In the four-page document, written in Arabic, that was found in the baggage of the suspected ringleader behind the carnage, Mohamed Atta, there are 90 mentions of Allah in the text. The Observer, Sunday 30 September 2001 11.31 EDTThe
THE LAST NIGHT
1) Making an oath to die and renew your intentions.
Shave excess hair from the body and wear cologne.
Shower
2) Make sure you know all aspects of the plan well, and expect the response, or a reaction, from the enemy.
3) Read al-Tawba and Anfal [traditional war chapters from the Qur'an] and reflect on their meanings and remember all of the things Allah has promised for the martyrs.
4) Remind your soul to listen and obey [all divine orders] and remember that you will face decisive situations that might prevent you from 100 per cent obedience, so tame your soul, purify it, convince it, make it understand, and incite it. Allah said: 'Obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not fight amongst yourselves or else you will fail. And be patient, for Allah is with the patient.'
5) Pray during the night and be persistent in asking Allah to give you victory, control and conquest, and that He may make your task easier and not expose us.
6) Remember Allah frequently, and the best way to do it is to read the Holy Qur'an, according to all scholars, as far as I know. It is enough for us that it [the Qur'an] are the words of the Creator of the Earth and the plants, the One that you will meet [on the Day of Judgment].
7) Purify your soul from all unclean things. Completely forget something called 'this world' [or 'this life']. The time for play is over and the serious time is upon us. How much time have we wasted in our lives? Shouldn't we take advantage of these last hours to offer good deeds and obedience?
8) You should feel complete tranquility, because the time between you and your marriage [in heaven] is very short. Afterwards begins the happy life, where Allah is satisfied with you, and eternal bliss 'in the company of the prophets, the companions, the martyrs and the good people, who are all good company'. Ask Allah for his mercy and be optimistic, because [the Prophet], peace be upon him, used to prefer optimism in all his affairs.
9) Keep in mind that, if you fall into hardship, how will you act and how will you remain steadfast and remember that you will return to Allah and remember that anything that happens to you could never be avoided, and what did not happen to you could never have happened to you. This test from Almighty Allah is to raise your level [levels of heaven] and erase your sins. And be sure that it is a matter of moments, which will then pass, Allah willing, so blessed are those who win the great reward of Allah. Almighty Allah said: 'Did you think you could go to heaven before Allah knows whom amongst you have fought for Him and are patient?'
10) Remember the words of Almighty Allah: 'You were looking to the battle before you engaged in it, and now you see it with your own two eyes.' Remember: 'How many small groups beat big groups by the will of Allah.' And His words: 'If Allah gives you victory, no one can beat you. And if He betrays you, who can give you victory without Him? So the faithful put their trust in Allah.'
11) Remind yourself of the supplications and of your brethren and ponder their meanings. (The morning and evening supplications, and the supplications of [entering] a town, and the [unclear] supplications, and the supplications said before meeting the enemy.
12) Bless your body with some verses of the Qur'an [done by reading verses into one's hands and then rubbing the hands over whatever is to be blessed], the luggage, clothes, the knife, your personal effects, your ID, passport, and all your papers.
13) Check your weapon before you leave and long before you leave. (You must make your knife sharp and must not discomfort your animal during the slaughter).
14) Tighten your clothes [a reference to making sure his clothes will cover his private parts at all times], since this is the way of the pious generations after the Prophet. They would tighten their clothes before battle. Tighten your shoes well, wear socks so that your feet will be solidly in your shoes. All of these are worldly things [that humans can do to control their fate, although Allah decrees what will work and what won't] and the rest is left to Allah, the best One to depend on.
15) Pray the morning prayer in a group and ponder the great rewards of that prayer. Make supplications afterwards, and do not leave your apartment unless you have performed ablution before leaving, because the angels will ask for your forgiveness as long as you are in a state of ablution, and will pray for you. This saying of the Prophet was mentioned by An-Nawawi in his book, The Best of Supplications. Read the words of Allah: 'Did you think that We created you for no reason...' from the Al-Mu'minun Chapter.
