Zil Hajj 15, 1432 A.H, Saturday, November 12, 2011

Ansar al-Mujahideen English Forum

Language and Translation Department

Present

English Translation

Entitled:

A Gift for the Anticipated Army of Aden-Abyan

The Political Educational Military Program

[ A Guide to Preparing the Brave Leaders ]

By Esteemed Brother: Abdullah Al-Haaj

- May Allah Protect Him -

And peace and prayers be upon the one who smiled when he killed.

These are simple words with which I start my proposed educational program, as all know that wars are not led from horseback anymore, and its effects are no longer restricted to the battlefield, but rather it has extended to farther than this to reach every aspect of political, economic, and social life on both sides of the struggle. Whoever contemplates the recorded military history since the battles of Gideon mentioned in the book of Kings to this day would see that military sciences have advanced greatly in terms of military thinking, army structure, and the war machine, as well as the number of specialties and the nature of leadership and others. However these changes did not include the general principles agreed upon from the olden days: such as the element of surprise and economy in the strength and assembling of numbers, and in terms of principles and undisputed pillars which have been unchallenged to this day, in terms of successful leadership and what it requires in terms of personal characteristics, mental abilities and cultural reserve which qualifies the leadership to perform its duties to the fullest.

And if we look at the most famous military leaders throughout the ages such as Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Khaled Ibn Walid and Napoleon we find that they all had high leadership characteristics and unique personal qualities which made them superior to their counterparts. This has not been only due to those qualities alone, but also to what they possessed in terms of political awareness regarding the nature of the conflict, and the type of warfare required for it. War in modern times has become more intertwined with the external elements that affect it, such as international organizations, political and military alliances and international public opinion – which had no effect in the past – as well as the matrix of global powers and the sanctions, arms embargoes and other matters that they impose on nations.

Thus it became obligatory for modern military leaders to devote time to anything which can develop military and political awareness, through which they can realise the nature and volume of those interactions and their effect on their military plans. Some people may make light of the importance of political military knowledge for the army commanders, since what comes to mind is that war is fire and iron and has no connection to books and studies. They point out that the ‘Sword of Allah’, Khaled Ibn Walid (may Allah be pleased with him) with his prowess in battle, had little knowledge and didn’t memorise much of the Quran, except for the short chapters, and yet his military plans are still being taught in military institutions to this very day! To answer this we say that Khalid Ibn Walid was certainly not lacking in knowledge in his speciality areas. For it is mentioned in biographies that he was highly knowledgeable in regards to the history of the Arabs and their family lines, as well as in the study of knighthood and the machines of war, and in the balance of power in the Arabian Peninsula and its surroundings in Persia and Roma. As for other studies, it was not a necessity to be knowledgeable in them.

This also applies to many of the leaders of the Islamic conquests, who didn’t excel in Shariah knowledge, and whose names we seldom see amongst the narrators of Hadith, yet they were the most knowledgeable in what was required for war, and in related knowledge. ‘Amr Ibn Al-‘Aas was one of the leaders of the conquest of Egypt, and when he was told of the Hadith that “The Day of Judgment will come with the Romans as the most numerous people”, he said there are five characteristics in them: they are the most patient after a disaster, and the first recover, the fastest to attack after fleeing, and the most merciful to the widowed, weak and needy. And they are the furthest from tyranny of kings.

In ‘Amr’s last comment we see that he was widely knowledgeable in terms of the habits of the Romans, their history and the nature of the relationships amongst them. This is the type of political knowledge that is needed by leaders, about the circumstances surrounding the war, and how to deal with them. For some false understandings may prevail about the nature of the enemy; this results from adhering to a false idea, or to one certain idea at the exclusion of any other. This leads to mistakes in understanding the enemy, and in fact this kind of mistake is lethal, for he who does not know his enemy by consequence does not know how to defeat the enemy.

So when we say that the Zionist-Crusader alliance is fighting us for a religious cause - because we are Muslims - we say that this is part of the reason, and not the whole reason. There are also economic reasons, which were the basic cause for the old Crusades and the new one as well, in addition to their security, political, strategic and expansionist goals; as well as the ideas that revolve around the nations left over by the occupation in the region. Even though some may see these nations as agent nations which are helpless, an impartial observer would see that some of them are actually considered to be another US state, Kuwait is an example of this, there are others which have a certain margin of liberty (which changes according to the international climate) such as Turkey which refused to let the US forces be stationed on its territory so as to invade Iraq, whereas Kuwait could not even object to it!

This understanding should not lead us to think well of countries such as Syria who sponsor some resistance movements for example, or those that enjoy a large degree of independence (such as Iran) and say that they do not revolve in the constellation of the West. In the world of politics there is always an index of understanding on certain fronts, and there are dictates which the strong imposed because he is strong, and the services provided by Syria and Iran in the ‘war on terror’ are the best proof of this. This is the same for other countries where we may think we are dealing with the politicians, whereas the strategic decisions are actually in the hands of the military, as is the case in Algeria which is ruled by the generals who are supported by France. The same also applies to the factions in Lebanon and the Shi’ite forces in Iraq.

For every country has a centre of power through which it governs, and identifying this centre will save us a lot of time and effort, and also let us avoid haphazardness and waste of energy. Let us take one example of this: for our war against America was based on the correct diagnosis and recognition of the true centre of power in America. The researcher into the history of the rise and establishment of the United States of America, its political components and founding system, and those who are affected by it and who affected it throughout the ages, can see without doubt that public opinion is the most effective force in America. All the politicians, civic leaders, think-tanks, religious and ethnic organisations, pressure groups and trade unions in America are only as strong as the degree to which they can influence public opinion in America. Thus we can understand why the Jews are so interested in the media: it is a powerful means of influencing opinion, and we can also understand the reason behind the number of institutions in America specifically tasked with conducting polls of public opinion.

This is whey Al-Qaeda has sought to implement a steady policy to affect the American public opinion, by targeting Americans everywhere, and opening numerous fronts against them, and inciting the Islamic masses against them. Hence the average American will ask himself: why are they exploding themselves against us? What have we done to deserve this? With time - and the proper use of events to deliver messages - the right answers start to arrive to them, and this goes hand in hand with the inability of the media there to hide the truth. There is no better proof of this than the fact that the American public - who went out demonstrating after the events of September 11, condemning terror and calling for war against it - is the very same public that is now out demonstrating to stop the war, after all the events that have happened in recent years. This shift in public perception and the mood of the people is, by the grace of Allah, a product of the wise management of the conflict by the other side that is led by Sheikh Usama Bin Laden. For he who watches the speeches of Sheikh Usama over the years can see that he does not stop sending message after message to the American people, after each major incident and in every occasion. We can say that after all those years, all of the military operations carried out by the organisation across four continents have been ideally invested, and in the right direction, and this is a fruit from the fruits of correct political awareness which the political leadership of the organisation certainly possesses.

