--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Afghans did not have sophisticated…" description: "\"The Afghans did not have sophisticated weapons like the Soviets did, but with their faith they defeated a superpower.\" — Abu Bakar Bashir" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/abu-bakar-bashir-18677_afghans_the-afghans-did-not-have-sophisticated-w_2112629.png" --- # The Afghans did not have sophisticated weapons like the… ![“The Afghans did not have sophisticated weapons like the Soviets did, but with their faith they defeated a superpower.” quote by Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/abu-bakar-bashir-18677_afghans_the-afghans-did-not-have-sophisticated-w_2112629.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/abu-bakar-bashir-18677_afghans_the-afghans-did-not-have-sophisticated-w_2112629.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/abu-bakar-bashir-18677_afghans_the-afghans-did-not-have-sophisticated-w_2112629.png) > “The Afghans did not have sophisticated weapons like the Soviets did, but with their faith they defeated a superpower.” [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Faith and determination enabled a weaker force to defeat a stronger opponent. **In simple terms:** Faith helped the Afghans beat a stronger enemy. Key Takeaway Cultivate resolve and belief in challenging odds. Themes resistance faith asymmetry Mood determined serious Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - military training - grassroots movements - spiritual gatherings Key Concepts guerrilla warfare psychological strength ideology Questions to Reflect On - How does belief sustain resistance? - What other factors contributed to the outcome? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex geopolitical factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afghans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghans/) [Afghans Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghans-did-4272754/) [Defeated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeated/) [Defeated Superpower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeated-superpower-653791/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Like Soviets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-soviets-4272755/) [Sophisticated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sophisticated/) [Soviets Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviets-did-1525365/) [Superpower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superpower/) [Weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons/) ## Related quotes > [And the fact that the Muslim world, over the course of a decade, rallied and defeated a superpower is an extraordinary symbol in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scheuer/and-the-fact-that-the-muslim-world-over-the-course-of-a-decade/) [Michael Scheuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scheuer/) > [I suspect the soviets never did want to use those bombs. The most Stalinist of Soviet hard-liners - Stalin, for example - must have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-suspect-the-soviets-never-did-want-to-use-those-bombs-the-most/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Look at the Afghans, during the time of the Soviet invasion. They were among the poorest Muslims in the world, yet they were sustained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/look-at-the-afghans-during-the-time-of-the-soviet-invasion-they-were/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [If you take a look at Afghan history, usually they have united to defend against an outside enemy, and as soon as that's accomplished,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-eagleburger/if-you-take-a-look-at-afghan-history-usually-they-have-united-to/) [Lawrence Eagleburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-eagleburger/) > [The people suffering most from the Taliban were Afghans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-people-suffering-most-from-the-taliban-were-afghans/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [No Afghans, as far as we know, have been involved in terrorist acts against our country. We shouldn't be swatting at hornets' nests we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-goetzman/no-afghans-as-far-as-we-know-have-been-involved-in-terrorist-acts/) [Gary Goetzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-goetzman/) > [The Afghans I met were some of the nicest and most honorable people I've ever encountered. There is a code called 'Pashtunwali,' so if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-thor/the-afghans-i-met-were-some-of-the-nicest-and-most-honorable-people-i/) [Brad Thor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-thor/) > [The majority of Afghans do not see the Americans as foreign occupiers who must be defeated. Instead, they are hungry for the Americans to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-tzemach-lemmon/the-majority-of-afghans-do-not-see-the-americans-as-foreign-occupiers/) [Gayle Tzemach Lemmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-tzemach-lemmon/) > [“Take two Afghans who've never met, put them in a room for ten minutes, and they'll figure out how they're related.