Category: The Islamic State

NOTE: For prior parts in The Archivist series you can view an archive of it all here. And for his older series see: Musings of an Iraqi Brasenostril on Jihad.
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Stories of the Mujahideen: Unseen Islamic State Biographies of Outstanding Members
By Aymenn al-Tamimi

Introduction
That the Islamic State (IS) in da’wa (religious outreach) is well-known and much of it is publicized online through IS propaganda, but there are still many IS works that remain unpublished on the Internet and distributed on the ground only. One such da’wa series is called qisas al-mujahideen (‘Stories of the Mujahideen’). This series has been distributed under the heading of Akhbar al-Khilafa (‘News of the Caliphate’), which also includes IS news announcements published online, and more formally with the mark of the Diwan al-Da’wa wa al-Masajid (‘Da’wa and Mosques Department’), one of the series of formal diwans created following the announcement of the Caliphate.

Indeed, the Diwan al-Da’wa wa al-Masajid issued a document (above) outlining that the qisat al-mujahid (‘story of the mujahid’- singular of qisas al-mujahideen) is a “series from the activities of the Diwan al-Da’wa wa al-Masajid shedding light on pictures of the mujahideen whom God selected as we reckon them, and they departed to the abode of truth after they knew the truth and worked by it. And they participated in establishing the Islamic State, all according to what God brought. For among them are those who did so by their speech and tongue, and those by their sword, and those who brought these people all together.”
As the document explains, the primary target audiences of these qisas al-mujahideen are the IS fighters, for they constitute “a da’wa series strengthening the resolve of the mujahid as a soldier of the Caliphate, increasing his strength, and strengthening his resolve and determination.”
Interestingly, the production of the series in this context is partly tied to the losses experienced by IS on the ground, pushing back against the idea that these losses constitute the final defeat of IS, emphasizing that one must strive even in the hardest of circumstances for IS:
“For however strong the trials and tribulations become, and however much the force of kufr intensifies and the Islamic State retreats in the fields of the land, it [the Islamic State] has arisen from nothingness on the land, and its reliance has been fear of God and His victory. And strong mujahideen have borne it even as they did not expect one day that God would open the door of conquest at their hands, but rather they placed their bodies as wood for the passing of the generations of the Caliphate subsequently, for God supported them, strengthened them, raised their prestige, and through them terrorized the enemies of the religion. The Islamic State arises on the creed of the soldier of the Caliphate who works and strives in the darkest of circumstances relying on God and being certain that there is no granter of victory but He.”
The document concludes with a call for IS fighters to heed the example of these mujahideen: “So be firm, our brothers in the Islamic State, and let there be for you from the qisas al-mujahideen a sign and proof that God is with the truthful, even if they are few.”
Unsurprisingly, some of the stories related in qisas al-mujahideen refer to important figures within IS, though they are not generally known to the outside world. For example, Abu Yahya al-Anbari and Abu Jihad al-Urduni, personalities featured in this series who reputedly contributed to the development of IS administration, do not appear in public discussions of personalities in IS, at least under these names. Perhaps even more interesting is that the series profiles women as well as men. Though not necessarily out fighting on the frontlines, the women are presented as waging jihad through providing support for the fighters and contributing to the building of the IS project, rather than just staying at home and having children. The case I have selected here for viewing- Dr. Iman Mustafa al-Bagha- is one well-known in the Arabic press (indeed, part of the IS biography of her appears to have plagiarized some of the al-Quds al-Arabi article linked to). According to the biography, she has notably helped contribute to studies of the Diwan al-‘Iftaa’ wa al-Buhuth (Fatwa Issuing and Research Department), a body most commonly associated with the Bahraini cleric Turki Binali.
Below is a sample of the qisas al-mujahideen documents that I have obtained, with explanatory notes in square brackets where applicable.
Abu Yahya al-Anbari