The case of a lack of political awareness, or its existence in a deformed state, is a catastrophe that may waste all the efforts of the group, as happened with the movement of “the Ikhwan” in the Arabian Peninsula in the middle of the last Hijri century. The armies of this movement accomplished wonderful military victories in most of the Arabian Peninsula, as well as their efforts in the field of calling people to Islam and religious reform, however the weak political vision of their leadership made it a sitting duck for the Sultan of Najd and Hijaz – as the English called it at the time - Abdul Aziz Bin Saud. He was given the post of Imam, so he went and used the military strength of the Ikhwan to expand his kingdom, and then had no difficulty in getting rid of them afterwards in the Battle of Sabilla in 1929 after they had done what is required of them. He who ponders on those events will see that the mistake was not in the military preparations in the armies of the Ikhwan, or the way they were spread - for they were a force to be reckoned with - but the problem lay in the fact that they did not understand the reconciliations that took place between the great nations in the wake of World War I, which brought the Arabian Peninsula under British influence. That in turn brought Abdul Aziz bin Saud under its direct influence and tied him to a number of English consultants such as Shakespeare and Sir Percy Cox.

The simple realisation of such a political reality would have helped the Ikhwan avoid much of what they suffered afterwards because of their refusal to stop the wheel of Jihad. The political reality at the time meant that directing the armies of the Ikhwan towards Kuwait and Iraq would anger the British Crown - since they were under its protection - and so the English would put pressure on Abdul Aziz to stop this advance at all costs. Had the matter been clear to the Ikhwan they would not have hesitated to settle matters with Abdul Aziz before he turned the people, tribes and scholars against them, and also before his army was re-strengthened and supplied with English weaponry which at the time was unique in the region.

In fact the element of political awareness is one of the obvious factors which hardly require examples to demonstrate its importance in wars. So we find that the Minister of Defence in some modern countries is actually a political position of the first order, and not a military one as some would think. If we take Israel for instance, which is a state that follows the best of strategic security regimes in handling its armed forces, we find that the job of military intelligence in the army is to gather strategic information which affects the security of Israel, and then forward this information in the form of raw material without commentary to the political personnel. This means that intelligence information is forwarded ‘as is’ to the Secretary of Defence and to the Prime Minister – both posts were occupied by one man until the year 1967 - and the political leaders would then analyse the information and regard it in the light of their political view of the nature of regional changes. So the Israeli government always depended on Moshe Dayan to understand the Arab way of thinking, and anticipate their political and military movements, not because of his experience in the Arab-Israeli wars alone, but also because of his understanding of the Arab outlook at the time, and the most important points of strength as well as weakness. Thus we see the huge importance of a clear political vision in commanding military movements, and so accordingly invest them in the right way.

And since the academic study of political science is not available to everyone, and is not encouraging at the same time, we need to search for other alternatives. In addition these institutions and political colleges take a lot of your time, and have weaknesses in their curricula, and are far from reality. I have studied some of the university curricula in politics and history and found that professors in the political sections were much affected by Western thinking, and one of them actually brought the American ambassador to lecture us, to stress the importance of Western policies.

So the process of disfiguring facts to which we are exposed does not stop with the satellite channels or newspapers, it infiltrates even the top academic ranks. The rulers, even though they are of our race, are more American than the Americans themselves, and the truth is that almost no one is spared from the process of disfiguring facts (and we are talking about facts which the politicians depend upon in manoeuvring the direction of domestic policies). Thus we still hear that some important political decisions were entirely based on false information. What is laughable is that even the Americans are subject to such disfiguration in a methodical way: for the members of Congress are given monthly reports called “facts and lies” which is formulated by the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and they depend on it in assessing the situation in the Middle East. This report is one of the tools used by the Jewish lobby in determining the policy of the Congress towards the Middle East.

The question now is, how do we understand the situation and what can we rely on to form our political military understanding in the midst of all the chaos and lies?

From experience I say that the problem lies in the time available and the difficulty in finding useful scientific material, for the occupations of life are many, and we do not find enough time to read and study and research, especially in these days where time runs so fast! As for available scientific materials there is the fat and the lean, and to distinguish the difference between the two types we need a long period with books and studies. This is what pushed some scholars to lay down abbreviated programs in the seeking of Shariah knowledge to save time and effort for the knowledge- seeker, such as the programs put forward by Sheikh Yousef Al-‘Ayeeri, may Allah have mercy on him, Dr. Sayed Imam and Sheikh Hamed Al-‘Ali and others. From here the idea of this proposed program came about, to take care of material and time, that four to five hours daily will allow you to cover the materials of the program of reading and audio visual materials in no more than a year, by the will of Allah. As for the scientific material I have relied primarily on history to understand the roots of international politics, its persistent and changing dynamics, for history is the first school for any politician.

Actually no politician can be imagined without a database of all historical events, which can help him in comparing situations, and then to predict the future based on the aspects of similarity of circumstances. This relies particularly on the history of modern warfare and areas of disputes as a measure to understand the direction of global powers, and their policies in each region, and their instruments in applying them.

It remains to say that these papers are the effort of he who has not done enough, and my words about the importance of political military education does not imply that they are so important as to lead to the exclusion of others. For we are a nation of consultation and perhaps the opinion of a soldier may be adopted by the army, as the idea of the tunnel came on the day of Uhud. My writing this list does not mean it is the best available, but it is the result of my personal experience in the world of books, in understanding the political and military line especially. The list alone does not mean that it is enough to create the required state of education, for the fact is that direct contact with the cultural elite in the fields of politics and military may have the utmost effect. This only comes with the availability of a database and a well of cultural experience to go along with understanding the dimensions of talking with the elite. Circumstances have allowed me to meet recently with one of those elite, and he was a military academic expert and he was acutely intelligent and very knowledgeable. So I started to learn from him, only to find him like a sea without shores! And one of the things I never forget is that he gave me abbreviated version of certain important events in a manner which explained everything in one or two lines!!

His extensive readings have clearly helped him develop his political awareness and his vision of various situations, for he was reading 5 books per week - and this is how it should be - for the one who wants to keep in touch with events, and deal with situations as they occur, with knowledge.

I meant to advance and delay some of the books, to gradually build the database, and have listed books which I found useful even if they did not have a direct relation with the topic. I have intentionally repeated some materials on the basis of the rule “if repeated it is accepted”. This is a successful method of educating people for The Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) used to repeat once, twice or three times so that his words were digested by his Companions. I mean for this repetition to happen alternatively between books, films and audio tapes, so that is does not lead to boredom because of repetition of the medium.

Allah is sought for help, and upon Him we depend, and no power is derived except from Allah.

I separated the material and classified it to four main groups as such:

• First Group: Historical Group

• Second Group: Religious Group

• Third Group: Military Group

• Fourth Group: A Group of Personal Biography

The History Group: Consists of 7 books and 9 audio collections and 5 documentary films and this group is considered the spine of the program, so rely on Allah and do not be weak.

