The virtues of martyrdom

By sheikh Ossama Khayat

O Muslims! Achieving noble and lofty objectives require enormous sacrifices in proportion. There can be no doubt that the higher an objective is, the greater its sacrifice must be. Therefore, if ones ultimate objective is to please Allaah and hope to be granted Paradise, then defending Allaah’s religion and protecting His Book and sacred places ranks highest in attempting to attain His pleasure.

Sacrifice comes in many shapes, forms and levels, it can be performed through many different channels, but there is no doubt that the sacrificing of one’s soul for the sake of Allaah in order to defeat His enemies and support Islaam is the very highest level. This is of course Shahaadah, or martyrdom. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam exerted maximum effort to instil the magnitude of Shahaadah as well as the concept of Jihaad deep into the hearts of his companions and his followers who were to come after him. He sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam used two methods in order to achieve this objective:

Firstly: By repeatedly declaring his deep love and fervent wish for Shahaadah. Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “I swear by the One in Whose Hands my soul is, I wish that I would fight for the sake of Allaah (i.e., Jihaad) and get martyred, then return and fight again and get martyred, then return and fight again and get martyred" (Bukhaari & Muslim) What a wonderful wish coming from the purest of hearts! This is nothing except a reflection of deep love and overwhelming desire; a desire to attain Shahaadah, which is one of the greatest paths to Paradise.

Secondly: By explaining the virtues of Shahaadah and the ranks of the martyrs in Paradise as well as descriptions of their bounties, such as in the Hadeeth when Marwaan said: “We asked ‘Abdullaah Ibn Mas’ood, may Allaah be pleased with him, about the following verse: (which translates as): “And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allaah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision." (Aal-‘Imraan: 169).’ He, may Allaah be pleased with him, replied: “We asked the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam about this verse and he replied: “Their (i.e., the martyrs souls) will live inside green birds that dwell in designated lamps which hang on the throne of Allaah, they will roam freely in Paradise as they please, then return to these lamps"" (Muslim).

A Shaheed has six other benefits; Al-Miqdaam Ibn Ma’di Karib, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “A martyr has six bounties: He will be forgiven with the first drop of his blood that is spilt; He will see his place in Paradise (at the time of death); He will be saved from the ‘Great Horror’ (on the Day of Judgment): A Crown of Dignity will be placed on his head, which contains many corundums, each one being more precious than this life and all that it contains; He will have seventy two Women of Paradise; And, he will be allowed to intercede for seventy of his family members (who would have otherwise gone to hell)." (Tirmidhi & Ibn Maajah).

The pain that a martyr feels at the time of death will be reduced so greatly that he will only feel as if he was stung by a mosquito. Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “A martyr only feels from the effect of being killed that which one would when being stung by a mosquito." (Tirmidhi, Nasaa’i and others).

Moreover, the finest dwellings in Paradise are those of the martyrs. Samurah Ibn Jundub, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “Last night I was inspired (through a dream); I saw two men come to me and take me up a tree (in Paradise) then into a dwelling which was the best I have ever seen; they informed me that it was the dwelling of the martyrs." (Bukhaari).

Also, the angels spread their wings over the body of a martyr as a form of honour, dignity and respect. Jaabir Ibn ‘Abdullaah, may Allah be pleased with him narrated: “My father’s body was brought to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam on the day of Uhud. The disbelievers had mutilated it; I went to uncover his face when some of my family members stopped me. Then the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam heard a woman crying, so he said: “Why are you crying? Do not cry, the angels are continuing to shade him"".

Among all the dwellers of Paradise, only the martyrs would wish to return to this life. This is due to the immense rewards and respect that have been mentioned in the previous Ahadeeth. Anas bin Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “Nobody who enters Paradise would ever wish to return to this life again, even if he was to be given the whole world and everything in it – except for a martyr; for he would wish to return and get killed ten times due to the honour that he received (in Paradise)." and in another narration: “For what he finds as virtues of martyrdom." (Bukhaari & Muslim).

