Transcript: Fight With Zeal and Enthusiasm Until The Last Soldier Leaves Our Country

"Message" from Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, former vice chairman of the Iraqi Revolution Command Council, to the "Iraqi resistance;" Izzat Ibrahim, to Iraqi resistance: "Fight With Zeal and Enthusiasm Until The Last Soldier Leaves Our Country;" all passages in quotation marks in the text of the "message" are verses from the Koran--date not given

(FBIS Translated Text)

Under the headline, "Message to the Mujahid Shaykh ... (as published) and all Resistance Men," Comrade Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, deputy secretary general of the Iraq Command of the Ba'th Party, head of the Higher Jihad Committee, and commander of the armed resistance in sisterly Iraq, has addressed a message full of nationalist, jihadist, and religious spirit to all men of resistance and jihad in the land of the two rivers.

The following is the text of this message, which is being published only in Al-Majd, and which Al-Majd is proud to publish.

In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate. "So lose not heart, nor fall into despair: For ye must gain mastery if ye are true in Faith."

To the steadfast mujahid shaykh and to the young men who so believed in their God that he increased their guidance still further. They believed from the bottom of their hearts, so God entrenched their faith.

Now they are relying on their God. Therefore, God has increased their faith to the utmost so he will take them to the kingdom of heaven. They have been yearning to meet the Lord so he took them to him, adding them to the prophets, pious men, and martyrs in a lasting seat by the side of a powerful and unshakeable king.

To the mujahidin, the men of Arabism and Islam. "Men said to them: A great army is gathering against you: And frightened them: But it (only) increased their Faith: They said: For us Allah sufficeth, and He is the best disposer of affairs." Their faith and sincerity to holy jihad has raised them to the utmost degree of faith. They found no powerful being in the world except God who judges all. They followed him and he raised them to the position of the most faithful.

To the mujahdin who fulfill God promise and do not betray the trust and who preserve their old covenant with God the Almighty who said: "Am I not your Lord (who cherishes and sustains you)? They said: Yea! We do testify!" They keep their covenant with the messenger and his caliphs in terms of piety, obedience, and jihad and they preserve their covenants with their peoples, their nation, and their mujahid leaders, and with all the people.

To the mujahidin, the nation's pride and pioneers, who have persevered against all odds and who rely on their God. Yes, what has befallen Iraq is God's will "because of (the meed) that the hands of men have earned, that ((Allah)) may give them a taste of some of their deeds: in order that they may turn back (from Evil)." "In order that Allah may separate the impure from the pure, put the impure, one on another, heap them together, and cast them into Hell. They will be the ones to have lost."

However, it is enough for us in this ordeal to obey God and be pious.

"And for those who fear Allah, He (ever) prepares a way out, and He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine." We will be patient because patience will lead to the good end. "And those who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to our Paths." It is enough for us to consider (the Prophet's) saying: If God loves one of his slaves, he puts him to the test. If he is patient, he will select him, and if he is satisfied with his fate he will choose him to his side.

Wage jihad, O men of Arabism and Islam, under the motto of patience.

Intensify your jihad against the infidels, apostates, and traitors under the banner of obedience and praise of God. God wants to elect you and select from among you whoever he wants to the exclusion of the whole world, and to give you the earth as an inheritance in fulfillment of his promise: "My servants the righteous, shall inherit the earth." Be patient, O hero mujahidin, with regard to what has afflicted you because this demonstrates your determination. Be patient in the path of God. Do not fret and do not let their cunning disturb you. Did you not hear God's words: "So lose not heart, nor fall into despair: For ye must gain mastery if ye are true in Faith.?" And his saying: "If a wound hath touched you, be sure a similar wound hath touched the others?" And his saying: "And ye shall certainly Hear much that will grieve you, from those who received the Book before you and from those who worship many gods. But if ye persevere patiently, and guard against evil,-then that will be a determining factor in all affairs."