The Religious Group: Consists of 21 books and 2 audio collections.

The Military Group: Consists of 19 books and 2 audio groups and 3 documentary films.

The Personal Biography Group: Consists of 13 books.

First: The Historical Group

The Introduction of Ibn Khaldoon

Compiled by the Islamic historian Ibn Khaldoon, the introduction is an analytical follow up of the historical development of the states and nations and systems. It contains the opinions of Ibn Khaldoon in sociology and psychology, and the introduction is good in understanding the factors of strength of nations and their signs of weakness. There is a good copy of it produced by Dar Al-Arqam Ibn Abi Al-Arqam, verified by Ahmed Al-Zoghbi.

The Complete History

This is by the Islamic historian Ezz Al-deen Abi Al-Hassan Ali bin Muhammad Al-Shaibani, aka Ibn Atheer (555 – 630 A) and it discusses historical events from the time of creation up until 628 H. It comes in 11 volumes, and is distinguished by the sound method of narrating events of the Islamic wars. The author has good commentaries on most historical events and the book is very renowned, as it is one of the most important reference books in Islamic history. There are many editions of the book - one of them is that of Dar Al-Kotob Al-Arabi as realised by Dr. Umar Abdul Salam Tadmory.

Encyclopaedia of Islamic history

As compiled by the Islamic historian Mahmoud Shaker, this is a huge book in 22 volumes and studies the political line of Islamic history from its early beginnings right up to current days. It should be studied with concentration on the parts which cater for current history, because these are the most important in it. The book is easily available, except for volumes 10 and 12 which are dedicated to the history of the Arabian Peninsula and Sham – because of the sensitivity of the era and the wars in it. The sheikh has dedicated the last volume to Islamic ethnicities in the word, and in fact the book is a well of information and a spectacular effort which is a resource for all those who research in Islamic history, may Allah reward the author as best can be. The book is printed by the Islamic office.

The History of Najd

As compiled by Husain bin Ghanam and verified by Nasser Al-Deen Al-Asad. The book is printed by Dar Al-Shorouk, and is in one volume. The importance of the book is that it followed the call of the renewing Imam - Mohammed Ibn Abdul Wahhab - this is the call whose good effects are still being seen till today. The book is a good example of those books that are dedicated to study certain important stages in the history of the nation: so when we want to study one particular aspect of history we need to choose a book like this one, which puts the reader in the frame of the events in all its details and dynamics and description of life at the time of the event.

The Line of Historical Change

As compiled by Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, this is a small booklet which explains all of the historical circumstances which happened at the same time as the fall of the Caliphate. The book also describes what happened at the hands of colonial powers; and their instruments in the region. This is an important book in understanding this stage of Islamic history.

The Series of Historical Lessons by Dr. Ahmed Al-Aij

This is a series of audio lectures which care for the following historical era's:

A) The political history of the Omawi nation
B) The political history of the Abbasside nation
C) The political history of Andalusia and Islamic Maghreb
D) The political history of the Ottoman Empire

The Series of Audio Historical Lectures by Dr. Ragheb Al-Serjani

There are many audio tapes by Dr. Ragheb but we will concentrate on the following groups [Crusade Wars – Tartars – Andalusia – Palestine] Dr. Ragheb Al-Serjani is spectacular in the way he links history to modern world events. He provides sound commentaries on some important historical events.

The Graphical Jewish Encyclopaedia

A product from the company of intellectual excellence, I have included it here because of its ease of use, and the way it compiled information from various encyclopaedias with maps and charts. I would have liked to add the encyclopaedia of Jews and Judaism as compiled by Dr. Abdul Wahhab Al-Meseri (may Allah have mercy on him) as it is the ultimate reference in the field. But alas, I have not read it and cannot therefore include it - having sworn not to include any material without having read it first. This encyclopaedia and other books that came afterwards that discuss the history of the Jews fall into the category of ‘knowing your enemy’.

The Series of Films about World War I and World War II

The importance of the study of the background and major events of the two world wars lies in the fact that they were major events which later directly influenced the political features of many nations of the world. I chose here to start with documentary films which studied both wars, and we will come, back by the will of Allah, to study this topic on paper as well. As for the documentaries, they are abundant and we will choose the series of World War I which was produced by the BBC, or that which was broadcast by Al-Jazeera. The World War II series as produced by the BBC or the Abu Dhabi channel, the series was broadcast in colour.

The Abridged Encyclopaedia of Religions, Creeds and Modern Parties

Produced by the International Islamic Youth Forum, it is a very valuable encyclopaedia which comes in two volumes. Its importance lies in its attempt to give you an idea about religions, creeds and modern parties: the history of their formation, their most important ideas and symbols, and the places they are prevalent. It gives you a general idea of the most important intellectual schools and political and literal schools in the world.

The Story of a Revolution

A documentary series which deal with the creation and development of the various Palestinian factions and the most important stages they have been through. This was compiled by Al-Jazeera, and is a very important series due to the interviews it contains with eye witnesses who have actually witnessed and/or participated in the key events.

The Series of the War of Lebanon

This is one of the most important documentary films ever produced by Al-Jazeera. It is a very important reference in understanding the events of this complicated war. In fact this series absorbs to you many of the books which talked about the war the war and its importance lies in the fact that it brought in the testimony of all pacts, currents, personnel, and factions which participated in the war such as communists, Druze, Maroons, Sunni, nationalist, Shia, and diplomats and others who were major players in the war which were exemplary in problems which can never be solved.

The Series of Documentaries, Their Archive, and Our History

This series was also produced by Al-Jazeera. It does a good job documenting some of the most important events in the Arab world, with a comprehensive collection of footage taken during the historical events. The more important episodes include ‘The October War’, ‘How The Land Was Lost’ and ‘The Gulf Conflict’. The series is still being aired to this day.

Second: The Religious Group

After covering some of the main historical events in the first group, we now move on to studies and topics that talk about political and military history from various religious perspectives...

1- In the Shade of the Quran

This is the well-known interpretation book written by the martyr - as we consider him to be - Sayyid Qutb. The reader may wonder what interpretation of the Quran has to do with politics. It is apparent to all that the importance of this book is that it is the only Tafsir which takes reality into consideration and treats its problems with a magnificent literary style. Even though Sayyid Qutb spends most of the book explaining and clarifying the concepts to do with Islamic politics and rule of Allah, the reader finds he also clearly shows position of the Quran towards the western ideal such as their monetary system, the issue of feminism, etc… He also deals with the nature of the relationship that the Quran has regulated with them in calling them to Islam and fighting them. He also focuses on the habits of the universe in understanding the events of history and other topics which develops the sense and taste of the reader in the way he sees and considers affairs. We are dealing with human instances, each with a different spiritual dimension but still conform to what Allah has described in Quran as in telling us about the Jews: “Thou wilt find the most vehement of mankind in hostility to those who believe (to be) the Jews and the idolaters”. [Maeda -81] or the hypocrites who were described as “(belonging) neither to these nor to those”. [Al-Nesaa – 143] Dr. Abdul Wahhab Al-Meseri (may Allah have mercy on his soul), who compiled the encyclopaedia of the Jews and Judaism which is the best book written about the Jews, spent 25 years compiling his encyclopaedia. After visiting dozens of book-houses, searching hundreds of books and documents, and travelling to several different countries for his research, he came to the conclusion that the Quran is the best source to understand the psychology of the Jews!

