Shahadah
The Noblest Death
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 Allah and hope to be granted Paradise, then defending Allah's religion and protecting His Book and sacred places ranks highest in attempting to attain His pleasure.
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 Allah and hope to be granted Paradise, then defending Allah'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 Allah in order to defeat His enemies and support Islam is the very highest level. This is of course Shahadah, or martyrdom. The Prophet(SAW) exerted maximum effort to instil the magnitude of Shahadah as well as the concept of Jihad deep into the hearts of his companions and his followers who were to come after him. He(SAW) used two methods in order to achieve this objective:
Firstly: By repeatedly declaring his deep love and fervent wish for Shahadah. Abu Hurayrah(RA) narrated that the Prophet(SAW) said: "I swear by the One in Whose Hands my soul is, I wish that I would fight for the sake of Allah (i.e., Jihad ) and get martyred, then return and fight again and get martyred, then return and fight again and get martyred" (Bukhari & 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 Shahadah, which is one of the greatest paths to Paradise.
Secondly: By explaining the virtues of Shahadah and the ranks of the martyrs in Paradise as well as descriptions of their bounties, such as in the Hadeeth when Marwan said: "We asked 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud(RA) about the following verse: (which translates as): "And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision." (Aal-'Imran: 169).'He(RA) replied: "We asked the Prophet(SAW) 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 Allah, they will roam freely in Paradise as they please, then return to these lamps"" (Muslim).
Ubada bin Samit (RA) narrates, that the Prophet (SAW) said, "The Shaheed is granted seven gifts from Allah(SWT) -
- 1. He is forgiven at the first drop of his blood.
- 2. He sees his status in Jannah (Paradise).
- 3. He is dressed in the clothes of Iman.
- 4. He is safe from the punishment of the grave.
- 5. He will be safe from the great fear of the Day of Judgement.
- 6. A crown of honour will be placed on his head.
- 7. He will intercede on behalf of 70 members of his family.
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(SAW) said: "A martyr only feels from the effect of being killed that which one would when being stung by a mosquito." (Tirmidhi, Nasa'i and others).
Moreover, the finest dwellings in Paradise are those of the martyrs. Samurah Ibn Jundub(RA) narrated that the Prophet(SAW) 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." (Bukhari).
Also, the angels spread their wings over the body of a martyr as a form of honour, dignity and respect. Jabir Ibn 'Abdullah(RA) narrated: "My father's body was brought to the Prophet(SAW) 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(SAW) 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 Ahadith. Anas bin Malik(RA) narrated that the Prophet(SAW) 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." (Bukhari & 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(SAW). It deeply instilled the concepts of Shahadah 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(RA) narrated:
"The Prophet(SAW) took off with his companions and they beat the polytheists in reaching Badr. When the polytheists arrived there, the Prophet(SAW) said: "None of you should do anything until I proceed." Then, when the disbelievers came closer to them, the Prophet(SAW) said: "Rise to Paradise, which is as wide as the distance between the heavens and the earth." 'Umayr Ibn Al-Hamam(RA) asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, is it really as wide than the heavens and earth?' He(SAW) replied: "Yes." Thereupon 'Umayr said: 'Bakh Bakh.' (an expression reflecting astonishment). The Prophet(SAW) asked: "What made you say Bakh Bakh?" He said: 'Nothing, except the desire to be of its dwellers.' The Prophet(SAW) said: "You will be of its people." Then 'Umayr(RA) 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 Islam such as in the following narration:
Haraam Ibn Malhan(RA) was one of a group of companions of the Prophet(SAW) who had memorised the Qur'an and were experts in it. The Prophet(SAW) dispatched seventy of this group to inform a group of polytheist tribes about Islam and recite the Qur'an to them. However the tribes of Ra'l and Dhikwan from among these polytheist tribes betrayed and slaughtered the whole group of companions near a well called Ma'unah. As Haram(RA) 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 Haram had won) until he was told that what Haram(RA) meant was that he had attained martyrdom. Due to this, the killer embraced Islam. This narration was mentioned in the book of Bukhari.
Some of the companions of the Prophet(SAW) 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 Malik(RA) said: "My uncle Anas Ibn An-Nadhr(RA) missed the battle of Badr, so he said to the Prophet(SAW): 'O messenger of Allah, I missed the first battle that you fought against the polytheists, but if Allah 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 Allah 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 bin Mu'adh(RA) 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 bin Mu'adh told the Prophet(SAW): "I swear By Allah, on that day I could not perform as he did." Anas Ibn Malik(RA) 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." (Bukhari & Muslim).
