The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
A key article in the latest issue of "Voice of Khurasan," the English-language monthly magazine published by the Islamic State's (ISIS) Khurasan Province, details how to use media to spread disinformation and rumours among the enemy to defeat them and cites hadiths to justify these methods.
Al-Azaim Foundation, the official media outlet of ISIS's Khurasan Province, released the latest issue of the magazine, Issue Five, for the month of Shawwal 1443 in the Hijri calendar, which is roughly May 2022.
A screenshot of the article
The article, titled "The Media And Psychological Warfare," gives hadiths of Muhammad, founder of Islam, and cites Koranic verses and hadiths to argue that preparations for war and the use of weapons, including media technologies such as leaflets and planes, are essential to psychologically defeat the enemy.
Following are excerpts from the article:
"Propaganda By [Second Islamic Caliph] Umar Was Enough To Humiliate The Enemy And Show The Strength Of The Muslims"
"Media:
"By all its types whether audio, visual, paper, satellite, or internet, and using it is a necessity and is also urgent in order to propagate and cause defeatism and demoralization of the enemy and show the strength of the mujahideen.
"The discussion between Abu Sufyan and Umar [ibn Khattab, the second caliph of Islam] is the best example of this: Abu Sufyan, who was the head of the mushrikeen [polytheists] on the day of [the battles of] Uhud and Ahzab embraced Islam and died in the year 32 Hijri.
"Sahih Bukhari, Hadith number 4043, Al-Baraa bin Azib... died 72 Hijri, narrated that Abu Sufyan on the Day of Uhud came forward and said: 'Where is Muhammad? Is he with you?' And Muhammad replied: 'Do not answer him.' Abu Sufyan then said: 'Is among you Abu Bakar?' And Muhammad replied: 'Do not answer him.' And he asked again: 'Is the son of Khattab [Umar] among you? These people have been killed; if they are alive, they will respond.'
"And Umar could not take it and said, 'You are a liar o enemy of Allah! Allah left all those who are going to be over you and who are going to humiliate you.' And Abu Sufyan replied: 'The highest is Hubal, the highest is Hubal [the pre-Islamic god].' Finally, Muhammad replied, 'Now answer him back.' And the Sahabah [Companions of Muhammad] asked: 'What shall we say?' And he replied: 'Allah is the highest and most noble; and he is our protector; and you have no protector.'
"It is recorded in Zaad al-Ma'ad, Vol. 3 Page 202, that [14th century Syrian Islamic jurist] Imam ibn Qayyim stated: 'The propaganda by Umar was enough to humiliate the enemy and show the strength of the Muslims, all this was enough to make the enemy terrified from the Muslims. And no doubt it will anger the enemy, demoralise them and make them have no answer.'"
"Media And All Its Technologies Must Be Used By The Da'ees [Preachers] And Mujahideen To Spread Fear Into The Hearts Of The Enemy And To Terrify Them"
"So, this evidence [i.e., the above discussion from early Islam] shows the importance of the media. It is recorded in Al-Mashari Al-Ashwaq, Vol. 2 Page 1077 that: 'The leaders used to write upon the arrows the news and the information matching to what they received from their spies and then threw it in the army of Muslims.'
"So, we can use aeroplanes for [throwing] those leafletts, A6 papers, etc., or from the top of a building and throw it off, etc. This is just an example of how essential it is to use the media and to proclaim Islam through it. Therefore the media and all its technologies must be used by the da'ees [preachers] and mujahideen to spread fear into the hearts of the enemy and to terrify them so that they do not think to stand in front of the Muslims ever.
"Muhammad said to Hasan bin Thabit: 'Oh Hasan dispraise the Quraish with your poetry, it is harsher than to throw arrows on their chests!' And he replied, 'I am going to squeeze them with my tongue like I squeeze my food.'
"It is known that Muhammad used to stand in [the mountains of] Safa and Marwa and proclaim Islam publicly."
"Muhammad Permitted Us To Walk With Arrogance And Allah Likes The Person In The Battlefield Showing Off"
"Demonstrating strength: This is very important
"Allah says in the Koran (Verse 8:60): 'Prepare as much as you can steeds of war to terrorize the enemy of Allah and your enemy.' This verse says [in Arabic] 'quwwa' and if you looked to what Imam At-Tabari says in his Jami Al-Bayaan, Vol. 6 Page 274 and Imam Al-Jassas in his Ahkam Al-Qur'an, Vol. 3 Page 88, they say that: This verse is an order for the Muslims to carry weapons and to prepare weapons priority to terrorizing enemy. And the word 'quwwa' is so comprehensive, i.e., including all types of weapons.'
"So, it can include missiles, aeroplanes, marine, boats, machine guns. [Refer to] Imam Jassas in his Ahkam Al-Qur'an, Vol. 3 Page 98, and also refer to Tafseer [Al-Qur'an] Al-Kareem, Vol. 3 Page 183. These texts talk about different types of weaponry. It is recorded in Abu Dawood, Kitaab Al-Jihad, Hadith Number 2557, in the chapter on showing off in the war, and in Musnad Imam Ahmad [ibn Hanbal], Vol. 17 Page 103, Hadith Number 23637, that Jabir bin Ateeq..., died 60 Hijri, said: 'Muhammad permitted us to walk with arrogance and Allah likes the person in the battlefield showing off.'
