Are Martyrdom Operations Lawful

"There is no believing servant [of Allah] who does not, from time to time, make a mistake, or who does not make some error which he repeats and does not abandon until he leaves this world. Indeed, the Believer was created as one who is frequently tried and tested, who often repents (then) forgets. When he is reminded [of his duty] he is pleased to be reminded." Reported by at-Tabaraanee, al-Mu'jamul Kabeer (number 11,810); hasan.

All praise and all thanks are for Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.

It should be quite clear to Muslims by now that the West - led by Amerika and Britain - is determined to enforce its materialistic way of life, its kaffir concepts, its kaffir values, upon Muslims. As the British Prime Minister made clear recently, that, in his words "Iraq and Afghanistan are decisive battlegrounds for the values the West believes in...The struggle in our world today therefore, is not just about security - it is a struggle about values and about modernity...If we want to secure our way of life, there's no alternative but to fight for it. That means standing up for our values not just in our own country but the world over...We need to construct a global alliance for these global values..."

What this means in practical terms is that the West is determined - by force if necessary, as in Iraq and Afghanistan - to change our Muslim Way of Life, given to us by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. The West want - and in fact, demand - that we imitate the kuffar. That we accept their system of law; their system of government (which they call democracy), and their so-called ethical values. To this end, the governments of the West, and the people and politicians who support the aims, the values, of the West, have enlisted the help and support of many so-called moderate Muslims just as they are promoting what they have called "moderate Islam" - that is, a religion which accepts, and which compromises with, the values, the laws, the ethics, the way of life, of the modern West, and which denies our duty, our obligation, of Jihad.

However, we Muslims have to reject the very concepts - the very way of thinking - of the West, of the kuffar. To understandd why this is so, let us consider two of the fundamental errors which the modernist Muslims, the so-called moderate Muslims, commit.

The Error Concerning Freedom:

Every time a Muslim uses the word freedom they are imitating the kuffar, whether they are aware of this or not. Why? Because "freedom" is a kaffir word, a kaffir concept. Freedom, as defined by the kuffar is: "The power of choice... A right or the power to engage in certain actions without control or interference..."

As Muslims, we do not have a choice: we do not have what the kuffar call "freedom" for we are duty bound to accept the word of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and His Messenger (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam):

"Judge between them by what Allah has revealed: do not give in to your own desires, and beware, for they will try to lead you astray, away from some of that which Allah has revealed. And if they turn away, there is the knowledge of their punishment by Allah for some transgression of theirs - and, indeed, there are many disobedient, rebellious ones [Fasiqun]. Do they seek to judge according to the ways of Jahiliyyah? The judgement of Allah is best - for those who sincerely believe." 5:49-50 Interpretation of Meaning

"It is not for the believer - man or woman - when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, that they should have any option in their decision. For whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has indeed strayed into plain error." 33:36 Interpretation of Meaning

Moreover, as Muslims, we do not want what the kuffar call "freedom of choice"; we do not want the power to "engage in certain actions without control or interference". Why not? Because it is not part of our Islam - because we accept that the only choice that matters is to be Muslim or not to be Muslim - to bow down, to submit to, to obey, only Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. In addition, we know, we accept, that it is Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala alone who has control over all things:

"Everything in the heavens, and everything on Earth, belongs to Allah." 4: 126 Interpretation of Meaning

"Allah (alone) has power over, and is the (sole) master of, all things. The creations in Heaven and Earth, the very change of Night to Day, are Signs for those gifted with intelligence, those who whether sitting, standing or reclining on their sides, give praise to Allah and who frequently recall these creations in Heaven and Earth, (saying): 'You who are our Rabb - You created all these things for a purpose; the achievement is Yours alone.' " 3:189-191 Interpretation of Meaning

This acceptance, this obedience, is in stark contrast to the arrogance of the kuffar who believe in their ignorance that it is themselves, or their armies, or their leaders, or their governments, or some philosophy or political idea or law which can give them this thing they call "freedom" - just as the kuffar, in their delusion, believe that they have some kind of right, and duty, to force, or bully, others into accepting this thing they have called "freedom". In truth, what they call "freedom" is a Taghut which they place alongside Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala or above Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and which they in their unbelief, in their rebellion against Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala demand that we bow down before and accept.

