The Shaykh’s comments on a tape containing Sayyaf’s answer to a question posed to him

Hearing the tape: "That the seven organizations participated in fighting the people of tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?"

The Shaykh: Excuse me, did you hear the question? I didn’t understand it.

The questioner: No, no, I didn’t hear it.

The Shaykh: Okay, play it again.
Hearing the tape: "The third question: What do you say about the leaflets being distributed that claim the seven organizations participated in fighting the people of tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?"

The Shaykh: CommentThe Shaykh: Al, what?
Al-Halabi: The seven organizations.

The Shaykh: No, no, the people, the people, the last word?
Al-Halabi: The people of tawhid (the oneness of Allah).

The Shaykh: The people of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), okay.
Hearing the tape: "I have answered part of this question in my response to the first question. As for saying that the seven organizations participated in fighting the people of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), this means they want to give people the impression that these organizations are not among the people of tawhid (the oneness of Allah)."

The Shaykh: CommentThe Shaykh : This is a correct statement.
Hearing the tape: "And whoever thinks that these organizations are not among the people of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), let him review his faith and fear Allah in what he says. There are organizations, and there are mujahideen who accuse us... regarding the creed of tawhid (the oneness of Allah). If these people limit themselves to talking about the creed of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), we have striven and sacrificed our skulls, our limbs, and our blood for the sake of the creed of tawhid (the oneness of Allah). And we would equate a thousand of their days to one day we spend in serving this creed and spending in the trenches of battle to defend this creed. I do not know how their faith allows them to give people the impression that these organizations are not among the people of tawhid (the oneness of Allah). This is injustice and aggression against a people who have made their skulls a beacon for the creed of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) in this age, and who have begun to write the call to tawhid (the oneness of Allah) with their blood, not with ink. And I remind them..."

The Shaykh: Wait a moment, I hope we stay a bit away from emotions. Whoever knows the correct creed and knows the reality of the Muslim peoples, especially the non-Arabs among them, cannot pass this judgment on the people. He can pass this judgment on specific examples from this people, but regarding the people as a whole, it is a complete exaggeration. And you know something about the Afghan people, do they understand tawhid (the oneness of Allah) as you have studied it—tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship) and tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship) or the oneness of attributes—the people?

The questioner: The answer is yes or no only?

The Shaykh: First, I am not putting you in a difficult position; yes or no only. Then you have the choice to explain, meaning do not make me the one who is more important than the other attendees. One of them gives a lecture and I am all ears. Come on, come on, come on, the answer will come, the answer will come, yes, the answer will come in the end, or the answer will not come. So I see it as good manners that whoever has an answer to a question directed at him, as they say in some countries, has his answer on the tip of his tongue. If someone has an answer on the tip of his tongue, I do not think it is wisdom, but rather from the Shari'ah, for him to swallow the answer on his tongue and not utter it just because he wants to give a lecture. As for someone whose answer is not on the tip of his tongue, nor even in his pocket, but is an answer he may obtain after a lecture, or may not obtain, then I excuse him. But I do not give any excuse at all to a person whose answer is on the tip of his tongue. So I hope, if you are such a person—and I think you are—that you say yes or no. Then you may explain. What do you think of this style?

The questioner: At the head and the eye.

The Shaykh: May Allah reward you with good. Please, go ahead.

The questioner: Of course, I am now.

The Shaykh: You are remembering the question.

The questioner: Remembering, but no and yes, until it flips in my mind, meaning the question.

The Shaykh: You mean your answer is not on your tongue.

The questioner : Repeat the question.

The Shaykh: I asked you, are you remembering the question? So I wanted this answer. I said thatThe Shaykh : Sayyaf, may Allah bless him. I do not love any of the leaders as much as I love him for the knowledge he spreads. He was previously in jihad, then in what, building? But the truth is above individuals, as we all know. My question contains an exaggeration in his speech that the Afghan people are defending tawhid (the oneness of Allah). Clear?

The questioner: Exaggeration.

The Shaykh: This is what I wanted. Do you want an explanation?

The questioner: Not an explanation.

The Shaykh: Then?