THE SECOND STEP
When the taxi takes you to (M) [this initial could stand for matar, airport in Arabic] remember Allah constantly while in the car. (Remember the supplication for entering a car, for entering a town, the supplication of place and other supplications).
When you have reached (M) and have left the taxi, say a supplication of place ['Oh Allah, I ask you for the best of this place, and ask you to protect me from its evils'], and everywhere you go say that prayer and smile and be calm, for Alah is with the believers. And the angels protect you without you feeling anything. Say this supplication: 'Allah is more dear than all of His creation.' And say: 'Oh Allah, protect me from them as You wish.' And say: 'Oh Allah, take your anger out on [the enemy] and we ask You to protect us from their evils.' And say: 'Oh Allah, block their vision from in front of them, so that they may not see.' And say: 'Allah is all we need, He is the best to rely upon.' Remember Allah's words: 'Those to whom the people said, "The people have gathered to get you, so fear them," but that only increased their faith and they said, Allah is all we need, He is the best to rely upon.' After you say that, you will find [unclear] as Alllah promised this to his servants who say this supplication:
1) They will come back [from battle] with Allah's blessings
2) They were not harmed
3) And Allah was satisfied with them.
Allah says: 'They came back with Allah's blessings, were not harmed, and Allah was satisfied with them, and Allah is ever-blessing.'
All of their equipment and gates and technology will not prevent, nor harm, except by Allah's will. The believers do not fear such things. The only ones that fear it are the allies of Satan, who are the brothers of the devil. They have become their allies, Allah save us, for fear is a great form of worship, and the only one worthy of it is Allah. He is the only one who deserves it. He said in the verses: 'This is only the Devil scaring his allies' who are fascinated with Western civilisation, and have drank the love [of the West] like they drink water [unclear] and have become afraid of their weak equipment, 'so fear them not, and fear Me, if you are believers.'
Fear is a great worship. The allies of Allah do not offer such worship except for the one Allah, who controls everything. [unclear] with total certainty that Allah will weaken the schemes of non-believers. Allah said: 'Allah will weaken the schemes of the non-believers.'
You must remember your brothers with all respect. No one should notice that you are making the supplication, 'There is no Allah but Allah,' because if you say it 1,000 times no one will be able to tell whether you are quiet or remember Allah. And among its miracles is what the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'Whoever says, "There is no Allah but Allah," with all his heart, goes to heaven.' The prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'If you put all the worlds and universes on one side of the balance, and "No Allah but Allah" on the other, "No Allah but Allah" will weigh more heavily.' You can repeat these words confidently, and this is just one of the strengths of these words. Whoever thinks deeply about these words will find that they have no dots [in the Arabic letter] and this is just one of its greatnesses, for words that have dots in them carry less weight than those that do not. And it is enough that these are the words of monotheism, which will make you steadfast in battle [unclear] as the prophet, peace be upon him, and his companions, and those who came after them, Allah willing, until the Day of Judgment.
Do not seem confused or show signs of nervous tension. Be happy, optimistic, calm because you are heading for a deed that Allah loves and will accept. It will be the day, Allah willing, you spend with the women of paradise.
[poetry] Smile in the face of hardship young man/For you are heading toward eternal paradise
You must remember to make supplications wherever you go, and anytime you do anything, and Allah is with his faithful servants, He will protect them and make their tasks easier, and give them success and control, and victory, and everything...
THE THIRD PHASE
When you ride the (T) [probably for tayyara, aeroplane in Arabic], before your foot steps in it, and before you enter it, you make a prayer and supplications. Remember that this is a battle for the sake of Allah . As the prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'An action for the sake of Allah is better than all of what is in this world.' When you step inside the (T), and sit in your seat, begin with the known supplications that we have mentioned before. Be busy with the constant remembrance of Allah. Allah said: 'Oh ye faithful, when you find the enemy be steadfast, and remember Allah constantly so that you may be successful.' When the (T) moves, even slightly, toward (Q) [unknown reference], say the supplication of travel. Because you are traveling to Almighty Allah , so be attentive on this trip.
