The True story behind Taliban

Taken from a short discourse delivered by Mufti Nizammuddin Shamzi (d.b)

Firstly, I would like to put forward that the Taliban are those Afghanis from religious schools, students as well as teachers, who whave participated in the Jihad of Afghanistan. Of course, at that time these people were from various organisations. There were some from Hikmatyars organisation, some from Shaikh Sayyafs group, from Nabi Mohammad's group, some from Yunus Khalis's group and from Gylani's organisation.

As you well know, there is a tribal society in Afghanistan. Therefore, there is a very strong relationship between one another i.e. the public scholars.
So the Russian trops entered Afghanistan, the Ulama gathered adn gave Fatwa that Jihad against the Russian troops was Fard upon everyone that lived within Afghanistan. Therefore this fatwa resulted in the widespread participation of Scholars and Students of Afghanistan including their closely related pious associates in Jihad. They spent 16 years doing Jihad in which half a million people were Shaheed including women and children. This great sacrifice enabled the Afghanis to gain a position that ultimately led to the Russain withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Russia now only exists in the form of various independant states in central Asia. Today we see that there is no government under the name of Soviet Union anywhere in the world. After the withdrawal of the Russian troops from Afghanistan, the Ulama and Students, who thought sincerely for the sake of Allah, believed that their mission was accomplished and so they returned to their posts i.e. religious schools and Mosques and the general public returned to their work.

Nevertheless, the political leaders susch as Burhanuddin Rabbani, Hikmatyar, Yunus, Sayyaf Saheb, came together. It is also known that Pakistan tried to make peace but they did not reach an agreement. Although they could have reached an agreement but for the issue of control over Kabul, this was the stumbling block, that prevented implementations of all other agreements. This resulted in Saudi intervention that gave all the parties to enter the Ka'bah (maybe Makkah and not inside the Ka'bah it self, I am only typing what I am reading) and hold talks there. However the ink had barely dried on the paper containig this agreement when it was broken for the sake of the control of Kabul. A conflict erupted in which thousands of Muslims were Shaheed and no result was gained.

There was no sign of peace and security in Afghanistan. That conditions were so shocking can be highlighted by the plight of those traveling from Jalalabad to Kabul via Sarooby, a place controlled by 3 to 4 commanders of the Hikmatyaar movement, Zarrdar, Kalam and Chaman. Each of them had his own territory and had installed barriers to stop thetravellers. The least the commanders forced out out of the unwary travelers would be 1 million Afghani Rupees and some times 2 million. One driver, under oath, relates an incident wherby a lady wearing a gold ring was traveling with him. When they reached the check point, the soldier on seeing the ring, first tried to force the ring off her hand but after realising that it was too tight, he decided to cut her finger off instead.

Similarly in Panj Sher and Kabul, where General Ahmed Shah Masood was in power, no one would have the courage to reclaim their own legal possesions. As was the case if they were to snatch anyones daughters, her parents would no longer have any rights over her.

These were the Principles of "Law and Order" in Afghanistan. As far as the Islamic law and order was concerned in Rabbanis territory, there was not the slightest sign of Islamic rule.

Today even Europe is acknowledging that the Taliban movement are the only military power that is sincere in its actions. Whenever The Taliban entered a province, their very first action is to announce the "From today there shall only be one Justice, thats of Allah's and there shall be only one Rule, that of Islam" Then secondly all rival factions are disarmed (down to the general public) to pre-empt further disturbance and destruction. Subsequently, who ever is appointed as governer for that particular province, as witnessed by my own eyes, will stay awake and keep watch all night due to the tremendous responsibility of keeping the peace. If there is any crime that has taken place and the criminal had not been brought forward then the governer will be first questioned. As far as peace and tranquillity are concerned, the media itself reports that wherever there is Taliban rule, crimes are virtually non existance to the extent of being unheard of.

I would like to put a point forward to you that usually the critics raise the question of where the movement's weapons come from? But let me tell you thatit is from the same place as where Hikmatyaar, Rabbani, and the rest recieved their weapons from, andas susch, it is just tas irrelevant now as it was then. It seems that back then it did not matter but as soon as the people of justice, the pious Muslims, gain such booty and weaponry, then it becomes an issue.

