regarding the fighting among the Afghans, the killing of Shaykh Jamil al-Rahman, and the appointment of Muddadi

The questioner : Yes, yes. As for this, let us move on to two questions about what happened in Afghanistan.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : PerhapsThe Shaykh : it will be possible for us, as there are some details I wish to enumerate. Without a doubt, as you know and remember, or perhaps do not remember, in my meeting with you seven years ago, I asked you a question about jihad against the innovators, and you informed me that it is permissible with the righteous and the wicked, and that jihad with the Afghans is permissible unless they fight among themselves, in which case the weapons are put down.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : So we, who love the Sunnah and call to the methodology of the people of Hadith, took this fatwa and spread it among the brothers as much as we could.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : So what happened is thatThe Shaykh : Jamil (may Allah have mercy on him) — and I know him well, completely — was calling to this methodology until Allah (Mighty and Majestic) enabled him, through his call in education and purification, as you know, and he spread the schools, more than three hundred, and I do not remember the exact number, and three universities and a Sharia institute. The Salafi call spread among the mujahideen in Afghanistan. When the fitnah of Kunar and the aggression of Hekmat Yar occurred, some of the shaykhs issued a statement of condemnation regarding what happened in Kunar. However, those whose voices, as they say, are heard among the common people remained silent about this matter. They had accustomed the common people to saying that they speak the word of truth, as they claim. So in a fitnah like, for example, the Gulf, they breached all barriers, the barriers of the scholars and all the barriers that might be said to prevent speech, and they threw in their lot. But in the fitnah of Kunar, they were silent and did not speak, and did not clarify the truth to the people. So it is as if they wanted by that thatThe Shaykh : Jamil (may Allah have mercy on him) is not on the methodology of the Salaf, and that they are affirming the claim of the Afghans that he is an agent for America. And also, these are the ones who study tawhid (the oneness of Allah) in the mosques, know the al-Aqeedah al-Wasitiyyah, and defend the imams of innovation in Afghanistan, but do not defend this man. Without a doubt, we have reconsidered our support for them, and many of their errors have become clear to us. We are in disagreement with them regarding the methodology and what they have introduced in Afghanistan, especially since some of them did not even clarify the creed of Muddadi. So the question is: according to your knowledge, was what happened in Kunar a fight for land or for creed? And is it more important to supportThe Shaykh : Jamil (may Allah have mercy on him) and then clarify what Muddadi is upon? Because when Muddadi entered Afghanistan, the common people consider him to be one of the caliphs or one of the Companions. Why? Because this greatest mujahid, whose disbelief, as you know, is greater than that of Abu Lahab. We want your comment on these points, even though I have enumerated them generally in this topic. May Allah reward you.

The Shaykh : I am within the limits of what has reached me, and naturally, I did not have that wide knowledge. I do not doubt that Jamil al-Rahman (may Allah have mercy on him) was with us on the Salafi methodology, and that the others were not. I remember well that one of those who were working with the Arabs with Hekmat Yar, we met with him at the house of one of our brothers here about a year ago. He spoke well of Hekmat Yar, saying that he is a Muslim and wants to establish the state of Islam, and similar to the speech we referred to earlier. That he is a Muslim, no one denies such speech. So I said to him, and Jamil Abd al-Rahman had by then, if Allah wills, passed to the mercy of Allah, I asked him about his position regarding his killing. He said he condemns it and published this in some gatherings, or perhaps he said it in some magazines. So I said to him, convey my greetings to him first, and then my following proposal second. First, it is not enough to declare his disavowal of participation in the killing of Jamil al-Rahman (may Allah have mercy on him) in some private or public gatherings, while there are magazines coming out of that country, sometimes under the name of jihad, or some under the name of jihad and some under the name of the mujahid. It is necessary that he declare this so that his disavowal of those who participated in the killing of Jamil al-Rahman reaches all Muslims in all lands of Islam. This is first. And second, that he declare that if our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) enables them to reap the fruit of their jihad.
The student: Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh : And upon you is our peace. I apologize for my interruption. Yes, and upon you is peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Praise be to Allah, we are well... A worker in a tobacco shop. We return to what we were doing. I said, asking him to convey my second proposal to them, which is that if they occupy Kabul, they should declare in advance that they will rule by Islam on the methodology of the Book and the Sunnah and what the pious Salaf were upon. The man traveled after staying here for about two weeks. The answer comes to me from him, of course, he prays for the mercy of Jamil al-Rahman, and that is all he can do. He mentions something I had heard or read in some newspapers or magazines that Jamil al-Rahman was a member of a group.

The questioner : Yes, to a group.

The Shaykh : Yes, then he separated from them. They consider his separation from them a point for which he is held accountable. Yes. As for the second point, which is the declaration that the state will be based on the Book and the Sunnah, they said, "We have here 'Dobal,' meaning 'Laf wa Dar.'" He said, in the words of the common people, that we follow the school of Abu Hanifa. And from where did Abu Hanifa take his school? Is it not from the Book and the Sunnah? So we are, therefore, on the Book and the Sunnah. The point I know is that the seven parties that were living there were, in fact, a sign of evil, because it is contrary to the saying of the Exalted: and that this division cannot equal strength. Then the results, unfortunately, or the end, confirmed what we feared from this division. I knew that among these parties, there was no Salafi party except the group of Jamil al-Rahman. As for the details of what happened there, I am in fact not aware of the reality of the fighting that took place between these groups, or parties, or at least some of them, and the group of Jamil al-Rahman. But I believe that the one who holds fast to the Sunnah is always the one who is right, and the one who contradicts it and is biased toward a school or one of the Sufi paths is not on the guidance of his Lord. I have seen contradictory statements, all contradictory, meaning each one puts the responsibility on the other. So from this perspective, I truly cannot delve into it. But it is sufficient for me to know that the call to the truth is what our brother Jamil al-Rahman (may Allah have mercy on him) was upon. And may Allah forgive us and him. This is what I have.