The magazine's contents page
"Tabqat ibn Sa'd, Vol. 1 Page 135, states that when Muhammad came out to conquer Mecca, he ordered the Sahabah [companions] to make fire in different places and they made small fires in different places (over 10,000) until it spread everywhere and the people could see the smoke of it' – meaning they were showing their strength.
"Muhammad used this tactic to show the strength of the Muslims and to destroy the morale of the enemy in order to make them think never to resist the Muslims, and that occurred in Fath Al-Makkah [The Victory at Mecca]."
"Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud Caused Strife Between [The Jewish Tribe Of] Banu Quraiza And The Quraish On The Day Of [The Battle Of The] Trench"
"Spreading rumours to strike fear into heart of the enemy:
"Whenever the Kuffar [unbelievers] bond between each other, no doubt it is a dangerous situation upon the Muslims, and will be difficult to defeat. But if we can shake the chain of the enemy and divide them that is the part of the war policy: to divide them and defeat them.
"It is recorded in Zaad Al-Ma'ad, Vol. 3 Page 273, and Sahih Bukhari (Fath Al-Baari which is a commentary on Sahih Bukhari), Hadith Number 3030... that Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud (Abu Salamah), sahabi [companion], caused fitnah [strife] between [the Jewish tribe of] Banu Quraiza and the Quraish on the Day of Trench. He came to Muhammad on the Day of the Trench and said, 'O Messenger of Allah! I have become Muslim recently, order me what you like.' And Muhammad replied, 'You are only one man, defeat our enemy as much as you can (fragment them).'
"So immediately, he went to Banu Quraiza whom he used to be friends with in Jahiliyyah [the pre-Islamic era, referred to as the era of "ignorance"] and said, 'O people of Quraiza, if you fight Muhammad, they (Quraish) may leave you and Muhammad may revenge on you.' So they asked, 'O Nu'aym, what is the advice?' And he said: 'Do not fight them until you take from them (Quraish) hostages as (guarantor).' Then he went to the Quraish and said, 'Do you know how much I like you?' And they replied, 'Yes.' And continued: 'The Jews (of Banu Quraiza) are feeling guilty and are regretting that they violated the covenant and now send him letters that they are going to take hostages from you and give them to him, then they are going to have an agreement against you so if they ask for hostages, do not give it to them.'
"And then Nu'aym went to Banu Quraiza and said, 'If the Quraish ask you to fight with them, do not do so until you take hostages from them.' And then the Quraish said to the Jews, 'We are not going to stay in a land where everyone is being killed; rise and fight against Muhammad.' And the Jews replied, 'Today is Saturday and we do not fight on Saturdays and also we are not going to fight until you send (from among you) some hostages.' And the Quraish said, 'Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud spoke the truth.'
"Spreading the rumours is therefore a duty upon the Muslim armies to cause fragmentation of the enemy because that disunity will demoralize them significantly."
"K'ab Bin Maalik... Reported That, 'The Prophet [Muhammad] Hardly Prepared For Any Expedition Without Making Tawriyyah [i.e., Creative Lying]; Rather He Misled People By Other Things'"
"Spreading fear:
"It is very important as it will cause victory for the Muslims.
"(Koranic verse 3:151): 'We are going to strike into the heart of the Kuffar ru'ub (terror).'
"Sahih Bukhari (Fath Al-Baari, Hadith Number 335 and 2977, Jabir ibn Abdillah narrated that Muhammad said, 'I havee been granted victory by one month's distance by terrorizing the enemy.'
"Deceiving the enemy:
"There is no dispute among the fuqaha [Islamic jurists] that it is allowed to deceive the Kuffar [infidels] as much as we can in the battlefield.
"[As per] Sharh Sahih Muslim, Vol. 11 Page 288, the scholars agree that it is lawful to deceive the Kuffar in the war and that this deceiving is never allowed unless there is a violation of the covenant of securities from the side of the Kuffar. This is mentioned in Nayl Al-Awtar, by Imam Shakwani, Page 235; Fath Al-Baari, Vol. 6 Page 195, Kitaab Al-Mughni by Imam Ibn Qudama Al-Maqdisi, Vol. 13 Page 41.
"Sahih Bukhari 3029, [and] Sharh of Imam Nawai, Hadith Number 1739 state that Muhammad said, 'War is deceit.' Sahih Bukhari, Chapter of Jihad, Hadith Number 2948: K'ab bin Maalik... reported that, 'The prophet hardly prepared for any expedition without making tawriyyah [the Islamic doctrine of creative lying]; rather he misled people by other things.'
"Note: At-Tawariyyah is misleading."
Source: Telegram, May 3, 2022. The original English of the quoted text has been lightly edited for clarity and standardization.
The full text of this post is available to subscribers.
Please login or register to request subscription information from MEMRI
