A statement issued by the family of ‘the Masked One’ (al-Mulaththam) 

[i.e., the family of Abu Obeida, statement issued on 29 December 2025 CE]

“And do not think that those who are killed in the way of Allah are dead. Rather, they are alive, but you do not perceive it.”

Praise be to Allah, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy, and blessings and peace be upon the martyred Prophet. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, upon his family and his companions, and upon those who walk his path and strive his striving until the Day of Judgment.

With the highest verses of glory and pride, and with all meanings of exaltation and victory, we announce with pride the martyrdom of our son, the mujahid leader, to the Highest Paradise, God willing: Hudhayfa Samir Abdullah Mahmoud Yassin al-Kahlout, who was martyred in the way of God along with his wife, his two daughters, and his son, in a cowardly assassination. We say only what pleases our Lord and what the steadfast have been promised: “Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return.” We are satisfied with God’s decree and destiny, for this is the death befitting men and the end of heroes.

Our beloved son walked a path fraught with danger, defending and fighting for the sacred cause of his people, and raising his voice in the name of the resistance of this great people. Because of this, he was subjected to several assassination attempts, but God honored him—and thereby honored us—and he was sealed with martyrdom. We ask God Almighty, who granted him acceptance among people in this world, to accept him in the highest ranks of Paradise, in the Highest Paradise with the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous, and to exalt him in rank according to the troubles he endured, the fears and dangers he faced, the extent to which his influential words stirred and inflamed the hearts of the masses, and the degree to which he kept alive the cause of his people in the minds and hearts of people across this earth.

O sons of our people and our nation, and O free people of the world: If we mourn our martyred son Hudhayfa, “Abu Ibrahim,” then despite the magnitude of the calamity in losing influential figures, we place him among the sincere mujahideen of our people and our nation, as a sacrifice for Allah first, then for our religion, then for our sanctities and our homelands. He was one of this people, who suffered alongside them hunger, displacement, and hardship with his family, yet he remained steadfast, never bowing away from his principles, raising the word of truth before all peoples, seeking absolution before Allah Almighty, hopeful for all goodness for his nation, until he met Allah Almighty as a martyr—his pure blood mingling with the blood of tens of thousands of his great people, and his soul embracing the souls of the oppressed and the tortured among men, women, and children who were subjected to extermination.

Likewise were his heroic brothers, the leaders of the Flood [al-Ṭūfān]. They never separated themselves from the concerns and suffering of their people; rather, they stood at the forefront of the ranks. The world bore witness that they sealed their principles and words with the sincerity of their actions, the purity of their blood and the blood of their families, and with what was less than that of their pure wealth, homes, and possessions.

The martyr of the nation, Hudhayfa, was a dutiful son to his parents, lowering to them the wing of humility; a righteous, affectionate brother, devoted and maintaining the ties of kinship; a loving and righteous husband; and a father who raised his children upon the tables of the Qur’an, such that they became memorizers of the Book of Allah. Behind the veil of dignity that he presented to the world, the great morals of Islam were manifest in his person. We deem him to be so, and Allah is his reckoner; we do not vouch for him before Allah Almighty.

Hudhayfa, may Allah have mercy on him, was from a young age intelligent, brilliant, quick-witted, alert in spirit, keen of heart, gentle and pure, familiar and endearing. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, he spoke clearly. You could scarcely discern his inner essence, but when he emerged, he dazzled. He memorized the Qur’an from a young age and absorbed its meanings from his parents, and he was raised upon its tables alongside his brothers. As for his academic attainment, he excelled and surpassed others throughout all stages of his education until he obtained his master’s degree. He enrolled in a doctoral program, but his commitments prevented him from completing his dissertation.

The wounds of the Muslims pained him, softening his heart and bringing tears to his eyes, while the conspiracies of the enemies of the religion angered him—something evident in his face and countenance. He expressed this in his gatherings, his poetry, and his writings. He was unconcerned with fame; rather, he cared for the idea. He insisted that no one know him, distancing himself from any gathering in which he might be praised or treated according to his position or stature. He constantly repeated the saying: “Seek help from Allah, then from the sincere among the servants of Allah, for Allah grants victory through them and opens paths through their sincerity.” He advised that every believer maintain a concealed devotional act between himself and Allah that no one else knows. He himself was an example of sincerity and dedication in his work, seeking nothing but the countenance of Allah Almighty. We deem him to be so, and Allah is his reckoner.

Perhaps the coming days will reveal the magnitude of his achievements across various fields, not only in the media and jihad. We have lost a profoundly influential man at the level of his country, his nation, and indeed the entire world. Yet his appointed term has passed, and he has joined the side of a Forgiving, Merciful Lord. It falls upon the masses of the nation who loved him and whose tongues invoked his name to remain forever proud of his name; to train themselves behind the principles and constants he proclaimed; to follow his path and spread his legacy; to adhere to his methodology and approach; and to rally beneath his banner and message. The greatness of a man is measured by the truth he carried and acted upon, and the sincerity of love is measured by the extent of following, remaining upon the path, adhering to the methodology, and entrenching oneself around the constants.

This great and influential man was the product of faith-based upbringing. He grew upon the tables of the Qur’an and was nurtured in the arenas of dignity and honor, becoming the finest voice to speak in the name of the heroes. Peace be upon you, Hudhayfa, on the day you were born, on the day you were martyred, and on the day we meet you in Paradise, God willing. Praise be to Allah for having honored us with you in the world of servitude, and as a martyr before the Possessor of the Glorious Throne.

We ask Allah to compensate our people and our nation through you with goodness.

“Allah is dominant over His affair, but most people do not know.”

The al-Mulaththam (the Masked One) family.

Samir Abdullah Mahmoud Yassin al-Kahlout (“Abu Suhaib”) and his two children.

January 29, 2025 CE.