From the sheikhs of the Islamic Resistance that inflicted their expeditions as massacres on the heads of the Crusaders in all corners of the world.
Abu Yahya was an octogenarian man, of strong physique, sound voice and fierce address.
He led a group of the mujahideen from the Arabian Peninsula to Afghanistan to confront the Soviet invasion that was supported by the Communist government in it in the year 1400 AH [1979-1980 CE], and he inflicted massacres on the Russians and their allies.
Then he returned to Iraq to wage war against the Rafidites in 1405 AH [1984-1985 CE: referring to the Iran-Iraq War], and he led a squadron of tanks. According to Abu Yahya’s words:
‘I waged the Iraq war even as I did not believe that the Iraqi army was an Islamic army, but rather on the basis of the need that was pressing upon the global jihad: i.e. our need for cadres and skills of experience waging the wars of the armies of the regimes, getting to know their secrets and plans, the wars of attrition, and the secret relations of the states.’
Abu Yahya attained high ranks in the Iraqi army when he was given the rank of a brigadier in the 11^th infantry division.
Abu Yahya returned to Afghanistan, leaving behind him the positions and temptations of the Iraqi army, as he had attained the skills of experience that he needed regarding the war of the armies and their organization.
And he began organizing the ranks of the mujahideen in that corner of the Muslims’ abode, which was witnessing a war between the mujahideen and the factions of kufr from the Shi’a and others besides them who went by the guidance of the collaborationist government.
Abu Yahya remained in matters of organization and tracking until the establishment of the Taliban of Afghanistan. He was among the pillars of organization in the movement in the year 1415 AH [1994-1995 CE].
But because of the non-Shari’i politics that the Taliban movement adopted, Abu Yahya al-Anbari abandoned it and worked on teaching and qualifying students of Shari’i knowledge in Afghanistan, and he had a big role in establishing the Shari’i schools and jihadi institutes.

Sheikh Abu Yahya al-Anbari gave bay’a [allegiance] to the al-Qa’ida organization in Afghanistan for two years, and after that he worked assiduously on organizing small groups under his leadership, as when he established the groups of Jund al-Tawheed on the borders between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and coordinated with Baytullah Mahsoud the commander in the Taliban of Pakistan, and they waged battles against the Pakistani army on the length of the artificial borders between the two lands.
Abu Yahya returned to Iraq after a period of tribulation to surpass the pursuit of the security apparatus in moving about between the two lands, and he entered Iraq in the year 1425 AH [2004-2005 CE]. And he established with the rest of the mujahideen the Majlis Shura al-Mujahideen, as there migrated with Abu Yahya up to 100 of the truthful mujahideen.
Abu Yahya gave bay’a to the Islamic State that the Majlis Shura al-Mujahideen announced, which included the cream of the crop of the mujahideen in Iraq.
And Abu Yahya was a director for the office of organization in the Diwan al-Khilafa [appears to refer to the period of Islamic State of Iraq 2006-2010 CE. If so, it suggests clear Caliphate designs in the time of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi].
The Crusader alliance forces arrested him in 1429 AH [2008-2009 CE], but he managed to escape from their prison after challenging a number of American soldiers so that God might free him from their torture, together with seven of the brothers.
Abu Yahya joined the retinue of the Islamic State in Bilad al-Sham in the beginning of the year 1434 AH [c. November 2012 CE, when Islamic State of Iraq began pushing behind the scenes for formal expansion into Syria by trying to secure the subsuming of Jabhat al-Nusra], and he witnessed the announcement of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham, and he tried to mend the rift that occurred with the Jowlani front that abandoned the Islamic State and renounced its allegiance.
Al-Anbari put forth the series of arrangement of the Diwans and centers and sent them to Majlis al-Shura, which built the organizational framework for the Diwans upon that and upon the consultations of the supporting brothers.
Abu Yahya died through the treachery of the apostates against the Islamic State while on the Aleppo-al-Bab road, leaving behind him a big mark and legacy that still lives on till today in the hearts of the mujahideen.
Thus we reckon him and God is his reckoner.
Abu Jihad al-Urduni