The Quran is a treasure full of wealth, for he who studies it. For besides the main topics which the Quran deals with, such as belief, worship and the unseen, we must say that there is no science that is useful for man in his life and religion with the Quran not involved in it one way or another. People of the language cannot live without the Quran, and people of astronomy need it to interpret some of the natural phenomena. Scholars of geology and the environment cannot do without it in determining the nature of earth, as it is said in the Quran to be a (fixed abode) and that mountains were as also mentioned as (firm hills) and many other examples exist. Historians cannot do without it in arranging the chronology of nations as given in the verses in the nation’s vanquish. The same can be said about other sciences such as medicine, psychology and sociology, and praise be to He who said: “We have neglected nothing in the Book (of Our decrees)”.

As for war and fighting, it was mentioned in other spots in the Quran: Allah has given me help in assembling a small chapter in the military belief from the verses that are related and it is in the book of Hisn Mujahid. It is an abbreviated book which has all that the Mujahid needs in terms of verdicts and behavioural issues. It is enough to look at each verse on its own to understand the creed and the psychology which Allah has guided his worshippers to have during war. The Quran is the table of Allah as Ibn Masood has said, the table owner may give one of his guests a bit more generously, of that is what Allah has endowed upon me in the message of the War of the Minds –not produced yet- as I spent a period of time collecting and searching the threads of intelligence operations, the factors of success in intelligence work, and the most important features and characteristics of a successful spy. I wrote nearly eighty pages and stopped at a verse that I had written in the index which is: (and I come unto thee from Sheba with sure tidings).

I noticed how strongly related the mission of the hoopoe and the mission of a spy is, but this time I meditated more into it and in the verses after it which recount the story of Solomon and the hoopoe and I was shocked tremendously! I found that all I had written, and all the results and ideas which took me many days and nights to write, and took me eighty pages to express turned out to be only one page in the book of Allah. I was not aware of the existence of books and studies which used the story of the hoopoe in the matter of spying such as the book ‘Spying and its verdicts according to Islamic Shariah’ by Muhammad Rakan Al-Doghmi. I found that I was not the first to apply the verses to general principles to intelligence, and the conditions that must be fulfilled in a successful spy and the officers who administer his work, one of the military experts comments on the book by saying that it is unique in its topic and that has incited the Israeli press to publish some of its paragraph after getting an initial copy somehow!!

In fact talking about the Quran and its importance in the political and military understanding does not stop with one or two books, for however long we live with the Quran we will not reveal all of its secrets. We must understand that it is a book of guidance, and how to live a good life, and perhaps you would see in it what nobody else has seen. By that I do not mean writing new interpretations for the Quran - as this is a science that has its experts - but rather I mean to contemplate Quran and the meanings of each verse in a way that keeps it within its context as the scholars say that it is apparent, that the right interpretation is what the majority of scholars say it is. Then they go on to say that we also may learn such and such from this verse, and we may understand such and such, and there is a good indication that it means such and such... And others have confirmed the meaning to be what the shadows of a verse would throw upon you, I spent long months studying military plans which can be used to liberate Palestine, under the current circumstances and political and military factors surrounding the region. I got into a state of tides with every plan that came to my mind, and I would not be exaggerating to say that nothing kept me busy while praying and outside prayers as that matter, it even was keeping me company while going to the toilet!

Political and military geography of the Sham including Sinai and Palestine – as Sinai is geographically a part of Sham - do not give you too many options under the circumstances which may be available in the future. I answered one of those responsible for one of the Jihadi groups in Gaza about the correct strategy by saying: do not tire yourselves unless you are a part of a much bigger organisation!

The area of Palestine and its surroundings have experienced all types of known warfare: from total war as in 1948 between Israel and the Arab nations, to limited was as in the war in 1967 between Israel and Egypt, Syria and Jordan. Then there was the war of attrition after 1967, or war on two fronts such as in 1973 between Israel and Egypt and Syria. Then the war of commandos, before that on the frontlines with Jordan, and then Lebanon. There were the foreign military operations such as those of the Black September organisation, or internal conflicts such as the intifada ‘war of the stones’ and then ‘weapon intifada’. Nothing has succeeded in making a proper path which can be used to liberate al-Aqsa, not only because of the religious deviation which was a characteristic of the leaders at the time, but also because of the weakness in the way the wars were led. Victory is but from Allah, and that is a fact and cannot be doubted but Allah has taught us to use religious reasons and universal reasons too to bring about victory. So we are ordered to prepare as can be, and who does not do that is not thanked:“And if they had wished to go forth they would assuredly have made ready some equipment.”

One of the first and most important preparations is related to the preparation of the right plan and which is suitable for the war, and to use all available forces to serve this plan. Wars are not won by sheer numbers now, otherwise Egypt would have defeated Israel in 73, when the Egyptians had 1.2 million soldiers against less than 300 000 Jewish soldiers, and not only advanced military technology, otherwise Israel would have defeated Hezbollah in 2006. Nor is it only a matter of bravery, otherwise we would not have got the famous saying “lions led by donkeys”, nor wisdom only without patience. Each war needs its own combination of circumstances and the winner is he who finds this combination!

In fact, I think that I found the combination for which I had been looking while poring over the map of Palestine for that entire year… I found it in a verse in the Book of Allah, which I always recited with the image of Palestine in my imagination as normal. If prayers were not broken by speaking words from outside its context I would have jumped up saying “Eureka!” as Newton said when he discovered gravity! And that does not mean to make the prayers a headquarters for planning and leadership - even though Umar Ibn Al-Khatab said something like that - as this might call the devil to be our military affairs consultant. And this is the second time the Quran has put me on the right road.

I intended to write each intellectual stage I have been through till I came to the Quranic theory - which I think is the right key to whoever wishes to pray the conqueror’s prayers in al-Aqsa - and I intended to discuss whatever comes up against this plan by way of objections and political hardships but I preferred not to write a single letter till Allah has willed so...

By that I meant I was taken to write all that when talking about the interpretation of Sayyid Qutb is to change our way of thinking and dealing with the Quran as man cannot do without the light of Allah, and the guidance associated even if he has all the degrees of knowledge and science. And he for whom Allah hath not appointed light, for him there is no light.

2- Jihadi Education

As compiled by Munier Al-Ghadban and caters for Jihadi education by taking on Quranic sequence in the education of the first generation of Muslims. The book is very useful for those newly initiated into the ranks of the Mujahideen and comes in three volumes.