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/take-two-afghans-who-ve-never-met-put-them-in-a-room-for-ten-minutes/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [A sea-green sky: lamps blossoming white. This is marginal land: fields of strung wire, of treadless tyres in ditches, fridges dead on their backs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/a-sea-green-sky-lamps-blossoming-white-this-is-marginal-land-fields/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Obviously it is right that the Afghans take responsibility for their own future in the end, but they need to know and feel that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/obviously-it-is-right-that-the-afghans-take-responsibility-for-their/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [“In Our Villages - You killed thousands by thousands, after each thousand, You are killing another one thousand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abed-rahmani/in-our-villages-you-killed-thousands-by-thousands-after-each-thousand/) [Abed Rahmani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abed-rahmani/) > [“The Hindi kid would soon learn what the British learned earlier in the century, and what the Russians would eventually learn by the late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/the-hindi-kid-would-soon-learn-what-the-british-learned-earlier-in/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“By not burning their poppy fields to the ground but instead maintaining a security umbrella that international development agencies could safely work under as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-wood/by-not-burning-their-poppy-fields-to-the-ground-but-instead/) [Jake Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-wood/) > [ Our \[Afghanistan\] main problem is education. Over 90 percent of our population is uneducated. So what can you expect? The terrorists come from Syria,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/najibullah-quraishi/our-afghanistan-main-problem-is-education-over-90-percent-of-our/) [Najibullah Quraishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/najibullah-quraishi/) ## More by Abu Bakar Bashir > [Our Prophet was a radical too- he fought against the injustices of his community and challenged the feudal order of his society, so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/our-prophet-was-a-radical-too-he-fought-against-the-injustices-of-his/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [But the weakness comes from these Westernised co-opted Muslim leaders who just want to look good in the eyes of the West and Western…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/but-the-weakness-comes-from-these-westernised-co-opted-muslim-leaders/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [We have shown that Islam can rule the world perfectly for 14 centuries, and during this time of Muslim power we did not borrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/we-have-shown-that-islam-can-rule-the-world-perfectly-for-14/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [But the West is trying to weaken Islam from outside and inside. They attack our people and invade our countries from outside, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/but-the-west-is-trying-to-weaken-islam-from-outside-and-inside-they/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [We swear by the Quran and Sunnah, and we will not compromise with any infidel... Islam is the truth and all else is falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/we-swear-by-the-quran-and-sunnah-and-we-will-not-compromise-with-any/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [You are right, but the weakness does not come from the millions of Muslims in the world. They do not mind being radical, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/you-are-right-but-the-weakness-does-not-come-from-the-millions-of/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [Muslims must believe that all power, success and victory comes from God alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/muslims-must-believe-that-all-power-success-and-victory-comes-from/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [Islam is fixed, stable, ordered and disciplined, and so are Muslims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/islam-is-fixed-stable-ordered-and-disciplined-and-so-are-muslims/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [Why should we use the Dollar even when we trade among ourselves?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/why-should-we-use-the-dollar-even-when-we-trade-among-ourselves/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [If the West wants to have peace, then they have to accept Islamic rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/if-the-west-wants-to-have-peace-then-they-have-to-accept-islamic-rule/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [The Prophet defeated the enemies of Islam even when he and his followers were small in number.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/the-prophet-defeated-the-enemies-of-islam-even-when-he-and-his/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [This is why I have always said that it would be better if Muslims were poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/this-is-why-i-have-always-said-that-it-would-be-better-if-muslims/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [What honour have we got left, when nobody is listening to us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/what-honour-have-we-got-left-when-nobody-is-listening-to-us/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [We should be proud that our Prophet came into the world with the message of Islam to change it for the better, and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/we-should-be-proud-that-our-prophet-came-into-the-world-with-the/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) > [So we want an Islamic state where Islamic law is not just in the books but enforced, and enforced with determination. There is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/so-we-want-an-islamic-state-where-islamic-law-is-not-just-in-the/) [Abu Bakar Bashir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) [Explore all 34 Abu Bakar Bashir quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/) ## More Afghans quotes > [ Our \[Afghanistan\] main problem is education. Over 90 percent of our population is uneducated. So what can you expect? The terrorists come from Syria,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/najibullah-quraishi/our-afghanistan-main-problem-is-education-over-90-percent-of-our/) [Najibullah Quraishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/najibullah-quraishi/) > [“By not burning their poppy fields to the ground but instead maintaining a security umbrella