The mujahidin are the splendid men of Iraq who "who have been true to their covenant with Allah; of them some have completed their vow (to the extreme), and some (still) wait: but they have never changed (their determination) in the least." They have reached a covenant with God to sacrifice their souls and their property and that paradise will be their reward. God did not say that they will go to paradise but said; "Paradise is theirs." This means that paradise has been earmarked for them as a possession.

To the pious men of the nation who if they see the infidels, the Zionists, the apostates, and the traitors hypocrites, will say: that is what our God and his prophet has promised us and this God and his prophet say the truth, thus only increasing their faith and Islam.

To those who bear the important message, officers and men of our brave Armed Forces, the pioneers of jihad, faith, and patriotism. To the vanguards of the mujahidin people of all sectors; O nationalist forces of the people. We great you, O mujahidin, with the greetings of Arabism and Islam, the greetings of faith and jihad, the greetings of appreciation, pride, and love.

Peace be upon the mujahidin, the grandsons of Suhayb, who was a winner because he sold himself to God, and the grandson of Khubayb, who fulfilled his pledge, and the grandsons of Mus'ab, Ja'far, Zayd, Khalid, Sa'd, and Abu-Ubaydah, and the grandsons of al-Muthanna, Al-Qa'qa and Salah-al-din (Saladin). Wake up, Sir, O Salah al-Din, the Crusader wars have been launched once again. O grandsons of the master of the mujahidin, Husayn, May God's peace be upon him, who fulfilled his pledge of martyrdom. O those who are raising the banner of the truth, embroidered with the slogan "There is no God But Allah and Muhammad is his prophet," I call on you as a guide and caller and as a mujahid; and I call on the pious mujahidin, the paragons of faith, patriotism, jihad, and loftiness; we call on the nation's men and women to end their hesitation and fear, weakness, humiliation, and confusion, which are imposed on them by their weak hearts that are subjected to Satan, the hearts that are panicky, impatient, weak, treacherous; the hearts that listen to Satan who tries to weaken their determination and sap their resolve and make their eyes see the truth to be falsehood and the falsehood to be the truth, ordering them to pursue vice and prevent virtue. They follow the example of the pharaoh, who thought that his methods were right and that Moses, the esteemed messenger of God, wanted to sow corruption on earth.

Such have become today's criteria and fatwas (religious rulings).

Through you and in the name of the pious mujahdin and the men of the nation, we call on the nation's men to desert the ranks of the cowards and hypocrites, the sinful, apostate, and infidel ones. They have sold their religion and homeland in exchange for the mundane world of others.

They have been defeated. They have started to fight in the path of the tyrants, offering them all the facilities that enable them to ruin our homeland and destroy it and to violate its sanctities and to kill its sons.

O believers, distinguish between the trenches and do not confuse one with the other. "And say: Truth has (now) arrived, and Falsehood perished: for Falsehood is (by its nature) bound to perish." And "Nay, We hurl the Truth against falsehood, and it knocks out its brain, and behold, falsehood doth perish!"

Yes, by God you the Mujahidin are fighting in the path of the truth.

You are right in fighting the infidels who occupy the land of the Muslims and their collaborators from the agents, traitors and apostates.

You are fighting to defend the land of Islam and the belief of the faithful people and the great nation, its sanctifies, values, and holy places. Today, you are raising the banner of Allahu Akbar (God is great) in the skies of Iraq and the world of Arabism and Islam. You have a great honor and you should be proud because God has guided you to jihad on his path so that you might win the best of the two worlds in dignity and honor. That is how we learned from Almighty God and his prophet and that is what we knew and believed because we are true to our faith and religion, people, homeland, and nation. O mujahidin, you have become the true bearers of the immortal message, the torch of freedom, dignity, honor, truth, and justice. Thus, you now represent the essence of the great Iraqi people, you represent the treasure of faith, and the heart of the Arabs and the spirit of God on earth, protecting the precious principles, values, beliefs, manhood, and patriotism.

