The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
Issue Nine of "Voice of Khurasan," a monthly English-language magazine released by Al-Azaim Foundation, the media arm of the Islamic State's Khurasan Province (ISIS-K), includes an article titled "Abu Muhammad At-Tajiki – May Allah Accept Him," that honors and eulogizes Abu Muhammad Al-Tajiki, the jihadi fighter who attacked the Kabul gurudwara, or Sikh temple. In January 2022, Sikh leaders estimated that only 140 Sikhs remained in Afghanistan, living primarily in Jalalabad and in Kabul.[1] Sikhism has elements in common with both Hinduism and Islam.
On June 18, 2022, Abu Muhammad Al-Tajiki attacked the Sikh gurudwara with a car bomb. ISIS said it targeted the Sikh temple as revenge against Hindu leaders in India, whom they view as having blasphemed against Muhammad. In June 2022, Nupur Sharma, the spokeswoman of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), delivered an angry outburst on Indian television in which she pointed out the marriage of Islam's founder Muhammad to his youngest wife Aisha when she was six and his consummation of their marriage when she was nine. Her comments resulted in international condemnation by a number of Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, Qatar, and Pakistan.
A screenshot of the article
The article gloats over the inability of the Taliban jihadi fighters appointed to protect the Sikh gurudwara to prevent the attack. It accuses the Afghan Taliban leaders, especially Defense Minister Mullah Yaqoob, of developing friendly relations with "polytheist" countries like India, relations which it says are an attack against Islam and ISIS. The release of Issue Nine of "Voice of Khurasan" corresponds to Dhu Al-Hijjah, the Islamic calendar month that in 2022 began on July 1.
Following is the text of the article:
"An Indian Delegation Visited Kabul When They Held Meeting With A Taliban Delegation, Making Both Public And Secret Deals Against Islam And The Islamic State"
"All praise is due to Allah, peace and blessing be upon Prophet Muhammad, his companions, and those who follow them! As the Indian ruling party spokeswoman expressed blasphemous remarks against the Prophet Muhammad in a TV debate, it was necessary for the Muslims to make the Hindus, everywhere, victims of their deadly attacks.
"Contrarily, the issues of the Muslims, in the so-called Islamic countries, are decided by the Kuffar [unbelievers]. For example, they prescribe them demonstrations and protests for expressing condemnation as if peaceful demonstration is the best response for the killing of innocent Muslims and the dishonor of the Messenger of Allah.
"To them, no matter what happens, Muslims must not get hold of weapons, even though their peaceful demonstration is replied with rubber bullets and even metal bullets. This is the policy of the brand ambassadors of peace in the modern world toward Muslims! On the other hand, the Taliban polytheists, who pretend to be the true mujahideen and conquerors of world, preferred bolstering diplomatic ties with India in response to their blasphemous remarks, while the defense (for kufr [unbelief]) minister of their regime, Mullah Yaqub, expressed joys on the occasion strengthening diplomatic ties with their Indian counterparts and willingness to send their personnel to India...
"He also vowed to eliminate the Islamic State not only from Afghanistan but also from other countries, as he was easing the worries of the Indian authorities over the incessant advancement of the Islamic State all over the world. In the meantime, an Indian delegation visited Kabul when they held meeting with a Taliban delegation, making both public and secret deals against Islam and the Islamic State."
"Abu Muhammad At-Tajiki Was The Lion Of The Khilafah Who Was Determined To Revive The Sunnah Of Muhammad Bin Maslamah By Cutting Throats Of The Scoundrels Who Attack The Honor Of Prophet Muhammad"
"However, Taliban's increasing interest regarding India (or Hindus to be obvious) only boosted the confidence of the BJP members in their 'hate speech' against our beloved prophet, and accordingly, they started a heinous campaign of filling their Twitter pages with such disgraceful posts against the Messenger of Allah.
"All these developments came at a time when the lions of Islamic State announced their determination of teaching the cow-worshippers (Hindus) a lesson. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, Abu Muhammad at-Tajiki was the lion of the khilafah [caliphate] who was determined to revive the Sunnah of Muhammad Bin Maslamah [one of the knights of Muhammad] by cutting throats of the scoundrels who attack the honor of Prophet Muhammad.
"He entered the temple of the Sikh polytheists in Kabul, killing the guards at the entrance, and then started opening fire at other Hindu mushrikeen [polytheists] inside the temple, as other soldiers of the Khilafah installed explosive devices and explosive-laden vehicle on different positions outside the temple for targeting Taliban forces who were due to arrive at the scene in support of their Hindu brethren.
A page from the magazine
"Dozens of murtad [apostate] Taliban forces and Sikh polytheists were killed and wounded and the temple was burned completely as result of the operation, while the commando brother Abu Muhammad clashed with the incoming Taliban forces for several hours before attaining martyrdom However, despite enormous efforts by Taliban murtadeen [apostates] to block media coverage of the operation and hide the losses, reports of tens of casualties in their ranks and that of the Sikh mushrikeen surfaced in the media.
