The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
A major article written by Australian ISIS supporter Abu Khalid Al-Australi in the current issue of the Voice of Khurasan – the English-language magazine of the Islamic State's Khurasan Province (ISKP) – urges Muslim mothers to raise their children to wage jihad.
In the article, "O Mothers Of The Ummah, Bring Up Your Children For Bringing Back Izzah [Honor Of Islam]," Abu Khalid Al-Australi writes: "Let's realize and say that our Ummah is in need of some honorable mothers who will bring up their children to play the role of heroes – heroes not for sake of this perishable rotten world, but real heroes."
A screenshot of the article.
Another article, titled, "Adam and Iblees [Satan]," narrates the Quranic story in which Iblees was created by Allah from fire. Subsequently, when Allah created Adam from clay, Allah ordered Iblees to prostrate before Adam. But thinking that he was superior to a man made of clay, Iblees refused.
"And disobeying Allah's command turned Iblees into a dead man from his honorable position among the angels," the article says, urging Muslims to shun the path of ego and pride in everyday life.
Another article, titled: "Renouncing Worldly Pleasures In Order To Gain Nearness To Allah," urges Muslims to adopt the path of piety and renunciation in the path of Allah. It discusses the character of zahid, a person engaged in zuhd (renunciation and prayer) in the following words:
"The first: In leaving the Haram (impermissible things); this is related to the common people.
The second: Leaving the preferred things even though Hallal (permissible); this is for the specific types of people from the upright and steadfast. The third: Leaving things that distract you from Allah; this is the zuhd of the knowledgeable ones...."
The article also explains when even a slave can obtain the title of zahid, stating: "There are six things that, if the slave possesses them, he deserves the title of zahid...:
"The first: Moderation in spending one's wealth.
"The second: Lack of desire for leadership.
"The third: Moderation in one's appearance.
"The fourth: Not engaging too much with the people.
"The fifth: Learning to control his desires.
"The sixth: Moderation in things not concerning Allah."
The articles appear in Issue No. 31 of Voice of Khurasan, the magazine's current edition, dated Jamadi-us-Saani 1445 Hijri. This corresponds to the month beginning October 16, 2023. The Voice of Khurasan is published by Al-Azaim Media Foundation, a media outlet linked to the Islamic State Khurasan Province (ISKP), which defines itself as a supporting entity of the Islamic State.
Following are excerpts from the article advocating jihad among children, and titled: "Oh Mothers Of The Ummah, Bring Up Your Children For Bringing Back Izzah":
"We See Fake Heroes, Toy Soldiers, And Hollow Revolutionaries"; "A Great Role For Mothers Can Also Be Perceived, As Mothers And Children Of This Ummah Are Regularly Being Bombed And Massacred In Palestine"
"All praise is due to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon him, after whom there is no other prophet to come, and what follows after: What is the Ummah mostly in need of at this difficult time of numerically evaluated civilization? Physical resources, development products, sustainability, socio-economic stability, technological advancement? But these all are just material entities, or their shadows at best. But what about spirituality, since an Ummah so indifferent about the necessity of the establishment of deen (Islam) is not something to be expected?
"In fact, the Ummah is in need of heroes who will mark the beginning of a revolution, the beginning of the wind of change. But is a revolution all about hashtags, placards containing some empty words, 'I support Palestine,' social gatherings in the name of peaceful demonstration against the tyrants in pursuit of justice, which is a word that doesn't really exist in their dictionary?
"Let's realize and say that our Ummah is in need of honorable mothers who will bring up their children to play the role of heroes – heroes not for sake of this perishable, rotten world, but real heroes for the greatest of the causes – supporting the religion and establishing Khilafah of Allah upon earth. What cause can be greater than this? We see fake heroes, toy soldiers, and hollow revolutionaries boasting and trying to occupy a little space in the heart of the ignorant masses for a while, and with the end of their youthful vigour, literally no one remembers them.
"So, is it not better to please the Almighty [Allah], who never forgets his righteous servants who remember him secretly and openly? And striving in the cause of Allah for assisting his religion is one of the greatest causes of earning pleasure of Allah the exalted, since through such noble and profitable striving, the heads of all the defiantly disobedient tyrants are lowered in humiliation, and the word of Allah becomes the highest, and the earth witnesses what is truly meant by justice.
"For such noblest of causes of the living, for such great stations of honor, the best of the nations (the Islamic Ummah) needs mothers who will bring up their sons to become the heroes of Islam and to perform the greatest of duties. Undoubtedly, the most significant role of the mothers of this Ummah is to bring up their sons so that they bring the wind of change tomorrow.
