s a duty upon the Islamic State to expand and to destroy the borders drawn by Sykes-Picot, not to isolate itself within it. And it is upon the Muslims to support it not to wage war against it. And from the most important forms of support is pledging allegiance to it.
Dr. Ayman said:
“I also plead to the Muslim Nation to support the mujahideen in Iraq and especially the Islamic State of Iraq, as this is the shortest way to change the bitter situation in the heart of the Islamic World, and heading towards Bayt al-Maqdis and breaking the boundaries and borders the corrupt tyrants had placed between us and our brothers everywhere.”
“And, we will [always] be incapable of stopping the crimes in Palestine, and in others besides it in the Islamic places, if we don’t break these boundaries… or else, we will just be satisfied with protesting, shouting, giving speeches and lectures every time the Crusader Zionist enemy stands against us and our brothers with a new massacre, and just return to our homes broken, miserable and incapable.”
“And today, Allah granted us this rare opportunity that, in the beloved Iraq, jihad has risen free of governments and regime chains, and a united Mujahid Islamic state was founded. It destroyed the American crusader plan in the heart of the Islamic World, and is burning to head towards al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestine.” So, let us support this blessed jihad in the Iraq of the Caliphate, and let us support this patient young country and to not back away from this obligation and that responsibility as Allah will bring down on us His punishment and discontent…” [6 Years after the Aggression on Iraq]
He also said:
“I remind the brothers of what Sh. Usama – may Allah protect him – said in his latest speech:
“If [America] and its agents are defeated in Iraq with the permission of Allah, there won’t be much before the caravan of the Mujahideen starts its road, in successive convoys going from Baghdad to Anbar, Mosul, Diyala and Salaheddin, until Hittin (a historic battle) comes back to us with the permission of Allah” [Al-Liqā Al-Maftūh 2nd episode]
He also said:
“The Islamic State in Iraq and our Mujahideen brothers will not feel at ease until they destroy the borders between them and Bayt al-Maqdis, and unite with their brothers there and fight the Zionist Jews, and save the Aqsa Mosque with the permission of Allah.” [6 Years after the Aggression on Iraq]
He also said:
“And I remind them of the enlightening words of the martyr of Islam as we consider him, Shaykh Abdullah Azzam, when he said: “Truth doesn’t care about geographical borders, and doesn’t limit itself to limits delimited by geographers. Truth transcends untainted human mind, telling it; how can you say that so and so issue is true on this side of the mountain and false on the other, or true on one border of the river, and false on the other” [Arba’ūna ‘āman ‘ala suqūt Al-Qūds]
He also said:
“and I ask Allah subhanah that He gives victory to the Islamic State in Iraq and firmness to its leader Abu Umar al-Baghdadi may Allah protect him, and to give ground to this State so that it gathers all the Mujahideen and Muslim brothers in Iraq, so that an Jihadi Islamic State emerges in the Iraq of Khilafah that sets its eyes towards Jerusalem and move forth to establish the Caliphate State that was fallen by the crusaders and allies” [Duroos wa ‘ibar wa ahdāth ‘ithām]
He also said:
“This Islamic Emirate which is waging Jihad and performing Ribat, and also the Islamic State in Iraq, must be supported by fighting in its ranks, and supporting it with money, experience and information. The Muslims should first repent from their betrayal of Taliban before and should know that Allah will ask them about their betrayal” [Al-Liqā Al-Maftūh 2nd episode]
He also said:
“The ISI has now developed from the level of the Mujahidin’s Shurah at the time of the martyrdom of Abu-Mus’ab al-Zarqawi Rahimahullah, and that is because of Allah’s guidance. The ISI today is waging a ferocious war on several fronts against the Crusaders, apostates, and Iran’s agents. Therefore the Muslim ummah bears a great responsibility in supporting them so that they will foil the plans of the Americans and the Iranians, and consolidate the state of Islam in the heart of the Muslim World, and so as to support the move of the mujahidin in Iraqi toward the environs of Jerusalem, so that the mujahidin will meet there, both those from outside of the blessed Palestine and those from inside it, to herald the elimination of Israel, Allah willing” [Al-Liqā Al-Maftūh 2nd episode]
So it’s not appropriate to say; The Islamic State is legitimate in Iraq but not in Shām, because the land of Shām is a neighbouring country.
