By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 7 November 2018

On 24 November 2013, the day after Al-Qaeda leaked the full testimony of Abu Sulayman al-Utaybi, the chief judge of the Islamic State (IS) who made various charges against the leadership after he defected in 2007, a pro-IS response was issued, signed by one Mu’awiya al-Qahtani, entitled, “Refutation of the Letter Attributed to the Judge Abu Sulayman al-Utaybi—May God Accept Him—with Evidence and Proofs”. A translation of Al-Qahtani’s document is given below.

Al-Qahtani’s article is a demonstrative example of the intra-jihadist political warfare in the period after June 2013 when IS and Al-Qaeda were clearly in conflict, but had not yet reached the formal split in February 2014: a full-scale rupture is hoving into view, but the terms of the debate still remain within certain bounds that would be trampled in the months that followed. Al-Qahtani’s article is historically interesting in showing just how many favourable public statements Al-Qaeda’s leadership made about IS after its 2006 statehood declaration, when IS had ostensibly dissociated from Al-Qaeda. Finally, there is a somewhat amusing irony that Al-Qahtani, as a pro-IS activist, is, frankly, correct in a number of the glaring mistakes he picks out from Abu Sulayman’s testimony, which creates a rather notable contrast with the credulous way Abu Sulayman is generally treated when he comes up in a lot of Western scholarship on IS, especially since the caliphate declaration in 2014.

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Refutation of the Letter Attributed to the Judge Abu Sulayman al-Utaybi—May God Accept Him—with Evidence and Proofs

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

All praise is due to God alone, who fulfilled His promise, granted victory to His slave, strengthened His soldiers, and defeated the confederates alone. And may the prayers and peace be upon the smiling warrior, the Prophet of battle, and upon his family, his companions, and those who follow his footsteps.

Since the bold Emir Abu Bakr [al-Baghdadi] al-Husayni announced the expansion of the Islamic State, the forms of war against the State have changed. The war has taken on a filthy aspect as the campaign intensified. Since that time, the State has been subjected to the most atrocious campaign known in the history of jihad in this era. I say this while media expansion is ongoing, and while the fallen, the stricken, and those slaughtered at the altars of the rulers are riding this media space, exploiting it.

It is noticeable that the ones leading the public front of this filthy campaign are primarily the shaykhs of the Al-Saud—those who are currently shaded under the protection and patronage of the Al-Saud—at a time when al-muslihun [lit. “the reformers”] have been displaced, imprisoned, pursued, and restricted. So who are the ones in error and misguidance? Are they those reformers who are fought by the Al-Saud? Or are they these shaykhs who roam across lands far and wide without being harmed at all, and whose safety the Al-Saud have secured?!

As I said earlier, the war against the State has taken filthy forms. Every day, one of them rises up, filling pages with slander and blame—their strongest evidence being “it was said,” “it was reported,” and “we heard.” It thus becomes clear to us that the honour of adversarial conduct has vanished among these people and no longer exists at all, while the State faces their war with the saying of God the Exalted: “Indeed, God defends those who have believed” [Qur’an 22:38].

Now, let us proceed to the latest act committed by these people:

They have recently published a letter attributed to the shaykh, the mujahid judge, Abu Sulayman al-Utaybi (may God accept him), the contents of which he supposedly sent it to the leadership of Al-Qaeda organisation (may God grant them victory) in Rabi al-Thani 1428 AH.

Here, there is an observation that we must place under scrutiny:

The account that published it on Twitter [@rakan_77, on 23 November 2013] was newly created and had not tweeted before. To whom did he send it? He sent it to [the Saudi dissident] Sergeant Musa al-Ghanami. And Musa, in turn, took an interest in it, even though Sergeant Musa receives several clips and messages from his followers daily requesting him to repost them, and he usually disregards most of them. But this message—he immediately seized it, paid it attention, and tweeted about it!!

Immediately afterward, those of the same sort as Sergeant Musa—those whose safety has been assured by the rulers of Al-Saud, whose traits we mentioned earlier—rushed to spread this letter. It seems that out of their extreme joy, they did not notice the contradictions within the letter, nor did they question its source or authenticity!! This letter contains so many contradictions that there is not enough space on these pages to encompass them.