"And this great role for mothers can also be perceived in how mothers and children of this Ummah are regularly being bombed and massacred in Palestine and elsewhere by savages, given that – unfortunately – the predecessors of these savages (the Jews and the Christians) have gone through such systematic massacres many times in the history before. No noble nation is without mothers who understand what nobility is, [though the] majority of the women of this time are unaware of the concept of nobility. They don't understand what a life of honor means."
"If I Am Not Wrong, Then You Will See Some Bizarre Behavior By The People Of The So-Called Civilized West At This Time; There Can Be Hardly A Moral Filth In This World That Doesn't Exist In The Wild West And In The Animalistic East"
The article continues: "So, redefining honor and esteem is something to be looked upon. If you ask a mother at this time about what she pursues for her children, she won't be able to pursue anything beyond the traditional pursuits determined by the masters of the ongoing world order of slavery to the servants, and that is to become successful in this world in terms of wealth, power, fame, sustainable income, ability to bear the expenses of the family, and so on.
"But a very few you will see pursuing humanly attributes like caring for others, helping others, striving for rightful causes, even if that demands immense sacrifice for the attainment of such, and so on. Notably, these attributes are best taught by Islam, since it is the only way of life determined by Allah for his servants. And this is the only religion that brings honor and glory, not temporary glory, but that which sustains forever, in this world and also in the eternal life to come after.
"So, dunya (worldly life) seeking mothers may seek a position for their children in this world which appears to be more sustainable in their eyes. While this world is not sustainable itself, they should have pursued something for their children, which is truly sustainable in every sense.
The magazine urges donation through cryptocurrency.
"So, the upbringing of children should be oriented toward the great esteem of striving for the establishment of the religion (Islam). And this is what nobility means. Verily, no noble nation is possible without mothers perceiving this very concept of nobility. If I am not wrong, then you will see some bizarre behavior by the people of the so-called civilized West in this time. There can be hardly a moral filth in this world that doesn't exist in the wild West and in the animalistic East.
"Emphasis On Proper Upbringing According To The Quran And Sunnah"
"Islam is the only true religion that defines every aspect of the ideal way of living. Not a single aspect of life is left, but it is redefined in the truly Islamic sense, to the extent that the Companions of Prophet Muhammad addressed even insubstantial matters through the Quran and Sunnah. As Anas bin Malik reported, the Messenger of Allah [Muhammad] said: ‘Let one of you ask his Lord for his needs, all of them, even for a shoestring, when his breaks' – (Sunan-al-Tirmidhi: 3973).
"Similarly, the issue of educating society and bringing up the children, through embedding good qualities and traits in them, is also addressed in the Quran and the Sunnah. And Allah says: 'There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is Allah and the Last Day, and (who) remembers Allah often' – (Quran, 33:21).
"Nothing could be a better example than the life of Prophet Muhammad to understand how children should be fostered today to ensure a glorious tomorrow. And the emphasis on proper fostering of children in the Islamic manner can also be understood from this verse: 'O, who you have believed, save yourself and your family from Hell fire' – (At-Tahrim: 6)."
"Another Lesson That We Learn From Sunnah [Tradition Of Muhammad] Is To Embed Manly Qualities In Children And Adolescents, So That They Become Merciless And Uncompromising Against The Enemies Of Allah In Tomorrow's Battlefield"
"Children are soft and sensitive by nature, so with kindness they should be treated, as it is what we learn from the manner of Prophet. Aishah said that the Messenger of Allah said: 'Verily, Allah loves kindness in all things' – (Sahih al-Bukhari: 6024). And narrated by Jarir that the Prophet said: 'Whoever is deprived of kindness is deprived of goodness.'
"And the child psychologists also admit that children need care, attention, and kindness so that their personalities are shaped in a proper manner. Children should be affectionate by nature, but they should also be embedded with heroic traits so that they can harbour strong and resolute personality tomorrow, and they can be able to bear the burden of Jihad fi Sabeelillah [Jihad in the path of Allah] and learn how to have patience in this glorious path of Allah.
"So, apart from embedding compassion, love, and softness, another lesson that we learn from the Sunnah [tradition of Muhammad] is to embed manly qualities in children and adolescents so that they become merciless and uncompromising against the enemies of Allah in tomorrow's battlefield, and they may learn the arts of war, and their minds are prepared for understanding battle dynamics when they grow up.
