New statement from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s Shaykh Hībat Allah Akhūnd Zādah: "Message of Felicitation On the Occasion of ‘Īd al-Fiṭr"

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
All praise be to Allah. We praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness. We also seek His refuge from the evils of our inner selves and from our wicked deeds. Whoever is guided by Allah, there is none to mislead him and whoever is left by Allah in error, there will be none as guide for him (except Allah). I testify there is no god but Allah. Alone is He and has no associate and I testify that Mohammad is His Servant and Messenger, peace be upon him and his family and companions, and those who follow his footsteps and cling to his Sunnah until the Day of Reckoning.
Allah the Almighty says: And when the believers saw Al-Ahzab (the Confederates), they said: “This is what Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad ) had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad ) had spoken the truth, and it only added to their faith and to their submissiveness (to Allah) – (Al-Ahzab: 22)
 
Honorable Muslims, believing countrymen and Mujahideen
May peace and blessing of Allah be upon you all!
First of all, I would like to extent my felicitation to you all on this auspicious day of Eid-ul-Fitr and wish you a blessed Eid! May Allah (SwT) accept in His Sight your fasting, worship and all good deeds, Ameen!
I also congratulate you all on the latest Jihadi conquests in these joyous days of Eid-ul-Fitr. Following the launch of Al-Khandaq Operations, the Mujahideen have liberated many district centers and vast areas around the country. All praise belong to Allah, Allah (SwT) blessed the Mujahideen with steadfastness and perseverance in the face of all enemy offensives and defeated the ruthless and murderous strategy of the American invaders. May Allah (SwT) accept in His Sight the struggles, sacrifices and martyrdom of martyrs of the believing nation and Mujahideen, may He (SwT) grant the wounded a swift recovery and may He (SwT) bring about the means for the rescue and freedom of the imprisoned Mujahideen, Ameen O Lord of the Worlds!
My Muslim Brothers and Sisters!
Our Jihad against the occupation follows and conforms will all the principles of our religious, intellectual and humanitarian laws. The summary of our outlook is that our Muslim nation reserves the right to live a free life under the shade of an Islamic government that adheres to their Islamic ideology. But the arrogant Idol of today (America and her allies) seek to force their own ideology upon us, retain our country as a military garrison through the means of occupation and usurp our most fundamental right of life (freedom). The American invaders have not desisted from any brutality and severity in pursuit of subduing our nation. They bomb our villages, cities, mosques, madrassas and other events, murder innocent civilians, forcibly displace them and torment thousands of Afghans through unimaginable torture in prisons. And they have afforded themselves judiciary exemption as well so that they may not be held accountable to anyone. On top of this, they want to spread new provocations, immorality, discrimination and conflicts in the country, loot our precious mineral wealth, create new armed groups for their own colonial goals and seek to use our homeland as a rival post against our neighbors and the entire region in general. If the American invaders were given the opportunity to succeed in implementing this dangerous policy then the entire region and specifically our own country and people would be embroiled in such misery and hostilities that all pathways of salvation would be lost.
The only path to rescuing ourselves from all these calamities is for all American and other occupying forces to leave our country and for an independent, Islamic, intra-Afghan government to take root. Our Jihad began for this exact purpose and in conjunction to our armed Jihad, we have kept the doors of understanding and negotiations open to reach this objective and appointed the Political Office of the Islamic Emirate as the exclusive avenue of activity in this regard.
If the American officials truly believe in a peaceful end to the Afghan imbroglio then they must directly present themselves to the negotiation table so that this tragedy (invasion) – the destructive effects of which mainly harm the American and Afghan people – can be resolved through talks. The biggest mistake on part of the American officials is that they approach every problem with stubbornness but force cannot yield results in every case.
We as a Muslim nation reserve the right to force the invaders out of our homeland through every means necessary. If our Jihad against the British and Soviets was deemed legitimate yesterday then our Jihad against the American occupation is similarly lawful and legitimate. There is no logical reason to reject the occupation of yesterday and accept the occupation of today.
My message specifically to the Ulama (religious scholars) of Afghanistan is that America and her allies have been defeated in nearly every aspect of this war therefore they are currently seeking to use the name of Ulama (scholars) for their vested interests. They want to stain the unblemished reputation and history of scholars and damage the honorable status that occupies a special place in the hearts and minds of our people. Hence the noble scholars must remain vigilant and (Allah forbid) do not give them the luxury of misusing your participation in international conferences to divert attention from the occupation of an Islamic land and distort sacred Jihad derived from the texts of Quran and Hadith as civil war.
Afghan Mujahid Nation!