Shaddad Ibn Al-Haad(RA) narrated: "A Bedouin came to the Prophet(SAW), accepted Islam and said: 'I wish to migrate (to Madinah)'. So the Prophet(SAW) asked some of his companions to take care of him. Then after a battle, the Muslims had gained some booty so the Prophet(SAW) 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(SAW) gave us to hold on to for you.' So the Bedouin took the booty and went to the Prophet(SAW) and asked: 'What is this?' The Prophet(SAW) 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(SAW) said: "If you are sincere then Allah will grant you your wish."After a short while, fighting resumed and the Bedouins body was brought to the Prophet(SAW) with an arrow in his throat at exactly the spot where he had pointed to the Prophet(SAW). Thereupon The Prophet(SAW) said: "He was sincere so Allah granted him his wish." Then using his own garment, the Prophet(SAW) shrouded the Bedouin, prayed the funeral prayer over him and was heard by his companions to say during the prayer: "O Allah! 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(SAW)?
There are abundant examples from the lives of the companions of Prophet(SAW) 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-Aqsa 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(SAW) and indeed all the prophets before him, in order to support our religion and defeat our enemies.
O Muslims around the world! It is obligatory on you to support your brothers and sisters in every country where they are oppressed. Do not forsake them, rather listen to the saying of your Prophet(SAW): "Any Muslim who forsakes his fellow Muslim at a time when his honour and sanctity are being attacked will have Allah 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 Allah supporting him at the time when needs His support the most."(Ahmad & Abu Dawud).
Narrated Anas bin Malik (RA), Ummur Rubay bint al-Bara (the mother of Haritha bin Suraqa) came to the Prophet (SAW and said, "O Allah's Prophet! Will you tell me about Haritha? Haritha has been killed (Shaheed) on the day of Badr with an arrow fired by an unidentified person." She added, "If he is in Paradise I will be patient, otherwise I will weep bitterly for him." He said, "O mother of Haritha! There are gardens in Paradise and your son got Firdaus al-'Ala (ie the best place of Paradise)." (Sahih Bukhari, p.394, vol.1)
When the time of Khalid (RA) came to depart from the world, he said, "I reached every possible place for Shahadah, but it was written in my fate that I should die of my bed. In my opinion there is no deed more dearer than my waiting with my horse and shield in the darkness of night, the sky to be glittering due to the rain, waiting for the onset of dawn, so that I can attack the enemy." (al Jihaad, Ibn al Mubarak, p.88)
"Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah, 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 Allah? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment." (Surah At-Tawbah: Ayah 111).
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(SAW). It deeply instilled the concepts of Shahadah 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(RA) narrated:
"The Prophet(SAW) took off with his companions and they beat the polytheists in reaching Badr. When the polytheists arrived there, the Prophet(SAW) said: "None of you should do anything until I proceed." Then, when the disbelievers came closer to them, the Prophet(SAW) said: "Rise to Paradise, which is as wide as the distance between the heavens and the earth." 'Umayr Ibn Al-Hamam(RA) asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, is it really as wide than the heavens and earth?' He(SAW) replied: "Yes." Thereupon 'Umayr said: 'Bakh Bakh.' (an expression reflecting astonishment). The Prophet(SAW) asked: "What made you say Bakh Bakh?" He said: 'Nothing, except the desire to be of its dwellers.' The Prophet(SAW) said: "You will be of its people." Then 'Umayr(RA) 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 Islam such as in the following narration:
Haraam Ibn Malhan(RA) was one of a group of companions of the Prophet(SAW) who had memorised the Qur'an and were experts in it. The Prophet(SAW) dispatched seventy of this group to inform a group of polytheist tribes about Islam and recite the Qur'an to them. However the tribes of Ra'l and Dhikwan from among these polytheist tribes betrayed and slaughtered the whole group of companions near a well called Ma'unah. As Haram(RA) 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 Haram had won) until he was told that what Haram(RA) meant was that he had attained martyrdom. Due to this, the killer embraced Islam. This narration was mentioned in the book of Bukhari.