"While fostering our children, we should be careful that they don't become too dependent on ease, comforts, and the virtual world. They should harbour a strong aversion to the disbelievers, the enemies of Allah. They should be kept as close as possible to reality and to the practical world.
"Although it is not for children to participate in war, their young minds should be so prepared that they may become battle-hardened in the future. In short, mothers of the Ummah should be preparing their children so that they harbor a wonderful combination of softness with the believers and at the same time, immense harshness against the disbelievers."
"We Also Need To Bring Up Our Children In A Manner So That They May Take Revenge On The Oppressors, Although The Disbelievers Dislike It"
"On the occasion of [the Battle of] Badr, two young boys entered the battlefield and asked Abdur bin Awf about Abu Jahl. Narrated by Abdur Rahman in Awf: 'While I was standing in the row on the day of Badr, I looked to my right and my left and saw two young Ansari boys, and I wished I had companions stronger than them. One of them called my attention saying, "O Uncle! Do you know Abu Jahl?"
"I said, 'Yes, what do you want from him, O my nephew?' He said: 'I have been informed that he ridicules Rasulullah [Messenger of Allah]. By him in whose hands my life is, if I see him, then my body will not leave his body till either of us meet his fate.' I was astonished at that statement. Then the other boy attracted my attention, repeating what the other had said. After a while, I saw Abu Jahl walking among the people. I said (to the boys): 'Look! This is the man you asked me about.'
The magazine's table of contents.
"So both of them attacked him with their swords and struck him to death, and returned to Rasulullah to inform him of that. Rasulullah asked, 'Which of you has killed him?' Each of them said, 'I have killed him.' Rasulullah asked, 'Have you cleaned your swords?' They said, 'No.' He then looked at their swords and said, 'No doubt, you both have killed him and the spoils of the deceased will be given to Mu'adh ibn 'Amr ibnul Jamuh.' The two boys were Mu'adh ibn 'Afra and Mu'adh ibn 'Amr ibnul Jamuh.
"We also need to bring up our children in a manner so that they may take revenge on the oppressors, although the disbelievers dislike it. Our beloved Prophet [Muhammad] also emphasized the shaping of young minds with distinctive character, so that they may take leadership roles in the Ummah in the future."
"When Dawood... [David] Was Just A Boy, He Killed The Mighty Ruler Jaloot By Shooting A Stone With His Sling; And There Is Story Of Supporting Islam By A Young Boy Who Stood Firm Alone Upon Tawheed (Monotheism)"
"In the Battle of Tabuk, he [Prophet Muhammad] chose Sayyidina Usama bin Zayd as the commander of the Muslims for his intelligence, piety, and bravery. And that army included, under his leadership, noble companions like Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq and Hazrat Umar bin Khattab. And Umar al-Farooq used to greet him as, 'My Commander.' Usama bin Zayd had great parents, and enjoyed his upbringing in the companionship of great Sahaba [companions of Muhammad], which molded his personality to become a great leader of the Ummah.
"And accounts of contributions from youths to the religion are also described in several places in the Holy Quran, like the story of Dawood [David], peace be upon him. Allah the exalted says: 'So, they defeated them by the permission of Allah, and Dawood killed Jaloot, and Allah gave him the kingship and prophethood, and taught him from that which he willed. – (Al-Baqarah: 251).
"When Dawood, peace be upon him, was just a boy, he killed the mighty ruler Jaloot by shooting a stone with his sling. And there is story of supporting Islam by a young boy who stood firm alone upon Tawheed (monotheism) against the merciless Taghut [tyrant] of his time, setting a brilliant example of sacrifice for such a noble cause, as mentioned in the Surah Al-Burooj of the Holy Quran. Therefore, the teaching of the Quran and the Sunnah is that the mothers of this Ummah should prepare their sons in a such a way that they assist the Din when they grow up."
"Even The Disbelievers Acknowledge The Significance Of Mothers For Building Superior Nations; Napoleon Bonaparte Once Said: 'Give Me An Educated Mother, I Shall Promise You The Birth Of A Civilized, Educated Nation'"
"Contribution Of Mothers In Nation Building"
"In history, we find many stories of mothers playing significant roles in laying the foundation for superior nations. During the time of Prophet Muhammad, the nobles of Quraysh tribe would entrust newborn babies to Bedouin women, who would suckle them apart from their mothers and far away from urban areas in deserts, and therein those babies would be brought up for some years in the fresh and open environment of the desert, so that the quality of eloquent speech is developed in them, and they become healthy and strong.
