In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Statement concerning recent events with “Division 13”
Praise be to God! May blessings and peace be upon God’s messenger Muhammad, upon his kith and kin, and upon those aligned with him. Now then:
The Syrian arena has arrived at a critical juncture—critical in both a military and a political sense. The new Russian invasion intrudes from one side. From another side, there is a push to impose a capitulatory political solution, beginning with a freeze on fighting and ending in reconciliation agreements with the Nusayri regime. All of this has been accompanied by mobilization and incitement among the
mujahid factions, undermining their resolve and persistence in the face of Russian-Nusayri adversity. The provocations taking place between them [are being fomented] in order to thwart their efforts and turn their rifles away from their true objectives. This results in the subversion of the Syrian people’s revolution and their jihad. Eliminating the option of jihad and resistance against the Nusayri regime and its allies is a means of disparaging [the Syrian people’s] pride and dignity.
On Saturday, 3 Jumada al-Ukhra, 1437 H, corresponding to 3-12-2016, a group from “Division 13” attacked the homes of Jabhat al-Nusrah
mujahideen residing in Idlib’s Ma’rat al-Nu’man sector. In the face of this assault, Jabhat al-Nusrah mobilized its forces. We set up barriers in order to contain the ongoing problem and to defend our members. Meanwhile, a vehicle associated with Division 13 opened fire on groups of brothers, resulting in the death of brother Abi Yahya al-Ansari—may God have mercy on him.
Faced with this, we say the following to the faction leaders and shaykhs of the Syrian arena:
First: that the quest to establish this religion, combat its enemies, and help its Word triumph requires that we all take on a certain amount of responsibility, closing our ranks… And that we resolve to carry on the jihad, for we know that crippling the Syrian Jihad constitutes a betrayal of God, His messenger, and the believers—[an ungrateful] scattering of sacrifices in the gale of political storms.
Second: We, Jabhat al-Nusrah, call for the formation of an independent shari’ah court to settle this issue with “Division 13”. We are committed to any legitimate judicial ruling it hands down, and we put forward the names of the following three shaykhs:
- Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaq Mahdi
- Shaykh Abu ‘l-Harith al-Masri
- Shaykh ‘Abdullah al-Muhaysini
If anybody from Jabhat al-Nusrah has committed a violation or caused any form of incident, we will not hesitate to submit him to such a court. We are ready to consult [other] factions and students of knowledge in order to appoint an agreed-upon court that will help us address all of the problems taking place in the [Syrian] arena.
Finally, we emphasize that we raise our weapons only to be a sword in the face of whomever antagonizes our people, the honorable people of Syria: to defend their land and to restore their dignity and freedom. Our souls are content with God’s rule, and to His law they are submissive and acquiescent.
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds
Jabhat al-Nusrah
The White Minaret for Islamic Media
Date of publication: Sunday, 4 Jumada al-Ukhra 1437 H, corresponding to 3/13/2016.