POST #36 on various words of advice and stories of remembrance from sheik Abdullah Azzam.

Ghayrah for Islam Has Become a Deficiency:

“…It is a disaster that your heart dies without you noticing. It is as if you say: ‘O Lord! How often I rebel against You without you punishing me for it!’ And He replies: ‘How often I punish you without you even noticing! Haven’t I removed the life from your heart?’

The death of the heart, the lack of reaction to the Shar’i texts, that your face doesn’t become red for the sake of Allah…that’s it. Your heart is dead. It no longer pumps blood. In fact, this has now become something shameful. It has now become blameworthy for one to have zeal and to react strongly when he sees some corruption or evil in front of him. This is now considered a deficiency of the many deficiencies that can exist in one’s character. People will say that you are a poor guy who is quick to get charged up, or that you are passionate, or that you are zealous, or that you are rash, or that you are a fundamentalist, etc. Yes! It is now something blameworthy!

…Yes, and this is why we now use these terms without realizing what we’re saying. This person is too simple-minded, this person is too passionate, that person is a fanatic, easily charged up, zealous, etc. And is this religion given victory by mere reason, or is it given victory by zeal and passion? Reason tells you: how can you stand against Russia? Malik bin Nabi said that the index finger of Bilal that was raised to the sky saying ‘Ahad, Ahad (He is One, He is One)’ was not the voice of reason. Rather, this was the voice of emotion, because reason would tell him to deceive Umayyah bin Khalaf and then come at night and renew his Islam at night with Muhammad.

Someone once said to me: “Brother, we shouldn’t be so open with everything we say. I sat for two years in an office without my coworker knowing my mindset.” So, I said to him: “May Allah ease your affairs. This means that for two years, you didn’t speak a single word commanding good or forbidding evil because if you had spoken, he would have known your mindset?” And he considers this to have been cleverness on his part!

The cowards think that cowardliness is intelligence * This is the deception of the wicked soul…”

['Fi Dhilal at-Tawbah'; p. 223]

POST #35 on various words of advice and stories of remembrance from sheik Abdullah Azzam.

If You See Him Accepted By Them:

"When will they accept you? Either you abandon your faith or they abandon their sin, and this won't happen. If they abandon their sin, this means they become Muslims, and the conflict cools down. And if you abandon your Islam, you have committed shirk. So, the conflict continues: {"...Do you criticize us for no other reason than that we believe in Allah and in what has been sent down to us and to those before us, and that most of you are rebellious sinners?"} [al-Ma'idah; 59] So, their sin and our faith is the reason.

So, if you see America or Russia or Britain or the criminals and tyrants in the Islamic world - if you see them pleased with someone, you should doubt this person's Islam and his faith. Understood? This is because Allah has set down a rule that does not change, and this rule says: {"And the Jews and Christians will never be pleased with you until you follow their way..."} [al-Baqarah; 120]

['Fi Dhilal Surat at-Tawbah'; p. 22]

POST #34 on various words of advice and stories of remembrance from sheik Abdullah Azzam.

Living Together:

"You cannot live alone. Do not live alone, as the wolf eats up the lone sheep, and Satan is close to the one who is alone and is farther from two who are together. So, if you live somewhere, live with at least one other person, and this one person should be righteous.

Friends are like a row of connected test tubes: if liquid overflows in one tube, the excess flows into the other tubes until there is an equal amount of liquid in all the tubes. Likewise, if you live with corrupt people, they will take away many of your good deeds, and you will decrease and decrease and decrease until you are all equal in status. You will definitely end up like these interconnected test tubes. A group of friends are all like each other, and the longer the friendship lasts, the closer the character and manners of each person in the group will be to the others. Do not believe that a good person can live for long with a corrupt person, unless the corrupt person improves and follows the example of the good person.

This is why you should look for the good people, and a friend is like a chain: he will either drag you into Paradise or drag you into Hell. He will either cause you problems or he will help you solve your problems...

After this, work on guarding your tongue, because most of the torture in Hell is because of the tongue: "And will people be dragged on their faces into Hell because of anything other than what their tongues have brought forth?"