Some of the companions of the Prophet(SAW) 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 Malik(RA) said: "My uncle Anas Ibn An-Nadhr(RA) missed the battle of Badr, so he said to the Prophet(SAW): 'O messenger of Allah, I missed the first battle that you fought against the polytheists, but if Allah 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 Allah 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 bin Mu'adh(RA) 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 bin Mu'adh told the Prophet(SAW): "I swear By Allah, on that day I could not perform as he did." Anas Ibn Malik(RA) 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." (Bukhari & Muslim).
Shaddad Ibn Al-Haad(RA) narrated: "A Bedouin came to the Prophet(SAW), accepted Islam and said: 'I wish to migrate (to Madinah)'. So the Prophet(SAW) asked some of his companions to take care of him. Then after a battle, the Muslims had gained some booty so the Prophet(SAW) 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(SAW) gave us to hold on to for you.' So the Bedouin took the booty and went to the Prophet(SAW) and asked: 'What is this?' The Prophet(SAW) 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(SAW) said: "If you are sincere then Allah will grant you your wish."After a short while, fighting resumed and the Bedouins body was brought to the Prophet(SAW) with an arrow in his throat at exactly the spot where he had pointed to the Prophet(SAW). Thereupon The Prophet(SAW) said: "He was sincere so Allah granted him his wish." Then using his own garment, the Prophet(SAW) shrouded the Bedouin, prayed the funeral prayer over him and was heard by his companions to say during the prayer: "O Allah! 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(SAW)?
There are abundant examples from the lives of the companions of Prophet(SAW) 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-Aqsa 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(SAW) and indeed all the prophets before him, in order to support our religion and defeat our enemies.
O Muslims around the world! It is obligatory on you to support your brothers and sisters in every country where they are oppressed. Do not forsake them, rather listen to the saying of your Prophet(SAW): "Any Muslim who forsakes his fellow Muslim at a time when his honour and sanctity are being attacked will have Allah 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 Allah supporting him at the time when needs His support the most."(Ahmad & Abu Dawud).
Narrated Anas bin Malik (RA), Ummur Rubay bint al-Bara (the mother of Haritha bin Suraqa) came to the Prophet (SAW and said, "O Allah's Prophet! Will you tell me about Haritha? Haritha has been killed (Shaheed) on the day of Badr with an arrow fired by an unidentified person." She added, "If he is in Paradise I will be patient, otherwise I will weep bitterly for him." He said, "O mother of Haritha! There are gardens in Paradise and your son got Firdaus al-'Ala (ie the best place of Paradise)." (Sahih Bukhari, p.394, vol.1)
When the time of Khalid (RA) came to depart from the world, he said, "I reached every possible place for Shahadah, but it was written in my fate that I should die of my bed. In my opinion there is no deed more dearer than my waiting with my horse and shield in the darkness of night, the sky to be glittering due to the rain, waiting for the onset of dawn, so that I can attack the enemy." (al Jihaad, Ibn al Mubarak, p.88)
"Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah, 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 Allah? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment." (Surah At-Tawbah: Ayah 111).
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Martyrs
The Building Blocks of Nations
by Sheikh Abdullah Azzam 1
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Universe and Peace and Blessings be upon the Leader of the Prophets and the Commander of the Mujahideen: Muhammad (SAWS) and upon His Family, His Companions and whoever pursues their method, follows their way and wages Jihad until the Day of Judgement.
Indeed nations are only brought to life by their beliefs and their concepts and they die only with their desires and their lusts. The extent to which righteous convictions and correct beliefs spread within a nation, is the extent to which it plants its roots in the depths of the Earth and sends forth orchards of trunks with their flourishing leaves so that Man can take shade by it from the troubles of life, its financial fever and from the flame of hatred, envy and competition for cheap thrills and temporary enjoyment. As for the Muslim Ummah, it does continue to exist in the course of history of humankind, except by a divine idology and the blood which flows as a result of spreading this divine ideology and implanting it into the real World.
The life of the Muslim Ummah is solely dependent on the ink of its scholars and the blood of its martyrs. What is more beautiful than the writing of the Ummah's history with both the ink of a scholar and his blood, such that the map of Islamic history becomes coloured with two lines: one of them black, and that is what the scholar wrote with the ink of his pen; and the other one red, and that is what the martyr wrote with his blood. And something more beautiful than this is when the blood is one and the pen is one, so that the hand of the scholar which expends the ink and moves the pen, is the same as the hand which expends its blood and moves the Ummah. The extent to which the number of martyred scholars increases is the extent to which nations are delivered from their slumber, rescued from their decline and awoken from their sleep.
