Martyrdom a path towards Light and Transcendence
Martyrdom is the highest point of ascendance for the human beings. In the Islamic culture and especially in Shiites culture the most valuable and the worthiest movement is martyrdom. Martyr is a person who has watered the tree of Islam with his offering of his life and thereby he has eradicated the roots of corruption. The martyrs guarantee the resistance and the liveliness of the society and they would increase the spiritual capabilities of the society.
Martyrdom is the highest point of ascendance for the human beings. In the Islamic culture and especially in Shiites culture the most valuable and the worthiest movement is martyrdom. Martyr is a person who has watered the tree of Islam with his offering of his life and thereby he has eradicated the roots of corruption. The martyrs guarantee the resistance and the liveliness of the society and they would increase the spiritual capabilities of the society. They destroy weakness and lack of strength in the society. If there were not the blood of the martyrs to water the pure trees of this land there was no such thing as Islam and nothing such as Islam as a unifying religious school. In one sentence, one can say that the most useful title to the completion of the human beings, from the point of view of Islamic texts, is "martyr".
The important question: How martyrdom can be a way toward the transcendence and evolution of the human beings?
Of the most important preventive factors in the way of the development of the society and the most important calamity of the revolution and the progressive steps is the combination of the deviational lines and negative movements with the original and pure as well as lawful essences. The right and wrong are so well combined that differentiating them from one another needs a very powerful flood and very strong wind so as to throw the wrong out of the society and to keep the right and worthy as well as to grow them up. The right and the wrong are sometimes like the foam and the water and accordingly it is very easy to distinguish them; sometimes they are so well mixed that they have to be separated from one another by the use of the severe and strong movements.
Conscious selection of martyrdom under the correct thinking in such cases plays its roles; martyrdom creates such an enthusiasm and creates such a movement and such a shake that it easily differentiates and distinguishes its own adherents and followers from the wrong and its followers.
Martyrdom bravely plays the role of an agent who differentiates and identifies and finally grows the right; accordingly and on the other side it destroys the roots of the wrong completely and as a result o this it takes the society out of passivity, seclusion and lifelessness. And by deep cleansing it ensures the growth and completion of the society.
Is it not truth that death will come to everyone and there is no way to escape from it. So it would be much better if there is a deal and in return for giving one's life up and for being victimized, one can achieve a great result.
In His holy Qur'an God says "if you are killed in the way of God or for the sake of God, God's forgiveness and His mercy are better than everything for you."
Martyrdom in the schools of Qur'an and Shiites School has got 7 bases:
. . . . Belief in God, Prophet and his innocent descendants
. . . . Conscious election
. . . . Following the decrees of God and his prophet, Following the decrees and
behaviors of Prophet Mohammad
. . . . Setting God as their enticement and motivation.
. . . . Generosity for the satisfaction of God and achieving Him.
. . . . Trying very hard to aggrandize the words of God and to eradicate the wrong.
. . . . Keeping company of God and his prophets.
The martyr burns like a candle and he sheds light on the darkness and dimness of the human life and thereby they prepare the ways of growth and development for the human society.
Seeking martyrdom means to welcome death just for the sake of God and Islam, not to afraid of death and giving one's life for the sake of God's control. Shahid Motahari writes: ". . . . . . when the strongest men have seen themselves in the hands of death have shown themselves to be weak and powerless. Their thoughts and ideas have changed."
Yes, it is a truth that the image of death and the thought of coming close to death has always been frightening and full of fear for the faithless and corrupted people and from the points of view death is equal to eternal darkness and ever – damnation. But from the point of view of a person who considers death as the beginning of an everlasting life and a bridge towards a never – ending life in the world to come; therefore such a person does not afraid of death rather he appreciates it. The end of everybody's life is marked with his or her death except for the real followers of God for whom death is the beginning of life.
Martyrdom in Qur'an:
There are a lot of ayahs in Qur'an which refer to the issue of martyrdom and here we refer to some them:
1. ولا تØسبن الذين قتلوا Ù?ÙŠ سبيل الله امواتاً بل اØياءعند ربهم يرزقون.
Do not ever think that those who are killed for the sake of God are dead rather they are alive and they are fed by God.
2. ولا تقولوا لمن يقتل Ù?ÙŠ سبيل الله اموات بل اØياء ولكن لاتشعرون.
Do not tell those who are killed in the way of God dead because they do not understand.