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says:

This often quoted Ayah is often mis-understood. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is saying that we should not use coercion in get others to embrace Islam, and that we, as individuals, do indeed have a choice, in this matter - which is to accept, or reject, Islam. That is, to accept, or reject, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala as our Rabb - as our sole authority, our only guide. Once we have accepted, we have no further choice, only duty and obligations.

In practical terms this means we do not have freedom to accept or reject Shariah, or Hudood, or Khilafah, or Jihad. As Muslims, we are obliged to accept them - whatever the peoples, the governments, the laws, the ethics, the propaganda, of the West may say, and whatever we may personally feel about these things due to lack of knowledge about them. If we do not accept them, we are imitating the kuffar and turning away from that simple obedience to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and His Messenger (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) which is Islam. As Muslims, we must place obedience to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and His Messenger (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) before our own hawaah, our own desires.

We have to accept that Islam is simple - it is the doubters, the apostates, the hypocrites, who make it seem complicated; who find problems with it, and it is the kuffar who aid these people. It does not matter what the kuffar say or write about our simple obedience, about our duty to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and His Messenger (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam). It does not matter what the kuffar or the apostates say and write about our rejection of their so-called "freedom" - about our refusal to bow down to their Taghut. Our reply is what our Rabb has said to us:

The Error Concerning Jihad and Co-operating with the Kuffar:

It has become common for the apostates, for those Muslims who imitate the kuffar, denounce our obligation of Jihad - our duty to regain our lands from the kuffar and our duty to establish a Khilafah, a community of Muslims whose Tashrii are from the Shariah and the Shariah alone, and who avoid and forbid all that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has made haram, and who accept and embrace all that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has made halal.

These apostates, these imitations of the kuffar, these allies of the kuffar, have become so blatant, so arrogant, in their disregard of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, that they co-operate with the kuffar and betray their Muslim brothers and sisters to the kuffar, and hand-over their brothers and sisters to the kuffar, in clear and open defiance of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala:

Narrated By Abdullah Ibn Umar: Allah Messenger (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "Because a Muslim is a brother to other Muslims, he should neither oppress them, nor hand them over to the enemies of the Muslims. Whoever helps his brother, then Allah will help him; whoever saves his brother from distress, Allah will save from distress, and whoever shields his brother, Allah will shield him." Bukhari: Vol 3, Book 43, 622

Rather than helping their Muslim brothers, rather than shielding them from the kuffar, these apostates, these imitators of the kuffar, let the kuffar imprison them, torture them, humiliate them and kill them.

Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahab - alayhi rahmatullah - gathered ten actions that negate one's Islam (Nawaqid ul-'Ashr), the eighth one of which states: "Assisting the disbelievers (against the believers) (Mudhaharatul Mushrikeen) and supporting them against the believers is one of the actions that negates of one's Islam...

Sheikh Abdul Latif bin Abdur Rahman bin Hassan Aal-Sheikh stated (Ad-Durrar 8/326): "Whosoever helps the disbelievers or draws them to the country of Ahl Al-Islam, then such a person is clearly apostate, by consensus."

Sheikh Abdullah ibn Humaid stated (Ad-Durrar 15/479): "Whoever expresses Tawalli towards the disbelievers (Tawalli Kuffar) and supports and helps them against the believers, then such constitutes apostasy by one's (proceeding) actions. It is obligatory to apply the rules of apostasy upon such a person as is proved by The Book, the Sunnah and the consensus of the scholars.

