The Ummah's Eyes are on Qassam Brigades, but who are they?

Ebu Masum Mücahit*

Allah says:

Among the believers are men who have proven true to what they pledged to Allah. Some of them have fulfilled their pledge ˹with their lives˺, others are waiting ˹their turn˺. They have never changed ˹their commitment˺ in the least.(al-Ahzab verse 23)

The governance of the Muslim world, which began to decline in the 9th century, was almost entirely dismantled in the 20th century. Particularly in 1924, with the abolition of the caliphate, the Muslim ummah was left entirely leaderless, devoid of any power or authority that ensured the safety of intellect, generations, lives, faith, and property. Muslim rights were left at the mercy of non-Muslims. Infidel states would attack Muslim societies at their discretion, often with different pretexts, and community leaders either succumbed due to being compromised or were incapable of taking any action, sometimes even aligning themselves with the oppressors.

At times, there were leaders emerging in certain countries who aimed to protect the rights of Muslims. However, they were often swiftly eliminated or silenced. Some countries, despite incorporating the term "Islamic" in their names, collaborated with the global exploitation system. Their primary strength lay in being members of the United Nations, allowing them to implement the directives of global powers economically, politically, and socially. Presently, the governance of Muslim populations around the world engages in trade with the US dollar and operates within the framework of the World Bank, rendering them unable to act independently. Nations that are considered Islamic in terms of their populace have, instead of adopting a unifying approach, adopted a nationalist approach, leading them to become adversaries. These states have become preoccupied with their internal issues, and simultaneously, they have been arresting and prosecuting sincere Muslims. As the late Sayyid Qutb stated, the armies of Arab countries were established solely to assert authority over Muslims. Expecting anything different from them would be a misunderstanding.

Creating the Jewish state of Israel

During a period when the Muslim communities found themselves without leadership, vulnerable, and with leaders collaborating with the enemies, Jews, who had been operating like parasites within nations for thousands of years, established a state in 1948 with the support of global colonial powers such as England, France, the United States, and other Western nations through a UN decision. This state had no military and no indigenous population.During this time, Jews entered Palestinian lands initially as guests but later began systematically killing and expelling the native inhabitants. Fueled by the support of the ruthless global colonial West, the Jews revealed the brutality resulting from the contempt and humiliation of societies within themselves. They initiated mass massacres, leaving the Islamic communities and countries unable to support the people of Palestine, leaving them to face their fate alone.

This challenging period marked the emergence of great leaders and movements. Hasan al-Banna and the Muslim Brotherhood arose during this time. Hasan al-Banna established the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, which began supporting the Palestinian struggle. The Brotherhood started sending its members to Palestine. Zionism perceived this as a threat and had Hasan al-Banna killed by the Egyptian government. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt faced significant oppression afterwards. However, these societal efforts were not highly successful. After 1950, the Palestinian people were gradually displaced from their homes, and occupation and oppression increased in the region.

Resistant Movements

During this period, Western powers began supporting the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to create a struggle organisation outside their control and distant from Islam. Muslims struggled to establish a presence in Palestine. The Oslo negotiations between the PLO and Yasser Arafat, by the 1990s, started weakening the PLO in the eyes of the Palestinian people. In the 1990s, Hamas emerged with the Intifada movement, and its actions led to its growth. These efforts contributed to the PLO's engagement in agreements with Israel.

The Qassam Brigades are widely known today. The Islamophobia which has risen since 2001 is fast having a reverse effect. People are getting acquainted with Islam while seeing the democracy, freedom, and human rights expressions in the West as hypocritical. The Qassam Brigades have challenged what is perceived as the world's most equipped, modern, and powerful army. Understanding the formation, training methods, and ethical status of the mujahideen in the Qassam Brigades can serve as a model for other resistant groups.

The Qassam Brigades

The movement consists of various sections and units. Established in 1991 as the military wing of Hamas, it started its first operations between 1994 and 2000. The Qassam Brigades began the jihad by building it step by step, starting with small-scale tools like stones without underestimating, and now continues with missiles and drones. The Qassam Brigades initially organised in Gaza and the West Bank but faced hindrance from Israel in maintaining their presence in the West Bank due to the Palestinian government's actions. The PLO, especially, captured and subjected Qassam members to severe torture, worse than Israeli practices. Unable to sustain itself in the West Bank, Qassam established its presence in Gaza, forming a disciplined, devoted, and self-sacrificing military unit.

Although Qassam is a people’s liberation movement established against the Israeli occupation, France, England, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Egypt, which are under the guidance of Israel, consider Qassam as a terrorist organisation. Because even though they try to protect their countries, lands and honour, it means nothing to these states as it does not serve their interests. The Qassam Brigades continue their epic struggle today. It is necessary to listen to the real purpose of the Qassam Brigades from them. They have stated their purpose as “to ensure the liberation of Palestine, to liberate Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to ensure the Palestinian peoples’ lifestyle in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah” on their website. Abu Ubayda, one of the legendary leaders of the Qassam brigades, became the “hope” and “idol” of the youth after the events of 7 October.

The military structure of Qassam is like a full military army. The brigade is divided into 6 battalions, companies and teams. It consists of engineering, air defence, artillery, and logistics battalions. In order to prevent intelligence infiltration and, at the same time, to prevent Israel from harming their family members, they have very complex cell and team structures that do not know each other. Mujahideen cover their faces to prevent Israel from harming their families. The Qassam Brigades originated from Hamas, but they act independently of Hamas. Their commander is Mohammed Daif. Daif is a calm, patient, faithful, worshipful, righteous leader who does not waste his time and loves simplicity. His deputy is Marwan Isa. The brigade has 35,000 mujahideen.  Initially, they carried pistols, rifles and later, all kinds of small arms. Today it produces its own weapons, explosives, missiles, UAVs and UCAVs. The members of Qassam try to apply the verse “For each one there are successive angels before and behind, protecting them by Allah’s command. Indeed, Allah would never change a people’s state ˹of favour˺ until they change their own state ˹of faith˺. And if it is Allah’s Will to torment a people, it can never be averted, nor can they find a protector other than Him. (Rad verse 11)

To join the Qassam Brigades as a fighter, a Palestinian must be a Hafiz (memoriser of  the Quran), not miss any obligatory prayers, refrain from smoking, and undergo four years of Islamic education before entering military training. Today, the victories achieved by Qassam result from sincerity, education, dedication, and discipline.

Unlike Islamic movements in other countries, Hamas and Qassam do not admit non-Palestinian Muslims into their ranks. This decision aims to prevent deviation from the right path and to thwart intelligence infiltration attempts. Despite rigorous discipline, screening, and testing, security breaches still occur.

The Israeli brutality, starting with the events on October 7 and the glorious resistance of Qassam, have brought them back into the spotlight. Abu Ubayda, one of Qassam's esteemed commanders, gained prominence. Born in Na'alie town in Gaza, Abu Ubayda has been the spokesperson for Qassam since 2005. His statements, adorned with the green Kalimat ash-Shahada flag on his head and a red robe on his face, have inspired believers and the oppressed, shattered the hopes of the oppressive infidels, and forewarned of the damages caused by the enemy. It is anticipated that people longing for such a spirit of struggle will name their male children born next year after Abu Ubayda, hoping for them to be like him.

Victory belongs to the believers, and it is near.

*This article was translate from Turkish to English by Zekiyenur Gök