"Hence, noteworthy was the patience of the Quraysh mothers despite their separation from their newborn babies for the sake of the babies' proper physiological upbringing. Is it possible for a typical mother of today to bear such heavy burden of being departed from her newborn child like this?
"And we also have the Quranic incident of patience of the mother of Musa [Moses], peace be upon him, when she was parted from her newborn son (Musa), as she was instructed by Allah; she put her son in a wicker basket and set him adrift on the river Nile, for saving him from the barbarous claws of Firawun [Pharoah], relying on the almighty Allah.
The magazine's cover, advocating a Holocaust of Israelis.
The Almighty says: 'And we inspired the mother of Musa, 'Suckle him; but when you fear for him, cast him into the river and do not fear and do not grieve. Indeed, we will return him to you and will make him (one) of the messengers' – (AI-Qasass: 7) And later it became history that Prophet Musa, peace be upon him, changed the course of the history by uprooting the tyrannical regime of Firawun and saving his nation from his oppression, with the help of Allah.
"So, we find the contribution of an honorable mother behind the orchestration of such a great revolution. And even the disbelievers acknowledge the significance of mothers for building superior nations. Napoleon Bonaparte once said: 'Give me an educated mother, I shall promise you the birth of a civilized, educated nation.' But due to disbelief in Allah the Almighty, he failed to realize that simply educated mothers, deprived of the ornament of iman [faith], can't suffice to bring about a civilized nation, for a nation can never be civilized through transgression against the Lord."
"In The Glorious History Of Islam, We Find Zealous Mothers Preferring The Sacrifice Of Their Sons' Lives In The Way Of Allah"
"Zealous believing mothers [were] behind the heroes of Islam in the history. Now, in this age of materialism, parents bring up their children differently. But in the glorious history of Islam, we find zealous mothers preferring the sacrifice of their sons' lives in the way of Allah. Glory be to Allah. We find successful mothers behind almost every hero of Islam throughout the history of this Ummah. There are numerous examples of believing mothers motivating their sons to make huge sacrifices in the path of Allah, to uphold the Word of Allah.
"So, how can such a believing nation (the Islamic Ummah) not be successful and dominant over the nations of the disbelievers, while the mothers of this Ummah are so passionate about the matters of Deen, putting aside their worldly interests and not even daring to sacrifice their children for the sake of the religion? When prominent Sahabi Abdullah Ibn Zubayr and his army were besieged by the army of the tyrannical ruler Hajjaj bin Yousuf, and when most of his men were killed, and only a handful of men from his relatives remained with him, he met his 100-year old blind mother, and informed her about what he was going through.
"She said: 'O my son! You are more knowledgeable regarding your circumstances than me. But I say, if you know that you are on the [path of] Truth, and then die like your companions, and if you want the Dunya [the earthly world and its possessions], then you are the most wretched of people because you have wasted yourself and your companions. And how long are you going to live in this Dunya?'
"He said, 'O my mother, I'm scared that if they kill me, then they will mutilate my body and they will hang me up.' She said, 'O my son! A slaughtered goat doesn't feel the pain when it is skinned!' And when she said this, he stood up and kissed her upon her forehead and he said, 'I swear by Allah, this is my opinion! I have no desire to live in this Dunya, for my aspiration is the life of the Hereafter. All my life I have stood up for Truth, but I wanted to know your mind, so that you may strengthen my mind!'
"And then his mother said, 'Come closer, my son!' When he came closer to her, she embraced him and when she did so, she felt that he had some metal armour on his chest. She said, 'O my son! What is this? People who want Shahadah [martyrdom] don't wear this!' He said, 'O my mother! I only did this to comfort you!' She said, 'My son, take it off.' Then she said, 'O my son! Tie your belt so when you fall, your awrah is not exposed!' 'O My son! Fight with bravery, for you are the son of Zubayr and the grandson of Abu Bakr, and your grandmother was Safiyyah.' Glory be to Allah. Such were the great mothers who laid the foundation for the early generations of the Ummah.
"To sum up, at this difficult time of the Ummah, we need such parents, especially mothers, who would prefer the victory of the religion over the pursuit of worldly interests for their children and educate their children accordingly. And such preference means preparing the next generation physically, militarily, psychologically, and intellectually for the upcoming Malhama [a fierce, bloody war] and victory, because we should also give preference to quality over quantity, since we are the best Ummah. And our last prayer is all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds."
The full text of this post is available to subscribers.
Please login or register to request subscription information from MEMRI
