CONTENTS History of Afghanistan………………………………………………6 Virtues of the Martyrs………………………………………………14 Tafseer Ibn Katheer MARTYRS 1………………………………………………..17 Dr Sheikh Abdullah Azzam…………………………………………18 The reviver of Jihad in the 20th Century Yahya Senyor Al-Jeddawi……………………………………………23 "Abu Muadh and I smelled the blood of Yahya the Martyr from a distance of 500 metres …” Abu Abdullah Al-Ma'ribi…………………………………………….27 "I will carry my soul in my hand…” Abu Tayyib Al-Maghribi…………………………………………….29 From the splendour of the World he fled Abul-Mundhir Ash-Shareef…………………………………………33 "I love Allah! I love Allah! I love Allah!" Dr. Nasir Al-Jazairi………………………………………………….37 The Doctor of Hearts and Bodies, The Preacher of the Valley Dr. Salih Al-Leebee………………………………………………….40 "...The treatment is prayer, then food, then medicine." Jamaludeen Al-Jazairi………………………………………………45 "I saw Rasheed in a dream eating out of the hands of the Hoor Al-Ain” Shafeeq Ibrahim Al-Madani………………………………………..47 'It is on the shoulders of these men that the Jihad is built' Shamsudeen Al-Afghani……………………………………………..51 The martyred engineer The Signs of ar-Rahmaan in the Jihad of the Afghan……………54 By Sheikh Abdullah Yusuf 'Azzam Yaseen Al- Jazairi…………………………………………………..61 The one who fled from marriage in this Life, to marriage in the Next Abu Saa'id Al-Jeddawi……………………………………………..64 "From the Fields of Football to the Building of Nations" The noor on his forehead (Abu Asim Al-Iraqi)…………………...68 “O, ALLAH! the month of Ramadhan and a blessing like shahadaa in it…” THE COALITION LAUNCHES WAR…………………..69 An Address from the Sheikhs………………………………………74 The Virtues of Martyrdom in the Path of Allah ………………….81 By Imām ‘Abdullāh ‘Azzām MARTYRS 2……………………………………………….88 The Little Martyrs…………………………………………………..89 Suraqah Al-Andalusi………………………………………………..91 "O Allah! Do not let me leave these mountains before you have granted me my martyrdom here!" " Congratulations! Congratulations! Hisham has entered ………113 Paradise insha-Allah " Mazar-i-Sharif Prisoners Fulfill Vow to the Death……………….114 Across the border……………………………………………………116 Abu-Khulood Al-Yemani…………………………………………117 " O Allah! bless me with martyrdom!!!" The Martyred sister………………………………………………118 A Taliban is brutally murdered…………………………………120 Afghan Massacre—Convoy of Death……………………………123 The story of Habibullah………………………………………….127 Taliban bodies burnt……………………………………………..130 And what of the widows ?..............................................................131 STORIES FROM THE BATTLEFIELD………………135 The Fortress of War……………………………………………...136 A first-hand account of the massacre of over 300 prisoners in the Qila-e- Janghi Operation Anaconda or Operation Giant Mongoose?................146 The Battle of Shahi Koht described and analysed by one of the participants Battle reports from the Azzam archive………………………….157 THE NEW WAVE……………………….........................167 Martyrdom operations…………………………………...168 ‘Don’t grieve for me, father’………………………………………172 Martyrdom of Aminullah Martyrs: The Building Blocks of Nations………………………...174 by Sheikh Abdullah Azzam “Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision. They rejoice in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His Bounty, rejoicing for the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind (not yet martyred) that on them no fear shall come, nor shall they grieve. They rejoice in a Grace and a Bounty from Allah, and that Allah will not waste the reward of the believers.” ( The Family Of Imran,verse 169-171) History of Afghanistan The Islamic History of Afghanistan (327BC - 832 AD): Afghanistan's history is marked with rebellion, warfare, and a firm resistance against foreign invasion. It reveals a people who are warlike, courageous, independent, resilient, and unwilling to surrender. Along with the large number of conquests and rebellions associated with this region, its history is further complicated by the fact that for the most part, various fractions of present-day Afghanistan were ruled by different dynasties. Thus, most of the famous dynasties in history have at some point, ruled some part of Afghanistan, and rulers from several different dynasties have ruled various parts of Afghanistan concurrently. What follows below is a somewhat simplified version of the Islamic history of Afghanistan. Pre-Islamic Afghanistan Afghanistan had been part of the Persian Empire until it was conquered by Alexander. It is reported that Alexander had the greatest trouble of all in conquering Afghanistan and then keeping it in his kingdom. Alexander's conquest was followed by conquests of various parts of present-day Afghanistan by the Chinese and Persians. The pre-Islamic religions in the region include Buddhism, Hinduism, and Zoroastrianism. "I stormed through Persia, I stormed through the Pyramids, I stormed through the plains of Persapolis, but I wept and disheartened in Bactria (Afghanistan)" - Alexander, while dying of pneumonia and after unsuccessfully trying to occupy Afghanistan. The Conquest of Afghanistan During the Time of the Sahaabah Caliph Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sent the