One of the first uses of the term al Qaeda comes from an article Abdullah Azzam wrote for the April 1988 issue of Jihad magazine, titled ‘Al Qaeda al Sulbah’ (‘The Solid Base’). ” ‘Every principle needs a vanguard to carry it forward and, while forcing its way into society, puts up with heavy tasks and enormous sacrifices. There is no ideology, neither earthly nor heavenly, that does not require such a vanguard that gives everything it possesses in order to achieve victory for this ideology. It carries the flag all along the sheer endless and difficult path until it reaches its destination. This vanguard constitutes the solid base (al Qaeda al Sulbah) for the expected society.’ “ [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]
– Peter Bergen, The Osama bin Laden I Know, Pages 74-75