Come To Jihad, To The People Of Pakistan
Sep 26, 2007
Translated From Urdu By Ahmed Al-Marid | Jihad Unspun

Here is the complete transcript of Sheikh Osama bin Laden’s speech to the people of Pakistan that makes clear their duty in response to the Lal Mosque Massacre and that issues a declaration of war against Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani army and their supporters.

We remind our viewers that the opinions and points of view expressed in this statement are those of the author and shall not be deemed to mean that they are necessarily those of JUS, the publisher, editor, writers, contributors or staff

COME TO JIHAD: A SPEECH TO THE PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN

All praise is due to Allah, we praise him and seek his aid and forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil in ourselves and from our bad deeds. He whom Allah guides cannot lead astray, and he who is led astray cannot be guided. I bear witness that there is no God other than Allah alone, without partners and I bear witness that Muhammad is his slave and messenger.

To proceed:

To My Muslim Brothers In Pakistan:

Allah the Most High says:

“O prophet! Strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them. Their abode is hell, and an evil destination it is.” Quran 9:73

And the messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says, “There is no one who abandons a Muslim in a place where his honor is violated and his sanctity is infringed upon except that Allah, the most high abandons him in a place in which he would like his aid. And there is no one who aids a Muslim in a place where his honor is violated and his sanctity is infringed upon except that Allah aids him in a place in which he would like his aid.”(Narrated by Ahmed)

Pervez’s invasion of Lal Masjid in city of Islam, Islamabad, is a bad event similar to the crime of the Hindus in their invasion and destruction of the Babri Masjid. And this event has crucial and significant connotations, most important of which are:

First, this event demonstrated Musharraf’s insistence on continuing his loyalty, submissiveness and aid to America against the Muslims, and this is one of ten nullifiers of Islam as the people of knowledge have determined and makes armed rebellion against him and removing him obligatory.

Allah the Most High says:

“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and Christians for your friends and protectors: they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guides not a people unjust.” Quran 5:51

And his statement “And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them” means that he is one of them in kufr (unbelief), as the people of tafseer (explanation) have said. This ruling was the one given and confirmed by Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, may Allah have mercy on him, in his famous fatwa following the raids on New York, and among the things he said: “If any ruler of an Islamic state provides aid to an infidel state in its aggression against the Islamic states, it is the legal obligation of the Muslims to remove him from power and consider him to be legally a traitor to Islam and Muslims.”

People Of Islam In Pakistan:

Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, may Allah have mercy on him, discharged a great duty which was upon him and declared the word of truth and didn’t care about the anger of the creation. He endangered himself and his wealth and made clear the ruling of Allah regarding Pervez that he is a traitor to Islam and Muslims and must be removed. This fatwa enraged Pervez and enraged his masters in America, and it is my opinion that the murder of the Mufti, may Allah have mercy on him, was at their hands. And Mufti Nizzamuddin Shamzai died without having replaced the word of truth with falsehood, in contrast to what many of the ‘Ulema of vice’ do. And the obligation on us remains and we have been extremely late in carrying it out, six years having passed, so we should make up for lost time. May Allah forgive me as well as you.

Second, the government showing Maulana Ab al-aziz Ghazi in women’s clothing in the media is clear evidence of the extent of the great hostility, hatred and contempt held by Pervez and his government towards Islam and its sincere ‘Ulema, and that is greater kufr which takes one out of Islam.

Allah, the most high says:

“And if you question them, they will most surely say, “we were only talking idly and jesting”. Say was it Allah and his signs and his messenger which you were mocking. Make no excuses, you have certainly disbelieved after believing. If we forgive a party from among you, a party shall we punish for they are criminals.” Quran 9:65-66

And read if you wish, read the tafseer of Ibn Katheer may Allah have mercy on him regarding this ayat.

Third, in such events, the people are tested and the friends of the most merciful are separated from the friends of Shaytan. The Ulema who are from the friends of the most merciful declare the truth, and if they are unable or are weak, they observe silence and don’t help falsehood with their words of actions. As for the friends of Shaytan, they are led by Pakistani military intelligence to speak falsehood and help its people. Some of them deem it obligatory to unite with Pervez and his army, while others deemed martyrdom seeking fedayee operations against the soldiers of the Taghut (idol-king) as haraam, while still others assail the Mujahideen, slandering and defaming them. And this is the way of Munafiqeen (hypocrites).