To begin with, it is mentioned in the letter is dated Rabi al-Thani 1482 AH, that is in the months of April-May 2007. (As this image shows, the Hijri and Gregorian dates correspond in that year.) And it is directed to the General Command of the Al-Qaeda Organisation, according to the claims within the letter.

Here, we have with it several points for pause:

First Pause:

The letter was sent at the beginning or near the middle of the year 1482 AH. And let us assume that it took two months at most to arrive—meaning in the summer of that year. And Shaykh Usama (may God accept him) issued his famous speech “The Way to Foil the Conspiracies” in December 2007, that is, in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah of the same year—nearly eight months after the letter of Judge Abu Sulayman!! (As this image shows, the date of Shaykh Usama’s speech publication.)

Similarly, the interview with Shaykh Abu Yahya al-Libi, which was published long after the letter, in which he said:

“I see that the announcement by the brothers in Iraq of the Islamic State is pure divine success…”

Likewise, the words of Shaykh Atiyyatullah al-Libi in support of the Islamic State and his fragrant praise of it—also came long after the letter of Judge Abu Sulayman.

Not to mention the successive messages and speeches of Shaykh Ayman [al-Zawahiri] (may God preserve and grant him victory) in support of and loyalty to the State and its Emir, all of which came after the letter attributed to Judge Abu Sulayman.

Second Pause:

Among the contradictions of the attributed letter is the claim that the State is negligent in fighting the apostates!! This contradicts reality. Indeed, the greatest criticism made against the State is its intensity in fighting and its shedding of the blood of security apparatuses and the Sahwat [Awakening Councils]. You need only read about the numerous martyrdom operations and the elimination of countless members of the security forces and the Sahwat. Indeed, Iraq is described as among the bloodiest countries—and that is due to the State’s operations against the security forces and the Sahwat.

Third Pause:

Another contradiction: The letter claims that the Deputy of the Commander of the Faithful [from 2007 to 2009, Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Falahi] stole money, and that Abu Hamza al-Muhajir ordered him to do so!! How could Abu Hamza—who was (at that time) in the position of “Minister of War”—issue orders to the Deputy of the Commander of the Faithful, who is in a higher position than Abu Hamza?! Is that even reasonable?!

Another contradiction also: The letter claims that the freeing of the prisoners of Badush under the leadership of Abu Umar al-Baghdadi was not by storming the prison, but rather by paying money—and that the enemy knows this!! The enemy itself admitted that dozens of armed men stormed Badush Prison and freed prisoners, as shown in this link. And likewise, the State published an official release about it, and this is the text of the State’s statement.

And among the contradictions as well: The letter claimed that Abu Hamza gave the new Emir of the Islamic State a deadline to observe his situation or else appoint someone else!! And here is a strange fallacy: How could Abu Hamza set a deadline for the Commander of the Faithful—he who was pledged allegiance to by the Shura Council of the Mujahideen?! And does Shaykh Abu Hamza have the right to appoint and dismiss the Commander of the Faithful whenever he pleases?!

By God, this is a grave accusation and a severe slander hurled against the venerable Shaykh Abu Hamza al-Muhajir—about whom Shaykh Usama said:

“The banner has not fallen by the grace of God—and that was after the killing of Shaykh Abu Musab and the pledge to Abu Hamza over Al-Qaeda—rather the banner has moved from one lion to another lion!!”

And among the contradictions also: What was mentioned in the attributed letter, that it is not true that al-Majlis Shura al-Mujahideen [the Mujahideen Shura Council] pledged along with the tribes; rather, that the heads of these groups, who are described in the letter as distant from jihad and fighting!! We refute this contradiction by citing the words of Shaykh of the Mujahideen, Imam Usama, in his comment on the pledge to Abu Umar al-Baghdadi.

He [Bin Laden]—may God have mercy on him—said:

“It is necessary to mention the people of virtue in the matter of unity and gathering as they are worthy of it. The Muslims rejoiced at the racing of a number of the leaders of the fighting groups for the sake of God, along with a number of the steadfast and fighting tribal shaykhs, to unite the word under the word of tawhid, and they pledged allegiance to the virtuous Shaykh Abu Umar al-Baghdadi as Emir of the Islamic State of Iraq. Their relinquishing of leadership to cling to the rope of God altogether is a sign of their sincerity, fairness, impartiality from self-interest, and their eagerness for the welfare of the Muslims—we consider them so, and God is their Reckoner.”