sahabi Ahnaf bin Qays towards Persia (which included present-day Iran and parts of present-day Afghanistan). He was successful in defeating the last of the Persian rulers, "Yazdgard" taking over southern Iran. Yazdgard fled towards Khurasan, but Ahnaf bin Qays followed him and also captured Khurasan. He then fled further north. During the time of Caliph Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), the sphere of Muslim conquests widened, and more areas of present-day Afghanistan came under the Islamic empire. These included: Kabul (conquered by Abdullah bin Aamir), Marw (Ahnaf bin Qays), Herat (Ahnaf bin Qays), Balkh and Takharistan (Khubayb bin Qura Alyarbu'ee), and Seestaan (Abdullah bin Umayr). Rebellions and Related Conquests It should be noted that Yazdgard kept fleeing from the states the Muslims would conquer into neighboring states. Wherever he would go, he would start working on inciting the people of his former Persian empire to rebel against the newly appointed Muslim rulers. He thus, led many successful rebellions, including armed attacks in cooperation with other governments such as the Khakans of China. By the Grace of Allah, all these attacks and rebellions were crushed by the armies of the Sahaba. However, rebellion and unrest in one form or another prevailed in various parts of present-day Afghanistan throughout the period of the Umayyid Dynasty. Da'wah and Consolidation It was realized by the wise Muslim Caliphs that this region would only come under control if the people truly accepted Islam and willingly submitted to the laws of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Thus, great Muslim preachers and scholars such as Imam Hasan Al-Basri were sent to the region. Through their efforts, coupled with effective rule of the conquerer Qutayba bin Muslim, law and order was finally maintained in most of present- day Afghanistan towards the end of the first century Hijri. Sahaba and Tabi'een were appointed as judges, who would give rulings free of political influence or pressure. Afghanistan Under the Abbasid Caliphate The final blow to the Umayyid dynasty was dealt in 749 AD (132 Hijri) after which Afghanistan came under the Abbasid Caliphate. The establishment of the Abbasid rule in Afghanistan was mainly due to the efforts of an influential person by the name of Abu Muslim Khurasani, who traveled to Iraq even before the Umayyid Caliphate ended, and made agreements with the Abbasid rulers of the time. Various rebellions, mainly in Kabul, continued, but were crushed by the Abbasids. Thus, while a firm established system of Shariah was not in place, the roots of Islam continued to be strengthened. By this time, all other religions had almost completely been eliminated and great works of Islamic culture and literature started emerging. The Farsi language was born, and schools teaching various branches of Islamic knowledge started emerging in major cities. Most of Afghanistan remained under the Abbasid Caliphate until the Abbasi-appointed ruler of Khurasan, Tahir bin Husain, declared his independence in 832 AD. The Islamic History of Afghanistan (900 AD - Present): Dynasties The period that followed saw many different dynasties ruling many fractions of Afghanistan. The Samanis The Samanis ruled north-western Afghanistan until the end of the tenth century AD. The Ghaznavis In 976 AD, Ghazni had been captured by Subuktugeen, whose son, the famous Mahmud of Ghazna, conquered vast areas and extended his empire well into present day India. He conquered India in seventeen attacks, each one very successful. One of his greatest contributions was the elimination of statues and idols, to be replaced by monuments of Islamic civilization. He is thus, known in history as the "destroyer of idols". Many great people such as Ibn Seena - the doctor and scientist, Al-Beruni - the famous traveler, Firdausi - the great poet, and many others emerged during the Ghaznavi period. The Seljuks, Khwarzm Shahis and the Ghoris Various parts of present-day Afghanistan had also been under the rule of the Seljuk Dynasty in the eleventh and twelfth centuries AD. This was followed by conquests by Khwarzm Shah and his descendents, who ruled parts of Afghanistan concurrently with the Ghori dynasty. The Ghoris expanded their empire to include Khorasan all the way to the Arabian Gulf. The northern parts of Afghanistan were mostly under the Khwarizm Shahis and there were constant armed conflicts between the two. The Ghori period is called the "golden period" of Afghanistan's history in terms of literary and academic development. Pashtu language developed much during this time. Names such as Imam Razi, Nizami, Qadi Minhaj, and Urudhi are associated with this period. Mongols While the Ghori rule was at its height of progess, the Mongols poured down from the North and started destroying every city and town they encountered. They defeated Khwarzm Shah and captured the areas under his control. The ruler of Ghazni, Sultan Jalal-ud-Din, in a historic battle at Meewan, defeated the army of Chengiz (Genghis) Khan and prevented them from entering Ghazni.