Allah the Most High says:

“They are stingy (in helping) you and when the danger comes, you see them looking towards you, their eyes rolling like one fainting as death approaches. But when the fear has passed away, they assail you with sharp tongues being stingy with good deeds. Those have never believe, so Allah has rendered their words null and void and that is easy for Allah.” Quran 33:19

So everyone who refrained from helping the Imam Maulana Adb al-Rahid Ghazi is from the sitters, whereas those who attacked him to help Pervez, claiming that Islam isn’t established through fighting and calling fighting in the path of Allah “terrorism”- in the context of criticism and saying the way is through peaceful demonstrations and democratic methods are from those who have gone astray and followed the path of Munafiqeen.

Nearly two decades ago, the soil of Pakistan saw and was watered by the blood of a great Imam of Islam, the Mujahid champion Imam Abdullah Azzam, may Allah have mercy on him, and today, we have seen another great Imam not at the level of Pakistan alone, but at the level of entire Islamic Ummah, the Imam Maulana Abd Rasheed Ghazi, may Allah have mercy on him. He, his brothers, his students and the female students of Jamia Hafsa demanded the application of Shariah of Islam as understood the reason for our creation is that we worship Allah the Most High through his religion al-Islam, and they were killed because of this great objective.

Allah the Most High says:

“And I have not created jinn and men but they may worship Me.” Quran 51:56

They sacrificed the great thing they owned; they sacrificed themselves for their religion. I ask Allah to accept among the martyrs. They were killed treacherously and treasonously at the hands of the apostate infidel Pervez and his aides. They purpose of the army, so they say, is to protect the Muslims against the kuffaar. But now we see the armies becoming tools and weapons in the hands of the kuffaar against the Muslims.

Pervez threw away the cause of Kashmir and restrained those fighting to liberate it, in accordance with the wishes of the Hindus and the Nazarenes. Then he opened his bases and airports to America for invading the Muslims in Afghanistan and so you’ve seen before, the army attacked the people of Swat who also demand the rule of Shariah, and attacked the people of Waziristan, in addition to betraying and extraditing hundreds of Arab Mujahideen from the grandsons of the Sahaba (Companions), with whom Allah was pleased, to the head of kufr America. So Pervez, his ministers, his soldiers and those who help him are all accomplices in the spilling the blood of those of the Muslims who have been killed. He who helps him knowingly and willingly is an infidel like him. And as for those who aid him knowingly under compulsion, his compulsion isn’t legally valid as the soul of the one forced to kill isn’t better than the soul of the one killed.

And the messenger of Allah peace and blessings of Allah be upon him said, “Were all the inhabitants of the heavens and earth to participate in the spilling of a believer’s blood, Allah the great and glorious would throw them to the fire.”

So I tell the soldiers who perform the Salaat (prayer) in the military organs; you must resign from your jobs and enter into Islam and disassociate yourself from Pervz and his shirk (polytheism). Some of the munafiqeen among the Ulema of vice and others may say that Islam orders to stay together and people to unite with the army and government to stand in the face of enemies and avoid fitnah (strife). I say; the one who says this is creating lies about Allah. The government and army have become enemies of the Ummah, after becoming a weapon in the hands of the kuffaar against the Muslims. And they refuse to rule by the religion of Islam in all of life’s affairs, like politics, economy, social life and other matters. Allah has ordered these and their like to be fought, not to be united with and hung onto, as those hypocrites claim.

Allah the Most High says:

“And fight them until there’s no fitnah (polytheism) and religion is wholly for Allah.” Quran 8:39

So if someone of the religion is for Allah and some of it is for other than Allah, fighting is obligatory to make the religion entirely for Allah, the most high.