History does not write its lines except with blood. Glory does not build its loft edifice except with skulls, Honour and respect cannot be established except on a foundation of cripples and corpses. Empires, distinguished peoples, states and societies cannot be established except with examples. Indeed those who think that they can change reality, or change societies, without blood, sacrifices and invalids, without pure, innocent souls, then they do not understand the essence of this Deen 2 and they do not know the method of the best of the Messengers (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).
As for those who build nations, they are few in number. Sometimes the Ummah can be built by a single individual who makes a stand by means of which Allah rescues this Deen, just like Abu Bakr (RA) made a stand of the Day of Apostasy 3; and the day when Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal 4 made a stand when the entire World was speechless at the innovation that the Quran had been created, so Allah saved the Ummah with him.
A small group: they are the ones who carry convictions and ambitions. And an even smaller group from this small group, are the ones who flee from the worldly life in order to spread and act upon these ambitions. And an even smaller group from this elite group, are the ones who sacrifice their souls and their blood in order to bring victory to these ambitions and principles. So, they are the cream of the cream of the cream. It is not possible to reach glory except by traversing this Path. It is not possible for the structures of this Deen to be established, nor for its banner to be raised, nor for its vessel to be launched, except by traversing this Path. This Path is one. In fact, there is no Paradise without this Path:
"Do you really think that you will enter Paradise, before Allah has decided from amongst you, those who fight in His Way and those who are patient?" [Quran 3:142]
Thus the founders of nations and the architects of glories are few. As for the one who wants to architecture glory, then he must be prepared to ascend to the price of glory upon seas of his blood and his sweat, and the blood of those around him and upon the disabilities of those under his authority, until he reaches the price of glory. And glory cannot be architectured except by traversing this Path: the Path of the Blessed Jihad.
The Jihad on the land of Afghanistan set its foundations with a small group: 14 youths from the youths of the Taqwa Islamic Movement inside Kabul 5University. The decisive, conclusive, solidification of its foundations was the necessity of using Jihad to combat the leader of the tyrants, Daud 6, who had resolved to wipe out the sons of the Islamic Movement. Until finally, they arrived in Peshawar 7, about 30 youths, who decided to enter Afghanistan and start the Jihad there.
The Jihad initially began as a few drops, until Allah decided to ignite the sparks within this blessed people and explode the Jihad, blessing with it the land of Afghanistan and the rest of the Muslims until its good encompassed the whole World. Some thought that the Earth had become devastated and that this Ummah had been drained of the thirst for martyrdom. Therefore, Allah exploded the Jihad on the land of Afghanistan and groups of youths from the Islamic World marched forth to Afghanistan in search of Jihad and martyrdom.
Indeed this small band of Arabs, whose number did not exceed a few hundred individuals, changed the tide of the battle, from an Islamic battle of one country, to an Islamic World Jihad movement, in which all races participated and all colours, languages and cultures met; yet they were one, their direction was one, their ranks were one and the goal was one: that the Word of Allah is raised the highest and that this Deen is made victorious on the Earth.
Indeed the involvement of the Muslims in the battle, from a variety of races, woke up those that were asleep and enlightened those who were absent-minded. Furthermore, it shook the oppressors, for indeed the enemies of Islam were watching the arena and counting the lives. The involvement of non-Afghans in the battle was a great source of alarm and dismay to them, because this stimulation of numerous nations and the revival of the people had reached the brink of desperation, until these desperations set root in the depths of their souls, such that they realised that they themselves were on the verge of their own destruction.
Furthermore, the enemies were also aware of the volatile risks associated with the burial of a foreign volunteer fighter in the soils of Afghanistan, as if to announce to the World: that this Deen requires millions of such sacrifices in order to change its situation, and that these sacrifices must meet with this fighter, here in his resting place, so that the bullet alone is considered to be the honour of this Deen, the resistance of the Muslims and the pride of the believers.
And some deceived modernist intellectuals thought that these sacrifices which had fallen on this Path had gone to waste and been rendered futile. However, it should be known that the blood of gutless martyrs is weighty in the Scale of the Most Gracious. It is sufficient for us to remember one hadith (and the ahadith are many), narrated by Imam Ahmad and Tirmidhi with an authentic chain of narration that the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said:
"Indeed the martyr has seven special favours from Allah: all his sins are forgiven at the first spurt of his blood, he sees his place in Paradise as his blood is shed (before his soul leaves the body), he tastes the sweetness of Iman, he is married to 72 of the Beautiful Maidens of Paradise, he is protected from the Punishment of the Grave, he is saved from the Great Terror (on The Day of Judgement), there is placed upon his head a crown of honour a jewel of which is better than the whole world and everything in it and he is granted permission to intercede for 70 members of his household (to bring them into Paradise and save them from the Hell Fire)."