Then [unclear] it takes off. This is the moment that both groups come together. So remember Allah , as He said in His book: 'Oh Allah, pour your patience upon us and make our feet steadfast and give us victory over the infidels.' And His words: 'And the only thing they said Allah, forgive our sins and excesses and make our feet steadfast and give us victory over the infidels.' And His prophet said: 'Oh Allah, You have revealed the book, You move the clouds, You gave us victory over the enemy, conquer them and give us victory over them.' Give us victory and make the ground shake under their feet. Pray for yourself and all your brothers that they may be victorious and hit their targets and ask Allah to grant you martyrdom facing the enemy, not running away from it, and for Him to grant you patience and the feeling that anything that happens to you is for Him.
Then every one of you should prepare to carry out his role in a way that would satisfy Allah. You should clench your teeth, as the pious early generations did.
When the confrontation begins, strike like champions who do not want to go back to this world. Shout, 'Allahu Akbar,' because this strikes fear in the hearts of the non-believers. Allah said: 'Strike above the neck, and strike at all of their extremities.' Know that the gardens of paradise are waiting for you in all their beauty, and the women of paradise are waiting, calling out, 'Come hither, friend of Allah .' They have dressed in their most beautiful clothing.
If Allah decrees that any of you are to slaughter, dedicate the slaughter to your fathers and [unclear], because you have obligations toward them. Do not disagree, and obey. If you slaughter, do not cause the discomfort of those you are killing, because this is one of the practices of the prophet, peace be upon him. On one condition: that you do not become distracted by [unclear] and neglect what is greater, paying attention to the enemy. That would be treason, and would do more damage than good. If this happens, the deed at hand is more important than doing that, because the deed is an obligation, and [the other thing] is optional. And an obligation has priority over an option.
Do not seek revenge for yourself. Strike for Allah's sake. One time Ali bin Abi Talib [a companion and close relative of the prophet Muhammad], fought with a non-believer. The non-believer spit on Ali, may Allah bless him. Ali [unclear] his sword, but did not strike him. When the battle was over, the companions of the prophet asked him why he had not smitten the non-believer. He said, 'After he spat at me, I was afraid I would be striking at him in revenge for myself, so I lifted my sword.' After he renewed his intentions, he went back and killed the man. This means that before you do anything, make sure your soul is prepared to do everything for Allah only.
Then implement the way of the prophet in taking prisoners. Take prisoners and kill them. As Almighty Allah said: 'No prophet should have prisoners until he has soaked the land with blood. You want the bounties of this world [in exchange for prisoners] and Allah wants the other world [for you], and Allah is all-powerful, all-wise.'
If everything goes well, every one of you should pat the other on the shoulder in confidence that (M) and (T) number (K). Remind your brothers that this act is for Almighty Allah. Do not confuse your brothers or distract them. He should give them glad tidings and make them calm, and remind them [of Allah ] and encourage them. How beautiful it is for one to read Allah 's words, such as: 'And those who prefer the afterlife over this world should fight for the sake of Allah .' And His words: 'Do not suppose that those who are killed for the sake of Allah are dead; they are alive... ' And others. Or they should sing songs to boost their morale, as the pious first generations did in the throes of battle, to bring calm, tranquillity and joy to the hearts of his brothers.
Do not forget to take a bounty, even if it is a glass of water to quench your thirst or that of your brothers, if possible. When the hour of reality approaches, the zero hour, [unclear] and wholeheartedly welcome death for the sake of Allah. Always be remembering Allah . Either end your life while praying, seconds before the target, or make your last words: 'There is no Allah but Allah, Muhammad is His messenger'.
Afterwards, we will all meet in the highest heaven, Allah willing.
If you see the enemy as strong, remember the groups [that had formed a coalition to fight the prophet Muhammad]. They were 10,000. Remember how Allah gave victory to his faithful servants. He said: 'When the faithful saw the groups, they said, this is what Allah and the prophet promised, they said the truth. It only increased their faith.'
And may the peace of Allah be upon the prophet.
