Full Text of the Hadith Sent by Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez

Reuters is reporting that Tennessee jihadist Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez sent his friend a link to "a long Islamic verse" (actually a hadith) shortly before he opened fire in Chattanooga.

Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Reuters) - Hours before the Tennessee shooting that killed five U.S. servicemen, the suspected gunman texted his close friend a link to a long Islamic verse that included the line: "Whosoever shows enmity to a friend of Mine, then I have declared war against him."

His friend thought nothing of it at the time, but now wonders if it was a clue to Thursday's rampage in Chattanooga, which has re-ignited concerns about the radicalization of young Muslim men.

"I didn't see it as a hint at the time, but it may have been his way of telling me something," the friend told Reuters on Saturday. He requested anonymity for fear of a backlash.

The suspect, Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez, a 24-year-old Kuwaiti-born naturalized U.S. citizen, was killed in a gunfight with police. The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism, but said it was premature to speculate on the gunman's motive.

While a firm connection between the suspect and radical Islam has not been established, the shooting follows a series of attacks or thwarted attacks in the United States and other countries by Muslims claiming to be inspired by Islamic State or other militant groups. (Continue Reading.)

Reuters doesn't give the full quote or the reference, but for those who want to read it, here it is (in a different translation):

I'm not sure which part was most important for Abdulazeez, but there are a few possibilities.

First, there is the portion quoted by Reuters about Allah declaring war on someone who shows enmity towards a Muslim. Since the U.S. military has killed numerous Muslims in various wars, Abdulazeez was clearly convinced that Allah had declared war on the U.S. military. When Allah declares war, Muslims must fight.

Second, Allah says that the most beloved things a Muslim can approach him with are the deeds commanded by Allah. If Abdulazeez regarded Allah's commands to "Fight those who do not believe in Allah" (Qur'an 9:29) or to "Fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness" (9:123) as commands directed towards Muslims in general, he may have believed that killing U.S. Marines was straightforward obedience to clear commands.

Third, Allah points out that a Muslim can come even closer to him by going beyond the performance of obligatory deeds. Hence, Abdulazeez may have believed that he was going beyond the call of duty by attacking U.S. Marines, and that his actions would get him special honor.

Fourth, Allah declares that he will come so close to Muslims who perform supererogatory deeds (deeds that go beyond the call of duty), he will actually become their sense of sight and their sense of hearing. If Abdulazeez had a spiritual hunger, he may have longed to be so close to Allah that Allah becomes his senses.

Fifth, if a Muslim performs supererogatory deeds, Allah promises to protect the Muslim who asks for protection. The hadith may therefore have been a request for divine protection.

Of course, Abdulazeez may have meant more than one of the above possibilities. But since he threw his life away waging jihad for Allah, I guess we'll never know.

Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez Identified as Chattanooga Jihadist

Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez was born in Kuwait, but he grew up in Tennessee. He was on a high school television program in a suburb of Chattanooga, and his yearbook quote was "My name causes national security alerts. What does yours do?"

Abdulazeez graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in engineering, and he owned a house. In 2010, his sister Yasmeen declared: "There’s this misconception that Islam is a violent religion. Muslims are actually peaceful."

Today, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez shot and killed four U.S. Marines at two military facilities in Chattanooga, and injured several more.

Authorities say they're searching for a motive. I can think of one, but if I say it, I'll be called a racist.

Can we talk about Islam yet?

Reuters—Five people were killed on Thursday including a suspected gunman who opened fire at two military-related facilities in Chattanooga, Tennessee in an attack local officials described as brazen, brutal and an act of domestic terrorism.

CBS News quoted two law enforcement officials as saying the suspect was Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez. No motive has yet been given. The suspected shooter, who has not been officially identified, is believed to have lived in the area and acted alone, local police said.

The other four killed were Marines at a Naval Reserve Center, a military official said in Washington, DC.

"We are treating this as an act of domestic terrorism," said Bill Killian, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, adding that no official determination of the nature of the crime had yet been made.

Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez

The suspect, seen driving in an open-top Mustang, is believed to have first gone to a joint military recruiting center in a strip mall, and peppered the facility with gunfire. No one was injured in the attack.

"Everybody was at a standstill and as soon as he pulled away everyone scrabbled trying to make sure everyone was OK," said Erica Wright, who works two doors down from the center.

The gunman then drove off to a Naval Reserve Center about 6 miles (10 km) away, fatally shooting the four Marines before being fatally shot himself in a firefight with police.

Three others were wounded in the attacks, including a police officer and a Marine. The shootings began at about 10:45 a.m. local time and ended about 30 minutes later.

"There were numerous Chattanooga and Hamilton County officers who responded. They arrived on the scene extremely quickly. They actively and enthusiastically engaged this brazen criminal, and one of those officers was injured by gunfire from this criminal," Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher told a news conference.

A White House spokesman said President Barack Obama had been told about the shooting. (Continue Reading.)

To understand why people like Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez turn to jihad, watch this: