What is your advice for the Algerian people? And is jihad prescribed in it?

The questioner : What do you say about jihad in Algeria, and what is your advice for the Algerian people?

The Shaykh : We have previously offered multiple pieces of advice to the Algerian people and to all Muslims today: that they must all pay attention to what we call two words: purification and education. That is, there should be among them scholars who understand Islam correctly and spread it among the Muslims living among them, raising them on this purified Islam. They must continue in this for years—Allah knows the number—until a group of Muslims gathers on the basis of this education and purification. At that time, the time comes for the saying of Allah the Exalted: to the end of the verse. I observe two matters in this verse: The first is that the address in this verse is directed to the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while they were in the Blessed City, meaning after they had been raised with Islamic education under the hand of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and were raised in knowledge, creed, jurisprudence, and conduct. At that time, they were addressed with this verse: Therefore, just as it is not permissible to neglect this explicit divine command in this verse—meaning not paying attention to material preparation when capable, naturally—nor is it permissible to neglect applying this material preparation, it is even more so that it is not permissible to neglect the spiritual, moral, and scientific preparation, which we refer to as purification and education. Algeria is a people of about 25 million Muslims. Do you think they have prepared to be addressed by this noble verse: ? Even if we assume they have prepared—and I do not believe this exists in a Muslim people numbering these millions—if we assume they have prepared through purification and education, were they able to apply the noble verse: ? The answer is known to everyone: that Muslim peoples today are overpowered and unable to prepare this equipment that they were commanded to prepare in this noble verse. Meanwhile, the preparation we are discussing, which we refer to as purification and education, no ruler or tyrant who oppresses the people can prevent Muslims from achieving these two pillars: purification and education. Here is the place for the work of the Islamic group, if they only knew.