The Islamic Ummah has heard confirmation today that Imam Anwar al-Awlaki and three of his brothers were martyred by US missiles in Yemen.

We ask Allah (SWT) to have mercy on all of those martyred, and to grant them the highest levels of Paradise. We at the AMEF ask Allah to accept the martyrdom of all four of the brothers. In this brief statement we would like to focus especially on the two brothers we knew best: two brothers who have done an enormous amount of work to spread Glad Tidings to English-speaking Muslims across the globe.

This is not meant to be a wistful lament for the passing of our brothers, but rather a celebration of their accomplishments in the dunya, and congratulations for transaction which they have concluded, which was indeed their supreme achievement.

For Allah (SWT) says:

“And say not of those who are killed in Allah’s cause: “They are dead” Rather they are alive, but you perceive not” [Surah al-Baqarah: 154]

And He (SWT) also tells us:

“Allah hath purchased of the Believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through the Law, the Gospel, and the Qur’an: and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah? then rejoice in the bargain which ye have concluded: that is the supreme achievement” [Surah At-Tawbah: 111]

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki:

The Imam was the perfect example of that rarest and most precious of commodities: a righteous scholar who speaks the Truth.

While the West has waged war against Muslims from Iraq to Afghanistan the Ulema in the West have remained silent. Allah knows best whether they are afraid of being thrown into prison, or of being deported from their new homes, or simply of losing the power and prestige they have found themselves growing increasingly fond of, the fact remains they have been silent. Imam Anwar al-Awlaki was an anomaly in that he spoke the Truth and did not fear the consequences.

As Allah (SWT) says:

“O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion, Allah will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble towards the Believers, stern towards the Disbelievers, fighting in the Way of Allah, and never fearing the blame of the blamers” [Al-Maidah: 54]

The Imam was well aware that he could be imprisoned for what he said, that he could be denied visas to travel to other Western nations, that he could become a social pariah – a stranger in his own land.

As the Imam of the Mujahideen – Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

“Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange, so give Glad Tidings to the strangers” [Sahih Muslim]

But even among the very few scholars who dare to speak the Truth, Imam Anwar al-Awlaki was still a rarity. For he was not content to merely talk about Jihad, he wanted to ‘practice what he preached’. He left a comfortable life in America and made Hijrah to Yemen, and joined his brothers in Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

It has been ten long years since the start of the Crusader war on Afghanistan – who can honestly still say that the time is not right for them to make Hijrah, that they are still making preparations?

Hasn’t Allah (SWT) warned us about those who are forever ‘preparing’ for Hijrah and Jihad:

“If they had intended to come out, they would certainly have made some preparation therefor; but Allah was averse to their being sent forth; so He made them lag behind, and they were told, “Sit ye among those who sit (inactive)” [Surah at-Tawbah: 46]

Even imprisoning the Sheikh did not silence him, it only seems to have spurred him on to continue his dawah.

The Sheikh was insulted, cursed, belittled and hit with a constant streams of accusations. But never once did his resolve waver, nor once did he compromise his Faith, never once did he fear the blame of the blamers!

Samir Khan:

Our brother Samir, may Allah have mercy on him, is well-known to all the members of the English-speaking jihadi forums. He was a frequent contributor on the forums, and via his blogs, until he also decided to answer the call of Amir Abu Baseer (may Allah protect him) and make Hijrah to Yemen.

It is worth pointing out that brother Samir left his home and family, knowing that he would be called an extremist, knowing he would face many hardships along the way, and knowing that he would most likely never return.

Our brother used the same online username consistently: Inshallahshaheed. Let us ponder this fact for a moment: brother Samir, may Allah have mercy on him, was seeking martyrdom right from the start. After he proved his intentions were sincere – by actually making Hijrah and not just talking about it – Allah granted him that which he sought so earnestly (we reckon him to be so, and Allah is his Reckoner)

Our brother Samir, may Allah have mercy on him, joins the long and illustrious list of brothers from the forums who have been martyred in the path of Allah. The list includes names that will live long in Islamic history, such as Abu Dujana al-Khurasani from Al-Hesbah and Mu’sab Sayyid from Al-Firdaus, but it also contains the names of many brothers who weren’t as well known.

Like the heroes Abu Dujanah al-Khurasani and Mu’sab Sayyid (may Allah have mercy on them both) Samir has left us with much beneficial material, compiled before his date with destiny. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity); knowledge which is beneficial; or a virtuous descendant who prays for him” [Sahih Muslim]

We ask Allah that the sermons of Imam Anwar and the writings of Samir Khan continue to ‘Inspire the Believers’, and continue to add to the balance of their good deeds.

We ask the brothers involved in producing English-language jihadi material to redouble their efforts, so that we actually see an increase in the quality and quantity of English-language jihadi material being produced, instead of a decrease as the Kuffar are hoping.

We ask Allah to make the brothers at AMEF, GIMF, Dar al-Murabiteen, Ansurullah and all other English-language jihadi media outlets successful in their attempts to assist His Deen.

We ask Allah to unite their vision, fortify their ranks, and protect them from the plots of the Murtadeen and the Kuffar.

Through these brothers Allah “will disgrace them and assist you over them, and He will soothe the hearts of the Believers” [Surah at-Tawbah: 14]

And our final prayer is that all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.