Salafi Mosques and Centers Condemn Recent Terrorist Attacks

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

WHETHER OUTSIDE a cafe in Paris or on a flight taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh or in a marketplace in South Beirut, we have witnessed the bombings, mass shootings, and suicide missions that have terrorized citizens in countless countries across the globe, that have victimized men and women and children of every faith, race, and walk of life. Sadly, the perpetrators have committed such barbarity against unsuspecting civilians in the name of Allah (God), in the name of faith. They falsely attribute their crimes to the teachings of Islam; and this calls aloud for condemnation. For the upright Muslim is one who adheres to the commandments and edicts found in the Qurʿan and authentic traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, in accordance with the understanding of his noble disciples. Each of these texts enjoin justice and fairness, while forbidding oppression and tyranny; and there is no question that violating the life, property, and well-being of the people is from the greatest forms of oppression.

Regarding the sanctity of human life, Muslim or non-Muslim, Allah (God) states in the Qurʿan: “Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul, unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land, it is as if he had slain all of humankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as if he had saved all of humankind” (5:32). Thus, Islam’s Holy Book condemns the taking of even a single life unjustly, while lauding those who would safeguard and preserve it. As previously stated, this applies to Muslim and non-Muslim alike. The noble Prophet Muhammad, who the Qurʿan rightly describes as “a mercy to the worlds,” stated: “Whoever kills a non-Muslim with a guarantee of protection will not smell the fragrance of Paradise.” In addition, when he related the story of a man whose sins had been pardoned because of his kindness to an animal, one of his companions asked: “Is there a reward for goodness to animals?” The Prophet answered: “There is a reward for goodness to all living creatures.” So let those who wrongfully shed blood in the name of our beloved Prophet take admonition from these traditions, cease and desist from their cruelty and savagery, repent to their Creator, and begin to practice the true way of Prophet Muhammad, a way of kindness, mercy, and goodness to all living beings.

In light of this, we, the undersigned Salafi mosques and centers across North America, desired to clarify the correct Islamic position as it relates to such horrific and horrid acts, which have no foundation in the Salafi creed; rather, they are based upon the methodology of the heretical schism known historically as the Kharijites: a deviant sect of insurrectionists, assassins, and pillagers who appeared in the generation after the Prophet and remain today under names like ISIS, Al-Qaida, Boko Haram, Al-Shabab, etc. We condemn this group and all their offshoots with our loudest cry, and testify that Islam, the Noble Qurʿan, and the sublime way of our Prophet and his disciples, the Salaf, are free from them, their corrupt ideology, and cult of death.

California
Masjid al-Mumin, Los Angeles
Masjid al-Sunnah, San Diego

Connecticut:
Masjid Umar Ibn al-Khattab, Hartford

Delaware
Masjid al-Razzaq, Wilmington

Florida:
Islamic Center of Palm Beach
Masjid Qubaa, Orlando

Georgia:
Masjid at-Tawheed, Stone Mountain
Masjid Ibn Abbas, College Park

Illinois:
Masjid at-Tawheed, Chicago

Maryland:
Masjid ad-Da’wah ilat-Tawheed, Baltimore

Massachusetts:
Al-Masjid as-Salafi, Worcester

Michigan:
Masjid as-Sunnah, Grand Rapids

Minnesota:
Masjid al-Wahyain, St. Paul

Missouri:
Masjid al-Khair, Kansas City

New Jersey:
Masjid Muhammad Ibn ’Abdul-Wahhab, Camden
Masjid al-Shaykh al-’Uthaymeen, Trenton
Masjid al-Bayaan, Asbury Park
Masjid Rahmah, Newark

North Carolina:
Masjid at-Tawheed was-Sunnah, Durham

Ohio:
Masjid Ibn Masoud, Cleveland
Masjid al-Istiqaamah, Cincinnati

Pennsylvania:
Masjid as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah, Philadelphia
Masjid Ibn Baaz, Philadelphia
Masjid Muqbil Ibn Hadi, Philadelphia
Masjid at-Tawheed, York
Masjid at-Tawheed, Wilkes Barre
Masjid al-Awwal, Pittsburgh
Masjid al-Fajr, Chester

Virginia:
Masjid Abu Bakr, Richmond
Masjid ash-Shura, Norfolk

Washington DC:
Masjid Ahlul-Qur‘an wal-Hadeeth, Washington DC

Canada

Masjid al-Furqan, Toronto