• The document was released by the F.B.I. and translated for The New York Times by Capital Communications Group, a Washington-based international consulting firm and by Imad Musa, a translator for the firm.
Shave excess hair from the body and wear cologne.
Shower
2) Make sure you know all aspects of the plan well, and expect the response, or a reaction, from the enemy.
3) Read al-Tawba and Anfal [traditional war chapters from the Qur'an] and reflect on their meanings and remember all of the things Allah has promised for the martyrs.
4) Remind your soul to listen and obey [all divine orders] and remember that you will face decisive situations that might prevent you from 100 per cent obedience, so tame your soul, purify it, convince it, make it understand, and incite it. Allah said: 'Obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not fight amongst yourselves or else you will fail. And be patient, for Allah is with the patient.'
5) Pray during the night and be persistent in asking Allah to give you victory, control and conquest, and that He may make your task easier and not expose us.
6) Remember Allah frequently, and the best way to do it is to read the Holy Qur'an, according to all scholars, as far as I know. It is enough for us that it [the Qur'an] are the words of the Creator of the Earth and the plants, the One that you will meet [on the Day of Judgment].
7) Purify your soul from all unclean things. Completely forget something called 'this world' [or 'this life']. The time for play is over and the serious time is upon us. How much time have we wasted in our lives? Shouldn't we take advantage of these last hours to offer good deeds and obedience?
8) You should feel complete tranquility, because the time between you and your marriage [in heaven] is very short. Afterwards begins the happy life, where Allah is satisfied with you, and eternal bliss 'in the company of the prophets, the companions, the martyrs and the good people, who are all good company'. Ask Allah for his mercy and be optimistic, because [the Prophet], peace be upon him, used to prefer optimism in all his affairs.
9) Keep in mind that, if you fall into hardship, how will you act and how will you remain steadfast and remember that you will return to Allah and remember that anything that happens to you could never be avoided, and what did not happen to you could never have happened to you. This test from Almighty Allah is to raise your level [levels of heaven] and erase your sins. And be sure that it is a matter of moments, which will then pass, Allah willing, so blessed are those who win the great reward of Allah. Almighty Allah said: 'Did you think you could go to heaven before Allah knows whom amongst you have fought for Him and are patient?'
10) Remember the words of Almighty Allah: 'You were looking to the battle before you engaged in it, and now you see it with your own two eyes.' Remember: 'How many small groups beat big groups by the will of Allah.' And His words: 'If Allah gives you victory, no one can beat you. And if He betrays you, who can give you victory without Him? So the faithful put their trust in Allah.'
11) Remind yourself of the supplications and of your brethren and ponder their meanings. (The morning and evening supplications, and the supplications of [entering] a town, and the [unclear] supplications, and the supplications said before meeting the enemy.
12) Bless your body with some verses of the Qur'an [done by reading verses into one's hands and then rubbing the hands over whatever is to be blessed], the luggage, clothes, the knife, your personal effects, your ID, passport, and all your papers.
13) Check your weapon before you leave and long before you leave. (You must make your knife sharp and must not discomfort your animal during the slaughter).
14) Tighten your clothes [a reference to making sure his clothes will cover his private parts at all times], since this is the way of the pious generations after the Prophet. They would tighten their clothes before battle. Tighten your shoes well, wear socks so that your feet will be solidly in your shoes. All of these are worldly things [that humans can do to control their fate, although Allah decrees what will work and what won't] and the rest is left to Allah, the best One to depend on.
15) Pray the morning prayer in a group and ponder the great rewards of that prayer. Make supplications afterwards, and do not leave your apartment unless you have performed ablution before leaving, because the angels will ask for your forgiveness as long as you are in a state of ablution, and will pray for you. This saying of the Prophet was mentioned by An-Nawawi in his book, The Best of Supplications. Read the words of Allah: 'Did you think that We created you for no reason...' from the Al-Mu'minun Chapter.
THE SECOND STEP
When the taxi takes you to (M) [this initial could stand for matar, airport in Arabic] remember Allah constantly while in the car. (Remember the supplication for entering a car, for entering a town, the supplication of place and other supplications).