3- The Leader Prophet

This book was written by General Mahmoud Shet Khatab, and remains one of his most famous books. Its importance lies in the way he studied the character of the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) and the application of military principles on the plans and wars of the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) The book is very useful, so may Allah reward his writer as best can be.

4- Leaders of the Prophet, Peace and Prayers Be Upon Him

Another book by General Mahmoud Shet Khatab, which deals with the biographies of those Companions assumed leadership at the time of the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him). It is notable for the western approach taken in writing the biographies of the characters even though the general is proficient in Arabic, and is a knight in its defence.

5- The Leaders of the Conquering of Iraq and Arabian Peninsula

Another book of General Mahmoud Shet Khatab, and in it he continues the progression of Islamic conquests. This book has sound commentaries on various military expeditions of Khaled Ibn Walid, Saad and Abu Obaida and the rest of the leaders of Islamic conquests.

6- The Leaders of the Conquest of the Sham

Of the same series as above, and in it the General talks about the events and plans of the conquests of the Sham.

7- The Leaders of the Conquest of Persia

Taken from the same series of books, which became famous, and was then broadcast on Arabic radio stations as a radio series. There is also a book on the leaders of the conquests of Islamic Maghreb, and that of Sind, and that of Afghanistan but I have not read those three yet.

8- In the Shade of the Swords

This book is about the first five hundred years in the history of the battles of the Muslims, and is a moderate attempt to learn lessons from the military history of Muslims. In this book a brother has participated with me, and also in writing the book of Hisn Al-Mujahid, this brother reminds me of the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) saying: “the most secure person I can be with in presence of his family and his worldly possession is Abu Bakr”, so may Allah reward him for his service to me as best can be.

9- The Leader Prophet

Compiled by Sheikh Abdul Monem bin Ezz Al-Deen Al-Badawi, also known as Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir, may Allah have the widest of mercy on his soul. The book contains valuable scientific research and has not been given its proper evaluation yet, and deals with the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) life from a military perspective. It includes some experiments and outcomes of war in Iraq, in which the author was the war minister of Mujahideen.

10- Milestones

By the teacher Sayyid Qutb, it is but a small booklet but has big influence in its meaning, and it is as in its title, which is simply ‘Milestones’.

11- In the Shade of Surat Al-Tawba

A book by Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, may Allah have mercy on him, and it is part of his heritage which has been collected in four volumes under the name “The great treasures of what has been recorded by the martyr Imam Abdullah Azzam”. This book is originally a transcript of a number of lessons around the interpretation of Surat Al-Tawba, so whoever wishes it would be better to listen to the tapes, because the Sheikh has a method that makes it better to listen to him than to simply read a transcript of his speech. These audio lessons have contained much of the experience and important events in the life of the Sheikh.

12- Hesn Al-Mujahid Fisabilillah

This is a shortened book in the understanding of the book of Jihad, and contains most of the verdicts on Jihad. It is special because of the quality of classification, such as the ‘morals of a Mujahid’ and ‘morals of an Emir’ and that of the army and others. The idea was for it to be a booklet containing all the verdicts and morals needed by a Mujahid, as in the book of sayings (Hesn Al-Muslim). I ask Allah to benefit people with it.

13- Pillar in Preparing [for Jihad]

By Dr. Sayyid Imam also known as Abdul Qader Abdul Azeez and is good book for mental preparation, and has chapters in the organisation of relationships between a soldier and an Emir, and other important topics.

14- Freedom or the Flood

By Dr. Hakem Al-Mutairi, and is a good book that talks about the history of the political organisation in Islam, how its nature was in the beginning, and how it has changed with time. The book is valuable in its context.

15- Declaring Innocence

Compiled by Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri (may Allah preserve his soul) and originally this book was a compilation of answers to some reviews that appeared in 1429H, and was led by some of the personnel of the Jihadi movement. The reason why I put it here is because it talks about the verdict on Jihad abroad, and if a visa is a legal contract or not, and other important matters in the politics of the Jihadi work.

16- Legal policy by Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya

This book caters for cases of Hesba, and organisation of some of the civil governance. The book is part of the Book of Fatawa, but was printed separately too.

17- Faith and Leadership

Is one of the numerous good books by General Mahmoud Shet Khatab and takes on the topic of leadership, and how it is affected by religious adhesion. It came as a response to some false claims about successful leadership which were taken for granted in that period, and the book too does a good analysis of the conquest of Quds and Constantinople and the way the leadership went in each of them.

18- Legal Policy of Abu Umar Al-Sayf

He is the judge of the Shariah Court in Chechnya, and he compiled this book to be a constitution for the state based on legal basis. It includes rules and morals, the general arrangement of the relationship between the ruler and the people. In it he showed the duties of the state ministries and the system of Hesba, the educational aspect, and other organisational aspects that give you a true vision to manage an Islamic state, so may Allah have the widest of mercy on the soul of the writer.

19- Jihad and Fighting in Legal Policy

Originally this was a Ph.D. paper by Dr. Mohammed Kher Haikal, and it is an abridged encyclopaedia of understanding of various topics of Jihad in three volumes published by Dar Al-Bayareq. The importance of the book is in its wide take on most of the creeds and Islamic schools of thought in the cases of Jihad old and new, and the position of each school. Here is an extract from the verdict of the committee: “The committee decided to grant a Ph.D. to the student in Islamic studies from faculty of Imam Awza’i, with a merit of distinction, and if there was a rank better than a distinction we would have granted it to him, and praise be to Allah”.

20- The Military Message of the Mosque

Compiled by General Mahmoud Shet Khatab, originally it was in several papers, but the General developed it into the size of a book. It is my belief that the General used this book to perform a coup against those who wanted to disfigure Islamic history, supported by the formal authorities. The book bears the name of “military message of the mosque” but it challenges many forms of the disfiguring attempts, and those who doubt Islamic history and its symbols and references. This has been fronted by some who are affected by Western ideals, with support from those in the decision-making positions. He meant this book to be a Trojan horse, which carries inside it some of what it would not show as a measure to evade being censored by the authorities.

21- The Series, Jihad is the Solution

This is an audio series by Sheikh Mustafa Weld El Set Miriam, also known as Abu Musab Al-Suri, may Allah release him from captivity. It comes in forty lectures where the Sheikh follows some of the historical dimensions and the intellectual and political extent of problems facing the Muslims, and the importance of Jihad as a legal and practical solution. It contains lessons from the experience of the Sheikh, and his opinions around matters of politics and war. To speak the truth, the Sheikh is a great asset for the Jihadi generation, and I have learnt a lot from his opinions and ideas. I ask Allah to help us return him the favours he gave to us, as he has put in so much by way of call and education for the sons of this blessed movement, so may Allah reward him on our behalf as best can be.