Today, you are the best examples of faith, jihad, and the protection of values, sanctities, and holy places. O Iraq's men and soldiers, take one more step upward in your reliance on God. He will be a sufficient supporter. "Is not Allah enough for his Servant?" "And if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is ((Allah)) for him." He is the "the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety." "When He decreeth a matter, He saith to it: 'Be,' and it is. "And Our Command is but a single (Act),- like the twinkling of an eye."

From the beginning, Almighty God committed himself to the victory of the believers. He said: "And it was due from Us to aid those who believed."

O Mujahidin. Know that "If Allah helps you, none can overcome you."

You will be the victors, God willing. "To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged;- and verily, Allah is most powerful for their aid." Have you not heard that God possesses the forces of the heavens and the earth? Have you not known that God is the one who will throw the infidels into panic and confusion and will affirm the believers on their belief and keep their hearts at peace so that their faith will be strengthened? "Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers." This is God's will on earth both for his beloved ones and his enemies and God's will shall not change. God tests his faithful and examines them. He knows them better but he wants to establish his proof and separate those who believe to one side and wipe out the infidels. "Allah may know those that believe, and that He may take to Himself from your ranks Martyr-witnesses (to Truth)." He wants to know the mujahdin among us and the steadfast ones. That is how God wanted the mujahdin in his path to have one of the two rewards: Either martyrdom on his path, which will take the martyrs to the highest levels of paradise in a genuine seat by the side of a powerful king, along with the prophets and pious ones; or a decisive victory by the permission of God, the strongest and most powerful.

History will record the heroism and sacrifices of the mujahidin, as a great model for the jihadist faith, instilled in the heart of the believers, who always remember them and walk in their footsteps until doomsday.

Listen, O mujahidin, O zealous Iraqis to what the hypocrites and traitors say to justify their treason in collaborating with the occupier infidels. They say: I am with you, O believers, but we fear their harm and we do not want their atrocities to increase. We want to reduce this harm by cooperating with them. We want to appease them -- see, they want to appease the infidels -- so they might leave our country voluntarily. This is in brief how they justify their behavior because of their treacherous minds and because of what Satan tells them. They have allied themselves with Satan and have started, along with the occupiers, to fight the mujahidin in all areas of Iraq, as was the case in the brave Al-Fallujah and heroic Samarra, in rebellious Diyalah and the proud Al-Najaf, which is preparing for Jihad. They left the book of God behind them and sold it at a despicable price, curse their trade. God said: "Those in whose hearts is a disease" said "We do fear lest a change of fortune bring us disaster." God then answered them and threatened them: "Ah! perhaps Allah will give (thee) victory, or a decision according to His will. Then will they repent of the thoughts which they secretly harbored in their hearts."

God said: "And those who believe will say: Are these the men who swore their strongest oaths by Allah, that they were with you? All that they do will be in vain, and they will fall into (nothing but) ruin." They lost both this world and the hereafter. God stressed his warning against these and against their deeds and against the infidels, their masters, so that there will be no mix-up in the trenches between them and the believers and so the epidemic will not spread to the ranks of the believers. God said: "Thou wilt not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, loving those who resist Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred."

Then how can we view the infidel occupiers? Who is more hostile to God and his messenger than the infidels who are occupying our country today? God said: "O ye who believe! take not for friends and protectors those who take your religion for a mockery or sport,- whether among those who received the Scripture before you, or among those who reject Faith; but fear ye Allah, if ye have faith (indeed)." God also said: "O ye who believe! Take not my enemies and yours as friends (or protectors),- offering them (your) love, even though they have rejected the Truth that has come to you." And he said: "O ye who believe! Turn not (for friendship) to people on whom is the Wrath of Allah."

In order to protect the believers and stop all their excuses and controversies, God finally said: "Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with thee unless thou follow their form of religion." This is God's judgment. According to the Holy Koran, all those who are acceptable to the infidel occupiers belong to them and believe in their religion. If they want they can die as Jews or Christians. God said, warning the believers. "O ye who believe! If ye obey the Unbelievers, they will drive you back on your heels, and ye will turn back (from Faith) to your own loss." And "Nay, Allah is your protector, and He is the best of helpers."