Our obligation - our duty - of Jihad is clear, today. We must fight the kuffar who have invaded our lands. Do the apostates, the imitators of the kuffar, not understand the clear and valid Fatawa of Sheikh Abdullah Azzam - a Fatwa endorsed by Sheikh Abdullah Nassah al Waan, by Sheikh Umar Sayyaf and Sheikh Mohammed Najeeb al Mu'ti? As Sheikh Abdullah Azzam stated:

"If the Kuffar enter a Muslim land [then] the pious predecessors, those who succeeded them, the Ulama of the four Mathhabs (Maliki, Hanafi, Shaffie and Hanbali), the Muhadditheen, and the Tafseer commentators, are agreed that in all Islamic ages, Jihad under this condition becomes Fard Ayn upon the Muslims of the land which the Kuffar have attacked and upon the Muslims close by, where the children will march forth without the permission of the parents, the wife without the permission of her husband and the debtor without the permission of the creditor. And, if the Muslims of this land cannot expel the Kuffar because of lack of forces, because they slacken, are indolent or simply do not act, then the Fard Ayn obligation spreads in the shape of a circle from the nearest to the next nearest. If they too slacken or there is again a shortage of manpower, then it is upon the people behind them, and on the people behind them, to march forward. This process continues until it becomes Fard Ayn upon the whole world." In Defence of Muslim Lands, p.15

Do these apostates, these lackeys of the kuffar, not understand the words of Sheikh ul-Islam Ibn Taimiyyah:

"It is agreed that it [Jihad] is obligatory to protect our Deen and what is sacred. The first obligation after Eeman is the repulsion of the enemy who demeans and insults our Way of Life and who interferes in our affairs." (Refer to Al Ikhtiyaraat Al Fuqaha and Fatawa Kubra 4, 608)

"If anyone attacks you, then retaliate and attack them in the way that they have attacked you." 2: 194 Interpretation of Meaning

"Let those who would trade the life of this world for the life Hereafter fight in the Cause of Allah. And those who do fight in the Cause of Allah - whether they be killed or are victorious - will have bestowed on them, by Us, a great reward." 4: 74 Interpretation of Meaning

"You who believe! What is wrong with you that you did not rush forth when called [to aid] the Way of Allah? Or is it that you love this earth so much - that you crave its comforts so much - that you forget the next life where such earthly things are revealed for the insignificant comforts they are?" 9: 38 Interpretation of Meaning

Let us therefore do our duty to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, be Muslims, reject the kuffar and their ways, and accept our duty of Jihad. Indeed, we should rejoice in this duty:

The Fundamental Error of Those Who Imitate the Kuffar:

The fundamental errors of the apostates, of those who imitate the kuffar - of the moderates, the modernists - is that they have forgotten, or rejected, the true perspective of Islam, and have replaced it with the perspective of the kuffar.

The perspective of Islam is Jannah. The perspective of the kuffar is this mortal life - their own desires, their own happiness, their own so-called freedom; or some fallible idea which they believe in and which they, in their ignorance, have invented. We as Muslims see this life as but a means - as but a test, a gift, from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. If we do our duty as Muslims, if we submit, we may - InshaAllah - be granted the reward of Jannah. That is, we can attain the very purpose of this brief mortal life, which is Jannah. Everything else is fundamentally irrelevant.

Thus, we are prepared to give up our own lives, through such things as Jihad, to do our duty, as Muslims, whereas the apostates, those who imitate the kuffar, and the kuffar themselves, cling to this life and its rewards and pleasures.

Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri: The Prophet (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: "The thing that most concerns me for your sake is the worldly reward which Allah can bring forth to you." It was said, "What is the reward of this world?" The Prophet replied, "The pleasures of this world." (Shahih Bukhari)

"In exchange for their lives and their goods, Allah has given those who believe Jannah. Thus will they fight in Allah's cause, and thus will they kill, and be killed." 9: 111 Interpretation of Meaning

"That which you have is only transitory, but that which Allah has is enduring, timeless. And We shall reward the steadfast according to their noblest deeds." 16: 96 Interpretation of Meaning

Thus we know, we feel, the beauty of the words spoken by our beloved Prophet, Muhammad (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) that "Jannah is under the shade of swords..."

May Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) protect us from all forms of Al-asabiyyah Al-Jahiliyyah, forgive us for our mistakes, and guide us to and keep us on the Right Path.

Abdul-Aziz ibn Myatt
3 Rabi Awal 1427