What is the detail in your mention in some tapes of the obligation to pray for the Iraqis for victory over the disbelievers and hypocrites, and your prohibition of fighting?

The questioner : Peace be upon you, O honorable Shaykh.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. No need for the honorific.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. How is your health and condition? You are well, if Allah wills?

The Shaykh : If you call me Shaykh, then I am truly a Shaykh, meaning I am approaching eighty, so in that sense, I am a Shaykh.

The questioner : May Allah bless your health and your life, and extend your lifespan.

The Shaykh : May Allah accept from you. Bring what you have.

The questioner : Yes, by Allah, we have some questions regarding the fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) that has occurred now, which you mentioned in the tapes.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : Regarding what you mentioned about the obligation to pray for victory for the Iraqi people over the disbelievers and hypocrites.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : And you advised at the same time to stay away from the war, and that the Muslim should be, as it came in the hadith: .

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : So the question is: Why is prayer obligatory but fighting is not permissible? Does this mean there is a detail that you can clarify for us? May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : It is possible, but not every possible thing is obligatory; however, this possible thing is obligatory. The reason is that the difference between praying that Allah the Exalted grants victory to the Iraqi people over the disbelieving states that, through their cunning and plotting, managed to drag Islamic states into their camp under the pretext of expelling Iraq from the occupied country, which is Kuwait, is that after this striking and destruction that befell Iraq, where there is no parallel in all of history, it became clear that such destruction occurring between warring parties indicates that the intention was not what was announced. The bait for these Islamic states to drag them into the ranks of the disbelievers to fight a Muslim people was the claim of expelling them from Kuwait. But they did not do so and did not expel them; rather, they destroyed Iraq. The Iraqis are still in the same country, Kuwait. If we pray for this people that Allah grants them victory over these disbelievers, whose intention has been revealed to be the destruction of Muslims rather than the victory of the oppressed, then we pray for them that Allah the Exalted grants them victory over these disbelievers, and no harm befalls us in this prayer of ours.
As for some Muslim youth in many Islamic countries becoming enthusiastic to fight with their own selves there alongside the Iraqi army, this is a theoretical matter. First, it is not like prayer. Second, some religious harms may result from it when the jihad is individual. In any case, I say that this individual jihad results in the individuals being with a regime that, generally speaking, unfortunately, is not an Islamic regime. When we pray that Allah grants victory to the Iraqi people over those disbelievers and their allies, we do not want them to remain as we know them, especially their government, remaining distant from the Shari'ah of their Lord. But we say that one of the rules of the principles of jurisprudence is that if a Muslim falls between two evils, he must choose the lesser of the two in evil and harm. There is no doubt that the occupation of Iraq by the Americans and the British is, without doubt or doubt, a greater danger than if Iraq were to win over these disbelievers. When we pray for the Iraqi people and their army, we do not mean that they should remain as they are, distant from the Shari'ah. Rather, we also pray for them that Allah the Exalted guides them to act according to the Shari'ah. If some individuals join them, they are forced to deal with this regime. And we certainly know—and we do not praise this people for whom we are now praying—we know that, without doubt, in their war, they do not establish the rules of fighting according to the system of Islam. For example, in my opinion, based on what we know of them in a state of safety and tranquility, during the war, they certainly do not establish the prayer of fear (salat al-khawf) because they have not been taught or raised on this Islam. But if the enthusiastic individuals from the religious join them, they will be forced, if they accept them, if they accept them, to fight with them—because you know that every army has its system, its order, its weapons, and so on. If these individuals join, they will be afflicted with deviation from which they are safe where they are, praying for the victory of this army. And I say, in the end: if there is no state there that fights with its weapons, its army, its equipment, and its numbers, then there is no benefit from this individual fighting. Perhaps you have heard today, as we heard from some radio stations, that about ten thousand Pakistanis, if I remember correctly, went out or prepared to go to assist the Iraqis in their fighting, but the Iranian state did not allow them. So I say: the jihad of individual Muslims and their leaving their countries to Iraq, the path is blocked for them. Therefore, prayer is the weapon of the incapable, like us. But , I think you have understood the difference between the obligation of praying for them that Allah grants them victory over their enemies and the non-going of individuals to jihad with them there.

The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you with good, O honorable Shaykh.

The Shaykh : And beware of that.