When you have reached (M) and have left the taxi, say a supplication of place ['Oh Allah, I ask you for the best of this place, and ask you to protect me from its evils'], and everywhere you go say that prayer and smile and be calm, for Alah is with the believers. And the angels protect you without you feeling anything. Say this supplication: 'Allah is more dear than all of His creation.' And say: 'Oh Allah, protect me from them as You wish.' And say: 'Oh Allah, take your anger out on [the enemy] and we ask You to protect us from their evils.' And say: 'Oh Allah, block their vision from in front of them, so that they may not see.' And say: 'Allah is all we need, He is the best to rely upon.' Remember Allah's words: 'Those to whom the people said, "The people have gathered to get you, so fear them," but that only increased their faith and they said, Allah is all we need, He is the best to rely upon.' After you say that, you will find [unclear] as Alllah promised this to his servants who say this supplication:
1) They will come back [from battle] with Allah's blessings
2) They were not harmed
3) And Allah was satisfied with them.
Allah says: 'They came back with Allah's blessings, were not harmed, and Allah was satisfied with them, and Allah is ever-blessing.'
All of their equipment and gates and technology will not prevent, nor harm, except by Allah's will. The believers do not fear such things. The only ones that fear it are the allies of Satan, who are the brothers of the devil. They have become their allies, Allah save us, for fear is a great form of worship, and the only one worthy of it is Allah. He is the only one who deserves it. He said in the verses: 'This is only the Devil scaring his allies' who are fascinated with Western civilisation, and have drank the love [of the West] like they drink water [unclear] and have become afraid of their weak equipment, 'so fear them not, and fear Me, if you are believers.'
Fear is a great worship. The allies of Allah do not offer such worship except for the one Allah, who controls everything. [unclear] with total certainty that Allah will weaken the schemes of non-believers. Allah said: 'Allah will weaken the schemes of the non-believers.'
You must remember your brothers with all respect. No one should notice that you are making the supplication, 'There is no Allah but Allah,' because if you say it 1,000 times no one will be able to tell whether you are quiet or remember Allah. And among its miracles is what the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'Whoever says, "There is no Allah but Allah," with all his heart, goes to heaven.' The prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'If you put all the worlds and universes on one side of the balance, and "No Allah but Allah" on the other, "No Allah but Allah" will weigh more heavily.' You can repeat these words confidently, and this is just one of the strengths of these words. Whoever thinks deeply about these words will find that they have no dots [in the Arabic letter] and this is just one of its greatnesses, for words that have dots in them carry less weight than those that do not. And it is enough that these are the words of monotheism, which will make you steadfast in battle [unclear] as the prophet, peace be upon him, and his companions, and those who came after them, Allah willing, until the Day of Judgment.
Do not seem confused or show signs of nervous tension. Be happy, optimistic, calm because you are heading for a deed that Allah loves and will accept. It will be the day, Allah willing, you spend with the women of paradise.
[poetry] Smile in the face of hardship young man/For you are heading toward eternal paradise
You must remember to make supplications wherever you go, and anytime you do anything, and Allah is with his faithful servants, He will protect them and make their tasks easier, and give them success and control, and victory, and everything...
THE THIRD PHASE
When you ride the (T) [probably for tayyara, aeroplane in Arabic], before your foot steps in it, and before you enter it, you make a prayer and supplications. Remember that this is a battle for the sake of Allah . As the prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'An action for the sake of Allah is better than all of what is in this world.' When you step inside the (T), and sit in your seat, begin with the known supplications that we have mentioned before. Be busy with the constant remembrance of Allah. Allah said: 'Oh ye faithful, when you find the enemy be steadfast, and remember Allah constantly so that you may be successful.' When the (T) moves, even slightly, toward (Q) [unknown reference], say the supplication of travel. Because you are traveling to Almighty Allah , so be attentive on this trip.
