[The word Talib in Arabic comes from the Arabic root 'ta la ba', which means 'to search for', 'to seek' or 'to procure'. In Islamic terminology, Talib means student of Islamic knowledge. Taliban is a plural variation of Talib, and thus means 'students of Islamic knowledge'.]
[The leader of the Taliban Islamic Movement and the Ameer-ul-Mumineen (Leader of the Believers) of Afghanistan is Sheikh Muhammad Umar (also
known as Mullah Muhammad Umar or just Mullah Umar). Mullah Umar was born around 1959 and he studied Islamic knowledge from a young age. In
the 80's and 90's he participated in the Jihad against the Soviets, during which he was seriously wounded several times, losing his right eye. One
account of how he lost his eye says that during a battle, his eye was hit by shrapnel and began to hang half-way out of his socket. Seeing that there was nothing he could to save it, he pulled it out with his own hands, wiping the blood on the walls of a mosque, and continued fighting. His knowledge, piety and wisdom are unquestionable. Those who have had the honour to meet him describe him as a pious individual, upon whose sight one's Iman (faith) in Allah is increased. He never utters a sentence without mentioning Allah's name in it. Hearts automatically love him at first sight. Despite being the leader of millions of people, he eats simple food and sleeps on the floor. He refuses to live a life of luxury, preferring instead to live the simple lives that the Prophet (SAWS) and his Rightly-Guided Caliphs lived 14 centuries ago. For this and other reasons, many Muslims describe him as reminding them of the Sahabah, the Noble Companions of the Prophet (SAWS). He once said to a Pakistani journalist, Rahimullah Yusufzai:
"We took up arms to achieve the aims of the Afghan Jihad and save our people from further suffering at the hands of the so-called
Mujahideen. We had complete faith in Allah the Almighty. We never forgot that. He can bless us with victory or plunge us into defeat."]
[Again, this title was given to Mullah Umar by the leading scholars of Afghanistan. Ameer-ul-Mumineen was a title given to the Rightly-Guided Caliphs after the death of the Prophet (SAWS), such as Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali and Umar bin Abdul-Aziz. However, in this case, it only means the leader of the believers in Afghanistan. Mullah Umar has never claimed to be the Khaleef of the Muslims all over the World and nor have the leading scholars of Afghanistan claimed that he is. Therefore, he is only the Ameer-ul-Mumineen in Afghanistan and was given this title as an Islamic title as opposed to President, Prime Minister, King or Emperor. After all, the leader of a country trying to implement Shariah would not be called anything other than this.]
[The founders of the Taliban have a history of Islamic work in Afghanistan since even before the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. During the war, they participated in the Jihad against the Soviets for several years and many were injured or disabled during this period. Once the Soviets withdrew and the Communists were defeated, these scholars and students of knowledge went back to learning and teaching Islam in the Madrassahs (Islamic schools). They re-emerged on the scene in 1994 when they began to establish law and order in Afghanistan, under the title
of the 'Taliban'. Therefore, the Taliban are not people who are new to Afghanistan, although this title is only a few years old.
.]
[The Taliban are Sunni Muslims who follow the established Islamic school of thought of Imam Abu Hanifah, which is the predominant school of thought in the region..]
[Every Muslim country in the World from Saudi Arabia to Indonesia has practices involving Bid'ah and Shirk (polytheism). Afghanistan is no exception. Yes, there are people in Afghanistan who participate in these activities of Bid'ah and sometimes, Shirk. However, it is necessary for one to firstly look at the leading scholars of that country, and then the majority of the people. For example, 20% of the population of Saudi Arabia is Shia, but the leading scholars of Saudi Arabia have nothing to do with this. The leadership of the Taliban, which comprises leading scholars of Afghanistan, do not agree with, endorse or encourage these Bid'ah and Shirk practices. However, one must understand that it takes time to cleanse a society and people of Bid'ah and Shirk: it does not happen overnight. With regards to the same example above, scholars in Saudi Arabia have been teaching Tawheed for several decades yet they have still not managed to cleanse Saudi Arabia of Bid'ah and Shirk. Therefore, how are the Taliban expected to do this in a matter of a few years, especially when they have many other problems to do with and without the support of the Muslims around the World? .]