Abdullah Al-Muhaysini
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Abdullah al-Muhaysini (), is a Saudi Arabian Salafi cleric who is known for having served as a religious judge in the
Army of Conquest The Army of Conquest () or Jaish al-Fatah, abbreviated JaF, was a joint command center of Sunni Islamist Syrian rebel factions participating in the Syrian Civil War. The alliance was formed in March 2015 under the supervision and coordinati ...
in the Syrian Civil War.


Early life

He was born in the city of
Buraidah Buraydah or Buraidah (Arabic: بريدة) is the capital and largest city of Al-Qassim Province in north-central Saudi Arabia. Renowned as the agricultural capital of Saudi Arabia and often referred to as the food basket of the Kingdom, the cit ...
, al-Qasim, to a known religious family. Attending elementary school here, he continued secondary school and college in Mecca, where he also graduated from the University of Umm al-Qura in the field of
Islamic Jurisprudence ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica
''Fiqh'' is of ...
. Later he studied Comparative Jurisprudence in the Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, writing a master
treatise A treatise is a Formality, formal and systematic written discourse on some subject concerned with investigating or exposing the main principles of the subject and its conclusions."mwod:treatise, Treatise." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Acc ...
on the rule of war refugees according to Islam. Muhaysini is married and has children. His father Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Mohaisany is a known Quran reciter and has served as the imam and preacher of a local mosque in Mecca. He has at least once been arrested by government authorities for his public prayers. Abdullah al-Muhaysini arrived in Syria in 2013 after his uncle Omar Al-Muhaysini had previously died there fighting the
Syrian Arab Army The Syrian Arab Armed Forces (SAAF; ) were the combined armed forces of Syria from 1963 to 2024. They served during the rule of the Ba'ath Party in Syria. The SAAF consisted of the Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Air D ...
.


