Maqtal al-Shaykh Jamil al-Rahman al-Afghani
- Author died
- 1422 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Āthār lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzīʿ
Maqtal al-Shaykh Jamil al-Rahman al-Afghani (The Assassination of Shaykh Jamil al-Rahman al-Afghani) is a treatise by the Yemeni Salafi scholar Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi'i (d. 1422 AH / 2001 CE), written in the aftermath of the assassination of the Afghan Salafi leader Jamil al-Rahman (d. 1412 AH / 1991 CE) . The book examines the circumstances surrounding the killing, analyzes the ideological and factional conflicts within the Afghan jihad, and criticizes political partisanship among Islamic groups .
Background and Composition
The work was prompted by the assassination of Jamil al-Rahman, the leader of Jama'at al-Da'wa ila al-Qur'an wa-l-Sunna in the Kunar region, who was shot dead just before Friday prayers on 20 Safar 1412 AH (30 August 1991) at his compound in Bajaur . In the introduction, al-Wadi'i explains that he compiled the book after receiving reports, testimonies, and documents amounting to the size of a small volume from contacts and students who had returned from or were stationed in Afghanistan, including on 8 Rabi' al-Awwal 1412 AH . Rather than reproducing every document in full to avoid excessive length, al-Wadi'i excerpted the key material and added his own analyses and answers to related queries .
Structure and Contents
The treatise encompasses several interconnected sections and thematic discussions:
- The Assassination and Field Reports: The text records accounts of the assault on Kunar and the killing of Jamil al-Rahman. It includes reports from eyewitnesses and students, such as a testimony by Muhammad al-Ashmuri regarding clashes in Kunar with the forces of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e Islami .
- On the Label "Wahhabi" (Hawla Kalimat Wahhabi): Al-Wadi'i devotes a specific section to defending the Salafi creed and addressing the hostility directed at Arab volunteers and Salafi fighters under the pretext of opposing "Wahhabism" .
- Critique of Factions and Partisanship (Hizbiyya): The author sharply attacks political partisanship among Islamic organizations, arguing that it divided the Muslims and undermined the jihad . He directs severe criticism at the Muslim Brotherhood (whom he labels al-Ikhwan al-Muflisun) and Hekmatyar, accusing them of complicity and political maneuvering, and he criticizes the fatwa declaring the Afghan conflict an individual obligation (fard 'ayn) for all Muslims .
- Questions and Answers: A set of inquiries posed to al-Wadi'i by Yemeni students and collaborators who had been working alongside Jamil al-Rahman, touching upon his personal transition from Zaydism to the Sunnah, the theological motives behind defending Salafism, and the political actors involved in the conflict .
- Official Statements and Appendices: The work reproduces primary documentation from Jama'at al-Da'wa ila al-Qur'an wa-l-Sunna, notably their sole official communique detailing the shooting, the directive prohibiting the searching of visiting Arab volunteers, and the appointment of Shaykh Sami' Allah as the new amir prior to Jamil al-Rahman's burial . It also includes an informative memorandum written by Hanzala al-Qasimi detailing the background of the assassin, identified by the kunya Abu Abd Allah al-Rumi (real name: Ashraf al-Nili), an Egyptian journalist who had worked for the magazines al-Jihad and al-Bunyan al-Marsus .
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