that international development agencies could safely work under as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-wood/by-not-burning-their-poppy-fields-to-the-ground-but-instead/) [Jake Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-wood/) > [“The Hindi kid would soon learn what the British learned earlier in the century, and what the Russians would eventually learn by the late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/the-hindi-kid-would-soon-learn-what-the-british-learned-earlier-in/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“In Our Villages - You killed thousands by thousands, after each thousand, You are killing another one thousand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abed-rahmani/in-our-villages-you-killed-thousands-by-thousands-after-each-thousand/) [Abed Rahmani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abed-rahmani/) > [Obviously it is right that the Afghans take responsibility for their own future in the end, but they need to know and feel that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/obviously-it-is-right-that-the-afghans-take-responsibility-for-their/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [A sea-green sky: lamps blossoming white. This is marginal land: fields of strung wire, of treadless tyres in ditches, fridges dead on their backs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/a-sea-green-sky-lamps-blossoming-white-this-is-marginal-land-fields/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Take two Afghans who've never met, put them in a room for ten minutes, and they'll figure out how they're related.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/take-two-afghans-who-ve-never-met-put-them-in-a-room-for-ten-minutes/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [The majority of Afghans do not see the Americans as foreign occupiers who must be defeated. Instead, they are hungry for the Americans to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-tzemach-lemmon/the-majority-of-afghans-do-not-see-the-americans-as-foreign-occupiers/) [Gayle Tzemach Lemmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-tzemach-lemmon/) > [The Afghans I met were some of the nicest and most honorable people I've ever encountered. There is a code called 'Pashtunwali,' so if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-thor/the-afghans-i-met-were-some-of-the-nicest-and-most-honorable-people-i/) [Brad Thor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-thor/) > [No Afghans, as far as we know, have been involved in terrorist acts against our country. We shouldn't be swatting at hornets' nests we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-goetzman/no-afghans-as-far-as-we-know-have-been-involved-in-terrorist-acts/) [Gary Goetzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-goetzman/) > [The people suffering most from the Taliban were Afghans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-people-suffering-most-from-the-taliban-were-afghans/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If you take a look at Afghan history, usually they have united to defend against an outside enemy, and as soon as that's accomplished,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-eagleburger/if-you-take-a-look-at-afghan-history-usually-they-have-united-to/) [Lawrence Eagleburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-eagleburger/) > [Undoubtedly the Afghans must be, by our standards, the best-looking people in the world. They have everything; height, proportions, carriage, features and complexion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-murphy/undoubtedly-the-afghans-must-be-by-our-standards-the-best-looking/) [Dervla Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-murphy/) > [The Afghans themselves say that if you put two Afghans in a room, you get three factions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-afghans-themselves-say-that-if-you-put-two-afghans-in-a-room-you/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > ['In the nineteenth century, we beat the British more than once,' Afghans often told me. 'In the twentieth century, we beat the Russians. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/in-the-nineteenth-century-we-beat-the-british-more-than-once-afghans/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) [Browse all 45 Afghans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghans/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Afghans did not have sophisticated weapons like the Soviets did, but with their faith they defeated a superpower.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Abu Bakar Bashir" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/the-afghans-did-not-have-sophisticated-weapons-like-the-soviets-did/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afghans" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/the-afghans-did-not-have-sophisticated-weapons-like-the-soviets-did/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/abu-bakar-bashir-18677_afghans_the-afghans-did-not-have-sophisticated-w_2112629.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/abu-bakar-bashir-18677_afghans_the-afghans-did-not-have-sophisticated-w_2112629.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/abu-bakar-bashir-18677_afghans_the-afghans-did-not-have-sophisticated-w_2112629.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Afghans did not have sophisticated weapons like the Soviets did, but with their faith they defeated a…” — Abu Bakar Bashir", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Abu Bakar Bashir", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakar-bashir/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Afghans did not have sophisticated...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/the-afghans-did-not-have-sophisticated-weapons-like-the-soviets-did/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakar-bashir/the-afghans-did-not-have-sophisticated-weapons-like-the-soviets-did/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```