The Syrian civil war

Since his arrival in Syria in 2013, Muhaysini actively served as a preacher and judge, delivering sermons in local mosques, issuing religious verdicts and counseling Islamic groups. In addition he has appeared on the front lines a couple of times, motivating Syrian Opposition fighters and raising their morale. After the conquest of Idlib in 2015, he served as the official judge of the Army of Conquest for Idlib city. Working independently, Muhaysini has good ties to a great range of Islamic factions in Syria, which enables him to intervene in conflicts and settle on resolutions. In late 2013, Muhaysini posted his support for the then-active Madid Ahl al-Sham campaign on Twitter while identifying one of the fundraiser's organizers, Sa'd bin Sa'd Muhammad Shariyan Al Ka'bi, and its location in Qatar. Madid Ahl al-Sham was a Qatar-based fundraising campaign identified by Muhaysini and others for its financial assistance for
Jabhat al-Nusra Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Nusrat Ahl al-Sham, also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant, and also later known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was a Salafi-jihadist organization that fought against Ba'athist regime forces ...
. The
U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...
identified Madid Ahl al-Sham as a "fundraising campaign that was suspected of sending funds to violent extremist elements in Syria." iii In early 2014 Muhaysini served as a mediator, this time between
ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...
and its rival jihadist groups, Al Nusra and Ahrar al Sham. He tried to effect a truce between Islamist factions, which was rejected by ISIS. When al-Qaeda disowned ISIS in early 2014, al Muhaysini called on ISIS members to defect to
al-Nusra Front Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Nusrat Ahl al-Sham, also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant, and also later known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was a Salafi-jihadist organization that fought against Ba'athist Syria, Ba'athist ...
. In July 2014 Muhaysini interceded in west Idlib during an FSA/Nusra conflict to mediate. In 2014, Muhaysini endorsed scholars of the pro-jihad movement like Al-Balawi, Eyad Quneibi, Tareq Abdulhalim,
Hani al-Siba'i Hani Mohammed Yusuf al-Siba'i (هاني محمد يوسف السباعي) (born 1 March 1961 in Qalyubia Governorate, Qaylubiyah, Egypt) is an Egyptian people, Egyptian Islamic scholar who was a member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad and now lives in ...
, Yusuf al-Ahmed, Abdulaziz al-Tureifi,
Suleiman al-Ulwan Suleiman (; or dictionary.reference.comsuleiman/ref>) is the Arabic name of the Jewish and Quranic king and Islam, Islamic prophet Solomon (name), Solomon. Suleiman the Magnificent (1494–1566) was the longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman E ...
,
Abu Qatada Abu Qatada () may refer to: * Abu Qatada al-Ansari (584–658/660), knight of the Rashidun Caliphate * Abu Qatada al-Filistini (born 1959), Palestinian Islamic cleric {{disambiguation ...
al-Filistini, and
Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, whose real name is Assem ibn Muhammad ibn Tahir al-Barqawi, is a Palestinian writer and Salafi Islamist scholar. Al-Maqdisi is known for popularizing several significant themes within radical Islam, including the theolo ...
. Lebanese singer
Fadel Shaker Fadel Abdul Rahman Shamander Chaker ( ; also transliterated as Fadl Shaker, born 1 April 1969) is a Lebanese people, Lebanese-Palestinian people, Palestinian singer and actor. During his musical career he was signed to Al Khouyoul Records and f ...
received a message from Muhaysini in June 2015.
Hassan Nasrallah Hassan Nasrallah (, ; 31 August 196027 September 2024) was a Lebanese cleric and politician who served as the third secretary-general of Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militia, from 1992 until his assassination in 2024. Bor ...
was challenged to a debate by Muhaysini in June 2016. In September 2015, he released a video showing the "Cubs of al-Aqsa" training camp for children. After the
Russian military intervention in Syria {{Infobox military conflict , partof = the foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war, and the war against the Islamic State , image = , image_size = , border = , caption = Various mi ...
, Al-Muhaysini threatened that Syria would be a "tomb for its invaders" or "graveyard for invaders" in response to the Russian intervention and brought up the
Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic o ...
. Muhaysini arranged for foreign fighters of multiple backgrounds to repeat the phrase "The Levant is the graveyard of the Russians", in a video message, among them was a fighter claiming to be from "East Turkestan", according to MEMRI. He declared that in Syria, women's participation in some theaters and jihad in general was obligatory after the Russian intervention. Tawhid wal Jihad's leader Abu Saloh met with Abdullah Muhaysini in late 2015. In early 2016, Muhaysini denounced the starvation of Sunnis in besieged Madaya, claiming that the starvation would cause the deaths of 40,000 Muslims there. The Saudi incarceration of Abdulaziz Al Tarifi was decried by Muhaysini in April 2016 who warned against undermining the
religious police Religious police are any Police, police force responsible for the enforcement of religious norms and associated religious laws. Nearly all religious police organizations in modern society are Islamic and can be found in countries with a large Mu ...
. In May 2016, he reportedly called for the substitution of the Turkish currency for the Syrian currency. In June 2016, denying rumors of his death or injury, Muhaysini gave a speech. Muhaysini publicly fundraised for the 2016 offensive to break the Siege of Aleppo from donors in
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
and other Arabian Gulf states. In 2016, Muhaysini thanked donors for providing rockets to fighters in Syria. In November 2016, Muhaysini tweeted a positive outlook on Trump's election victory for Sunni Muslims. Muhaysini said in a video that Muslims would benefit from open hostility towards them by Trump. Muhaysini was listed for sanctions by the
US Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current U.S. government departments. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and ...
in November 2016. Muhaysini called himself a "national symbol" according to Syrians and expressed his "shock"" at being declared a terrorist by the United States Treasury when he spoke to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. Muhaysini posted a video replying to the terrorist designation by the USA.


Media

In October 2016, Turkish newspaper ''
Yeni Şafak ''Yeni Şafak'' ("New Dawn") is a conservative, Islamist Turkish daily newspaper. The newspaper is known for its hardline support of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AK Party and has a very close relationship with the Turkish government. ...
'' interviewed Muhaysini, praising Turkey for its role in Syria and denouncing Iran. Muhaysini was many times interviewed by American journalist Bilal Abdul Kareem, who leads a pro-opposition news agency called "On the Ground News TV'' (OGN TV) that reports from Syria.


