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The following was posted on one of the jihadist forums this weekend by a regular poster.  The poster is quoting Al Qaeda ideologue Abu Mus'ab al Suri, author of Call to Global Islamic Resistance.


Al-Suri: Terrorizing the enemies is a Religious Duty, and assassinating their Leaders is a Prophetic‏

Allah has given clear orders in His book to terrorize His enemies. Along with it came the Sunnah of His Prophet, the chosen one, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam, consisting of his deeds, sayings and approvals. The Book and Sunnah have established the rules of this praiseworthy terrorism against Allah's enemies in clear words. In the Qur'an, Allah the Almighty says:

And make ready against them all you can of power, including steeds of war (tanks, planes, missiles, artillery, etc.) to threaten the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others besides whom, you may not know but whom Allah does know. And whatever you shall spend in the Cause of Allah shall be repaid unto you, and you shall not be treated unjustly. (8:60)

The verse is clear in its text and unambiguous in its meaning. 'Make ready' means train for combat. 'Against them' means against your enemies. 'Your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war' is the shooting, riding and weapons. The Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam, said: 'Indeed, power is shooting', repeating it three times.

Why this preparing and training for combat, the gathering of weapons, and making ready the steeds of war.? The verse itself has already explained it: 'to strike terror' means in order to strike terror, 'with it' means with what you have made ready for combat. 'The enemies of Allah and your enemies': They are the ones whom the terrorist act is intended for. 'And others besides': Means the ones who support and help them, or the ones who wait in ambush for you in order to attack you. When they witness your terror against the assailants, your resistance, and self-defense, they will 'be terrorized' and frightened, and deterred from attacking, without you even knowing about their determination to attack. But Allah knew it, and deterred the enemy through your preparation and through your terror against the assailant enemies of Allah. Allah the Almighty knows everything.
Thus, and in short:

This generous verse has ordered preparation for the purpose of terrorizing the assailants' and Allah's enemies among the infidels and their servants.

[.]
The one who terrorizes others is a 'terrorist' without any exception, and hence, there is:

1. An evil assailant terrorist.

2. A righteous terrorist defending himself or other oppressed people.

Thus, in the word terrorist we do not find any negative meaning when we use it to characterize the Resistance fighters or the Mujahidun. they are, in reality, terrorists towards their enemies, Allah's enemies, and His weak servants. So where are the ambiguity and the blame?!

[.]

From this it follows that terrorism has been commanded in Allah's book, and in situations where the Mujahidun are repelling their enemy and the enemy's terror through a defensive jihad. This is one of the most important religious duties. In fact, there is no duty more obligatory than this, except believing that Allah is One, as has been established by Islamic jurists and clerics. [We must grasp this] before the enemy's media terror and ideological terror captures us and makes us disclaim our identity, our Lord's book and the duties of our religion.

[.]

The most important terrorist actions against Allah's enemies, their leaders and a'immat al-Kufr (chiefs of disbelief), are to combat the chiefs of Kufr, as Allah the Almighty says:

But if they violate their oaths after their covenant, and attack your religion with disapproval and criticism then fight (you) the leaders of disbelief - for surely their oaths are nothing to them - so that they may stop (evil actions). (9:12)

So the most important of the jihadi actions is the liquidation of their leaders, by killing and assassination. This was confirmed in a number of separate events when Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam, sent Mujahidun units as teams and special units, 'commandos' of elite Sahabah. to assassinate leaders of disbelief (ru'us al-kufr) of his, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam, time. These events are firmly proven. Among them is when he sent [a unit] to assassinate a female poet who was harming Allah, His Prophet and the Muslims by her poetry. So he ordered her assassination, and her tongue was silenced.

This is what Allah's messenger, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam, did. A Prophetic tradition which we are proud of, follow, and imitate, and we regard those who condemn it as disbelievers.

At the end of his, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam, life, Fayruz al-Daylami assassinated the head of apostasy in Yemen, al-Aswad al-Ansi, who had seized power in Yemen. He wanted people to turn to apostasy, so Fayruz assassinated him. Jibreel informed Allah's Messenger about the event while he [Muhammad] was on his deathbed, and delighted him by the good news. Allah's Messenger, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam, informed his Sahabah about it, and it is told that he said to them: 'al-Aswad al-Ansi has been killed. A blessed man from a blessed family has killed him'.

The assassination of the leaders of disbelief among civilians and military personnel, among men from politics, propaganda and media, among the ones who discredit Allah's religion, and among the supporters of Allah's enemies who invade the Muslims, is a confirmed tradition of Allah's Messenger, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam. It is one of the most important arts of terrorism and one of its most beneficial and deterring operations and methods."


The following posting from one of the jihadist forums provides insight into how the jihadists view paradise.  This was posted by the same individual who posted the Al Suri article.


description of the Paradise and the delights that it contains

Ibn al-Qayyim said, in regards to the description of the Paradise and the delights that it contains:

"And if you ask about its ground and its soil, then it is of musk and saffron.

And if you ask about its roof, then it is the Throne of the Most Merciful.