After this, work on making good use of your time. Do not waste your time. Always try to bring about some benefit from your social gatherings. So, if you see people talking about food, drink, telling jokes, etc., tell them: 'Guys, I read a story today to tell you about something that happened in Syria, or something that the Afghans did,' or say: 'What do you think about this hadith? I read the tafsir of this verse to tell you about,' etc. Benefit them in this gathering, and occupy them with something that will benefit them. Sit down together and read the Qur'an, read the biographies of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) and the Companions, a simple explanation of the Qur'an such as 'Tafsir al-Jalalayn' - a simple, general explanation - and read a simple book of Fiqh, especially regarding how to pray. Read the entire section on how to pray, such as 'Fiqh as-Sunnah.' Read in detail how to make wudu', because it doesn't make sense to sit for thirty years not knowing the proper way of making wudu', performing prayer, etc. - you pray while not knowing the fundamentals of the prayer and wudu', and you do not know the details of optional fasting, etc. So, do all of this combined with good friends and a pure, truthful intention.

And stay away from women (and likewise, women should apply the same for men), as this is the source of all tribulation for those at your age, and in fact for those at any age. Stay from women who are forbidden for you. It is an obligation for you to stay away from them. Of course, all of the women in this land are forbidden for you. It is forbidden for you to look at them, it is forbidden for you to sit with them, it is forbidden for you to chat with them, and it is forbidden for you to be alone with them. The heart cannot bear these things because the glance is one of Iblis's poisonous arrows. Whoever lowers his gaze from what Allah has forbidden will be given a sweetness by Allah that he will feel in his heart. But to look, to continue looking, and to allow this arrow to strike you in the heart - not just an arrow, but a poisonous arrow that poisons your heart - to let an arrow strike you day after day after day, this will make your heart weak and unable to face the problems of life. This is why you find a person who is drowning in desires to be weak-hearted...As for the heart of the believer, his heart is strong and he isn't affected by anything. His heart is strenghtened by worship, and therefore does not become scared or shaky. As for the heart of the sinner, you see it shaking. Why? Because the arrows have killed him just like someone who has an ulcer in his stomach and cannot eat because of it.

Work for Allah and stick together, and the more you work for Allah, the more your souls will become strong and rise, and you will ascend rapidly upon the path of those who are ascending towards Allah. I advise you to recite the Qur'an everyday, because the Qur'an is like water for a plant. It is the life of the heart, and the water and life for the heart is the Qur'an..."

['at-Tarbiyah al-Jihadiyyah wal-Bina''; 5/35-36]

POST #33 on various words of advice and stories of remembrance from sheik Abdullah Azzam.

How the Believer Relaxes:

"...The stronger a person's connection with his Lord becomes, the more he will feel relaxed. This is why they said to Ibn al-Mubarak: "Who are the kings?" So, he replied: "Those who abstain from the worldly pleasures." They asked him: "Who are the lowest of people?" He replied: "Those who eat with their religion," meaning they are hypocritical with the people. So, they do this for a bite of food or a badge of honor, or any other worldly gain. They asked him: "Who are the lowest of the low?" He replied: "Those who ruin their religion in order to gain wordly benefit for others."

One of them would describe himself, saying: "We are in such a state of happiness that if the kings and their sons knew of it, they would fight us with swords over it." So, our happiness is greater than the happiness of the kings! And if they knew of this happiness that we had, they would fight us with weapons for it!

When Ibn Taymiyyah came into conflict with the ruler, the ruler said to him: "I know that you see the people gathering around you, and this made you greedy for my kingdom." So, Ibn Taymiyyah replied: "Listen! By Allah, I would not pay a single dirham for your kingdom!" Not a single one! But, the ruler is fearful for his throne, and Ibn Taymiyyah is relieving him by telling him that he would never buy his kingdom...

This is all the result of the happiness and honor that they were immersed in. Of course, the people of the dunya do not understand any of this. They only understand things in the context of the world they are living in, the cars they drive, the money they have, etc...

Then, in addition to the happiness that immerses such a person...why does a person become relaxed? A person becomes relaxed as the result of worship, because this fills the empty space inside. That empty space that is reserved specifically for worship becomes filled with it. So, a person becomes relaxed when he fills himself with worship, just like when a motor is filled with oil..."

['at-Tarbiyah al-Jihadiyyah wal-Bina''; 5/26-27]

POST #32 on various words of advice and stories of remembrance from sheik Abdullah Azzam.

How Islam Came To Afghanistan:

"...So, this area that we are in, Afghanistan, was subject to Persian Magian rule...Badakhshan, the northern provinces, Juzjan, etc. all the way to Takhar and Herat. Khurasan was part of the Persian empire, and Bukhara and Samarqand were all part of the Persian empire. How did 'Uthman conquer it?