3. والذين قتلوا Ù?ÙŠ سبيل الله Ù?لن يضل اعمالهم سيهديهم Ùˆ ÙŠØµÙ„Ø Ø¨Ø§Ù„Ù‡Ù… Ùˆ يدخلهم الجنه عرÙ?ها لهم.
Those who are killed for the sake of God will never destroy their deeds; God will guide them and He will reform their deeds; He will enter them to a paradise which he had made them familiar with before.
Those who are killed for the sake of God or those achieve victory for His sake will be given a great reward.
As a result, conscious choice of martyrdom comes as a result of a rightful thinking which brought these rewards for the martyrs.
Martyrdom in the Great Sayings:
There are a lot of quotation regarding the martyrs and the higher position of the martyrs to some of which we hereby refer: Imam Sadiq (A. S.) quotes his holiness Prophet Mohammad (S. A.) and says:
1. اشرÙ? الموت قتل الشهاده
The greatest and the most valuable kinds of death are through martyrdom.
Imam Sadiq (A. S.) quotes his holiness father (S. A.) who had heard Prophet Mohammad (S. A.) and says:
2. Ù?ـوق كـل بـر بـر يقتـل الرجل Ù?ÙŠ سبيل الله، Ù?اذا قتل Ù?ÙŠ سبيل الله عز Ùˆ جل Ù?ليس Ù?وقه بر. . . . . . . .
Over every good is a better good until one dies for the sake of God and when a person is killed for the sake of God there is nothing which might be better than it . . . . . . . . . .
Imam Bagher (A. S.) said that Ali – Ibne – Hussein (A. S.) used to say that: His Holiness prophet Mohammad (S. A.) has said: There is not drop of blood dearer for the supreme God than the drop that is fallen for the sake of God.
4. Imam Sadiq (A. S.) quotes his holiness Prophet Mohammad (S. A.) and says: Why the martyr is not questioned in his tomb and he is not afflicted? He said: The sword over his head was at the time of his martyrdom was enough for his test and for his affliction.
About the reality of Martyrdom:
Martyrdom is a strengthening school which has the most wonderful effects and the most impenetrable reactions of the connected and complex generations of the history.
In fact martyrdom is a second blood that is injected to the half live body of the society. The blood of this great man in the social structure is as the most obvious and the most effective factor in propagating truth and mercifulness, reality information and usefulness. It is because of this that Imam Ali (A. S.) writes after the death of Mohammad Ibne Abi Bakr to Abdollah – Ibne – Abbas: ". . . . . I swear by God that if it was not because of my interest in martyrdom to fight with the enemy and if I did not prepare myself to die for the sake of God I would never be interested in coming across to these people who have left Mohammad Ibne Abi Bakr alone. . . . . . ." The grandeur and the greatness of martyrdom have always been a factor for a nation to be proud of. The history of martyrdom is the history of Jihad and ideas as well as the history of attaching to the basic principle of religion and beliefs. If it was not because of the blood of the martyrs to water the pure tree of mission there was no such thing as Islam and of the unifying school of God as well. If there was not martyrdom in Karbala and the Ashura movement, there was not such friendship and purity that is connecting millions of people to the households of Prophet Mohammad (A. S.) to the best of their hearts.
The human beings can not speak of the logic of martyrdom if he is still restricted in the world of material and time, because he can find no way towards the world of meanings unless he is in love of this issue. According to Ostad Shahid Morteza Motahhari:
". . . . . . . . It is not possible to examine the logic of the common people with that of the martyrs; It is not possible to put the martyrdom in the mind of the common. His logic and wisdom is greater than them. It is a wisdom mixed with the wisdom of love. . . . . . . ."
The culture of martyrdom and generosity in the Islamic system is one of the most obvious characteristics of Shiites. It is obviously clear to all that it has been because of this culture and it is still because of this that the Islamic realities are still alive and prevalent. From the start of Islam to the present time, the history of Shiites, has witnessed the generosity and martyrdom seeking of the great men such as Prophet Mohammad (S. A.), his companions and comrades and the innocent descendants (A. S.) as well as their friends.
The culture of martyrdom has reared in its contexts humans that have great and valuable characteristics; having great and high will, having great souls, self – confidence and a great spirit, grandeur and grandiosity, purity and lack of attachment to the world as well as . . . . . . . are of the most important characteristics of the people who have been grown up in the culture of generosity and martyrdom.