Turkistan Islamic Party

al-Muhaysini has close relations with the
Turkistan Islamic Party The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) is an Uyghur Islamic extremist organization founded in Pakistan by Hasan Mahsum. Its stated goals are to establish an Islamic state in Xinjiang and Central Asia. The Chinese government asserts that the T ...
(TIP). He was featured, along with Hani al Siba'ee,
Abu Qatada Abu Qatada () may refer to: * Abu Qatada al-Ansari (584–658/660), knight of the Rashidun Caliphate * Abu Qatada al-Filistini (born 1959), Palestinian Islamic cleric {{disambiguation ...
, and Abdurazak al Mahdi in a Turkistan Islamic Party video in August 2015. In August 2015, Abdullah Al-Muhaysini praised the
Turkistan Islamic Party The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) is an Uyghur Islamic extremist organization founded in Pakistan by Hasan Mahsum. Its stated goals are to establish an Islamic state in Xinjiang and Central Asia. The Chinese government asserts that the T ...
fighters in their attacks against the "Nusayris" of Assad's army (Alawites). At the end of 2015, the Turkistan Islamic Party released a video titled "A Message to the Turkestanis" (رسالة الى التركستانيين) featuring Abdullah Al-Muhaysini, an Al-Qaeda cleric of Saudi origin. Muhaysini urged the "Turkistani Musims" to raise their children to love death like "infidels" love life. At the end of 2015, the Turkistan Islamic Party released a new video titled "Importance of Martyrdom Operations in Our Current Time" (أهمية العمليات الإستشهادية في زمننا الحاضر) (زامانىمىزدىكى پىدائىيلىق ئەمەلىيىتىنىڭ ئەھمىيىتى) by Abdullah al-Muhaysini. In 2016, the Turkish Islamist publisher Beyaz Minare Kitap (White Minaret Book) published a Turkish language book titled ''"Türkistan'dan Şehadete Hicret Hikayeleri 1"'' containing the biographies of Turkistan Islamic Party fighters along with praise of TIP fighters by Abdullah al-Muhaysini. '' Doğu Türkistan Bülteni Haber Ajansı'' reported that the Turkistan Islamic Party was praised by Abu Qatada along with
Abdul Razzaq al Mahdi Abdul Razzaq al-Mahdi (), is a Syrian Islamist cleric who is actively involved fighting in the Syrian Civil War against the Syrian government. He originates from Damascus's Al-Salihiyah district and was born in 1961. Study and graduation ...
,
Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, whose real name is Assem ibn Muhammad ibn Tahir al-Barqawi, is a Palestinian writer and Salafi Islamist scholar. Al-Maqdisi is known for popularizing several significant themes within radical Islam, including the theolo ...
, Muhaysini and
Zawahiri Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (; 19 June 195131 July 2022) was an Egyptian-born pan-Islamist militant and physician who served as the second general emir of al-Qaeda from June 2011 until his death in July 2022. He is best known for being ...
in late 2016. In 2016, Muhaysini visited
Turkistan Islamic Party The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) is an Uyghur Islamic extremist organization founded in Pakistan by Hasan Mahsum. Its stated goals are to establish an Islamic state in Xinjiang and Central Asia. The Chinese government asserts that the T ...
fighters before the battle and performed
dua In Islam, (  , plural: '  ) is a prayer of invocation, supplication or request, asking help or assistance from God. Duʿāʾ is an integral aspect of Islamic worship and spirituality, serving as a direct line of communication betwe ...
. Khan Tuman in Aleppo then came under attack by the TIP. A picture of Muhaysini with a Turkistan Islamic Party fighter in Khan Touman was released by the Turkistan Islamic Party after the battle. They displayed weapons and munitions seized during the battle. Corpses of what the TIP labelled as "Rawafid" (Shia) fighters and pictures of "Iranian" prisoners were released by the TIP. The Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria released "Blessed Are the Strangers #6" featuring a speech by Hasan Mahsum, as well as by
Army of Conquest The Army of Conquest () or Jaish al-Fatah, abbreviated JaF, was a joint command center of Sunni Islamist Syrian rebel factions participating in the Syrian Civil War. The alliance was formed in March 2015 under the supervision and coordinati ...
leader Abdullah al-Muhaysini and fellow scholar Abdurazak al Mahdi at the start of 2017. In the video Abdul Razzaq al-Mahdi and Abdullah al-Muhaysini asked Muslims with money to aid the cause of the Turkistan Islamic Party and praised the Uyghur fighters for their role in the Syrian Civil War fighting against the Syrian government.


