Requesting the Shaykh to offer advice to the Saudis if war breaks out.

The questioner : There is a question, may Allah reward you, O Shaykh. Naturally, given our presence in the Arabian Peninsula in Saudi Arabia, we ask, may Allah reward you, we have heard your opinion on some tapes regarding the current events...

The Shaykh : Where exactly are you residing now?

The questioner : In the north of the Kingdom. So the question is, what is your advice to your brothers in Allah in Saudi Arabia if war breaks out?

The Shaykh : Between whom and whom?

The questioner : We have heard your opinion regarding the situation between America and Iraq, and between Saudi Arabia and Iraq. But the advice in these days, because it appears, and Allah knows best, that the fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) has started to escalate in these days, especially since last Tuesday, after the 'Asr prayer, some women held a demonstration in Riyadh demanding women's freedom.

The Shaykh : Has freedom reached you?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : What Allah willed, this is from the blessings of the Americans who have settled in the region.

The questioner : There is no power nor strength except with Allah. So what is your advice to your brothers in these circumstances?

The Shaykh : I mean, I want you to specify the question so that I may answer it well. Because the understanding from your first question is that if the event occurs.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Is that your question?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : I will answer with two answers. If the battle occurs between the Americans and Iraq, between the Americans only and Iraq, then be with Iraq against the Americans. But if the battle occurs between Muslims, some with others, Saudis, Egyptians, Syrians, those who are under the direction of the Americans, and Iraq, then stay in your homes. This is my answer, it has not changed and will not change. This is recorded on many tapes. Because if fighting breaks out—and I do not think, nor do I expect, that any fighting will occur—all these are political tricks, the schemes of the Americans and the British, the enemies of Islam. But if it does occur, my answer is this: the fighting will not be for the sake of Allah, nor in the name of jihad (struggle in the path of Allah), nor in the name of victory for the oppressed. Rather, the fighting will be a defense of thrones and of wealth. And it is very, very regrettable that this fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) occurs, for which I know no parallel in Islamic history. Yes.

Another questioner : Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah.

The questioner : How are you, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : Welcome. I thank Allah to you. How are you?

The questioner : How is your health?

The Shaykh : My health, as you know, is the health of an old man, and it is fine.

The questioner : Allah is the Greatest. I ask that He may prolong your health and well-being.

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you. Where are you speaking from?

The questioner : From my home.

The Shaykh : From your home.

The questioner : The voice is clear, what Allah willed.

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed, it is the voice of youth. And the war, we were talking about, these are diplomatic tricks, no war, nothing.

The questioner : Allah knows best that you are right, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed. Allah knows best.

The questioner : The news with us is actually more than with you.

The Shaykh : Yes, necessarily.

The questioner : But they are playing with politics, do you know why, O Shaykh? Because they are now on the eve of elections. The American elections, in fact, their effects reflect on global politics, and considering that the ruling party, which is the party of George Bush, the current president...

The Shaykh : The Republican Party.

The questioner : Has a lot of popular support, I mean.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.

The questioner : Most of those who won in the elections were from the second party, which is the Democratic Party. And therefore they are playing on this string. They buy the votes of the voters; they see what they want from them. If they want war, they talk about war; if they want peace, they talk about peace. And the problem is sensitive. Look, Glorified and Exalted is He, the sensitivity of the words. But the words of the presidents have an impact on the global economy in general.

The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar.

The questioner : Now the price of a barrel of oil, the price of the barrel is forty dollars at the height of the crisis. Then a European president, I cannot recall his name, said that the crisis might be resolved peacefully. He indicated that King Fahd said that he wants to resolve it peacefully. The price dropped.

The Shaykh: Allah is the Greatest!

Another questioner : And then Mitterrand, the President of the French Republic, said, "We do not see any solution other than war." The price of the barrel rose by three dollars.

The Shaykh : They are playing with the ball.

The questioner : Yes, and then Bush lost his popularity. Usually, before the elections, they conduct a referendum among the people.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.

The questioner : Bush lost his popularity, the price of the dollar dropped. Now the elections have proven that the Democrats, the opposition party, are the ones who will win. It stabilized...

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.

The questioner : The word of the day, the president raised the price...

The Shaykh : I mean, as they say with us in Syria, "A stick that scatters them and a stick that gathers them."

The questioner : No, no, by Allah, the American people, in fact, if we come to reason, are among the most foolish of Allah's creation. By Allah, you see, they are more foolish than a sheep that is dragged like this. The media is what drives them, but the people are deluded by this...

The Shaykh : But I am teasing you about this.

The questioner : The arts of the world, they are skilled in them. Allah is the Greatest.