Dr. Ayman said:
“So why don’t you, O people of Pakistan, join with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan? It is a Shar’i (legal) Emirate governing Most of Afghanistan, and it’s fighting a Crusader enemy of Islam, it rules with Sharia over its lands, so why don’t you unite with it and support it? […] Unite with the Islamic Emirate that Muslims have pledged allegiance to in the East and the West!” [Tawhīd Al-Kalimah Hawla Kalimat At-Tawhīd]
This is a State and not an army, and it’s not allowed according to the Shari’ah to appoint two Imāms in two neighbouring countries. So the one who affirms to the legitimacy of the State in Irāq and also sees the legitimacy of a neighbouring upcoming state which hasn’t been established, giving away its matter to “the people of Syria”, making a difference between the 2 states because of fabricated borders, has indeed acknowledged the borders drawn by Sykes-Picot even if it was partial. And there is no one infallible other than Rasūli Allah ,ﷺ
Dr. Ayman said:
“And the third difference (between the Islamic state and the nationalist state) is that the Islamic state sees itself responsible for all Islamic lands, as scholars have said: Muslim lands are considered one single entity, while the nationalist state only sees itself within its borders” [Tawhīd Al-Kalimah Hawla Kalimat At-Tawhīd]
And he also said:
“The sixth goal: Working to establish a Caliphate that doesn’t recognize nationalist states nor the borders that the invaders have established, but implements a Caliphate upon the Prophetic methodology, believes in the unity of all Muslim lands and the brotherhood between all Muslims, erases the borders, and strives to propagate justice and Shura and liberation of all Muslim lands” [Wathīqat Nusrat Al-Islām]
So the organizations are obliged to give Bay’ah to the State, not the opposite. So whoever demands the State to exit (Shām) is actually demanding its partial dissolution.
Dr. Ayman said:
“The State is a step in establishing the Caliphate, which is more superior than organizations. So the organizations should pledge allegiance to the States, and not the opposite. And the Amir al- Mumineen Abu Umar al-Baghdadi – may Allah protect him – is among the leaders of the Muslims and the Mujahideen today, we ask Allah to give him firmness and victory.” [2nd meeting with Sahab Media]
And he also said:
“And I tell them (the other Mujahideen in Iraq): The Islamic State in Iraq is your State, your Emirate and your government, who are you going to unite with if you don’t unite with them? Rush towards goodness with them and heal our hearts and give us the glad tiding that we’ve been waiting for.” [4th meeting with As-Sahāb Media]
Dr. Ayman was never Amīrul Mu’minīn for Islamic State of Iraq neither was Shaykh Usāma ibn Lāden may Allah have mercy on him, rather they had a bay’ah to Imām Mullah Muhammad ‘Umar, the amīr of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan. Mullah ‘Umar has never been Amīrul Mu’minīn of the Islamic State in Iraq, so how can someone say that Dr. Ayman has the same power (might/abilities) as the amīr of the believers?