Do you not see me guided after I was misguided * And I became a soldier in the army of Ibn 'Affan?

So, all of these areas were conquered in the era of 'Uthman, and 'Abd ar-Rahman bin Samurah conquered Kabul during the era of either 'Umar or 'Uthman. In the 'Sunan' of Abu Dawud, it says: "'Abd ar-Rahman bin Samurah narrated to us in Kabul." So, 'Abd ar-Rahman bin Samurah conquered Kabul during the era of 'Umar or 'Uthman, may Allah be Pleased with them both.

None of the populations that were conquered by the Muslims ever rebelled or resisted them except the people of Afghanistan. The people of Afghanistan are very stubborn, and it is not an easy task to make them submit. So, the Muslims conquered it during the era of 'Umar, and this was followed by a rebellion from some of the tribes and the expulsion of the Muslims, and the Muslims had to return later on and conquer Afghanistan a second time.

If the Afghans become convinced of an idea or belief, they are known to cling to it very tightly and spread it. This is why they carried the religion of Buddhism and the people of Afghanistan adopted it. There was no way to change them - Buddhism, that was it, and this is why there is a huge statue of Buddha still standing in Bamyan today.* They are the ones who spread Buddhism in the region - to Pakistan and India. The Afghans are the ones who spread it...some tribes became convinced of this belief and began spreading Buddhism.

Islam then came, they became convinced of Islam, and they spread it throughout the region. So, most of these areas adopted Islam through them, and Mahmud al-Ghaznawi invaded India seven times. He entered it and demolished their statue, Shamnama, and after this, the Afghan people adopted the Hanafi madhhab..."

['Fi Dhilal Surat at-Tawbah'; p. 141-142]
[*] Obviously, that changed in March of 2001.

POST #31 on various words of advice and stories of remembrance from sheik Abdullah Azzam.

Why the People of the Book Are Mentioned So Much in the Qur'an:

"...Really, the one who follows the Noble Qur'an finds that the pages dedicated to the People of the Book are greater than their size and influence in the Arabian Peninsula. So, what is the secret behind this disproportional focus on them?

Allah Knew that after the idolaters were pushed out of the way of the spread of this call, the People of the Book would in the future take their place as the lump in the throat standing in the face of this religion. And Allah Knew that the Jews would head all efforts in fighting and opposing this religion since their days in Madinah all the way to the Day of Resurrection. Because of this, we have these long pages focusing on the People of the Book.

In truth, after polytheism was eradicated from the Arabian Peninsula, issues began with the People of the Book, and wars ensued with the People of the Book, and battles continued with the People of the Book, and the majority of battles that the Muslims fought were against the Romans. The Persians were finished after the defeat of Kisra, after the battle of Nahawand that was commanded by an-Nu'man bin Muqrin. The Persian state was finished, and this was prophecized by the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) when he sent a letter to Kisra and a letter to Heraclius, and Kisra tore up his letter, and the Prophet said: "May Allah tear up his kingdom," and he said: "If Kisra is destroyed, there will be no Kisra after him." The Persian empire was unable to stand up in front of the Muslims for more than ten years or so.

As for the Romans who have been fighting the Muslims since the days of Yarmuk until today, they escaped to Constantinople and took it as a base from which to fight this religion, and they stood as a preventative barrier to the spread of this religion. In Rome, the Western Church was the Pope's base, and Charles Martel stood in the face of this religion in the Battle of Tours in Europe after he had killed 'Abd ar-Rahman al-Ghafiqi in the Martyrs' Court in France. So, the advance in Europe was halted until the Turks came once again and conquered Constantinople, and the battles started all over again. Muhammad al-Fatih came and conquered Constantinople and began to initiate another conquest within Europe. With this, he faced immense challenges from the People of the Book, while the idolaters - the Persians and Magians - are for the most part finished..."

POST #30 on various words of advice and stories of remembrance from sheik Abdullah Azzam.