22- The Reality of the New Crusades

Compiled by Sheikh Yousef Al-Ayyiri, may Allah have mercy on his soul, even though the book specifically caters for the legal aspects of the battles of New York and Washington, it is more generally considered the first document that studied the new Crusader war led by America. Its importance lies in its way of presenting the Arab reader with the historical facts of American crimes against Muslims, so as to reveal the false picture about human rights in American policies, and the reality of the motives of the neo-conservatives against the Muslim world especially.

23- Truly These are Our Morals if We Really Are Believers

When we talk about leadership at war, we are talking about the manners of the knights, which do not change with victory or defeat. History has shown us some examples of these manners, which I did not understand initially; like how Saladin was generous with Richard the Lionheart, and how he sent food, drink and ice to the camp of Richard during the siege. This and other similar situations only come out of great persons who are more above trivialities and the wish to avenge for no reason, as is normal in wars: “Lo! kings, when they enter a township, ruin it and make the honour of its people shame.”

So soldiers and men normally are attracted to one who takes on these generous manners, also opponents bow their heads to such people, and they can accept defeat at the hands of such knights. Because of this we must care for the moral side before practicing leadership in war. Nothing is better in that aspect than having good manners, the correct opinion, and bravery. That is why some would, and still do, send their boys to those they trust of people of wisdom and bravery, for the boy to be educated as a knight from his younger years, in fact. I have not been able to locate a book that takes on this topic so I chose this particular book which discusses morals in general. Mahmoud Muhammad Al-Khazendar has compiled this book after a Jihadi experience in Bosnia, and I have been told that commander Abdul Azeez Al-Moqrin used to recommend this book to the youth, so may Allah reward the writer as best can be.

Third: Military Group

1- The Call of the Battalions of the Call of International Islamic Resistance

This is a Jihadi encyclopaedia that included a historical account of the path of the conflict between Islamic civilisation on one side and the Roman civilisation and its heiress the United States on the other side. The book looks at strategies of conflict which the Mujahideen have adopted in the war which is called the “war on terror” by the Americans. In fact, it is a valuable encyclopaedia by way of debating the answers, the problems, and political and military visions. It also includes other discussions about the experiences of some jihadi groups in the modern age, and its author Sheikh Abu Musab Al-Suri is one of those who went through those experiences in Syria and Afghanistan and lived through the rest. He also has a book dedicated to the Syrian experience but I have not read it yet.

2- Moqatel min Sahara Website

This electronic website which is affiliated with General Khaled bin Sultan, and in fact those who administer it have a great ability to analyse political and military analysis – and are quite biased towards the policies of Abdul Nasser. Its importance lies in the section of the history of the military wars in modern times starting from WWI in 1914 and continuing until the Gaza War in 2008. It is very important to copy all this section and put it all in one file to be a reference for us on numbers, dates and events of those important wars. The information in this site reminds me of what Mao Tse Tung said: we have to study lessons of wars carefully after it has been paid for in blood, it has come to us as a heritage.

3- The Interpretation of the Book of the War of the Vulnerable

This is an audio series by Sheikh Abu Musab Al-Suri, may Allah release him from captivity. It is an explanation which talks about guerrilla war, and this is what the author called “war of the vulnerable”. In it the Sheikh has talked about several cases which are important to the Mujahideen, and the importance lies in the way the experiences of all guerrilla wars were conducted - both successful and failed ones alike - with analysis of each of them.

4- Iraq-Iran war

By General Abu Ghazala, it is a follow on from ‘the diaries of the Iraq Iran war’. The development of each stage and the most important lessons learnt from this war are detailed. The General has a sound manner of showing the dimensions of this war both militarily and politically.

5- A Study of the Fall of Thirty Islamic Nations

As compiled by Dr. Abdul Halim Owais. This is an abridged and a sound study in its context. Dr. Abdul Halim has sound comments on the nature of historical events, and from here comes the importance of history as a school for every politician and military person.

6- A Strategic Study about the International Conflict and the Jihadi Position Towards It

In fact I do not consider this as a true ‘study’, because I have not followed the academic method in analysis or the authoritarian impartiality - it is not expectable –Allah forbid – of me to be impartial in this conflict, so it is more like an essay than a study. The topic here takes the path of the international conflict and the point of crossroads with jihad. I did not sign these papers when they were first published on the internet for security reasons. I would like to remind the reader that there are grammatical errors, and a historical error in the names of the countries in the Balkan war.

7- Responsibility of the People of Yemen

Of the epistles of Sheikh Abu Musab Al-Suri, it is an example of how to read geographical, anthropological, social and economic parameters in determining the military and political visions to expect in the future.

8- Management of Savagery

This is one of the most important books of debate for the current Jihadi movement. Its author, Sheikh Abu Bakr Naji, spends the book describing the stages of the war, the expected future fronts, and the characteristics of war. This book needs to be read twice to digest its contents, not because of difficulty, but because of the high quality.

9- Rogue State

By the American William Blum, this book has come to be very famous after Sheikh Usama bin Laden spoke highly of it in one of his televised messages, during which he advised the American nation to read it. It is only because of the Sheikh that the book has become famous, and in it, the American dissident talks about the bloody policies of the United States of America towards the other nations of the world.

10- Sudden War

This is a product of ‘the Arab establishment for publications and studies’, and this establishment is responsible for many good military books. This book is a very important study of a very important type of military operations, which depend on the element of surprise, which is the most important element of the war at all. The importance of this study of that type of military operation is that it is the favourite for the western world’s military minds. When studying these experiments we can open new horizons for the military planners in surpassing solid military ideas and equations.

11- A Series of Essays, Real War and Symbolic War

By the author Abdul-Rahman Al-Faqeer, may Allah preserve him, it is a small but useful series in understanding the differences between a symbolic and a real war.

12- Engines of Persian Policies

By the researcher Adel Abdullah, it is a very valuable study in understanding Iranian policies in the region and their anticipated dimensions.

13- Military Plans

This is a video educational series which was broadcast on Al-Jazeera TV, and it is good in giving you a preliminary idea about the way of military planning in wars and their requirements.

14- Guerrilla War

This is by the commander Abdul Azeez Al-Moqrin, may Allah have mercy on his soul, and it is a small epistle that deals with guerrilla war, and mentions also other types as the author is a military veteran.

15- Myth of Illusion

By Sheikh Muhammad El-Hukayma, may Allah have mercy on his soul, the book has detailed explanations of everything to do with the CIA, in terms of its sections and instruments and others. The importance of the topic lies in understanding the methods of this agency, and its abilities, and the truth about the halo around it. It has three books that talk about the CIA, the KGB and the Mossad, and should be read to be better informed about the nature of the most important three agencies in the world.

16- Military Features of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

This book is a transcript of the seminar which was held in Jerusalem after the October War, and it was attended by many experts in the fields of politics and military. This forum discussed many points and ideas around the October War and the nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

17- Command, Control and Communication

This book cares for the history of the development of leadership and communication in the armies. The language used was somewhat difficult, but it gives the reader a detailed idea on the types of leadership (old and new) and the new developments. It is published by the Arab publishing and studies house.