Dr. Ayman said:
“The ISI(Islamic State of Iraq) and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and add to them the Islamic Emirate in Caucasus, are Islamic emirates that are not under the control of one ruler. We hope that the caliphate state will be established soon to unite them with all Muslims. Shaykh Usama Bin Ladin, may Allah watch over him, is just a soldiers of the leader of the faithful, Mulla Muhammad Omar, may God watch over him. All those you have mentioned support each other and cooperate with each other in support of Islam and jihad. [Al-Liqā Al-Maftūh 2nd episode]
And he also said:
“Mulla Muhammad Omar – may Allah protect him – is the Amir/Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the Mujahideen that joined it, and Sh. Usama bin Laden – may Allah protect him – is one of his soldiers” [Al-Liqā Al-Maftūh 2nd episode]
And he also said:
“We renew the pledge of allegiance to Amir al-Mumineen Mulla Muhammad Omar Mujahid – may Allah protect him – obedience and hearing, in matters we like and dislike, to wage Jihad in the path of Allah, and establish Sharia, and protect the oppressed.” [Watarrajala Al-Fāris Al-Nabīl]
And he also said:
“And those who claim that we claim for ourselves the Caliphate over all Muslims, how can he forget that we pledged allegiance to Mulla Muhammad Omar Mujahid – may Allah protect him – the Amir of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan?” [Al-Imān Yasra’ Al-Istikbār]
As for the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan, it is not working for expanding outside its current borders, it assured the nations of the world and its neighboring countries they won’t intervene in their affairs and not be any form of danger to them (except for those who fight them in Afghanistan). This was also acknowledged by their official and famous announcements, which were refuted by some scholars and students of Islamic knowledge. Among them:
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) wants good relations and mutual interactions with the world, particularly, with the Islamic world and the neighbors in the light of Islamic rules, national interests, mutual respect and joint cooperation. The Islamic Emirate does not intend to interfere in the internal affairs of others nor allows others to interfere in its internal affairs. The Islamic Emirate assures the entire world that it will not allow anyone to use the soil of Afghanistan against any one and makes it clear that it respects all international laws and principles in the light of its Islamic rules and national interests. […]
The media of the enemy portrays us as if we wanted war with our neighbors, but the reality is that International laws don’t permit such actions. The ongoing Imperialist war against so-called terror is actually a war against human values, justice and peace […] I urge Islamic countries, powerful neighboring countries and world organizations to play a positive role” [1433H Eid Message from the IEA, and you find the same things in other statements]
It is not possible to expand outside the borders drawn by Sykes-Picot except by fighting the brown and the black(i.e. all people)
And Dr. Ayman did not name himself an Imām for a State or organization, so how can someone say that he has power over the amīr of the believers in the Islamic State in Irāq?
Dr. Ayman said:
“We want an Islamic Caliphate in which the Ummah freely chooses its leader, and pledges allegiance to him upon Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet peace be upon him, and obey him as long as he obeys Allah. If that happens, then we are with him. If Muslims on any part of earth establish the rule of Islam and choose an Imam, then that choice will be also our choice, because we aren’t here for power.
That’s why we tell the people of Sham: we are not here to take away your right to choose who will rule over you. Rather, if you establish the rule of Islam and choose someone to rule over you with Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet peace be upon him, then your choice is our choice.” [Al-Imān Yasra’ Al-Istikbār]
The specific pledge of fighting – suppose it happened, and was legally valid with such innovated manner- it isn’t higher in authority or more committed to the ruling than the pledge of allegiance made by the Shūra council, the commanders, leaders and judges to Abū Bakr Al-Baghdādi as an amīr for the believers in the Islamic State. So it cannot reduce his powers in the State politics, then how can they avoid him from doing the obliged? And from the greatest of obligations is the expansion of the Islamic State to the entire world.
Dr. Ayman said:
“The martyr of Islam, Sh. Abdullah Azzam may Allah have mercy on him said: “The allegiance is always upon goodness, because we always pledge to do good, and it is not permissible to pledge allegiance for bad actions and filth, like those who pledge allegiance then are asked to do actions that anger Allah like spying on people or uncover the ‘awra (hidden defects) of people.” until he said: “And it is not permissible for someone to use his allegiance to force him to not do good that is prescribed in the quran and sunnah, like waging Jihad in the path of Allah – because in that case it becomes an allegiance in bad actions, and there is no obedience to the creation in disobedience to the Creator.” [Nasīhatu Mushfiq]
That’s why they (IS) concluded that implementing what came in the letter would be disobedience to the Creator, like it can be heard in “Bāqiya wa Tatamadad” by Amīr of the believers and the audio message: “Fadharhum wama Yaftarūn” by the official spokesman, even if the writer perceived it as an order or ruling, especially since the risāla is directed to a State Amīr from an Amīr of an organization who acknowledged the legitimacy of this State for 7 years before Jawlāni defected and split the ranks. So the risāla surprised them by rulings which indicate that Dr. Ayman doesn’t see the legitimacy of the state, and the relationship between them wasn’t built on this foundation. I copied some of his sayings that contradict what it stated, that’s why there was so much gossip and increase in questions and assumptions that they were almost sure he will reject the bay’ah of the disobedient ones, rather Jawlāni and his friends were surprised when their Bay’ah was accepted!