"Nevertheless, this brother is not the last one on this path, by will of Allah, and the world will not be safe for any polytheist."
"Abu Muhammad At-Tajiki Was The Beloved Trainer Of Hundreds Of Mujahideen"; "Among Some Of His Students Were Julaibib, Mu'adh, And Shahram (May Allah Accept All Of Them); They Were The Ishtishhadi Heroes"
"Now Who Was This Commando Brother Who Avenged The Prophet:
"Ustad [the teacher] Abdullah Abu Muhammad at-Tajiki... was the beloved trainer of hundreds of mujahideen. Abdullah Abu Muhammad at-Tajiki was one of the people who had thirst for martyrdom and had always hoped to meet Allah. He prepared, trained, and taught practical plans to hundreds of brothers who were upon the truth and willing to do istishhadi [martyrdom-seeking attacks]. All of his struggles were for the sake of Allah, and he wrote many books which will benefit Ummah and become an ongoing charity for him, if Allah wills.
"He served the religion of Allah; he walked on the earth, turning his back to the world; he always had smile on his face, and he was a very honest and devoted one, and that was the very reason for Allah's accepting him, and that is what we believe about him.
"His life was full of afflictions – one of which was that he could not become a father while it was his desire to become the father of a mujahid. He was bound not to become father in his destiny, but he was truly spiritual father to hundreds of mujahideen youngsters. Let me remind you of one of his jokes.
"Abu Muhammad used to joke with his wife like the Prophet Muhammad used to do with the mothers of the believers. One day, Abu Muhammad stretched his hand and asked his wife, 'What does my hand look like?' His wife thought for a while and couldn't find the answer. He stretched his other hand and said, 'Look, one of my hands looks like the other hand.' Our beloved Prophet used to joke around with his wife like that.
"Abu Muhammad was a truthful man, he used to strive for the religion day and night and seek victory for the religion. He used to teach hadith [saying or deed of Muhammad] to a group of eight people, he trained them and sent them to the battlefield. Many of them did istishhadi.
"When he was teaching to that circle of students, he made a covenant of brotherhood with four of his students, He used to respect them all, and Allah the almighty used them for his religion. Allah the almighty honored them until they were appointed as the leaders over tens of brothers of the Khurasan Wilayah [ISIS province of Afghanistan]. Later on, those four people trained hundreds of other students and sent them to the battle ground. They worked in the media field, they wrote and translated many books, articles, and nasheeds [jihadi songs].
"Among some of his students were Julaibib, Mu'adh, and Shahram (may Allah accept from all of them). They were the istishhadi heroes. Allah the almighty gave them the opportunity to do istishhadi, and hundreds of their students registered their names in istishhadi list; and they are counting the number of days to smash the Kuffar into pieces and send them to hell.
"They pledged each other to do istishhadi and one of them sent a message at the last moment of his life to another brother that he had been waiting for him for a long time in the battlefield, but he was late, now he asked him not to be late for the journey to paradise. Subhanallah [All praise be to Allah]! After those messages, he did istishhadi and killed more than 250 Rafidah [Shi'ite] pagans. Once, Abu Muhammad saw him in his dream, when he said to him, 'We are waiting for you in the first heaven, and Julaibib is waiting for you too.'"
"These Brave Lions Are Reviving The Sunnah Of The Companions Of The Prophet"; Abu Muhammad At-Tajiki Left Message For His Fellow Brothers: "O Dear Brothers! I, Julaibib, And Mu'adh Will Wait For You In Paradise; So, Do Not Be Late"
"After some time, Abu Muhammad migrated towards Khurasan, where brothers respected him a lot. He was appointed as the in-charge of the Tajiki language related media. He, along with his 3 other friends, vowed to work for the global Khilafah in the media arena, especially in Tajiki language. Due to security issues, he could not meet his friends. He used to write books, articles, magazines, and so on. Brother Abu Muhammad asked his emirs [leaders] for allowing him to do istishhadi operation, but they didn't agree at all.
"Once, Abu Muhammad saw the Wali of Khurasan Shahab al-Muhajir (may Allah protect him) in his dream. He said, 'I saw the Wali (governor) standing on top of large rock in the middle of water, when I was in front of him and asked him to give me permission to do istishhadi.'
"When he woke up and shared the dream with a Panjshiri brother, he told him to send a message to the Wali (may Allah protect him) for permission for doing istishhadi. There was an Uzbek brother with him who told him that when they would enter paradise, they would invite other brothers there through dreams, if Allah wills. The Wali of Khurasan accepted his request. Abu Muhammad began preparation for istishhadi attack on a temple for the Hindu idol worshippers.
"Before setting out for the attack, Abu Muhammad left sincere advice for his fellow brothers: 'My dear brother! Fear Allah, take piety as your nutrition, and follow the right path to achieve your goal. The Ummah's eyes are upon you. Do not waste your valuable time, be the one to help this Ummah, have the desire to achieve martyrdom and have the thirst to meet your lord, whenever you find opportunity for martyrdom, run toward it.' He added: 'O Dear Brothers! I, Julaibib, and Mu'adh will wait for you in paradise; so, do not be late. O Dear Brothers! I love you for the sake of Allah.' He also gave other general advice too.