18- Israel from the Inside

A series of documentary films shown on Al-Jazeera that explain in detail some of the main aspects of Jewish life in the Occupied Territories, and their internal problems. It is important to aid with your understanding of the current Israeli reality.

19- Arms Race

A series of documentary films shown on Al-Jazeera, which deal with the history and development of the ‘arms race’, and the points of strength and weakness of the sides. The importance of it is that it gives you a general idea about the most important tools of war, and the weight assigned to each in the battlefield.

20- A Study: Islamic State of Iraq and the Strategy for the Next Era

This is a modern study that deals with recent developments in the Iraq war. It also contained some useful suggestions, especially in the chapter that handles the issue of the “symbol”, it proved correct in stating that after the death of the Emir and the Minister of War, that the stage became void of known elements. What concerns us here is that we need to get to know the type of studies that deal with the problems of the war-front, and how best to study and deal with it.

21- Creating Terrorism Program

That’s an audio series by Mujahid brother Abdullah Al-Adam (may Allah protect him) and it deals the security systems used in the field of Jihadi-work. It is valuable in terms of security information, and the mentioned experiences, and its importance to us is in the feeding of the security awareness with the receiver to become more knowledgeable about the way various security systems in the world work, the cooperation between them and other important issues.

22- Spies in the Sand

This is an archival collection book of several operations performed by the Mossad, and the most important persons who took over in this intelligence agency. The book includes interesting details about some of the operations which were never revealed before, and for which the Mossad has not announced their responsibility. In the book there are some matters which I think were published by instruction from Mossad itself, such as the paragraph which talks about documents that prove the existence of nuclear mines implanted by Israel in the Golan Heights! Because this hugely important information could not to be revealed in this simple method, unless it was specifically meant to increase the fear of the Syrians if they were thinking of going back to the Golan. In general the book is good in giving insight into the murky world of intelligence work.

23- War and Psychology

An important part of a modern army is the section responsible for psychological warfare, which includes the propaganda war, and how to destroy the morale of your enemy. Some of the leadership in the military headquarters employ psychology gurus to learn about human reactions and what to expect on the level of the general populace and the governments. The student would realise in the current wars that there is a high number of casualties which do not occur from either enemy or friendly fire, but rather due to suicidal rates among the soldiers, as what happened to the Japanese in WWII, and to the Americans in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Even though I worked as psychological specialist in the past, I cannot think of a particular book at the moment to recommend in the field of “psychological warfare”, so I would ask the reader to search for a good source in this important field.

24- Body Language

Achieving victory in war comes as a result of a group of successes in administrative, military and political factors. One of those successes occurs during the negotiations which come after or during wars, and here the need arises for efficient negotiators, who can read and evaluate the situation, and measure reactions on the faces of the opponents, to learn the truth of what they hide behind their appearance, as the Prophet (peace and prayers be upon him) did in the negotiations with Quraish on the day of Hudaybia, and as Amr Ibn Al-As did in his negotiations with the Romans. In fact, it is more to do with physiognomy in the first place, but we can improve our physiognomy by learning the body movements, and those of the face and the eyes. What each movement reveals to us is the true feelings of the speaker, whether he is truthful or a liar, whether he is worried or a coward by nature. Antara answered, when asked how he defeated his enemies: “I used to look them in the eye, and when I see a coward, I would start with him, so the rest would be afraid!”

From this we can learn of the importance of the books that deal with this topic, one of which is “Body Language” translated by Mohammed Abdul Rahman Sobhana. It is a book which depends on pictures to illustrate each movement of the body.

Fourth: Biography Group

Biographies are considered one of the most important sources through which we can reveal the real policies used in the past, especially the things which happened in secrecy and those to do with major events and wars. Mostly the biographies of presidents are looked upon with a disparaging eye, because presidents mostly use their biography to defend their former mistakes, such as the biography of the ex-American president Nixon in which he tried to justify the war in Vietnam, or the biography of Pervez Musharraf in which he tried to justify submitting to American policy, and Pakistan’s participation as a spear in the war against the Mujahideen. So while these biographies can mostly be seen as attempts to justify themselves, they can also be considered a mine of information on situations which are published for the first time. Some would prefer – I am one of them – the personal biographies of officers and intelligence agents for many reasons: for the will to lash out against policies in their former agencies is only natural. From here, comes the intelligence scandals in the words of an adviser, which is not seen as treason but merely an attempt to make financial gains more than anything else. The world of intelligence is exciting and yet quite unknown at the same time, and from those biographies we can learn about the methods of intelligence agencies eastern and western countries; how they operate their military and political agendas in such hidden wars.

1- The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Written by the famous English intelligence officer known as Lawrence of Arabia. It is composed of the agent’s diaries while working on his mission for which he was sent to Sham and Hijaz. The book is full of hateful philosophy but the reader will notice that Lawrence has described precisely the nature of Arab land, and the nature of the way the tribes deal with its men. I believe that this is one of the reasons he was chosen for this mission, as the geographical information that he has mentioned is sufficient to give a good idea to any army wishing to occupy this land! And here we would like to know the nature of the work of the agent in that period, and the most important problems he faced.

2- Sultan Abdul Hamid II’s Memoirs

These were written by the Sultan during his reign. From this piece we can learn about the political atmosphere of the Ottoman Empire in the ‘Sick Man’ era, and the most important problems it suffered.

3- Churchill’s Memoirs

A very important book for understanding the political situations in Europe during WWII, during which Churchill was Britain’s Prime Minister. Many of the critics and analysts credit Churchill and his political wisdom for England withstanding the Nazi invasion; from this we see the importance of the memoirs.

4- Admissions of Golda Meir

She is the former Israeli Prime Minister who lived through the stages of the beginning of the state, she took on several jobs till she reached the post of Prime Minister at the time of the October War. This woman is an example of someone who worked hard for their principles, and she is therefore considered to be a symbol and a hero of the Jews in the modern era.

5- Confessions of a Soviet agent

A product of ‘the Arab establishment for studies and publishing’, it is a good book in describing some of the major operations of the KGB. It is also good in showing the nature of the relationships between the superpowers in the state of undeclared wars such as the ‘Cold War’ and the way intelligence agencies work in these vague circumstances.

6- The Diaries of Dayan

Written by the famous Jew Moshe Dayan, who took up several different posts until he reached that of the Defence Minister. He was a student of Ben-Gurion who is the founder of the state. The importance of these notes come from the fact that the writer has lived through and participated in all of the Arab-Israeli wars, and planned some of them. The biography is not void of sarcasm and self-praise, so one has to be careful.

7- The Memoirs of Begin

He is the former Israeli Prime Minister, and the importance of his memoirs lie in the fact that they address the peace treaty with Egypt, and the Lebanon war. The reason why I mentioned these in the program is to show the role of political opposition in the state of the Jews, because Begin was for over 20 years head of the opposition party.