The questioner: You can add a little. I lived in three fronts, I met with four organizations, I lived with four organizations, I fought with them. They understand tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship) and tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship) hundreds of times better than I do, because I only read the books. I did not see any shirk (associating partners with Allah) in them except in an amulet that one of them hung. And one of the impulsive brothers came and cut it and said takbir (Allahu Akbar) because he wanted to end a manifestation of shirk (associating partners with Allah), and he crushed it with his hands. The Afghan commander saw him doing this, so he was angry and pulled the amulet and opened it. He said to him, read it. And it was Surat al-Fatihah, "Say, He is Allah, the One," and the two chapters of seeking refuge. This is what I saw in two fronts with four organizations. And his speech contains an exaggeration, because three organizations, Ghilani, Muddahid, and Muhammad Nabi, their creed is not sound, by his own admission in another lecture.

The Shaykh: Okay, who exposes this exaggeration from the peoples? Who exposes it? Less than a little, you will also say yes, is that not so?

The questioner: I did not understand the question.

The Shaykh: Who exposes this exaggeration? It comes from a responsible man, a scholar, and a virtuous one? The least of people. Look now, what do you respond to your own speech? You said what, four groups, four organizations. I add to you, hypothetically, and we hope this hypothesis becomes a reality. I assume that the rest of the people you referred to, and you said Sayyaf knows these, are not monotheists in the sense that he understands, and you mentioned regarding the four organizations. I assume that they are also monotheists in the true sense. Fine. The question now comes: these seven organizations, and all of them are monotheists as you saw from the four, okay? Do they represent the Afghan people?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh: How yes?

The questioner: Yes, except for the communists.

The Shaykh: Except for the communists, meaning the Muslim Afghan people believe, they say, "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," and they can declare every individual of these communists a disbeliever. These organizations represent the whole people, those in the tents and the scattered ones?

The questioner: Yes, they have identities with that.

The Shaykh: What identities?

The questioner: I mean affiliations. Even the displaced have affiliations to the party group or the union group. The whole Afghan people are like this. Even if elections happen, the displaced also enter the elections, meaning.

The Shaykh: I do not understand what the connection is to this.

The questioner: Even to tell you, the whole Afghan people are within the seven organizations.

The Shaykh: No, my brother, may Allah guide you. I am saying these four organizations, let us stand by your words. No, no, our discussion now is not about jihad representation, it is about tawhid (the oneness of Allah) creedal representation. The four organizations that... be patient. The four organizations that you testified to as good in terms of creed, do they represent the Afghan people in this creed?

The questioner : No.

The Shaykh: Okay, I...

The questioner: The seven, you say.

The Shaykh: May Allah guide you. I said, I assume that the rest of the seven are monotheists. I assume from the goodness of your speech. So I wanted to say that if the seven organizations were all monotheists, do they represent the Afghan people in tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh: You said, O Shaykh, may Allah guide you, the four that you believe are monotheists do not represent the Afghan people in tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?

The questioner: The remaining three are not monotheists.

The Shaykh: We say the four.

The questioner: O Shaykh, excuse me, the question may have confused me.

The Shaykh: It is possible I am with you. It may be that you do not understand, it may be that I am not understanding it. But it needs a little patience. Now, the four organizations, let us call them the Group of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, okay?

The questioner : Good.

The Shaykh: Do they represent the Afghan people in the creed of tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?

The questioner : No.

The Shaykh: Okay, this was your first answer. Pay attention now, I expanded the hypotheses. I said, if we assume the rest of the seven organizations are all monotheists, do they represent the Afghan people? You tell me, yes... My brother, I am telling you, in tawhid (the oneness of Allah), may Allah bless you. Seven organizations, four monotheist organizations represent the Afghan people in tawhid (the oneness of Allah)? Why are you thinking? You repeatedly said no. Now why are you thinking?

The questioner: I answered you the first answer. You mean it seems like he did not answer you on the tape...

The Shaykh: No, he answered me twice.

The questioner: Now I have to understand the question.

The Shaykh : Why don't we repeat the question as if it had not been asked? This question has been asked more than once. Do these four organizations, which you testify understand tawhid (the oneness of Allah) correctly, represent the Afghan people in their creed?

The questioner : I can ask regarding this question: what do you mean by "represent"?

The Shaykh : I mean that the Afghan people are with them in their understanding of this tawhid in the correct manner?

The questioner : I think that among the four organizations, some of the Afghan people understand this matter, while those other than them do not understand it.

The Shaykh : Is this an answer?

The questioner : Shaykh, this answer I have is not political, nor is it...

The Shaykh : In any case, this is one of the benefits of exchanging opinions.