Indeed, the manuscripts of history are not scribed except with the blood of these martyrs, except with the stories of these martyrs, except with the examples of these martyrs. By the likes of these martyrs, nations are established, convictions are brought to life and ideologies are made victorious. For this reason, we have compiled a section about the lives of martyrs: Arab martyrs who fell on the land of Afghanistan, and present this very collection which is infront of you.
And it might seem to the short-sighted eye and narrow mind, and to the individual besieged within the bounds of era and location, that it is a story that happened and finished. The mouth of death opened its mouth, swallowed these martyrs and passed them with its wheel that saves neither old nor young.
However, the clear-sighted eye and the enlightened heart knows that these sacrifices are the provisions of future generations for distant civilizations to come. These stories, these sacrifices and these examples will remain as supercilious signposts upon the entire journey of this Deen, for he who wishes to make this journey from those wayfarers, or follow in the footsteps of this righteous elite.
"All these are the ones whom Allah has guided, so follow their guidance" [Quran 6:90]
Indeed these exemplary individuals from the martyrs broke free from the shackles and fetters of this matter to reach opulence and bliss, and they came to the land of Afghanistan, living in the mountains of Afghanistan, until Allah (SWT) honoured them with martyrdom.
We ask Allah (SWT) to join us with them in the Highest Part of Paradise, with the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs and the Righteous, and that he blesses us with martyrdom in His Way, and that he seals us with the Seal of Happiness, O Noble One.
So, O' people of ambitions and O' carriers of dawah, do not be miserly with your blood as regards this Deen. If you really are serious and sincere, then place your blood and souls before the Lord of the Worlds who granted them to you in the first place and then purchased them from you:
"Indeed Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their possessions in return for Paradise. They fight in the Way of Allah, they kill and are killed" [Quran 9:111]
O' youths! O' sons of Islam! What will cleanse our sins? What will purify our mistakes? And what will clean our dirt? It will not be washed except with the blood of martyrdom, and know that there is no path except this Path. If not, then the Accountability 8 will be difficult, the Scale 9 awaits, the Bridge 10 is ready and your time is running out, so consider it.
And Peace and Blessings be upon our master, Muhammad, and upon his family and Companions altogether.
1 Sheikh Abdullah Yusuf Azzam, assassinated in Peshawar, 1989. Time Magazine wrote about him: "He was responsible for reviving Jihad in the 20th Century." back
2 Islam. back
3 When a group of Arabs apostatised after the death of the Prophet (SAWS) and refused to pay their Zakah to Abu Bakr (RA), so Abu Bakr resolved to fight them even though the other Sahabah were initially opposed to this idea.back
4 Died 241AH (851CE), the founder of the Hanbali school of thought. back
5 The capital of Afghanistan. back
6 Prince Muhammad Daud Khan, President of Afghanistan from July 1973 to April 1978. back
7 A city in Pakistan, the capital of the NWFP (North West Frontier Province). back
8 Questioning on the Day of Judgement. back
9 Meezan: the Scale or Balance upon which the good and bad deeds of the people will be weighed on the Day of Judgement. back
10 The Bridge over the Hell Fire as mentioned in the Quran 19:71-72. back
2 Islam. back
3 When a group of Arabs apostatised after the death of the Prophet (SAWS) and refused to pay their Zakah to Abu Bakr (RA), so Abu Bakr resolved to fight them even though the other Sahabah were initially opposed to this idea.back
4 Died 241AH (851CE), the founder of the Hanbali school of thought. back
5 The capital of Afghanistan. back
6 Prince Muhammad Daud Khan, President of Afghanistan from July 1973 to April 1978. back
7 A city in Pakistan, the capital of the NWFP (North West Frontier Province). back
8 Questioning on the Day of Judgement. back
9 Meezan: the Scale or Balance upon which the good and bad deeds of the people will be weighed on the Day of Judgement. back
10 The Bridge over the Hell Fire as mentioned in the Quran 19:71-72. back
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