8- October War

That is the name given to the notes of major general Saad Al-Deen Al-Shazli head of the headquarters of the Egyptian armed forces in the October War, and to whom all credit goes for the passing of the canal and destruction of the Barlev line and achieving initial victory in the first days of the war. Al-Shazli reveals some hidden facts of this war, and the truth about the Egyptian deception of Syria, and the role of Sadat in the loss which followed the initial victory and many other exciting things. Shazli too has many books in military belief and war strategy but I have not read them, the story of this man shows the ability of Arab minds to successfully conduct war as geniuses if left to work freely, without intervention from the defeatists - whose decisions always come to kill any success. In general these notes are very valuable in understanding the reality of the wars and its requirements; and it reminds me of Napoleon’s saying: you can’t learn war except through war!

9- Yom-Kippur War

These are the diaries of the head of the war intelligence in the Israeli army Eli Zera, the notes are an attempt to defend himself against the accusations he faced during the Granite military court which blamed him for the losses of the Israeli army in the October War (which the Jews call Yom Kippur War after one of their feasts) because of the failure of the Israeli intelligence to discover the time of the war. Its importance lies in that it contained serious and long discussion of the Israeli security system and the role of the military intelligence in it. The October War is a field which is full of military and political benefits; therefore the reader should not be surprised by my frequent references to this war.

10- "15 Bullets for the Sake of Allah"

By the teacher Mustafa Hamed a.k.a. Abu Al-Walid Al-Masri, he is the first Arab to participate in the Afghan jihad against the Russians. The importance of his memoirs come from its revelation about several circumstances and positions that the Afghani jihad stage has been through, from the experience of Abu Al-Walid with the leaders of the Afghan parties and the position of the Islamic movements in it.

11- Desert Storm

These are the memoirs of the General Norman Schwarzkopf - leader of the coalition forces in what is known as Desert Storm. It is a personal diary, in which the General included his life story, but what matters to us is the secrets of that war, and the way the American armies work in case of emergency.

12- Before History Leaves Us

These are the memoirs of General Raad Al-Hamdani head of the second battalion in the Iraqi Republican Guard. General Raad has lived through most of the wars fought by the Iraqi army since its inception, and his memoirs are considered as a rare source in knowing the plans that the Iraqi leadership has taken to defend against American invasion in 1991 and 2003, and the plan for invading Kuwait in 1990 too.

13- By Way of Deception

By the Israeli Mossad officer Victor Strovski, this is one of the most famous books that talked about the mechanisms of work within the Mossad, and the nature of the relationship between its working members. It also contains details of the most important operations done by the Mossad, and I would not like to succumb to conspiracy theories and their psychological consequences, but have included in my long research everything I could get my hands on from that establishment.

Fifth: General Follow-up Group

In addition to the four main groups, this group is not liaised with certain books and materials, but rather to persons that I recommend following up their political analysis of various cases, and learning from their interpretations of political phenomena (and the reasons behind them), as well as what they suggest in terms of opinions and solutions.

1- Sheikh Usama bin Laden, may Allah protect him

Speeches and letters of the Sheikh show his accurate understanding of international policies, and how the balance of power tips. Whoever scrutinises the points the Sheikh cares about while talking about international policy sees clearly that he always touches the right point cleverly, and this would need volumes to talk about.

2- Dr. Abdullah Al-Nafesi, may Allah protect him

He is the well-known doctor in political sciences, and in fact the doctor does not need my recommendation to show the importance of his analysis, but in general he is better than his counterparts in the strategic field of political cases and this shows the knighthood of the man.

3- Dr. Akram Al-Hijazi, may Allah protect him

Dr. Akram is a doctor in sociology and is renowned for his superior ability in describing political status as is, the doctor has contributions in the media and his articles can be used to understand the political status of any case. He is also considered as one of the most important searchers in the path of the modern Jihadi generation.

It remains to say that the biggest problem that faces researchers in political and military affairs is in the ability to get information and true statistics on current issues without which no decision of expectation can be made, and by way of experiment I advise the reader to always follow the three steps [always search – always keep far – always care] which is as follows:

a- Always search for releases of the military – especially those in lower ranks - to know the truth and the nature of the situation on land in a war field, and keep away from the politicians! For they are the worst of liars, and their calculations are too long before they make any declaration (unless it is a slip of the tongue). The military are more professional, and may be led by psychological pressure and physical pressure which comes as a result of war to say the truth, and reveal the hidden secrets. This comes for many reasons such as responsibility for the soldiers, and because in general the military feel bad about the manoeuvres of the politicians which is paid for by the soldiers and their own blood. This results in leaks, and I believe that the leaks in the ‘war on terror’ which were published recently in the Wiki-Leaks website is part of that, and Allah knows best.

b- Always keep away from the political opposition, because they are always unreliable; as they always exaggerate and change facts due to their animosity for the regime. Here I must say that whatever justice the person has it should be on account of his credibility! And that is noted with some Saudi dissidents abroad make unreliable claims due to mistreatment.

c- Always pay attention to the reports of strategic studies centres in the western countries, because they are very reputable and follow the steps of scientific research in extracting results, and they are used by the policy makers when deciding their strategic movements towards any case. Think-tanks, as they are called in America, are given large budgets and hundreds of specialised researchers to investigate issues. Though be careful when their research concerns the Jews, because they may wish to disfigure facts, because Jewish researchers in these establishments may intervene and that is noticeable.

Finally I would like to give some sayings and quotations of a group of the most important people in the art of war in the modern era. We will notice that their words are a mixture of knowing abilities in the sciences of history and politics and the art of war. My purpose in this is to get the reader to sharpen his sense up to the level required if the experience and political readiness and military are available. That does not stop me from mentioning the quotations of past Muslim leaders, but I would like to concentrate on the reality of wars which we live through, and wisdom is what a Believer seeks wherever he finds it, he is more worthy of it.

War is too dangerous to be handled only by the military!
Charles Talleyrand

The crowds only follow the strong!
Hitler

The only theory that is based on logic among other theories in the art of war is that is built to adopt the study of military history, and includes a limited percentage of constant principles and that opens the field for natural genius in the field of guiding war without limiting it with narrow rulings!
Antoine Henri-Jomini

War can only be learnt by war!
Napoleon

The way the grand principles are applied in war is what creates a great commander.
George Henderson

For in counsel it is good to see dangers, in execution not to see them, except they be very great.
Francis Bacon

The psychological vacuum results from the feeling of the leader that he has fallen into a trap
Basil Liddell Hart

The history of war has a lot of examples which were had plans and projects that challenge all the systems of war and refuse its bases, yet managed to score victory because it proved to have the elements that achieved surprise!
The Head of the German Navy in World War Two

A brave leadership is one that has wide horizons and that is sure of its surveillance, and from its information about the opponents, beside its confidence in its land units and air fleet. With that, it can achieve major victory with little number of troops and this is that art of war!
The Book of the Surprise War

Submitted by a Mujahid

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