Tahrir al-Sham

In January 2017, after attacks on Jabhat Ahl al-Sham by
Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Nusrat Ahl al-Sham, also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant, and also later known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was a Salafi-jihadist organization that fought against Ba'athist regime forces ...
, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham was asked to desist by Muhaysini. Muhaysini, Abu Taher Al Hamawi, and Abdelrazzak Mehdi worked on the formation of the group Hay'at
Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was a Sunni Islamist political organisation and paramilitary group involved in the Syrian civil war. It was formed on 28January 2017 as a merger between several armed groups: Jaysh al-Ahrar (an Ahrar al-Sham facti ...
(HTS) in January 2017. They are members of the group and appeared in its founding declaration. Attendance at a speech by Moheiseni was manipulated by drawing IDP impoverished people with promises of motorbikes and refrigerators through a raffle by HTS. Muhaysini and the Turkistan Islamic Party negotiated between Tahrir al-Sham and Liwa al-Aqsa in the Idlib Governorate clashes (2017). In late 2017, Muhaysini was reported to have defected from HTS. He later, in May 2023, apparently due to fear of being targeted by HTS, reportedly relocated to Turkey.


Fall of the Assad regime

Following the
fall of the Assad regime On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, major offensive by Syrian opposition, opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by the Turk ...
in December 2024, Muhaysini visited the
Umayyad Mosque The Umayyad Mosque (; ), also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, located in the old city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Its religious importance stems from the eschatological reports ...
in
Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
and held a speech.


Controversy

There is a considerable amount of controversy surrounding Muhaysini. In 2015, Muhaysini reportedly vowed to exterminate Alawite men and wrote that Alawite women could potentially be executed as apostates. Instructions on treatment of children and women of Alawites were given by Muhaysini on Twitter in 2015.
Virgins Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...
in the afterlife were promised before the battle of Khan Touman to suicide fighters by Muhaysini. In 2016, virgins whose spit would allegedly sweeten oceans in the afterlife were promised by Muhaysini to fighters before preparing for battle in Aleppo. Muhaysini launched 100 Elephant rockets against Aleppo at the beginning of the attempt to break the siege and thanked Persian Gulf businessmen and Turkey for funding the rockets. The Saudi newspaper ''
Okaz ''Okaz'' () is an Arabic Saudi Arabian daily newspaper located in Jeddah. The paper was launched in 1960 and its sister publication is '' Saudi Gazette''. The paper is simultaneously printed in both Riyadh and Jeddah and has offices all over Sau ...
'' called Muhaysini a
takfiri ''Takfiri'' is an Arabic and Islamic term denoting a Muslim who excommunicates one of their coreligionists—i.e., who accuses another Muslim of being an apostate, or , 'one who turns back'. According to the traditional interpretations of Isla ...
and a terrorist and accused him of trying to "Afghanize" Syria after he launched a mass recruitment campaign for jihad in Syria in May 2016. In late 2016, Muhaysini released a video of himself congratulating a Saudi boy from
Buraidah Buraydah or Buraidah (Arabic: بريدة) is the capital and largest city of Al-Qassim Province in north-central Saudi Arabia. Renowned as the agricultural capital of Saudi Arabia and often referred to as the food basket of the Kingdom, the cit ...
he was going to send off to be a suicide bomber, telling his mother that he would go to paradise and be rewarded with virgins, according to
MEMRI The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), officially the Middle East Media and Research Institute, is an American non-profit press monitoring organization co-founded by Israeli ex-intelligence officer Yigal Carmon and Israeli-American ...
. The Saudi newspaper ''Okaz'' denounced Muhaysini for sending off the Saudi boy as a suicide bomber in Aleppo after promising him virgins in the afterlife. Muhaysini responded against ''Okaz'' over the Takfiri label. On 9 June 2017, he was one of 69 individuals designated by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain that have financed terrorist organizations and received support from Qatar.


References


External links


Muhaysini , FDD's Long War JournalAbdullah Mohammed al Muhaysini , FDD's Long War Journal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhaysini, Abdullah Living people People of the Syrian civil war 21st-century Muslim scholars of Islam People from Buraidah Saudi Arabian scholars Saudi Arabian Salafis Saudi Arabian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Saudi Arabian imams Critics of Shia Islam Salafi jihadists 1965 births