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that these poignant prophetic words had such a great impact on the hearts of the pious chosen generation of the companions of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. It deeply instilled the concepts of Shahaadah into their hearts along with the fervent wish of achieving this exalted status, so they toiled continuously to achieve it. There are a multitude of stories that demonstrate this, for example: Anas bin Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated: “The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam took off with his companions and they beat the polytheists in reaching Badr. When the polytheists arrived there, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “None of you should do anything until I proceed." Then, when the disbelievers came closer to them, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “Rise to Paradise, which is as wide as the distance between the heavens and the earth." ‘Umayr Ibn Al-Hamaam, may Allaah be pleased with him, asked: ‘O Messenger of Allaah, is it really as wide than the heavens and earth?’ He sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: “Yes." Thereupon ‘Umayr said: ‘Bakh Bakh.’ (an expression reflecting astonishment). The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam asked: “What made you say Bakh Bakh?" He said: ‘Nothing, except the desire to be of its dwellers.’ The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “You will be of its people." Then ‘Umayr, may Allah be pleased with him, took out some dates which he had in his arrow pouch and started eating them, then he stopped and said to himself: ‘Indeed it would a too long a life for me if I were to live long enough to finish eating these dates’ - then he threw them away and fought until he was killed."

Just look at how this companion viewed the few moments needed for eating dates as being too long a time to live! The words of people like these at the time of their martyrdom were as powerful as earthquakes, so much so that in some cases, words like these resulted in their enemies embracing Islaam such as in the following narration:

Haraam Ibn Malhaan, may Allaah be pleased with him, was one of a group of companions of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam who had memorised the Qur’aan and were experts in it. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam dispatched seventy of this group to inform a group of polytheist tribes about Islaam and recite the Qur’aan to them. However the tribes of Ra’l and Dhikwaan from among these polytheist tribes betrayed and slaughtered the whole group of companions near a well called Ma’oonah. As Haraam, may Allaah be pleased with him, was being killed, he screamed in front of his killer: “I swear by the Lord of Al-Ka’bah that I won!" After this, his killer went about asking people what these words meant (i.e., that Haraam had won) until he was told that what Haraam, may Allaah be pleased with him, meant was that he had attained martyrdom. Due to this, the killer embraced Islaam. This narration was mentioned in the book of Bukhaari.

Some of the companions of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam would smell the scent of Paradise and it would make them unable to control their desire to fight strongly and valiantly to the death. Anas Ibn Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: “My uncle Anas Ibn An-Nadhr, may Allaah be pleased with him, missed the battle of Badr, so he said to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: ‘O messenger of Allaah, I missed the first battle that you fought against the polytheists, but if Allaah allows me to participate in the next one, then He will see what I can do.’ Then, after the day of the battle of Uhud when the some Muslims retreated he went forth saying: ‘O Allaah I seek your forgiveness for what they have done (i.e., the Muslims for retreating) and I disassociate myself from what those have done (i.e., the polytheists for killing the Muslims)’, as he continued going forth, he came across Sa’d Ibn Mu’aadh, may Allaah be pleased with him, and said: ‘O Sa’d! I swear by the Lord of the tribe of An-Nadhr, it is Paradise (i.e., the reward for martyrdom). I can smell its fragrance close to Uhud.’" After the battle, Sa’d Ibn Mu’aadh told the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: “I swear By Allaah, on that day I could not perform as he did." Anas Ibn Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him, continued: “(After the battle) we found more than eighty gashes on his (i.e., Anas Ibn An-Nadhr’s) body which were the result of swords, arrows and spears. In fact, the polytheists had mutilated his body so much that nobody could recognise who it was, except his sister, who identified him from his fingers." (Bukhaari & Muslim).

Here is another narration, one of a Bedouin whose sincere wish for martyrdom was granted: Shaddaad Ibn Al-Haad, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated: “A Bedouin came to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, accepted Islaam and said: ‘I wish to migrate (to Madeenah)’. So the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam asked some of his companions to take care of him. Then after a battle, the Muslims had gained some booty so the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam divided it and gave the Bedouin’s share to some of his companions to look after, as the Bedouin was still at the rearguard. When the Bedouin returned, they gave him his share, so he asked them: ‘What is this?’ they replied: ‘It is your share from the booty which the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam gave us to hold on to for you.’ So the Bedouin took the booty and went to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and asked: ‘What is this?’ The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: “Your share of the booty." The Bedouin said: ‘This is not why I believe in you and follow you; rather, I follow you so that I can get shot by an arrow right here, (and then he pointed to his throat) then die and enter Paradise.’ The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “If you are sincere then Allaah will grant you your wish." After a short while, fighting resumed and the Bedouins body was brought to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam with an arrow in his throat at exactly the spot where he had pointed to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. Thereupon The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “He was sincere so Allaah granted him his wish." Then using his own garment, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam shrouded the Bedouin, prayed the funeral prayer over him and was heard by his companions to say during the prayer: “O Allaah! This is Your slave who migrated for Your sake and was killed as a martyr – and I testify to this". Which testimony could ever be more honourable, sincere and truthful than this great one given by the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam?

