“Neglecting jihad, which is prescribed in our religion, is a grievous sin. The best death for us is under the shadow of swords [Paradise]. Do not let your strength and modern arms fool you, for they but win a few battles yet lose the war. Patience and steadfastness are greater, and the end result is the most important thing. With patience and crude weapons we battled the Soviet foe for ten years. We bled their economy and by the grace of Allah they are now nothing. In that there is a lesson for you. Steadfast shall we fight you, until our strongest die, and we shall never quit the struggle until our weapons quit.”Raymond Ibrahim, trans., The Al-Qaeda Reader (New York: Doubleday, 2007), 225.