From the Biographies of the Distinguished Martyrs: (32) Abu Dujanah and Abu Ubaydah

The thirty-second entry of the “Distinguished Martyrs” series is yet another joint tribute, dedicated to two Arabian jihadists, one Yemeni, the other Saudi. The first was Abu Dujanah al-Yemeni, the top explosives expert in Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, crafting “countless car bombs” for many operations. The second was Abu Ubaydah al-Makki. Both belonged to Abu Ismail al-Muhajir’s own battalion, Katiba Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha. Abu Ubaydah managed the battalion’s finances and later became a sniper commander. Both were reportedly highly competent fighters, as even Abu Anas al-Shami, Abu Ja’far al-Maqdisi, and Abu Radwan al-Tunisi respected them.

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Abu Dujanah and Abu Ubaydah

Al-Qawibillah [The Strong Through God]

"The Strong Through God," this was not a title our martyr bore in his lifetime, but I found it to be the truest description of Abdullah, the pious, pure, and triumphant Abu Dujanah al-Yemeni.

The man was killed and joined those who preceded him on the path, laughing and rejoicing. Had he been told before his departure, "You will die tomorrow, so be ready," he would have redoubled his efforts beyond what he was already doing. Who is he?!

By God, I can hardly believe the man is gone. My heart refuses to accept the news; my soul truly denies it. As I write now about my brother, my pen trembles and shakes as if rebuking me–"I, the hard-hearted one”–for writing this! As if it were saying: How cruel is your heart? Can you even imagine that Abu Dujanah is dead? Can you write about this mountain? Do you truly think, you poor soul, that you are a writer? Do you truly deserve to write about such a man? Have you been deceived, or has someone deceived you into thinking you are capable of describing men, giants of jihad, students of prophecy, defenders of the faith, seekers of Sharia, and those who raced to the Lord of the Worlds?

So I answered my pen: By God, you speak the truth, and by my Lord, I know I am a liar. By God, I never stood before Abu Dujanah without feeling myself like an insignificant speck. No one ever envied another’s deeds as I envied his. But forgive me, my friend, for these are merely emotions I am putting into words–do not mind them. Perhaps someone will feel my grief and pray to God to mend my state and envelop me in His Mercy, which encompasses all things.

As for you, my tears, enough! Harden, O teardrop, as I have known you, harder than stone. Why do you fall today without ceasing? Is it because my beloved’s blood has not yet dried? Or because the martyr was my backbone and my striking hand, and without him, I feel a sense of helplessness? Or is it love–the love I feel slipping from my limbs toward this band of brothers? Yes, it is! It is love–I call God to witness.

By God, Who is above the Throne and knows the truth in my heart, I love these brothers–no, I am infatuated with them. I have never loved anyone as I love them, just as I believe and feel that I have never seen love like theirs for me or manners like theirs. If these young men love this weak servant, then by God, I adore them. If they honor me, I hold them in even higher esteem. In their presence, I feel so small, so insignificant. And if they consider me an elder brother and a father to them, I feel I am but a servant to them. By God, my eyes have never seen men like them before, nor anyone resembling them–I mean my beloved brothers in my battalion, the core of my heart, Katiba Umm al-Mu’minin¹ Aisha (may God be pleased with her).

For this battalion is blessed, just as blessed as the one after whom it is named–our mother Aisha, Umm al-Mu’minin (may God be pleased with her). May God preserve them, increase them, never diminish them, bless their efforts, and elevate their status. Indeed, He is All-Powerful.

Abu Dujanah was extremely thin, pale, even yellow-faced, wearing tattered clothes. But he was a roaring lion, an arrow that never missed its mark, a lost treasure. Once, while carrying a shell for an Austrian cannon, he described himself, saying, "Brothers, this shell weighs three kilos more than me–it’s 45 kg, and I weigh 42."

One day, he entered the gathering place of the brothers looking for a spot to sleep but found none. His companion and brother, the heroic martyr Abu Anas al-Yemeni, woke up and found him searching for a place. He said, "Tell me, where will you sleep?" The beloved replied, "By God, where?" He said, "Pull out a bullet from the AK magazine and sleep in its place!" Everyone laughed, and then he squeezed himself among them.