So whom shall we believe? Shaykh Usama who said this statement eight months after the letter attributed to Judge Abu Sulayman (may God accept him), or this letter whose origin, foundation [i.e., authenticity], beginning, and end are unknown!!

The contradictions of the letter are countless.

The most astonishing and strangest of them: the story of the Awaited Mahdi (!!) As if the two shaykhs—Abu Umar and Abu Hamza—and their soldiers and scholars of the State had not read how the Mahdi will appear and that he will be pledged allegiance to in the Haram! The famous narration is well-known even the Muslim children, let alone their scholars and mujahideen!! I will not dwell on it long, for by God, it is laughable and lamentable. And there is no might nor power except with God.

Fourth Pause:

This letter contains slander and degradation of the mujahid Shaykh Abu Hamza (may God accept him), where it describes him as a deceiver, liar, flatterer, weak, and so on!! Abu Hamza al-Muhajir described with these attributes!! Is this believable, O people?! Abu Hamza—the right-hand man of the slaughterer [al-dhaba] Abu Musab [al-Zarqawi], the engineer of the operations for [Jamaat] Tawhid wal-Jihad and Al-Qaeda!! Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, who was described as “the strategist of Iraq”, who would spend the evening in Baghdad and the morning in Anbar, moving and supervising the operations of the State, to the point that his soldiers pleaded with him to preserve himself!

Does any one of you know how Abu Hamza was pledged as Emir over Al-Qaeda in the Land of the Two Rivers? After the martyrdom of al-Zarqawi (may God have mercy on him), the Shura Council of the organisation, along with the shaykhs of Al-Qaeda from the emigrants [muhajireen] and the supporters [ansar], gathered. They agreed that the leadership would go to one of two men: Abu Hamza al-Muhajir or [Ibn] Jarrah al-Shami. Both refused absolutely and without discussion to accept the leadership. So the two leaders were put in a room and the door was closed on them, with the condition that one of them must accept the leadership. They remained in the room for about four hours. Each of them urging the other to take it. Until finally, al-Shami threw himself upon al-Muhajir, kissed him, and said: “You are the foremost, you are the companion of Abu Musab, you have precedence and trust, you are you …” Finally, the matter was settled upon Abu Hamza al-Muhajir. And the Shura Council and the shaykhs of Al-Qaeda unanimously agreed upon him.

So are all of these people fools, appointing a man whom the attributed letter describes with such characteristics?! Is it reasonable after this to say that the approval of Khorasan’s leadership over the leadership of Abu Hamza—while he supposedly carries these attributes, as the letter claims—was a deception of the umma?! Far removed is that—may God be pleased with them!

So do the people want to make us believe that our leaders and emirs are of such foolishness and heedlessness, and we seek refuge in God?!

Indeed, this letter contains clear slander against the two shaykhs, Abu Umar al-Baghdadi and Abu Hamza al-Muhajir:

• It describes Abu Umar as knowing nothing and belittles him as if he has no control over his own affairs.
• It also insults the Islamic State, describing it and its leaders as flatterers, deceivers, and weaklings!

Shaykh Usama—may God accept him—said:

“The Emir Abu Umar and his brothers are not among those who bargain over their deen or accept half-solutions, or meet with the enemies halfway. Rather, they boldly proclaim the truth, seeking the pleasure of the Creator even if the creation is angry. They do not fear the blame of any blamer for the sake of God—we consider them so, and God is their Reckoner. They also refuse to flatter any government among the capitals of the Islamic world without exception. They rejected taking the disbelievers as allies for supporting the deen, because they are certain that the deen belongs to God the Exalted, and He is its supporter with whomever He wills among His slaves…”

So whom shall we believe: The Imam Shaykh Usama, or this attributed letter whose source and confirmation are unknown?!

And Shaykh Usama—may God accept him—also said:

“I do not think that all these savage campaigns against the mujahideen of the Islamic State of Iraq are except because they are among the people most committed to the truth and to the methodology of the Messenger of God—and it was said to him by Waraqah ibn Nawfal: ‘No man ever came with what you have brought except that he was opposed’.”

And he—may God accept him—also said:

“Had the leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq placed their hands in the hands of any of the neighbouring states to be their backing and support, as some groups and parties have done, their situation would have been entirely different. Those [other groups] have budgets of tens or hundreds of millions. These [mujahideen] rely on their sustenance under the shade of their spears—and this is the best provision if they but knew.”