What Goes Around Comes Around:

"...Whenever I look to the effects of Ibn Taymiyyah and the effects of Sayyid Qutb on Earth, I come to realize the meaning of {"A good word is as like good tree whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches reach to the sky, giving its fruit at all times by the Leave of its Lord..."} [Ibrahim; 24]

Ibn Taymiyyah died in prison in the year 726 H. His books were burned up, and he and Ibn al-Qayyim were paraded around the streets of Damascus with the neighborhood children mocking and clapping behind them. Ibn Taymiyyah would sometimes write in prison, so they took away his pen and paper. So, he began writing on the walls of his cell using a rock. This treatise of 'al-Hamawiyyah' or 'at-Tadmuriyyah' was copied down from the walls of his prison cell. Ibn Taymiyyah died in 726 H, and the the scholars who competed with him thought that they were finally rid of him. He died in 726 H, and after exactly four centuries, someone emerged in the belly of the Arabian Peninsula who loved the boks of Ibn Taymiyyah and learned from them, and he was Shaykh Muhammad bin 'Abd al-Wahhab. Muhammad bin 'Abd al-Wahhab was expelled from ad-Dar'iyyah to here and there, to Iraq, etc. Afterwards, he returned, and Allah softened the heart of Muhammad bin Sa'ud towards him and he agreed to aid his mission, and he did so.

The whole world went crazy, and they moved Ibrahim Basha the son of Muhammad 'Ali Basha, and a Syrio-Egyptian army moved to tear apart this da'wah and wipe it out from Najd, and they took its leader 'Ubaydullah bin Sa'ud and imprisoned him. Afterwards, the people thought that this da'wah was finished. About fifty years ago, one of Muhammad bin Sa'ud's sons, 'Abd al-'Aziz, took over as leader. During the days of 'Abd al-'Aziz, the people would wander from place to place until they could find just a tiny date to eat. One of the inhabitants of Najd told me: "One day during the famine, we would dig up ant hills and collect and eat the wheat that the ants would gather. We were unable to eat dates on a daily basis, and we'd have to eat the date one day, and suck on the seed of that date the next."

They would also take the vines on which the dates grew and wash them. So, the people of Najd would all come with their containers and vessels to collect some of the wash of these date vines. Allah then Willed that petroleum would be discovered inside the Arabian Peninsula, and this country began printing the books of Ibn Taymiyyah - printing and distributing, printing and distributing - and not a single library in the world was left except that it contained Ibn Taymiyyah's books. Today, if you wish to silence someone, you simply say 'Ibn Taymiyyah said such and such,' and the person is silenced: {"A good word is as like good tree whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches reach to the sky, giving its fruit at all times by the Leave of its Lord..."}

Sayyid Qutb was the same way. He was executed in prison, not in the street. They executed him inside the prison in a dark room, and nobody knows where his grave is until now. His own family doesn't know where he is buried. One of his old friends said to me: "If only we knew where his grave is so that we can visit him..." So, I said to him: "His Lord does, you don't need to know." The day that Sayyid was executed, six to eight thousand copies of 'Fi Dhilal al-Qur'an' were burned in the main streets, in other words 64,000 volumes of the book were burned. Anyone in Egypt who was found possessing any of Sayyid Qutb's books - especially 'Ma'alim fit-Tariq' - was sentenced to ten years in prison. Sayyid's books were treated like opium! They were actually like opium! They were warned against in the same way that marijuana was warned against.

When Sayyid Qutb was executed, the 'Voice of the Arabs' broadcast that he had been executed because he wanted to kill Umm Kulthum and destroy charitable organizations and the radio stations that broadcast the Qur'an, and because he had contacts with Western intelligence, that he was an American agent, a Western agent, etc. So, the announcer on the 'Voice of the Arabs' show, Ahmad Sa'id - I heard him myself, and may he go to Hell, and what an evil destination - would say regarding Sayyid Qutb: "To Hell, and what an evil destination."

That generation began asking itself: 'Who is this man who was executed? What is this book 'Ma'alim fit-Tariq' and this book 'Fi Dhilal al-Qur'an' that he was sentenced for?' So, everyone began looking for these books to read them. This happened to the point that a failing Christian publishing company in Beirut was advised by other Christians: "If you want to save your company, print 'Fi Dhilal al-Qur'an.'" Yes, and he did so, and in the same year that Sayyid Qutb was executed, the book was printed seven times. Seven times! And during his life, it was only printed one and a half times - they did not even complete the second printing. Everyone who read Sayyid Qutb's books returned to Allah and was affected by him, and the curse of Allah came down on those who had prevented people from reading them before. While they used to pound and whistle and jump up and down in the streets while his books were being burned, you now do not find a group of Muslims on Earth except that his books are with them, as they have been translated into almost every language..."

['Fi Dhilal Surat at-Tawbah'; p. 242-243]