Most of these Koranic warnings against cooperating with the idolaters, infidels, and hypocrites were revealed to the prophet during peacetime between him and the believers. It is more appropriate that they should be followed now when there is a comprehensive and destructive war, when there is occupation of our country and violation of its sanctities and holy places, and when people are being killed and expelled from their homes.

O mujahidin, O believers, the sons of Iraq fight all of them with the Holy Koran. The Koran is God's words that cannot be changed. Fight them in the name of the people, their sanctities, and holy places. Fight them with the glorious history of our people and besiege them in their dens, the dens of treason and agentry. Had it not been for the agents, traitors, and apostates, the occupiers would not have stayed in our country for one day and would not have found a single person to cooperate with them. In our case today, the matter is decided and there will be no other course to pursue but to enhance fighting, killing, and pursuit until the last soldier leaves our dear homeland. There is no room for defeatism, retreat, lies, or equivocation. There is no excuse for any Iraqi man and woman to remain behind the march of jihad.

In order to end all excuses, God said: "If a wound hath touched you, be sure a similar wound hath touched the others." No retreat, no defeatism, no complacency. There must be continuous offensive and clashes with the enemy. This is necessitated by circumstances of jihad and struggle. "So lose not heart, nor fall into despair: For ye must gain mastery if ye are true in Faith."

Fight with zeal and enthusiasm. "Seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks." "And slacken not in following up the enemy: If ye are suffering hardships, they are suffering similar hardships; but ye have Hope from Allah, while they have none." "seize them and slay them wherever ye get them: In their case We have provided you with a clear argument against them."

Do not forget the privileges that Almighty God prepared for you on doomsday. God said: "Not equal are the Companions of the Fire and the Companions of the Garden: it is the Companions of the Garden, that will achieve Felicity." God prepared for the mujahidin a paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth. The lowest level of this paradise is where the dwellers look at their gardens, spouses, possessions and servants and at supplies that extend for a distance that takes 1,000 years to walk. The dwellers of the highest level of this paradise are those who will behold God's face morning and night. "Some faces, that Day, will beam (in brightness and beauty);- Looking towards their Lord."

O believers, you are the backbone of the homeland and the nation's asset. Be more cooperative in the battlefield. Be good and merciful to one another, be strong against the infidels, and be compassionate among yourselves. Seek God's grace, which is so vast, so that we can establish on our chaste soil the front of the national Islamic jihad on the proper basis. Accept the apologies of those who fail to join you. Forgive their failings because all those who returned to you and your homeland will be the remaining good men of our people. They were misled at the beginning because Satan deceived them. Allow them this mistake.

Put them in the proper place in the march of jihad and triumphant resistance, each according to this capacity.

O believers, mobilize yourselves and carry out jihad with your souls and property in the path of God. The field of jihad is wide, and each will go to the field that he is fit for--the field of national mobilization and faith, the field of financial and economic support, the field of media and cultural support, and the political and diplomatic fields. One of the most important fields of jihad is to sponsor the resistance and its men, provide them with food, maintain their security, and ensure their movements in the battlefield to fight the enemy. Provide them with all that they need in terms of information, intelligence, and psychological and moral support.

"O ye who believe! Shall I lead you to a bargain that will save you from a grievous Penalty?- That ye believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that ye strive (your utmost) in the Cause of Allah, with your property and your persons: That will be best for you, if ye but knew! He will forgive you your sins, and admit you to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, and to beautiful mansions in Gardens of Eternity: that is indeed the Supreme Achievement. And another (favor will He bestow,) which ye do love,- help from Allah and a speedy victory. So give the Glad Tidings to the Believers."

(Signed) The Higher Jihad Committee.

(Description of Source: Amman Al-Majd in Arabic -- Independent weekly strongly opposed to government policies and peace with Israel)

Translated from the original by WNC.