And he also said:

“Free Muslims, like the Emir Abu Umar al-Baghdadi and his brothers, would rather be brought forward to have their necks struck than to mortgage jihad in the path of God into the hand of any ruler or to be a single hand with him against their umma.”

And he said about Abu Hamza al-Muhajir—whom the letter describes as “weak and deceitful”:

“He was vouched for by the Emir Abu Musab—may God have mercy on him—and the Minister of War, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, who were vouched for by their patience and steadfastness under the thunder of bombardments over the peaks of the Hindu Kush. They are among those known by your brothers in Afghanistan—we consider them so, and God is their Reckoner, and we do not purify anyone before God.”

(From his famous speech, ‘The Way to Foil the Conspiracies’)

Answer, O people: Whom shall we believe—the words of Imam Shaykh Usama, or this attributed letter to the judge?!

Shaykh Abu Yahya al-Libi (may God accept him) said in his elegy for the martyrdom of the two shaykhs Abu Umar and Abu Hamza (may God accept them both)—who were described in the attributed letter as “weak”, “ignorant”, and “compromising at the expense of the deen”!!—he said:

“We console our beloved Islamic umma in general, and the mujahideen in Iraq and in all other fields of battle in particular, for the loss of two luminaries of jihad and the martyrdom of two heroes of Islam in this age—those who put their throats before the throat of their umma, who defended it with their tongues and weapons, who protected its sanctuary with their blood and limbs, who stood before falsehood and its hordes with the stance of ferocious lions—they dulled its edge, humbled its nose, scattered its whispers, and made its leaders weep, until certainty [death] came to them, and they proved the truth of their words with their actions, writing their letters in their own blood, so that they were light upon light. They are the two virtuous, steadfast mujahid shaykhs, Abu Umar al-Baghdadi and Abu Hamza al-Muhajir—may God have mercy on them both, raise their ranks, and replace for the umma and jihad better in their place.”

Is it conceivable, O people, that Shaykh Abu Yahya al-Libi, in the view of these people, would be of such foolishness and heedlessness that he would utter all these praiseworthy words about the two shaykhs?! (Far removed is he—may my father and mother be sacrificed for him.)

And Shaykh Abu Yahya also said in the same speech:

“God granted success to these two leaders—may God have mercy on them—and to those of their brothers with them, to lead the caravan of jihad in Iraq during its most dangerous and delicate stages, when the enemies from inside and outside rallied against them from every direction, and the heads of hypocrisy began spewing their poisons, and the worshippers of the dunya turned on their heels, exchanging that which is better for that which is inferior. Doubts multiplied and hearts reached the throats, yet these heroes stood in the face of all those storms like firm mountains, and all the conspiracies were shattered upon the rock of their steadfastness, until God granted them success to preserve the banner of jihad from deviation and to safeguard its path from straying, so that jihad emerged from its ordeal strong, solid, and cohesive—until they delivered it safely to those who came after them.”

What is the opinion of these people concerning these profound words? Whom do you want us to believe? The shaykh of knowledge and jihad, Abu Yahya—or your alleged letter?!

And he also said—may God accept him:

“Patience, O heroes of Iraq!

Patience, O lions of Islam!

Patience, O soldiers of Abu Umar and Abu Hamza!

Patience!

For falsehood has a round, and truth has many rounds.

Soon enough, they shall become regretful.

Proceed on your path!

Proceed on your path, steadfast on your methodology, holding fast to the shari’a of your Lord.

And be loyal to your martyred leaders—and the best loyalty to them is your firmness upon their path until you meet your Lord.”

Allahu Akbar!

How could Shaykh Abu Yahya al-Libi call upon the soldiers of the Islamic State to emulate the two shaykhs—Abu Umar and Abu Hamza—and declare that the best loyalty to them is to follow their path, while the letter describes them (as weak, compromising, hesitant, and pandering at the expense of the deen!!)?

Whom shall we believe, O people?!

And he [Abu Yahya]—may God accept him—also said:

“Here I especially address my beloved mujahideen brothers in the group Ansar al-Islam, and foremost among them the mujahid shaykh Abu Abdullah al-Shafi’i, and I say to them: The time has come for you to place your hands in the hands of your brothers, and to unite your strength with theirs, and to join your word with theirs. By God, what you dislike in unity is better than what you love in division. You are the most aware of the tireless efforts expended by the two shaykhs—may God have mercy on them—to achieve this great shari’a goal.”

