When Italy invaded Ottoman Barqah and Ṭarābulus (Libya) in 1911, the Ottoman Empire was no longer in a position to defend the land. Furthermore there are indications of insidious forces within the Ottoman Empire gnawing at the strength of the Muslims from within. Thus the defense of the Libya soon fell on the shoulders of the local ʿUlāmāʾ who raised the banner of Jihād. One of these early figures was ʾash-Shaykh Laṭīf bin Ṭawīlah (رحمه الله). He did not participate in the Jihād at length, for Allāh accepted him and his three sons as martyrs in the very same year. Nevertheless, records of extracts from his sermons can benefit us to this day.

You may read some of the extracts, with my translation, below, but two points are worth emphasising:

1. We fight for our ʿAqīdah. This is extremely relevant in our era when those with hearts contaminated with leftist and other Kufr ideologies seek to hijack the sacred struggles of the Muslims, especially in Palestine. Our struggle against infiltration of the purity of Islām is no less obligatory than the physical struggle.
2. Jihād is a means of purification and is the duty of sinners as well. Not only saints strive for Islām. We all have to play our part. I once tweeted that Ṣalāḥuddīn (رحمه الله) was sinful in his youth, but he repented and Allāh accepted him for the greatest service of the era. This upset many people. I am sorry, but I am not sorry. Such people need to examine their own state. That they imagine that Allāh’s friends are born perfect and a sinner cannot strive to be closer to Allāh is infantile at the least and worse, can be rebellion against the will of Allāh.

An Ottoman officer, ʿAmīn Bey, wrote to his wife about ʾash-Shaykh Laṭīf bin Ṭawīlah, describing him as, “…a brilliant orator and a mujāhid whose children were killed in Ṭubruq.”

He mentioned in his letters some of his sermons that he used to deliver to the Mujāhidūn, and it was clear that the Shaykh insisted that war was not political, but religious. It was not a matter of, nations confronting each other, but rather religions are confronting religions. The Arabs must not only defend their land, but also their faith and their traditions. He swore to fight until no Italian or European remained in Libya and said:

ياإلهي اننا نتعرض للغزو من جانب اهل الظلم والبغي فلنشرب كأس الانتقام ببطء حتى نطفئ غليل ظمئنا …. أيها المسكين، أيها المسكين إنه لمن الأفضل لك أن تسكن خيمة ممزقة حيث يسود الايمان من أن تقطن قصراً تحرسه أسلحة الشيطان. إن حيل الشيطان ضعيفة هذا مايعلمنا أياه القرآن الكريم …أنني أريد شهداء وليس جنوداً إن الخطر والموت في انتظارنا، إنني أريد مذنبين ولا اريد أولياء، فالرجل النقي نقاوة رمل البحر لن يكون محبوباً، وإذا ماكنتم مذنبين فلتذهبوا معي وتقاتلوا، ولتخلصوا أنفسكم من الذنوب، إننا ثوار ويجب ان نكون كذلك إذا ماقام العدو على العبث بما أوصانا الله به اننا ندين بالولاء لله وليس للدولة، ولاتقعدوا طويلاً مع القاعدين ولتأتوا اليّ إن الله سريع الحساب، واكرر قولي لكم إن عشرة من المؤمنين سيغلبون مائة من الكفار

Yā ʿIlāhī, we are being invaded by the people of injustice and oppression. Let us drink the cup of revenge slowly until we quench our thirst…O you poor fellow, you poor fellow! It is better for you to live in a torn tent where faith prevails than to live in a palace guarded by Satan’s weapons. Satan’s tricks are weak. This is what the Noble Qurʾān teaches us…. I want martyrs, not soldiers. Danger and death await us. I want sinners, not saints. A man as pure as the sand of the sea will not be liked [for this task]. If you are sinners, come with me and fight, and thus cleanse yourselves of sins. We are revolutionaries and must be so if the enemy stands for nullifying what Allāh has commanded us with. We owe allegiance to Allāh, not to the state. So do not sit for long with those who remain behind, but come to me, for Allāh is swift in reckoning. I repeat my words to you that ten of the believers will defeat a hundred of the disbelievers.

Mourning, the martyrdom of the Shaykh and his three sons at Ṭubruq, ʾAmīn Bey mentioned, “No one could abstain from war, when he heard his fiery words, even those who were weary of war,” and recalled a sermon of his which he heard:

 أيها المقاتلون في سبيل الرحمن الواحد الاحد لاتحتاجون الآن الى السلاح، واذا ما اعتقدتم انكم تحققون الفتح فلتبقوا حيث انتم إن هذه الحرب ليست حربكم واذا ماكنتم تبغون طرد الايطاليين فقط فلتذهبوا الى بيوتكم إنما يتوجب عليكم هو طرد الشيطان ودولته من بلادنا، وأن تعيدوها الى رحمة الواحد القهار … ولكن يجدر بكم ألا تتوقعوا ليالي ملاحاً وأياماً لطيفة، انكم الآن خدم عقيدتنا، انها نار حامية في النهار، ومسيرات طويلة في الليل، إنه الجوع والعطش، كل هذا ينتظركم، على أن المجد والشرف ينتظرانكم أيضاً. فلتودعوا خيمتكم، وإذا ماأراد الله فلن ترو ذويكم ثانية، …. ولاتخافوا شيئاً. 

إن المعركة حسب مشيئة الله، انها ستغسل ذنوبكم بالدم، وإذا ماوضعت الشهادة يوم الحساب سينظر الى ماقمتم به من إعمال، عندئذ ستكون الجنة بانتظاركم، … فلتأتوا معي باسم الله)

O fighters in the Way of ʾar-Raḥmān ʾal-Wāḥid ʾal-ʾAḥad! Your need now is not for weapons. If you believe that it is you who achieves conquest, rather stay where you are. This war is not your war. If you only want to expel the Italians, then go home. Rather, what you must do is expel Satan and his country from our lands, and return it to the mercy of ʾal-Wāḥid ʾal-Qahhār… But it is most meet that you should not expect beautiful nights and pleasant days. For now you are in the service of our ʾAqīdah. It is a hot fire during the day, and long marches at night, it is hunger and thirst. All of this awaits you, but glory and honour await you as well. Leave your tent, and if Allāh wills, you will never see your relatives again… and do not fear anything. Battle is according to Allāh’s will. It will wash away your sins with blood, and when martyrdom is placed [on the Scales] on the Day of Judgment, the deeds you upheld will be seen. Then Paradise will be waiting for you… so come with me in Allāh’s Name.

ʾAmīn Bey concludes, “The sound of the Shaykh’s voice at the end of the sermon was like the sound of a trumpet. The eyes of a thousand Arabs were burning with enthusiasm as they looked at him, and they all joined the ranks of Jihād.”

X: @Sulayman_Kindi