By the grace of Allah the Most High, we performed Jihad with the Afghan Mujahideen against the Russians, and the afghan army was a weapon in their hands against us. They would pray and fast but despite that the senior Ulema of the Islamic world, including the Ulema of Pakistan, ruled that they are to be fought. After the exit of the Russians, the Ulema of Pakistan also supported Taliban against the Northern Alliance, although they also pray and fast. So is there any difference between Pervez and his soldiers and Ahmed Shah Masood, Rabbani and Sayyaf and their soldiers? There is no difference at all; all of them have pledged to the cross worshippers to fight true Islam and its people. And those who say it is forbidden to fight Pervez and his soldiers and exclude him from the general ruling have an illness in their hearts; they prefer this life to the next.

Allah the Most High says:

“Are you unbelievers better than those or have you an immunity (from punishment) in the sacred books?” Quran 54:43

I tell Pervez and his army; your betrayal of your nation and people has been exposed, and the people are no longer fooled by your showing off the military by launching some missiles after the disaster and massacre you commit against the populace as has occurred repeatedly in the border regions, or after the enormous massacre in Lal Masjid recently. How is the nation benefited by the weapons and tests of yours? The same goes for the nuclear bomb itself. When the American foreign minister Powell came to you, you cowered, bowed and submitted to him like a lowly slave, and you permitted the American cross worshipper forces to use the air, soil and water of Pakistan, the country of Islam, to kill the people of Islam in Afghanistan, then in Waziristan.

So woe to you and away with you. Against the people you attack like lions and against the enemy like rabbits and ostriches? Your going to Makkah and performing the Tawaf (circling) of the Kaaba won’t benefit you when combined with kufr and combating of Islam and its people. Were it to benefit anyone in combination with kufr, it would have benefited Abu Lahab, the uncle of the messenger of Allah peace be upon him. Then some might say that armed rebellion against Pervez will lead to the spilling of blood. But I say; were the order to fight the apostate ruler from the people like Amr and Zayd then it would be permissible for minds and opinions to intervene and discuss what they should or should not do. However, as you know, the order of fight the apostate ruler is an order in the Shariah of Allah and it is not permissible for the Muslim to make his opinion rival to the word of Allah and order of his Messenger, peace be upon him.

Allah the Most High says:

“And it is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and his messenger have decided a matter, to exercise their own choice in the matter concerning them. And whoso disobeys Allah and his messenger manifestly astray.” Quran 33:36

So when capability is there, it is obligatory to rebel against the apostate ruler as is the case now. And the one who disbelieves that the strength required to rebel has not yet been completed must complete it and take up arms against Pervez and his army without procrastination. Pervez and most of the Muslim’s rulers jumped to power and usurped it and ruled us by other than what Allah sent down by force of arms, and the situation will not return to normal through elections, demonstrations and shouting. So beware of the polytheistic elections and futile actions, for iron is only dented by iron, and it is through fighting in Allah’s path and exhorting of the believers that the might of the kuffer is restrained.

Allah the Most High said:

“So fight in Allah’s cause- you are held responsible only for yourself- and rouse the believers. It may be that Allah will restrain the might of the unbelievers. And Allah is strongest in might and strongest in punishment.” Quran 4:84

Fighting in Allah’s path is an act of worship, and it is based on sacrifice of selves. Muslim blood is spilled and poured to protect the religion which only reached us after his (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) cusped tooth was broken, his head cut open and his noble face bloodied and after the blood of best of people like Mus’ab, Zaid and Ja’far (with who Allah was pleased) was poured out. This is the path so follow it. The people have forgotten the path of victory, they think it comes easily or without blood running. Where is the Jihad of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him?

So to summarize, it is obligatory on the Muslims in Pakistan to carry out jihad and fighting to remove Pervez, his government and his army and those who help him. And it is obligatory on them to pledge allegiance to an Amir of believers who observes the rule of Shari’ah rather than Pervez’s polytheistic positive-law constitution. And the Muslims will not be successful in liberating themselves from slavery to Pervez and his polytheistic laws from many of the leaders and Ulema falsely affiliated with Islam who are in fact the first line of defence for Pervez and his government and army. You have seen with your own eyes the stances they took previously, when rather than moving to break the siege placed on the Muslims of Afghanistan, they moved to break the siege placed on their bases and airports which Pervez gave to America and from which the planes were taking off to pound us in Tora Bora, Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Nangarhar and other places.