The Shaykh : We seek help from Allah.

The questioner : Yes, we seek help from Allah, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : He is truly, now the Jews, I mean, by the testimony of the Qur'an, are cowards. But where are the strong Muslims? We seek help from Allah. The truth is, the heart of the believer weeps over these strange, very pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah) stances. Kuwait was invaded by a Muslim people, and the Day of Resurrection (the Day of Resurrection) rose. But Palestine, for twenty, thirty, forty years, no one from the Islamic states has risen. What is this story? And after that, this people is also played with by political words, as you said regarding those disbelievers. People are fanatical for the one who invaded Kuwait, and they want to jihad (struggle in the path of Allah) with him, and he does not know jihad. And people want to jihad (struggle in the path of Allah) with the second group, and they also do not declare jihad, but rather the defense of thrones and of the wealth stored in the lands of disbelief and misguidance. And we seek help from Allah.

The questioner : Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs. There is no power nor strength except with Allah.

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed. What are your questions tonight?

The questioner : By Allah, I want to reassure you.

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good.

The questioner : We heard your voice.

The Shaykh : May Allah bless you

The questioner : Every time I speak to my brother Ali, he tells me, "We were with the Shaykh." I said, by Allah, I envy you for this.

The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you. Perhaps Allah Mighty and Majestic will facilitate for you the escape from that hell.

The questioner : O Allah, amen.

The Shaykh : Because no matter how much the Islamic countries deviate from the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law), they remain the best.

The questioner : There is no doubt, there is no doubt.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.

The questioner : By Allah, doubt has not occurred to me for a single moment regarding this.

The Shaykh : We ask Allah

The questioner : ... and that we may exit this village whose people are oppressive.

The Shaykh : If Allah wills.

The questioner : He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. Okay, regarding the conference, perhaps you have no objection if we record a word to broadcast at the conference, if Allah wills, regarding the topic of the conference, I mean.

The Shaykh : By Allah, if you postpone it to tomorrow or not tomorrow, because I have people with me now.

The questioner : Next week, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh : As you see, I have people who have come now from Saudi Arabia, and necessarily they have some questions. And if we have been discussing with them since after the 'Isha' prayer, I mean since about two hours or more.

The questioner : What Allah willed.

The Shaykh : But these are strangers and thirsty for knowledge, and therefore we must respond to them.

The questioner : Do they have a recorder?

The Shaykh : I have the recorder.

The questioner : I mean, you are recording the discussions.

The Shaykh : The one you know, Abu Ahmad.Abu Layla .

The questioner : Yes, yes.

The Shaykh : Perhaps I can send you some tapes?

The questioner : Send me the last five tapes about the partisan issues and about our brothers in Kuwait. What Allah willed, in truth, you have put your hand on the wound, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you.

The questioner : Absolutely not. Allah is the Greatest.

The Shaykh : We seek help from Allah.

The questioner : There is a brother here, a Palestinian, but he cannot return to Jordan and does not want to reside here, but he wants to continue his studies. So he asked me, is it permissible? He asked me to help him and submit an application on the basis that he remains in this country, even temporarily, until he finishes his studies. And I had taken a pledge upon myself that I would not help any Muslim to remain in this country.

The Shaykh : You have done well.

The questioner : And therefore he said he does not want to stay here, nor take citizenship, nor anything, he only wants to finish his studies and then return. Is there a way to submit an application for him on the basis that he remains temporarily?

The Shaykh : Submit an application to whom?

The questioner : I mean, legally, I say, is it permissible to help him to remain temporarily until he finishes his studies?

The Shaykh : And this, O Professor Mahmoud, varies depending on the student and depending on your confidence in the intermediary. If, for example, the student is a devout person who strictly adheres to all the rulings of the Shari'ah in their entirety, and it is more likely than not that he will not be swept away by these Western currents and the luxury present in those lands, where many young people have been affected, having married there and having children, both old and new, and then it becomes clear to them that they must return, but they cannot extricate themselves because they have sown seeds there, as our Saudi brothers express it, and they cannot take these seeds with them, nor can they leave them behind, and their situation with their mothers leads to problems for which they find no solution, even if they were wise and complete Muslims, they should have looked at the consequences. It was said long ago: "He who does not look at the consequences, time will not be his companion." This is what befalls these people. So if you have one hundred percent confidence in this young man, not ninety percent, then seek his marriage through an intermediary; otherwise, do not.

The questioner : We ask Allah for safety, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh : May Allah keep you safe. Greet those who are due the greeting.

The questioner : Very well, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh : Peace be upon you.

The questioner : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.