Abu Dujanah had a steel-like faith. He was one of Yemen’s lions, from its south. His real name was Shafi’. We ask God to accept his intercession for us on the Day of Judgment. He joined a group of brothers who sought to rise against the foolish, vile tyrant of Yemen, Ali AduAllah² Salih. However, their emir abandoned the mountain and sold his brothers for a paltry sum and a lowly position. Abu Dujanah fled with his faith intact, enduring great hardship.

One day, when times were tough, he told me, "By God, when we fled in Yemen, I used to sleep on top of trees, tying myself to them so I wouldn’t fall."

The martyr (may God accept him) had a passion for explosives since his days in Yemen. He had many experiences with them. When he joined his brothers in the Land of Two River, he attached himself to brother al-Bashiq (also known as Abu Dujanah) and his battalion learning the craft of manufacturing from him. Then he mastered wiring and rigging, excelling until he surpassed everyone. Until his death, there was no one like him, not even close.

After God, much credit goes to Abu Dujanah for rigging countless car bombs for martyrs and others. His most significant work was the blessed "Khabbatah," which, by God’s power, destroyed the Baghdad Sheraton and the Palestine Meridian, as well as the al-Hamra Hotel operation, that is, the two raids of Badr Baghdad and the Captive Shaykh.

Abu Dujanah filled the world with explosives. He cut off all roads in the area where he lived against the Americans, working tirelessly day and night without rest. He would wake up in the morning and not sit down, not sleeping until after Isha, exhausted and drained. He would tire his brothers in work, unconcerned with food or drink.

One day, I passed by him while he was planting an explosive. I looked at his face and saw it yellow like a lemon–it was afternoon. I said to him, as if astonished, "Are you fasting?" He said, "No." I said, "Eat, my son, for the sake of God. Eat and fear God."

Just as he excelled in rigging and wiring, he excelled as a fighter who knew no fear and had no equal in courage. He was one of the pillars of the last assault on Abu Ghraib prison, where he performed exceptionally. In fact, he came from the western region specifically for it and was one of the key brothers in the "Revenge Raid."

The martyr was also a professional RPG shooter–success and accuracy come from God. Even the heroic brothers like Abu Anas al-Shami and Abu Radwan al-Tunisi (may God have mercy on them) would feel reassured when they saw Abu Dujanah in the ranks beside them.

The brothers loved him deeply from the bottom of their hearts for his good character, rare complaints (if any), abundant work, dedication to the faith, advice to Muslims, and selflessness.

On the night of his martyrdom, he came to Abu Ubaydah al-Makki–to whom I will return shortly–and said, "Abu Dujanah wants to get married." I laughed. Then Abu Dujanah came after bathing, dressing, and applying perfume. I broached the topic in front of a group of brothers, intending to tease him. He became extremely shy, like a virgin in her chamber–so much so that I felt embarrassed for his shyness. He took his planting kit and left.

I said to a companion, "By God, if I had a hundred men like this thin man, I would have opened Iraq with God’s help." Then I said, "By God, I fear losing him." This feeling had been haunting me for about ten days before his martyrdom. So I gathered a group of brothers to teach them what God had taught him (meaning rigging and wiring). Then I feared he might die from exhaustion, so I ordered him to eat.

On the day of his death, I looked at him with intense fear and said to my neighbor, who was Brother Abu Ja’far, "By God, I fear for Abu Dujanah. I feel like I want to place him in my eye or my heart so I don’t lose him. He is irreplaceable, for who is like him?"

Then, as usual, the man went to plant an explosive on the road with his group. However, he went a bit later that day due to circumstances in the area. He walked into an American ambush that had just been set up. The group of brothers ahead of him was discovered but miraculously escaped the ambush.

However, Abu Dujanah saw the brothers’ car stopped on the road and paused to assess the situation. Then, a stream of bullets struck his chest, and Abu Ubaydah was hit in the head with another bullet and wounded elsewhere. The brothers returned fire, killing more of God’s enemies than they lost. The enemy withdrew, dragging their dead and wounded, with disgrace in this world and the Fire in the Hereafter.