I ask the reader to give a moment so I can narrate some events;
When the Islamic State in Irāq & Shām was announced, and Jawlāni came out openly splitting (the ranks) and disobeying the command (when he himself used to consider Abū Bakr Al-Baghdādi an Imām for a legitimate State, and he presented himself as his representative in Shām). The soldiers defected from him and the Jabhah didn’t have any traces left in most of the wilāyat, jawlani asked to meet the Shūra council of the Islamic State. The meeting took place in the end of (Islamic month) Jumada II and Jawlāni offered to return back to the obedience of his amīr, with some conditions attached:
■ The name “Jabhat Al-Nosrah” has to stay as a representative of the islamic State in Shām, adding a phrase that shows they really follow the State.
■ The rāyah (flag) of “Jabhat Al-Nosrah” has to stay on the centers on its side, the rāyah of the Islamic State.
■ He must have the command and the opinion in matters concerning wilāyāt of Ash-Shām.
The Islamic State rejected his requests, so he accepted to return to obedience without conditions – due to the collapse of his front -, so he promised to visit the centers and the fronts by himself in order to tell the leaders and soldiers that he returned to the obedience and that he’s a soldier of the Islamic State until the misconceptions are finished and the fitnah between the soldiers is stopped. Before doing this he asked to delay the matter for a couple of days so that he could meet with all the close ones who approved of his defection and he can give them the news (out of respect for one another because they were used to doing that). He went but he disappeared because of the intense pressure that he encountered from those, so he sat in Al-Qalamoun region desperately, until the letter reached him from the Dr. through a media person who accompanies him. He read the letter and couldn’t believe it saying: “I was so surprised by the content that I forgot to make sujood thanking Allah”
When Jawlāni showed the letter to those who were close to him, they doubted the authenticity because they knew about the sayings of Dr. Ayman concerning the State’s legitimacy and its obliged expansion before the events of Shām happened. Also they knew he praised ‘al-nusra’ front and since it was part of the dawla and not vice versa. So Jawlāni was forced to add footnotes to the letter with the phrase; “Markaz Al-Fajr” and he spread it on the internet and leaked a copy to Al-Jazīrah media channel. This was the first time in the history of Jihād that a personal letter directed to the leaders of Jihād was spread on satellite TV; he did all this in order to refute those who doubted the authenticity of the letter. Note that “Markaz Al-Fajr” has nothing to do with the private writings and letters of Dr. Ayman, and he started spreading passages from the letter to his private circle (of friends) and his soldiers through the mobile phone.
And these events were witnessed by some members of the State’s Shūra council and some of the people close to Jawlāni (members of ‘JN’ Shūra). One of them even left them when he saw the hypocrisy. The facts of the “return of Jawlāni to the Islamic State” meeting were restricted in detail in the notebook Mahdat Ijtimā’. But Jawlāni took away the notebook after the end of the meeting saying that he wanted a copy, before he went hiding with the mentioned notebook. And for this event there are witnesses, all of them are alive all praise due to Allah.
So the reality which was hidden from many and in Allah we seek refuge is, this letter published on 13th of Rajab (Risālat Al-Hukm mina Al-Zawāhiri) was the cause for splitting the ranks and gave live to the name Jabhat Al-Nusrah after it was ended and collapsed after Shaykh Al-Baghdādi revoked its authority.
So let’s go back to the misconception(s) surrounding Bay’ah….