And if you ask about its rocks, then they are pearls and jewels.

And if you ask about its buildings, then they are made of bricks of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its trees, then it does not contain a single tree except that its trunk is made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its fruits, then they are softer than butter and sweeter than honey.

And if you ask about its leaves, then they are softer than the softest cloth.

And if you ask about its rivers, then there are rivers of milk who's taste does not change, and rivers of wine that is delicious to those who drink it, and rivers of honey that is pure, and rivers of water that is fresh.

And if you ask about their food, then it is fruits from whatever they will choose, and the meat of whatever birds they desire.

And if you ask about their drink, then it is Tasneem, ginger, and Kaafoor.

And if you ask about their drinking cups, then they are crystal-clear and made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its shade, then a fast rider would ride in the shade of one of its trees for a hundred years and not escape it.

And if you ask about its vastness, then the lowest of its people would have within his kingdom and walls and palaces and gardens the distance that would be travelled in a thousand years.

And if you ask about its tents and encampments, then one tent is like a concealed pearl that is sixty miles long.

And if you ask about its towers, then they are rooms above rooms in buildings that have rivers running underneath them.

And if you ask about how far it reaches into the sky, then look at the shining star that is visible, as well as those that are far in the heavens that the eyesight cannot possibly reach.

And if you ask about the clothing of its inhabitants, then they are of silk and gold.

And if you ask about its beds, then its blankets are of the finest silk laid out in the highest of its levels.

And if you ask about the faces of its inhabitants and their beauty, then they are like the image of the Moon.

And if you ask about their age, then they are young ones of 33 years in the image of Adam, the father of humanity.

And if you ask about what they will be hearing, then it is the singing of their wives from among the Hoor al-'Ayn, and better than that are the voices of the Angels and the Prophets, and better than that is the Speech of the Lord of the Worlds.

And if you ask about their servants, then they are young boys of everlasting youth who resemble scattered pearls.

And if you ask about their brides and wives, then they are young and full-breasted and have had the liquid of youth flow through their limbs; the Sun runs along the beauty of her face if she shows it, light shines from between her teeth if she smiles; if you meet her love, then say whatever you want regarding the joining of two lights; he sees his face in the roundness of her cheek as if he is looking into a polished mirror, and he sees the brightness from behind her muscles and bones; if she were to be unleashed upon the World, she would fill what is between the Heavens and the Earth with a beautiful wind, and the mouths of the creation would glorifiy, praise, and exclaim greatness, and everything between the East and the West would be adorned for her, and every eye would be shut from everything but her, and the light of the Sun would be outshone just as the light of the Sun outshines the light of the stars, and everyone on the face of the Earth would believe in the Ever-Living, the One who Sustains and Protects all the exists.

And the covering on her head is better than the World and all that is in it, and she does not increase with age except in beauty; free from an umbilical cord, childbirth and menses, and pure of mucous, saliva, urine and other filthy things; her youth never fades, her clothing is never worn out, no garment can be created that matches her beauty, and no one who is with her can ever become bored; her attention is restricted to her husband, so she desires none but him, just as his attention is restricted to her so she is the sole ****** of his desire, and he is with her in utmost safety and security, as none has touched her before of either humans or Jinn.

And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face - free from any resemblance or likeness to anything - as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the day that the caller will call: 'O People of Paradise! Your Lord - Blessed and Exalted - requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him!' So they will say: 'We hear and obey!'

Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet - and none of them will turn down the request of the caller - the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will order His Chair to be brought there. Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls: 'O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allaah in which He wishes to reward you!' So they will say: 'And what is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?'

And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold: the Compeller - Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names - has come to them from above them and majestified them and said: 'O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!' So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: 'O Allaah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor!' So the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will laugh to them and say: 'O People of Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me? This is the Day of Increase!'

So, they will all give the same response: 'We are pleased, so be pleased with us!' So, He will say: 'O People of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise! So, ask of Me!' So, they will all give the same response: 'Show us your Face so that we may look at it!' So, the Lord - Mighty and Majestic - will remove his covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allaah - the Exalted - had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them.

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord - the Exalted - will speak to him and say: 'Do you remember the day that you did this and that?' and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the Worldy life, so he will say: 'O Lord! Will you not forgive me?' So, He will say: 'Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.'

So, how sweet is this speech to the ears, and how cooled are the righteous eyes by the glance at His Noble Face in the Afterlife...

{Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, l ooking at their Lord...} (al-Qiyaamah:22-3)

[from the amazing and beautiful book Haadi al-Arwaah ilaa Bilaad il-Afraah by Ibn al-Qayyim, pg. 193]
Submitted by a Mujahid

Laura Mansfield has over 20 years of experience dealing with issues pertaining to the Middle East.

She is fluent in written and spoken Arabic, and has an excellent understanding of the complex cultural, religious, and historical issues.

Laura  spent nearly 7 years living and working in the region, for a wide range of clients including the United States Embassy, the United States Agency for International Development, and various international corporations.

She was active in the embassy warden system, acting as a liaison between the Embassy security office and her employer during the days of the Beirut hijackings.