If war breaks out in the Gulf, what is the ruling of Allah’s Shari'ah regarding jihad there?

The questioner : Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh : And peace be upon you.

The questioner : May Allah protect you. How are you, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : I am fine, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.

The questioner : I am from Algeria.

The Shaykh : I know that you are from Algeria.

The questioner : What do you think, O Shaykh? I am fine.

The Shaykh : There is no harm.

The questioner : There is a lot of talk here in Algeria, and you are in Jordan, about the fact that if a war were to break out between Iraq and America, what would be the ruling of Allah’s Shari'ah in this fitnah (trial, discord or temptation)?

The Shaykh : You, being Algerian, and I being Syrian, and the host being Jordanian, so you must slow down a little with me and speak word by word so that we can understand what you are saying.

The questioner : May Allah bless you, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Slow down in your speech. What is your question?

The questioner : If war breaks out in the Gulf, what is the ruling of Allah’s Shari'ah regarding jihad?

The Shaykh : There is no jihad in these days. Where is the jihad you are referring to? Tell me, in which country is the jihad?

The questioner : In the Hijaz.

The Shaykh : Do not prolong your speech.

The questioner : The Hijaz.

The Shaykh : Jihad in the Hijaz.

The questioner : The European and American forces are in the Hijaz, and Iraq is in Iraq. If war were to break out, it would be in the Hijaz.

The Shaykh : O Shaykh, do not speak so much. Speak a little. I am telling you one word, and you answer me with the same. Where is the jihad? Who are the mujahideen with whom you want to fight? Who are they and where are they?

The questioner : The Muslims, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : The Muslims in Syria? Say yes or no?

The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : The Muslims in Syria?

The questioner : Yes, and not in Syria, O Shaykh. I am speaking about Algeria.

The Shaykh : I am asking you, O Shaykh, may Allah guide you. Say yes or no. You said "the Muslims." Are there not Muslims in Syria?

The questioner : Yes, there are Muslims in Syria.

The Shaykh : Well, answer me like this so you rest yourself and rest me with you. Are these Muslims in Syria the mujahideen you want... the Muslims in Iraq?

The questioner : No.

The Shaykh : So where are they? May Allah guide you and me. Where are they?

The questioner : I am speaking about my country, about Algeria. There is a lot of talk saying that if war breaks out, will the banner of Islam be raised? Will banners be raised under Islam for jihad, not for the sake of Iraq, but for the sake of Saudi Arabia, for the sake of Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) and the Hijaz?

The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! People are living in illusions and fantasies. You, O Shaykh, in Algeria, does your government allow you to fight jihad in the path of Allah?

The questioner : It does not allow it.

The Shaykh : So how do you imagine that you can fight jihad? How do you reach the area of jihad, if this area exists? Do you fly in airplanes that descended upon you from the sky?

The questioner : It will be, if Allah wills. It will be for the Islamic Front and Salvation to fight jihad for Bayt al-Maqdis. We did here a unification between the State of Palestine and the State of Algeria. There are five million Muslims, the youth of Algeria, all of them registered their names, and the Algerian government sent them to join the army from the year 1963 to join the Algerian army under the banner of Islam here in Algeria.

The Shaykh : If Allah wills. I ask you, how old are you?

The questioner : Twenty-three.

The Shaykh : Twenty-three. That is why you are enthusiastic and living in illusions. How can you reach Palestine and fight jihad and fight the Jews? Do you fly or do you pass over the land? Tell me one of two things?

The questioner O Shaykh, I am asking you. I am not telling you from my own side.

The Shaykh : Stop, stop deviating from the answer. I answered you that there is no jihad now.

The questioner: May Allah bless you.

The Shaykh : Now, jihad is the jihad of the self. But I do not want our Muslim brothers in Algeria or elsewhere to live in illusions and fantasies, saying that you have so many million Muslims and that they will fight jihad in the path of Allah and reach Palestine. When one of the enthusiastic ones like you is asked, how do you reach Palestine? Do you walk on the land or do you fly in the air? Perhaps Allah has made the carpet of the wind available for you, which Allah made specific for Sulayman (peace be upon him). When I put you before reality, the dreams fly away and evaporate and collide with reality, so you return to say, "We ask the people of knowledge." The people of knowledge told you that there is no jihad now, because jihad requires preparations. The first is the preparation of faith, and then the material preparation. But you say that there are so many million Muslims in Algeria, and these millions of Muslims are warriors from every side and direction from the state and from the other parties, and then you imagine that you will reach Palestine. Have you thought about how you will reach Palestine, and between you and Palestine is what is harder for you and more difficult than the barrier of Dhul-Qarnayn? Have you thought about this point? This issue was asked of me before by others from the Algerians, and I knew that you have good hearts, but you do not look with the view of the Shari'ah and reason together. Perhaps you understood the answer now?

The questioner : I understood you. May Allah bless you.

The Shaykh : And may Allah reward you with good.

The questioner : We do not have great scholars here in Algeria, nor those who issue fatwas for this. They lack someone like these who declares jihad. That is why I asked you directly.

The Shaykh : I am telling you, may Allah reward you with good, but do not live in passionate emotions, but rather as the Exalted said: to the end of the verse.

The questioner : May Allah bless you, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : May Allah bless you, and peace be upon you. It is a sad thing, by Allah, these groups, these good people.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : May their homes be ruined, the hypocrites. They are going to the conference. Allah is the Helper.

The questioner : They returned from Khomeini saying that the Islamic Iranian Revolution is such and such against Iraq. Now the two are going to shake hands with Saddam.
Al-Halabi : With my own ears, I heard Ibrahim Zayd say, "The likeness of the Islamic Revolution is like a tree whose root is firm and whose branch is in Iran."

The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah.
Al-Halabi : This speech was at the beginning of the revolution in the Husayni Mosque.

The Shaykh : His group went there to pledge allegiance to him.
Al-Halabi : This is our Shaykh reminding us of the athar (report from a Companion or successor) of Hudhayfah, which he mentioned to you. May Allah bless you. "If one of you wants to know whether he has been struck by fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) or not, let him look: what was halal (lawful) yesterday has become haram (forbidden) today, and what was haram (forbidden) yesterday has become halal (lawful) today." It is desire, interests, and politics.