Ayman al-Zawahiri's Pledge of Allegiance to New Taliban Leader Mullah Muhammad Mansour

Following on from Taliban leader Mullah Omar's death, al-Qa'ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has pledged allegiance to the successor leader. This statement is particularly notable for trying to keep Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi and Abu Hamza al-Muhajir- now eulogized by the Islamic State as part of its line of succession to its declared Caliphate- as heroes in the al-Qa'ida line, even though Abu Hamza in particular came to be involved with the Islamic State of Iraq project whose legitimacy was attacked by other al-Qa'ida figures like Adam Gadahn.

[Original here]: translation by me.

"In the name of God, and praise be to God and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of God, his family, Companions and whoso is close to him. As for what follows: to the Amir al-Mu'mineen: Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour, may God protect him and support him with truth, and may He support truth with him. and give victory through him to His religion, Book and believing servants. As-salam alaykum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuhu. I hope you, your brothers, soldiers, and supporters are in the best state that God loves from the glory of this world and the excellence of the Hereafter, and that God directs you to what He loves and is pleased with, and protects you from every evil and harm in this world and the Hereafter.

After the news reached us with the greatest sadness and sorrow of our loss and the loss of the Muslim Ummah, the mujahideen, muhajireen and murabiteen of our amir, the Amir al-Mu'mineen Mullah Muhammad Omar Mujahid- may God endow the wide blanket of mercy upon him, make us join him in the highest Heaven by His blessing and favour- not disgrace, as substitutes or assailants: we were consoled by the fact that he was established on truth as a mujahid, murabit, leader and amir for the mujahideen until he his Lord. And we bear witness for him that when he spoke, he spoke truthfully, and when he made a promise, he fulfilled it, and he never compromised on his creed or religion, and he set an example of light in the history of Islam and the Muslims regarding truthfulness, goodness of entrusting oneself to God, and trust in what is with Him, and preferring the Hereafter over this world and God as one's reliance. So he was the excellent amir for the excellence of the Emirate. For he is the hero who never bowed or submitted to the nations of disbelief worldwide, and he confronted them with his pious soldiers aligned with God the Almighty and Exalted as his reliance, so God supported him and raised his strength.

[He was] that amir who said: "The issue of Osama is no longer to be considered a personal matter, but rather it has become an issue of the glory of Islam." So God placed for him love in the hearts of the muhajireen and the Muslims. [He was] that amir who challenged the worship of mushrikeen idols, and emulated al-Khalil Ibrahim- peace be upon him- so he destroyed the idols [referring to Buddhas of Bamiyan etc.]. So he was established upon this path of truth until his fated death, for he was a man in an Ummah: may God endow the wide blanket of mercy upon him, and place him in Heaven. And if we are content with the judgment of God the Exalted, and submit to His might- glorified and exalted is He- let us ask Him to establish us on the path of truth and righteousness, and His religion, the Sunnah of His Prophet (SAWS), and on the path of jihad with success from Him and favour. So in continuation of the path of Jihad and striving to gather the word of the mujahideen, and emulating our martyred just leaders (may God have mercy on them), our amir the lion of Islam Osama bin Laden and our brothers Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, Abu al-Layth, Atiya Allah and Abu Yahya the Libyans and the rest of the honest sheikhs of Jihad as we reckon them and do not elevate them over God: indeed I, in my characterization as amir for the Qa'idat al-Jihad group- present to you our allegiance to you, renewing the path of Sheikh Osama and his pious martyred brothers in their allegiance to the Amir al-Mu'mineen Mullah Muhammad Omar Mujahid (may God have mercy on all of them).

So we pledge allegiance to you on the book of God, the Sunna of His Messenger (SAWS) and the Sunna of the rightly-guided Caliphs (may God be pleased with them). And we pledge allegiance to you on the establishment of the Shari'a until the land of the Muslims prevails, ruling not ruled, leading not led, and no jurisdiction prevails over it, and no religious authority is in conflict with it. And we pledge allegiance to you on the disavowal of every rule, system, placement, treaty, agreement or covenant that contravenes the Shari'a, whether a system within the land of the Muslims, or outside it among the systems, committees or organizations that contravene its Shari'a methodologies like the United Nations and others besides it. And we pledge allegiance to you on jihad to liberate every span of land of the Muslims that has been usurped and violated, from Kashgur to Andalusia, and from the Caucasus to Somalia and Central Africa, and from Kashmir to al-Quds [Jerusalem], and from the Philippines to Kabul and from Bakhara to Samarkand. And we pledge allegiance to you on jihad against the rulers who have replaced the prescriptions of the religion, who have gained authority over the land of the Muslims, for they have obstructed the rulings of Shari'a, and have imposed on the Muslims the rulings of the disbelievers, and have spread corruption and debasement, and have imposed on the Muslims systems of apostasy and 'amala that despise the Shari'a and make supreme the creeds and philosophies of the disbelievers, handing over the land of the Muslims and their wealth to their enemies.

And we pledge allegiance to you on supporting the oppressed believers wherever they are. And we pledge allegiance to you on commanding what is right and forbidding what is right as far as we can, and we pledge allegiance to you on defending the Islamic Emirate that has led us in the Book of God and Sunna of His Messenger (SAWS). And we pledge allegiance to you on establishing the Islamic Caliphate that arises on the choice and preference of the Muslims, with the spreading of justice and consultation, realizing security, removing injustice and restoring rights, while raising the banner of jihad. We pledge allegiance to you on all that, 'ala sami wa ta'a fi al-ma'aruf fi munshit wa mukrih wa asr wa yasr [a classic formulation of the allegiance pledge, similar to the one the Islamic State uses]- as far as we can.

So we ask God to support us on the goodness of sacrifice, and you on undertaking burdens. Our lord, the Amir al-Mu'mineen: Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour- may God protect and care for him. God- Almighty and Exalted is He- has ennobled you and our amir Amir al-Mu'mineen Mullah Muhammad Omar- may God have mercy on him- and the Islamic Emirate with the establishment of the first Shari'a legitimate Emirate after the fall of the Ottoman Caliphate. And there has been no other Shari'a legitimate emirate in this world besides it, for it has undertaken jihad to command what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish the Shari'a. And the mujahideen and muhajireen perceived from it truth and purity, so they pledged allegiance to it, as did the reformer Imam Osama bin Laden (may God have mercy on him), and he called on the Muslims to pledge allegiance to it. And he announced that his allegiance is a bay'a udhma ['greater pledge', as opposed to a lesser one: similar to the Islamic State's demand for allegiance], and all who pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden- may God have mercy on him- and Qa'idat al-Jihad group entered into this allegiance. Then God the Exalted ennobled you to stand in the face of the Crusader campaign, and ennobled you to protect your muhajireen brothers and defend them, sacrificing dominion, rule, wealth and self for the sake of protecting them. So continue on that and may God support you and give you victory. And we are your soldiers, supporters and one of your battalions. And God the Great has spoken the truth: "And whoever fears God, He will make a way out for him, and will provide for him where he does not expect. And whoever relies on God- that is sufficient for him." [Qur'an 62:2-3].

Your brother Ayman al-Zawahiri
Amir of Qa'idat al-Jihad group: Saturday 16 Shawwal 1436 AH [1 August 2015]"

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