I would like to point out another question that is raised, that is, Who is behind the Taliban movement? Allah the Almighty, says in the Quran, "You who believe! If any from among you turn back from his faith, soon Allah will produce a people whom he will love as they love him, gentle towards the believers but stern against the non believers fighting in the way of Allah, and never fearing the accusations of an accuser." He further says: "Your(Real) friends (assistants) are (no less than) Allah ansd His Messenger." So behind them is the help of Allah, behind them is the help of the Muslim Nation, Muslim scholars and students of Pakistan.

Whoever claims that America is behind it all then let us ask ourselves that the United States hve always claimed that such Muslims are fundamentalists. How could such an anti Islamic state back a military power who is not ready to step back from the slightest order of Allah. However, if they are backing the Taliban then what are their motives? People also claim that the I.S.I and Pakistan are running Afghanistans internal affairs. If this is the case then who or what is stopping them from implementing Islam in Pakistan? All these issues are pointless.

Another issue that is also raised is that the Taliban (militants) wish to make the women, who represent 50/60 percent of Afghanisatn, home bound. This is absolutely untrue! It has not been stated by any Taliban official. Though they do say that theyshall give women their rights but only according th what Islam has givem them. Obviously the rights that Islam has given to each and every woman cannot be be found in a westernised society.

It is also believed that the Taliban movement is against women studying. This is false! They are not against any one who wishes to study wether it be male or female. Yes it should be known that this state isd still in its infance and this movement has come with one motive i.e. Islam. So until the country is not up to the required Islamic standard, and education up to the required level there will be no education whether it be for men or women. When Iran was in its early stages of formation the result was that all means of studying were shut down for years, until the curriculum for education was organised.

It must known that the problems we are facing today in Pakistanare due to many reasons, one of which is that we do not have a police education. The result of which is that our Muslim youths graduate from universities and colleges and speak only broken English and have minimal writing ability. Those students who are talented are ones who have studied in the secular institute of the west.

People ask what type of system shall the Taliban movement establish within Afghanistan? The Answer is that the system will be according to Islamic principles. A system in which not only the children have their rights but also the elderly and widows. Even today they have announced that any helpless woman who are forced to work for income have been told temporarily to stay at home, meanwhile a fixed pension has been arranged for them.

We may think that the Taliban are not learned people and they do not have an idea about the needs of the modern society but when we communicate with them we realize where Allah has helped the Mujahideen in the battlefield he has also helped them in other matters.

So we have learnt that in Afghanistan there was a need for change, and looking back on the previous government, it did not satisfy the needs of people. Furthermore they are tainted with blood of 100,000 Shuhadah.

I would like to stress one point here, that questions have been raised concerning the former president Najibullah, that he was hung without defence. Possibly your views are different and maybe you do not agree with this. However, the question is "In reality who is Najibullah?" in Noor Mohammed and Hafizullah's era he was still head of Khad, in Barbak Karmil's era he was still head of Khad. Later, as time went by he came into power himself.

It is a devastating fact that 10,00 scholars of Islam who were by no doubt good pious scholars of their time, were completely wiped out to an extent that it was not even known if they ever existed. This did not end here, but it went to an extent where unaccounted innocent Muslims were locked up and then killed. His crimes were not in need of clarifying. Scholars had given their Islamic ruling that any such person whose crimes are clear and evident, are in no need of clarification.

I would like to put forward to you a small example. A Hadith narrated in Sahih Bukhari that a fierce and direspectful Jew Ka'b bin Ashraf who was a great harm to Muslims, to an extent that he would disgrace the women by saying lewd and immoral poems. This caused the Prophet SAW to call for a volunteer to kill Ka'b bin Ashraf. One of the companions volunteered and did so accordingly. On a nother occasion during the conquest of Makkah, an announcement was made that there was peace and forgiveness for each and every person except for Ibn Khatl for whom the order was to be killed. So even here there was no need for clarification of the crimes that had happened.

You may not have seen what happened to Ali Abbas Huaida during the formation of Iran, and similarly those people who were like him. Is the court of law held in the middle of the night? If not then, why aere no objections raised during this period.

Published by: Ahle Sunnah Wal Jama't
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