"One of the remaining brothers told him with tearful eyes, 'I have been firm on my words even since I was one among five brothers; I never allowed anyone to talk bad behind you, and I never did it myself; I told you before that we must find each other on the Day of Judgement. Say my Salam [greetings] to Prophet, his companions, Mu'adh, Julaibib, and other friends, and say to Mu'adh and Julaibib (may Allah accept them both) to wait for me; I will be there soon, by the will Allah.
"The waiting for the blessed operation came to an end when Abu Muhammad prepared everything for attacking the Sikh temple in Kabul. All praise is due to Allah, he avenged honor of the Prophet. He killed more than fifty polytheists in the ranks of Taliban and Sikhs before embarking on his journey to meet his Lord [Allah]. SubhanAllah!
"Today, these brave lions are reviving the Sunnah of the companions of the Prophet. They left many books and writings as legacy to inspire the Muslims to follow their path and bring victory and honor for the Ummah."
"Abu Muhammad At-Tajiki Intended For Doing Martyrdom-Seeking Attack And He Kept Asking Permission For That From The Leaders"; "We Are Proud Of The Brave Lion Who Never Falters Being Even In Front Of Death"
"Despite being responsible for important media related works, Abu Muhammad At-Tajiki intended for doing martyrdom-seeking attack and he kept asking permission for that from the leaders, but they refused him and said, 'No, you can serve more, serve little more, you have much experience in the field of dawah [preaching and invitation to Islam] and you must train hundreds of istishhadiyyin [martyrdom-seeking bombers].' But Abu Muhammad at-Tajiki could not wait any longer and the Wali of the Wilayah realized that he could no longer withhold him since he desired strongly for martyrdom. Here are excerpts of his conversation with his emir [team leader] when he was seeking permission for the martyrdom-seeking operation:
"Senior brother [team leader]: 'Brother, the [top] leaders are saying that you must wait and train other brothers for istishhadi and you must do more work for the religion of Allah and continue your responsibilities.'
"Abu Muhammad at-Tajiki: 'First I ask Allah to accept martyrdom from me; and second, Allah is the owner of his religion, I cannot wait more to meet Allah, InshaAllah [Allah willing]; I have seen strange dreams, dear brother! I love you for the sake of Allah and I will wait in paradise for you InshaAllah.
"'I have encouraged all those whom I knew, and guidance is in hand of Allah. InshaAllah, my students will continue my work. Subhan Allah! Brother please for the sake of Allah, do not stop me, please do not make me hopeless, I am going to my lord, forgive me and allow me, for the sake of Allah; please allow me.'
"Senior brother: 'Brother! Which one is better? One operation or many operations?'
"Abu Muhammad at-Tajiki: 'There are many lions for the religion of Allah, please allow me, for the sake of Allah! Do not stop me. I have been waiting for this opportunity for a long a time; do not make me hopeless, Subhan Allah! The religion of Allah has many people, forgive me dear brother, please allow me.'
The magazine's coverpage
"Senior brother: 'You want go to Allah and that's all, but you must prepare other brothers too.'
"Abu Muhammad at-Tajiki: 'Dear brother! I know this, but I have promised Allah; for the sake of Allah, please allow me; we sowed the seeds and other brothers will take fruit from it, please do not make me hopeless. Brother! You are already enough. Please, for the sake of Allah, let me go.'
"Senior brother: 'Okay brother, I will deliver the message to the leaders, let's see what they say.'
"Abu Muhammad at-Tajiki: 'We are very sinful, promise me you will intercede for me, write my name in your heart.'
"Senior brother: 'InshaAllah, I will, oh dear brother.'
"Abu Muhammad at-Tajiki: 'You make dua [supplication] that Allah accept this from me.'
"Abu Muhammad: 'Is it a promise?'
"Senior brother: 'Yes! I promise, oh dear brother. InshaAllah.'
"We are proud of the brave lion who never falters being even in front of death. He supplicates to his Lord for accepting him among noble passengers of death. He longs for martyrdom and appointment with his lord as if he can't be late. He smiles before his death as he has happily accepted the unchangeable fate.
"O Kuffar, tawagheet [tyrants], murtadeen, and mushrikeen! Don't forget that the Islamic Ummah possesses such sons who are ready to cut your throats and they are eagerly waiting day and night to be blessed with such opportunity. No matter how much you love the world, we have such lions who love death more than you love your life, and they are waiting for the opportunity to wear the explosive belt or sit in an explosive-laden vehicle and smash you into pieces.
"Do you have the guts to do so? Obviously, you don't have that as you have never tasted the sweetness of faith. To you, life ends with your death, but to us, the real life begins with our death. So, there is no way you can defeat us, Bi'dhnillah [with permission of Allah]!"
[1] Aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/20/stay-or-go-dilemma-facing-last-afghanistan-sikhs, January 20, 2022.
The full text of this post is available to subscribers.
Please login or register to request subscription information from MEMRI