Since the occupying enemy is facing defeat in every battlefront against you, it has therefore kept propaganda war alive against the Mujahideen through their media. They sometimes label the Mujahideen as terrorists and at others attribute our rightful struggle to foreign parties however the constant reality remains that Mujahideen are your own brothers and sons and the protectors of your religion and land. No matter what the enemy media continues to propagate, the reality must be crystal clear as you remain witnesses to everything. Do not believe what the media says rather rely on your own intellect and acumen. The Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate only want that your lives are radiant with the commands of the Holy Quran and you are provided with quality education, Shariah based system, freedom, dignity, honor, peaceful life and the future generations rescued from the damning effects of the disbelieving occupation. We consider both religious and modern sciences essential for the success of Afghans and Afghan society. With the help of Allah (SwT), we have established exemplary peace in areas under our control and have taken steps for the ease, education and progress of the people with all available means at our disposal. And we also assure our nation about a bright future for our country accompanied by peace and prosperity, Allah willing.
In order that our country becomes self-sustainable, job opportunities increase, local economy strengthens and avenues of earning a halal (lawful) living multiply, we invite all our wealthy countrymen and brethren businessmen to promote agriculture and livestock farming and build factories throughout Afghanistan, specifically in areas under Mujahideen control and in return, the Islamic Emirate shall aid you in every endeavor.
The Islamic Emirate treats the matter of civilian casualties as a serious and fundamental issue. We reassure our nation that we have done our utmost in its prevention and will continue to do so in the future.
Taking the life of an innocent human being is the gravest sin in Islam after disbelief, and no person of Iman (faith) would ever willfully commit such an evil. Our Mujahideen – who have chosen the harsh life Jihad for the pleasure of Allah (SwT) – will never deliberately perpetrate a crime that draws the deep displeasure of Allah Almighty. The reality of the matter remains that nearly all civilian tragedies are deliberately carried out by the invaders or by groups that work under the shadow of occupation and are created and funded to weaken and defame the Jihadic struggle. Therefore the people should remain vigilant and ponder deeply over the nature and modality of events and not lend any attention to enemy propaganda.
Our message to all the soldiers, civilian and military personnel working with the enemy is that you are the sons of this land and all your parents and predecessors were Muslims and the followers of Quran and Islam. There is no legal basis for you to fight your own Mujahid nation under the command of the most ardent enemies (invaders) of our religion Islam and Quran who have occupied our land and are committing atrocities against our people. Our only contention with you is on this point. If you abandon aiding the invaders, you are our brothers. Mujahideen – just as they daily welcome soldiers leaving enemy ranks throughout the country and look after and medically tend to prisoners of war – will also assure protection of your life and property. Hence you must also begin taking steps for the salvation of your worldly and eternal life. Peel away from the ranks of the invaders before losing your lives in the service of the Americans.
The transfer of US embassy to the city of Baitul Muqaddas (Jerusalem) is a move that only serves to further expose the absolute hatred of American officials towards Islam, the Islamic Ummah (nation) and Islamic sanctities. We condemn this action in the strongest of terms, consider the issue of the first Qibla (Al Aqsa mosque) of Muslims as an issue of the entire Islamic Ummah and believe that the city of Baitul Muqaddas will continue to remain an integral part of the Islamic world.
My final message directed towards the Mujahideen and local leaders is that you must conduct your responsibilities – whether military or civilian – with complete passion and sincerity.
All areas of the country where Mujahideen administration is active is a crucial test for the Mujahideen of whether or not you will establish Islamic Justice and help the nation in accordance with your slogans and claims.
All of us are held responsible in the Sight of Allah (SwT) because each one of us will be answerable for our own duties and conduct towards subjects under our jurisdiction. Allah (SwT) is Al-Khabeer (The Acquainted) and nothing escapes His knowledge. Our dealings must purely be for Allah (SwT) and should serve the creation of Allah (SwT) purely for His (SwT) sake in the most beautiful fashion possible. Like courteous manners, lenient behavior, humility and softness towards the people should be adopted as our main traits.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told Ma’az ibn Jabbal (may Allah be pleased with him):
إتق الله حيثما كنت, إتبع السيئة الحسنة تمحها و خالق الناس بخلق حسن. رواه ترمذي وقال حدیث حسن
Fear Allah wherever you may be. Do good after every bad to erase it, and deal with people in a courteous manner – Tirmidhi and classified as Hassan
All those in authority should view service and giving due rights to their subjects as their responsibility. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said:
كلكم راع وكلكم مسئول عن رعيته، فالإمام راع وهو مسئول عن رعيته، والرجل راع في أهله وهو مسئول عن رعيته – رواه البخاری، و مسلم
Each one of you is a shepherd and responsible for his flock. Imam (leader) is a shepherd and will be asked about his subjects. A man is a shepherd of his family and will be asked about his subjects. (Bukhari and Muslim)
To end, I once again extend my felicitation on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr and call on all the Mujahideen and common people to not forget about their poor neighbors, the orphans, widows, needy Muslims and families of prisoners during the celebration of Eid. Extend a helping hand towards them so that they may also participate in Eid and not feel excluded from these festivities.
Peace be on you all
Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Amir-ul-Mumineen
Sheik-ul-Hadith Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada (may Allah protect him)
27^th Ramadhan Al-Mubarak 1439 Hijri Lunar
22/03/1397 Hijri Solar                       12/06/2018 Gregorian
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