An Overview of “Generous Memorial to the People of Jihad”, by Abdullah Al-Adam
Abdullah Khalid Al-Adam (also known as Abu Ubaydah), a radical operative who is apparently close to senior members of Al-Qaeda, has become something of an oracle on all matters of security for the mujahideen, as indicated by his popular series of articles, “The Terrorism Industry”. In the book “Generous Memorial to the People of Jihad”, first made available by Al-Fajr Media in December 2011, Abu Ubaydah methodically and systematically describes everything the mujaheed needs to know before setting out on jihad.
This comprehensive guidebook, which was widely disseminated on prominent jihadist Web forums, uses supporting documentation from Islamic sources to guide the fledgling mujaheed in entering an arena rife with enemies – from within and from without. In order to stay alive long enough to promote the aims of jihad, the mujaheed need only heed the advice of Abu Ubaydah.
The book is organized in the Islamic fashion: that is, the writer presents his advice – in no particular order; justifies it; and then anchors it: in Qur’anic verses, in the Sunna and words of the Prophet [hadith], and in the rulings of important religious scholars. Throughout the book, Abu Ubaydah stresses the need for the mujaheed to be psychologically prepared for jihad, as well as to be endowed with an attitude of tolerance and flexibility toward those around him. His book advises the mujaheed how to conduct himself during actual combat, as well as during the lulls between bouts of combat. Abu Ubaydah’s advice, which is both practical and strategic, is relevant to the simple soldier of jihad, the emir, and the religious scholar who supports jihad.
The book is tacitly endorsed by Al-Qaeda, as represented in the foreword by the late Sheikh Atiyyah Allah, formerly a senior Al-Qaeda leader and prominent authority on the operational aspects of Global Jihad. Although written in 2008, the book’s publication was delayed until late 2011 – perhaps due to the events of the “Arab Spring”. Even four years after it was written, this book offers a fascinating glimpse of the issues foremost in the mind of a prominent ideologue of jihad.