There are abundant examples from the lives of the companions of Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam which illustrate their burning desire to achieve martyrdom – and what a noble objective this is!

Also, in our time, many of the shining stars from the righteous of the Muslim nation have joined the caravan of martyrdom. These are the people whose blood testifies to their heroism and immense sacrifice; they are the martyrs of Bosnia, Kosova, Chechnya and before them Afghanistan, as well as many other Muslim lands.

Today we Muslims and indeed the entire world can witness the greatness of martyrdom being illustrated in the uprising of Palestine in general and Al-Aqsaa In particular. This kind of stance, which revives the magnitude and virtues of martyrdom in the heart of the Muslim nation, is exactly what we need at this time. It is vital that the Muslims exert every effort to spread the love for achieving martyrdom just like the pious early generations of Muslims did. We must continue on the same road that they were on, which is that of our Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam and indeed all the prophets before him, in order to support our religion and defeat our enemies.

O Muslims around the world! Support your brothers in Al-Aqsaa as this is obligatory upon all of you. Do not forsake them, listen to the saying of your Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: “Any Muslim who forsakes his fellow Muslim at a time when his honour and sanctity are being attacked will have Allaah forsaking him at the time when needs His support the most. Any Muslim who supports his fellow Muslim at a time when his honour and sanctity are being attacked will have Allaah supporting him at the time when needs His support the most." (Ahmad & Abu Daawood).

O people of knowledge and leaders of influence! Revive the importance of martyrdom and reawaken the spirit of seeking it. Instil the virtues of it in the hearts and minds by all methods possible, whether that is written, audio, video or otherwise. Our country has set an example in supporting this and donating generously in its cause from all different sections of its community; scholars, officials, men, women, elderly and children alike have not held back in this, which is cause for delight to the believers and enragement for the Jews as well as those who support and protect them. Likewise, in all other Muslim countries, the Muslims have supported their Palestinian brethren. May Allaah reward everyone for all that they have sacrificed in support of their brothers in faith. We ask Allaah that this convoy of support will continue and increase. We must increase in this and therefore rush towards Paradise which is greater than the heavens and earth. Allaah says what translates as “Indeed, Allaah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allaah, so they kill and are killed. [It is] a true promise [binding] upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur’aan. And who is truer to his covenant than Allaah? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment." (At-Tawbah: 111).

Slaves of Allaah! The biased Western Media has always described the struggle of our persevering brothers in Al-Aqsaa against Jewish aggression as acts of terrorism and violence. They have recently started another campaign against this resistance and are using all their available means to put an end to it.

Slaves of Allaah! The Jews are described in the Book of Allaah as those who distort words and facts and quote them out of context and this is exactly what they and their supporters from the tyrant regimes all over the world are currently doing. They use false terminology to misguide, confuse and deceive. What your brothers are committing in Al-Aqsaa are not acts of mindless violence, but rather it is a blessed uprising to resist and curtail the Jewish oppression and aggression: this is a legal right which all religions, ideologies and international laws recognise. Nobody could deny this fact except the ignorant, arrogant or evildoers.

Suppose we were to agree, for the sake of argument, that this uprising is nothing but mindless and random violence, then we must ask ourselves: who was the one who initiated this? Was it not one of their leaders when he broke in to Al-Aqsaa with his soldiers who shot live bullets at a congregation of worshippers while they were in prayer? The truth is so clear! How can people regard the victim and the murderer as the same? How can the oppressor and the oppressed be equal? The truth is clear, but the Jews are deceivers. Allaah says that which translates as: “They [think to] deceive Allaah and those who believe, but they deceive not except themselves and perceive [it] not." (An-Nisaa’: 142)’.