As for our companion Abu Dujanah, he was buried the next day at noon. Though he died instantly, his wound continued to bleed until the moment of burial, which exhausted many. He and his brother Abu Ubaydah were buried in the same grave due to the love between them and the lack of time and resources to dig two graves. We ask God to compensate us with goodness for their loss, and we say only what pleases our Lord.

Abu Ubaydah al-Makki

He was Abdullah al-Salih (Riyadh al-Harbi) from the Land of the Two Shrines, from the noblest of places, Makkah al-Mukarramah. He was from that proud tribe whose righteous son blew up the Crusader’s complex.

A man of unwavering faith, he despised Arab tyrants, especially the tyrants of al-Saloul, more than he hated Hell and its torment. He would rejoice with every bullet fired at their necks or every calamity that befell them. His happiest day was when the death of the doomed puppet Fahd bin Abdulaziz was announced. He nearly flew with joy and was intoxicated with delight!

He was also the one tested for God’s sake, known for his witnessed miracles in the Second Battle of Fallujah–the "Man of the Boat" or "Owner of the Raft."

He was with a group of brothers in the Andalusia neighborhood when gunfire scattered them. Abu Ubaydah was hit in the thigh by a bullet but pressed on, running until he was struck again in his side. He took refuge in a house, where he found a small boat. He lifted it and slept beneath it as his wounds bled until he lost consciousness. When he awoke, he found no one around.

At night, he went out searching for something to bandage his wounds but found only tree leaves. He used them to cover his injuries. He had no food except some grapefruit and leaves to sustain him.

Every night, he would force himself to go out and gather leaves and naranj before returning under the boat. His wounds festered, and he suffered greatly.

Adding to his ordeal, God’s enemies had set up a position near him without realizing his presence. They would get drunk, sing, and fornicate nearby like animals, worsening his suffering. The martyr said, "I found nothing to pray to God with except the word of Monotheism. So I would say, 'O God, if You know that I say ‘La ilaha illa Allah’ sincerely from my heart, then relieve me.'" And his wound healed by God’s will.

God’s enemies searched his location many times. Once, a soldier lifted the boat, looked directly at Abu Ubaydah beneath it, and then put it back down, saying to his companion, "There’s nothing under here." Though his eyes met the martyr’s, God blinded him. This happened again later, with the same result, this time with an Iraqi National Guard soldier, who also said, "Nothing here."

The martyr remained in this state for nearly forty days. Afterward, he joined the Katiba Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha, becoming one of its pillars and finest knights. He was entrusted with financial responsibilities due to his honesty and strict care for God’s wealth, ensuring it was spent rightly. Later, he was given command of the sniper company, striving tirelessly to establish it until it bore fruit by God’s will.

He was also tasked with overseeing the martyrdom-seeking brothers and their affairs, known for his deep care, love, and attention to them, as well as his good manners, wit, and lightheartedness. He was a war igniter, sharpening resolve.

About a week before his martyrdom, he requested to join the rigging company with his brother, friend, and beloved Abu Dujanah. I saw them together on the night of their martyrdom.

I had heard that a woman, upon learning of his good character and fine traits, had asked to marry him. I mentioned it to him, saying I approved and that he should trust in God. He said, "I fear, Hajji, that it might weaken my resolve." I said, "Do not worry–God will strengthen you."

We wanted one thing, but God willed another. We wanted his marriage in this world, but God willed his marriage to the Huri. I hope this woman is not deprived of marrying our martyr in the Hereafter.

I forgot to mention that the beloved martyr had a significant role in da’wah, especially among women. He noticed the lack of proper Islamic hijab in his area, so he bought a large quantity of veils and distributed them to married brothers, who then gave them to local women for free. Eventually, the hijab became the dominant attire for women in that region.

When he was martyred (may God have mercy on him), he still had $900 in his pocket, set aside for this project. I ask God to clothe him in the garments of Paradise as he clothed his sisters in this world and to gather us with him in the Gardens of Eden. Indeed, He has power over all things.

Written by:
Abu Ismail al-Muhajir

1. Meaning “Mother of Believers”

2. Meaning “Enemy of God.” It is a play on words with the name Abdullah, meaning “Servant of God.”