Those who disagree with the Islamic State aren’t infallible even if they were pioneers in knowledge and Jihād, Dr. Ayman said:
“Sh. Hamid al-Ali, and Sh. Abu Baseer al-Tartusi, they have all our respect and consideration, and we saw in them firm and strong stances in supporting the jihad and the Mujahideen, we ask Allah to reward them for it. As for their opposition to the Islamic State in Iraq, nobody is exempt from mistakes, and when there’s disagreement we solve it with evidence and research, until we find the truth and give victory to Islam” [First interview with Sahab Media]
And the Islamic State according to Dr. Ayman was legal and Bāqiya (remaining) just before the announcement of expansion to Bilād As-Shām. Dr. Ayman said:
“Those who defended Islam, Jihad and Ahl al-Sunna in Iraq are the noble Mujahideen, the Islamic State in Iraq being the foremost of them, and it is still, with Allah’s blessing, firm and did not change its aqeeda and did not retract still clinging to the foundations of Islam despite the filthy war against it.
The noble Mujahideen, and the Islamic State of Iraq at the foremost, are owed debts by every free honorable Muslim in Iraq. If it wasn’t for them, the destiny of Sunnis in Iraq would be like the one of the Sunnis in Iran, at the hands of Ismail the Safavid.
The noble Mujahideen, and the Islamic State of Iraq at the foremost, are owed debts by every free honorable Muslim, as they are the solid rock on which the American agenda in the region was crushed, the project to divide Iraq then Saudi Arabia and Egypt. And those who saved the Ummah from this devilish American plot are the Mujahidin of Iraq, and at the forefront, the Islamic State of Iraq, may Allah reward them.
Those noble Mujahidin, and the Islamic Stat of Iraq at the foremost, have presented a lot of sacrifices, so many that you can’t even count them: thousands of martyrs, much more in injured, prisoners, handicapped, widows, orphans, refugees, exiled for the sake of Allah, they presented all that despite the huge media campaign was against them, from America and from Arab regimes – and everybody knows from where they are sponsored. And even with the misguiding campaign by many of the head-covered bearded guys (shekhs) especially in the gulf countries , the noble Mujahideen and the ISI at the foremost, never abandoned their mission and kept protecting the sanctity of the Muslims, not because they wanted a worldly benefit but because they wanted the pleasure of Allah. And here they are today, firm and proud like a mountain, going from victory to victory and from conquest to conquest.” [Tawhīd Al-Kalimah Hawla Kalimat At-Tawhīd]
Destroying the State and undermining it will only be in the benefit of the tawāgīt, Dr. Ayman said:
“And so, I ask those who doubt the Islamic State in Iraq, in whose interest is the destruction of the Islamic State that was established after all this time spent waiting for it?” [Al-Liqā Al-Maftūh 2nd episode]
Therefore, it is a sign of ungratefulness for the blessings and not fulfiling the debts; the removal of the Islamic State from shām, to accept the pledge of the rebellious and the disobedient ones, to ignore the islamic State’s virtues and blowing up their mistakes, and threatening them with a war in Iraq, describing the State as Hurūriyah (khawarij), extremist and comparing it with the morals of the rawāfidh, or ruling on the state that it is a Tā’efatu Mumtan’iah (refraining sect) with force from seeking Judgement in Quran and Sunnah with more extremism than the early khawārij, and that the individual ruling on every single individual among the Islamic state is that of the group.
Both Imāms Abū Umar Al-Husayni Al-Baghdādi and Abū Hamzah Al-Muhājir promised that the state will remain and expand until it infiltrates the borders and conquers (back) Bayt Al-Maqdis, the Arabian Peninsula, Indonesia, the Philippines, Andalusia and Rome. And they took an oath on this.
I swear on The One who took them as shuhada , we will not rest until we honor their oath and fulfill their promise with Allah’s Help and Power, as a gratitude for them and for their blood, and Allah is a witness for what we say. We will never bring to realization the dream of the Jews & Christians who want to see the State’s dissolution, even if it will only be a single centimeter of earth.