And for your information, Pervez only dared to invade Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa after he was satisfied that most of the Ulema and leaders of the Jama’ats (groups) had renounced the Jihad which Allah the Most High legislated to enforce the truth and whose banner was tied by the messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). They replaced it with polytheistic democratic solutions and with peaceful demonstrations and bogus threats to absorb the anger of masses. Pervez had tested them before, when he broke the back of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan, after which they came to him voluntarily and of their own accord to participate in the polytheistic parliament as if nothing had happened.

So O people of Islam in Pakistan: the truth is greater than everyone, and if truth is not greater than everyone and if we don’t apply the Hudud (punishments) to both the nobleman and weak, that is road to ruin as the messenger of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) informed us when he said, “Those before you were ruined because when the nobleman among them stole, they would let him go but when the weak one among them stole, they would execute on him the Hadd (punishment). And by He in whose hand is my soul, were Fatima, daughter of Muhammad to steal, I would cut off her hand.” (Agreed Upon)

O youth of Islam in Pakistan: the pen is writing what is for you and what is against you, and it wont benefit you to make excuses by saying that many of your Ulema and leaders have allied themselves to infidel rulers and the rest have failed to speak the truth and declare it out of fear of the ruling Taghut, except those on whom Allah has had mercy and these are either in prison or on the run. This huge disaster like the marching of the ulema of vice in line with the apostate ruler and their currying favor with him and attacking of the sincere Mujahid Ulema isn’t peculiar to Pakistan but rather is a disaster covering the entire Islamic Ummah. And there is no power nor might except with Allah.

So O people of Islam in Pakistan: every one of you will come alone to Allah the Most High and be held accountable for his own actions, so discharge your duty. The messenger of Allah peace be upon him has said, “ The smart one is who subdues himself and works for what comes after death, and the feeble one is he who lets his self chase after its desires and then hopes from Allah.” And be aware that as the jihad becomes an individual obligation, as is the case today, there are only two ways with no third: either jihad which is the way of the messenger peace be upon him and those who believed with him, or sitting which is the way of the disobedient ones and munafiqeen. So make your choice.

Allah the Most High has says:

“They prefer to be with the womenfolk who remain behind at home, so their hearts are sealed so that they understand not. But the messenger and those who believe with him strive(in the cause of Allah) with their wealth and their persons, and it is they who shall have good things and it is they who shall prosper.” Quran 9:87-88

And we in the al-Qaeda organization call on Allah to witness that we will retaliate for the blood of Maulana abd al-Rasheed Ghanzi and those with him against Musharraf and those who help him and for all the pure and innocent blood, foremost of which is the blood of the champions of Islam in Waziristan, both north and south, among them the two noble leaders, Nek Muhammad and Abdullah Mahsud. May Allah have mercy on them all. The tribes of Waziristan have made a great stand in the face on international Kufr America and its allies and its agents and the major states have been unable to make the stands they have made. They have been made resolute in this stance by their Iman (faith) in Allah the Most High and their tawakkul (reliance) on him. And they have withstood huge sacrifices of souls and wealth. We ask Allah to compensate them well. And Muslims shall not forget these magnificent stances, and the blood of the ulema of Islam and leaders of the Muslims and their offspring will not be spilled in vain or neglected as long as there remains in us a pulsing vein or a blinking eye. We ask Allah to fulfill that.

O Allah our Lord accept those of our brothers and sisters who have been killed and among the martyrs and heal the wounded; O Allah make their graves spacious for them, and take care of their families and raise their grades in ‘Illiyen’ (heaven);

O Allah Pervez, his ministers, his Ulema and his soldiers have been hostile to your friends in Afghanistan and Pakistan especially in Waziristan, Swat, Bajaur and Lal Masjid; O Allah break their backs, split them up and destroy their unity; O Allah afflict them with loss of their dear ones as they have afflicted us with the loss of our dear ones;

O Allah we seek refuge in You from their evilness and we place You at their throats; O Allah make their plotting their destruction; O Allah suffice for us against them with whatever You wish; O Allah destroy them for they cannot escape you; O Allah count them, kill them, and leave not even one of them;

O Allah our Lord, give us in this world goodness and in the last goodness, and protect us from the fire; O Allah send prayers and peace on our Prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions.

Sheikh Osama bin Laden

Ramadan 1428
September 2007