By Osama bin Laden | Translated by Jihad Unspun
December 16, 2004

raise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds, and prayer and peace be upon our prophet, Muhammad, his household and his companions.

This is a message to the Muslims in the land of the two holy Mosques, in particular, and to all Muslims everywhere else, in general.

This message is meant to address the causes and the way to resolve the conflict between the rulers of Riyadh and the people of that land.

Much has been said about the need for security and safety and the need to spare Muslim blood in the land of the two holy Mosques. Much has also been said about the importance of togetherness and unity and the danger of polarization and internal fighting. The ruling body (the rulers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) claimed that the Mujahideen are the ones responsible for the deteriorated state of affairs in that country. But the plain truth is, the responsibility falls on the shoulder of the rulers. The rulers have abandoned the conditions of attaining security, promoting unity, and sparing bloodshed. The rulers have disobeyed Allah and committed the kind of major sin that has subjected the country to the wrath of Allah, and Allah has told us (in The Holy Qura’an) stories of the wrong doers and their punishment so that we may take notice.

It must also be said that those who support and legalize the system (the government system of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), obey the rulers, apply and implement their man-made laws, and those who refrain from forbidding what is wrong, are also responsible (for what has happened to the land and what is to come by a way of punishment from Allah).

Our prophet (PBUH), in a Hadith, cited by Al-Hakim, has said: “Whenever their (any nation) Imams (rulers) refuse to govern by and seek guidance from what Allah has revealed, Allah will make them use their power and force against each other (instead of using their resources to fend off their enemies).”

The prophet has also said according to a Hadith cited by Abu Dawood: “If people do not rise up against the transgressor to stop him, Allah might send a punishment across the board (to inflict everyone, the good and the bad).”

Among what were said in a way of wisdom:

“If you are blessed with good things, let it be known: sins wipe out all the blessings”

The violations (of Islamic Laws as mandated by Allah) that were committed by the ruling body have gone beyond the most serious sins (Sheikh Bin Laden is referring to the seven most serious sins here); those violations are clearly in the categories that knock the offender completely out of the fold of Islam. They (the rulers) have oppressed and humiliate people, have made a mockery of their intellect, and have mismanaged the state’s wealth. Nowadays, millions are suffering from poverty in order for millions of SR’s (Saudi Riyal, the currency used in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) to go into the bank accounts of members of the ruling family. In addition, public services have become poor, land and other properties have been taken away from rightful owners by force, members of the ruling family have appointed themselves, by force, as business partners with business owners without their consent, and many other violations have been the trademark of this ruling family. The rulers have gone beyond that when they committed the kind of violation that puts them out of the fold of Islam; allying themselves with the Kufr system of America and siding with, providing aid and supporting the infidel Americans against the Muslims were the acts which sealed the fate of this ruling body. They have become apostates. The ruling body has made itself a partner with Allah by making up laws and Fatwa’s (legal rulings) to legitimize whatever they want to make legal and to forbid whatever they want to forbid, irrespective of Allah’s commands.

This one violation (alliance with the infidels), is one of the ten violations that knock the offender out of the fold of Islam.

For more on the vast array of violations committed by the ruling family, please refer to our communiqué # 17. Correcting the mistakes is not hard at all if the ruler is willing and capable of doing what it takes to bring about the needed change. Furthermore, to make corrections, the ruler need not invent any solutions, but all he needs is going back to Allah’s religion; Islam that is. As to us, Allah knows that we want nothing but changing course so that internal and external policies are crafted according to what Allah and his messenger mandated.