Is it conceivable that Shaykh Abu Yahya would call upon our brothers in Ansar al-Islam to join the State—when the attributed letter describes the State as compromising and pandering?! Whom shall we believe?!

And this speech by Shaykh Abu Yahya al-Libi was delivered as an elegy for the two shaykhs, Abu Umar and Abu Hamza (may God accept them both), and it was issued four years after the letter attributed to Shaykh Abu Sulayman al-Utaybi (may God accept him). So reflect, O slave of God!

And the noble Shaykh Ayman—may God preserve and support him—said:

“Now the facts have become clearly evident: Those who defended Islam, jihad, and Ahl al-Sunnah in Iraq are the honourable mujahideen, foremost among them the blessed Islamic State of Iraq, which by the grace of God remains steadfast—it has neither altered its creed nor retreated, nor wavered from the fundamentals of Islam, despite all the filthy war waged against it. The honourable mujahideen, with the Islamic State of Iraq at their forefront, have a debt upon the neck of every free, honourable Muslim in Iraq. Had it not been for them, the fate of Ahl al-Sunnah in Iraq would have been like the fate of Ahl al-Sunnah in Iran at the hands of Isma’il al-Safawi. Indeed, the honourable mujahideen, foremost among them the Islamic State of Iraq, have a debt upon the neck of every Muslim, for they are the rock upon which the American project in the region was smashed—a project that aimed to partition Iraq, then Saudi Arabia, and finally end with the partition of Egypt. It is the honourable mujahideen of Iraq, foremost among them the Islamic State of Iraq, who rescued the Muslims from this satanic American plot. So may God reward them on behalf of Iraq and the Muslims with the best reward.”

How can Shaykh Ayman say that the State has a debt upon every Muslim, that it remains steadfast and has not changed its creed nor retreated nor wavered—while the letter attributed to Qadi Abu Sulayman al-Utaybi describes it (as compromising, pandering, lying, and weak)?

Whom shall we believe, O people?!

And he [Al-Zawahiri] also said—may God preserve him:

“Today, by the grace of God, they are like an immovable mountain, neither shaken by storms nor moved by earthquakes, progressing from one victory to another, from one conquest to another.”

How, O Shaykh Ayman—may God preserve you—can you say that the State and its soldiers are like an immovable mountain that storms do not shake, when the letter describes them (as weak, compromising, and deviant)?

Whom shall we believe?!

And Shaykh Ayman said in a poem he recited:

“And the battalions of the Two Rivers (al-Rafidayn) support it,

And the Islamic State storms and roars.

Every day in Iraq they have confrontations,

Death flows like the open seas.

The soldiers of Abu Bakr stood against the apostasy,

Fueled by the dollar, enticing and gathering [forces].”

This is from his speech ‘The Word of Tawhid Regarding the Unity of the Word’, published in Sha’ban 1434 / April 2013—that is six years after the letter attributed to qadi Abu Sulayman al-Utaybi. So reflect, O slave of God!

After all of this, O people: we place two obligations upon you, since you claim the authenticity of the letter attributed to qadi Abu Sulayman (may God accept him):

1. Either the leaders and scholars of the General Command of Al-Qaeda (Shaykh Usama, Shaykh Ayman, Shaykh Abu Yahya, and Shaykh Atiyyatullah)—deceived the umma, betrayed the trust, and lied in their continuous and successive commendations and endorsements of the Islamic State and its leaders (and far removed are they—may God be pleased with them);
2. Or everything attributed and written in this letter is fabricated, contrary to reality, and its content is completely false and invalid.

Thus, after this long war against the Islamic State, it has become clear to us that you are like those who abandoned the Book and the Sunnah and instead sought to lead the people and the masses with scraps from the Israelites, seeking to impose them upon them.

And if the utmost you can reach is to publish letters with no basis, no source, and no firm attribution, while abandoning the methodology of the great leaders—then, by God, this is indeed the greatest disgrace.

And after this, it is time for Abu Hanifa to stretch out his legs.

And our final prayer is that all praise is due to God, the Lord of the worlds.

Signed:

The son of the pure, truthful woman, A’isha,

Mu’awiya al-Qahtani