Then [unclear] it takes off. This is the moment that both groups come together. So remember Allah , as He said in His book: 'Oh Allah, pour your patience upon us and make our feet steadfast and give us victory over the infidels.' And His words: 'And the only thing they said Allah, forgive our sins and excesses and make our feet steadfast and give us victory over the infidels.' And His prophet said: 'Oh Allah, You have revealed the book, You move the clouds, You gave us victory over the enemy, conquer them and give us victory over them.' Give us victory and make the ground shake under their feet. Pray for yourself and all your brothers that they may be victorious and hit their targets and ask Allah to grant you martyrdom facing the enemy, not running away from it, and for Him to grant you patience and the feeling that anything that happens to you is for Him.
Then every one of you should prepare to carry out his role in a way that would satisfy Allah. You should clench your teeth, as the pious early generations did.
When the confrontation begins, strike like champions who do not want to go back to this world. Shout, 'Allahu Akbar,' because this strikes fear in the hearts of the non-believers. Allah said: 'Strike above the neck, and strike at all of their extremities.' Know that the gardens of paradise are waiting for you in all their beauty, and the women of paradise are waiting, calling out, 'Come hither, friend of Allah .' They have dressed in their most beautiful clothing.
If Allah decrees that any of you are to slaughter, dedicate the slaughter to your fathers and [unclear], because you have obligations toward them. Do not disagree, and obey. If you slaughter, do not cause the discomfort of those you are killing, because this is one of the practices of the prophet, peace be upon him. On one condition: that you do not become distracted by [unclear] and neglect what is greater, paying attention to the enemy. That would be treason, and would do more damage than good. If this happens, the deed at hand is more important than doing that, because the deed is an obligation, and [the other thing] is optional. And an obligation has priority over an option.
Do not seek revenge for yourself. Strike for Allah's sake. One time Ali bin Abi Talib [a companion and close relative of the prophet Muhammad], fought with a non-believer. The non-believer spit on Ali, may Allah bless him. Ali [unclear] his sword, but did not strike him. When the battle was over, the companions of the prophet asked him why he had not smitten the non-believer. He said, 'After he spat at me, I was afraid I would be striking at him in revenge for myself, so I lifted my sword.' After he renewed his intentions, he went back and killed the man. This means that before you do anything, make sure your soul is prepared to do everything for Allah only.
Then implement the way of the prophet in taking prisoners. Take prisoners and kill them. As Almighty Allah said: 'No prophet should have prisoners until he has soaked the land with blood. You want the bounties of this world [in exchange for prisoners] and Allah wants the other world [for you], and Allah is all-powerful, all-wise.'
If everything goes well, every one of you should pat the other on the shoulder in confidence that (M) and (T) number (K). Remind your brothers that this act is for Almighty Allah. Do not confuse your brothers or distract them. He should give them glad tidings and make them calm, and remind them [of Allah ] and encourage them. How beautiful it is for one to read Allah 's words, such as: 'And those who prefer the afterlife over this world should fight for the sake of Allah .' And His words: 'Do not suppose that those who are killed for the sake of Allah are dead; they are alive... ' And others. Or they should sing songs to boost their morale, as the pious first generations did in the throes of battle, to bring calm, tranquillity and joy to the hearts of his brothers.
Do not forget to take a bounty, even if it is a glass of water to quench your thirst or that of your brothers, if possible. When the hour of reality approaches, the zero hour, [unclear] and wholeheartedly welcome death for the sake of Allah. Always be remembering Allah . Either end your life while praying, seconds before the target, or make your last words: 'There is no Allah but Allah, Muhammad is His messenger'.
Afterwards, we will all meet in the highest heaven, Allah willing.
If you see the enemy as strong, remember the groups [that had formed a coalition to fight the prophet Muhammad]. They were 10,000. Remember how Allah gave victory to his faithful servants. He said: 'When the faithful saw the groups, they said, this is what Allah and the prophet promised, they said the truth. It only increased their faith.'
And may the peace of Allah be upon the prophet.
• The document was released by the F.B.I. and translated for The New York Times by Capital Communications Group, a Washington-based international consulting firm and by Imad Musa, a translator for the firm.
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