In conclusion, Dr Ayman said:
“I ask the dear brother to review the speech of Sh. Usama completely, he responded to many of the allegations and rumors about the Islamic State of Iraq, may Allah give it victory.” [Al-Liqā Al- Maftūh 2nd episode]
And he also said:
“I ask the dear brother to review the speech of Sh. Usama in which he talked positively about the Islamic State in Iraq, and about those who pledged allegiance to it, and asked the Muslims of Iraq to unite around it.” [Al-Liqā Al-Maftūh 2nd episode]
Link to speech entitled: “The Way to Foil the Conspiracies” by Mujaddid Shaykh Usāma ibn Lāden Allah accept him:
After all this I say: If there was a consultation and supportive relationship – even if supposedly some called it (this relationship) ‘Allegiance’ out of humbleness and mistakenly – And there is no one infallible other than the messenger of Allah ﷺ they didn’t meant to bring down the Islamic State as a Legit State, and Dr. Ayman didn’t mean to claim the position of amīr of the believers for it [Dawlah], and this is clear and abundant in the official speeches, statements and the official releases of the dawlah and the Dr. [and I quoted some of his words]. So Dawla still remains a State, and its amīr remains the amīr of the believers, and Dr. Ayman remains the amīr of an organization. And he distances himself from being an amīr of a State usually emphasizing the Bay’ah he has on his neck for Mullah Umar the amīr of the Emirate of Afghanistan.
So how can the relationship between the State and the organization affect the power of the amīr of the believers in the Islamic State?, even if some supposedly called it ‘bay’ah’ whoever he may be especially when we witnessed the dangerous methodological disagreements, and the leadership of the tanthīm (alqaeda) followed the media magicians in every turn they made, and they commanded them (IS) to withdraw from the frontlines in Shām, and the Islamic State was fought together with everyone it from Muhājirīn to Ansār, while the kūfār, murtadīn and their tawagīt enjoyed it, and from Allah we seek help.
As for the claim of seeking judgment with Dr. Ayman, this misconception was refuted by Shaykh Al-Adnāni and asked the opponents for a mubāhala (envying the curse of Allah upon the liar).
I say: How can Dr. Ayman judge between the State, and some one, two or three men while he will benefit from accepting Jawlāni’s pledge? among the conditions of a judge is, that his senses should be fine so he can distinguish between the liar and the truthful by seeing the face of the individual and hearing his voice. It also needs repeating the same questions two or three times for the prosecutor, the defendant and the witnesses for him to compare their answers.
So how is it possible for Dr. Ayman to see the face of the leaders and the disobedient and hear their voices so he can accept the testimony of the truthful one and reject the claims of the liar while he is in Khūrassān? And how is he going to ask them and compare their answers when most of the correspondence between Khūrassān and Shām needs two months in most cases?
The reason why the State wrote a letter to Dr. Ayman, was to hurry him in rejecting the Bay’ah from the disobedient, they didn’t do that because they sought judgement from him as a Judge.
So this issue and some others were the reason for Abū Abdullāh As-Shāmi to issue his verdict on the State; that the State is refraining from seeking judgment in Qurān & Sunnah with force.
Finally I say: For the one who wants to know how a jihadi group that fights for Allah’s Sake turns into a group that fights for the Sake of the taghūt (like some groups in Syria), let him read the history. Let him know that the love of the person for prestige, money and leadership will become pride, pride will become jealousy, jealousy will become arrogance, arrogance will become hatred, and hatred enmity, and enmity will become dispute with the opponent, and dispute happens by hiding tawhīd, and displaying shirk, avoiding the muwahidīn and flattering the mushrikīn in the first place. After that is the blatant kūfr and a war in the end, due to the following of desires/lusts and holding on to the misconceptions, unless Allah protects His servant due to His Mercy.
From Allah we seek help, in Him we put our trust, there is no power and nor strength except with Him, Allah Alone is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs for us.
All praise due to Allah
Penned by: Abū Maysarah Ash-Shāmi May Allah forgive him