The Position and the Value of the Martyr:
One of the issues that has come in Qur'an about the great life of the martyrs and refers to the high position of the martyrs is the sentence: "they are given sustenance by God". The position of being given sustenance by God is the supreme position of human being; in other words it is the highest position in which there is no distance between human being and God; in fact it is attaching to the God's position and His attachment that is the best and the most perfection of the human beings. What position is greater that that in which human beings are placed with the beloved and it is the same thing that the human beings are looking for. Prophet Mohammad (S. A.) said: God has determined 7 characteristics for the martyrs:
With the first drop of blood that is fallen from the martyr all his sins are forgiven.
His head is placed besides two angels in the heavens and they would dust the martyr's face and they welcome him. He also says hello to his paradise wives.
He is clad with the paradise clothes.
The receptors would wear heavenly perfumes on the newcomers to the heavens.
His soul is told to take rest in wherever in heavens he is interested in.
He looks at the face of God and this is the cause of satisfaction and content for every prophet and martyr.
The martyrdom is regarded as "great happiness" because the martyr has reached God as his greatest end which is placement near God. And in this final race he is victor and there is no more tests except for that final exam.
The Motivations for Martyrdom:
All in all the motivations for martyrdom can be summarized as follow:
Achieving completion and everlastingness
Doing an advantageous deal with God i. e. giving one's life in return for the paradise
Following the decrees of God and prophet as well as the innocent descendants . . . . .
Helping the poor and setting justice and freedom as well as eradicating oppression and cruelty . . . . . . .
Achieving at the great position of martyrdom which is the highest of values . . . . . . .
Cleansing one's spirit and forgiving the faults and looking at the face of God as well as attaching to God and coming close to God
Ordering to the good and preventing the bad as well as rejuvenating and propagating the God's customs as well as being accepted in the test that God gives as well as not to accept the worse and doing generous deeds for the sake of God and the high values
Setting paradigms for the society through creating epical deeds and encouraging the sensation of the society to propagate the spirit of seeking the truth and doing social responsibility and being emotional about the fate of the society
Injecting fresh blood in to the body of the society and strengthening the revolutionary spirits among the people of the society.
Choosing the best and the most artistic as well as the most beautiful kind of death
Being present in the scene of Jihad for the sake of God that is the stream of seeking martyrdom and doing one's duties
Going on the paths of spirituality and in the highest and greatest stages of faith and overwhelming in God and proving the real love of the lover to his beloved . . . . . . .
Why Martyrdom?
1. Having enthusiasm in meeting God
2. Real life
Greatness of the Spirit
Getting rid of one's attachment with the transient world and feeling attachment with the everlasting truth . . . . . .
Doing and performing the right and rejuvenating Islam . . . . . .
Conscious Choice of Martyrdom:
Martyrdom is the drowning of the human beings to go towards the origins of the light and to come close to the mere being.
Martyrdom is a death of being killed in which the martyr has consciously chosen death for a great aim and for the sake of God's paths . . . . .
Of the above statement we conclude that every death is not regarded as martyrdom. First of all this death should be a kind of being killed. And this has itself two great conditions in order to be called martyrdom: 1. It should be conscious and 2. it should for the sake of God. Its being conscious means that one should have chosen this death at his own will and to be conscious the martyr should understand the right and wrong of his period and he has to fight against the wrong under the flag of Islam in accompanying with the Imam of his period.
For the sake of God refers to the orientation and the aim of the martyr in fighting against the disbelievers and the faithless people. It also shows that a war is valuable which has no aim except for the one which is for the sake of God.
The word martyr means "witness" literally and over all it is told to a person who is killed for the sake of God.
There have been many reasons accounted for why a person who is killed for the sake of God is called martyr; It is written in "Lesan Al – Arab Al – Mohit" that:
A person who is killed for the sake of God is called martyr.
For the benevolent angels are witnessing him, in this condition the martyr means what is obvious.
For God and God's angels are witnessing him in the paradise.
For in the doomsday, he, along with the prophet Mohammad, is a witness on the past nations.
For he is not dead rather he is alive and present God . . . . . .
For the martyr has risen for the upholding of the right so much so that he is killed God . . . . . .
For the martyr are witness and observer of the gifts and blessing on the part of God . .
Martyrdom is putting an end to the normal and material as well as dirty life to defend the great and supreme humane values; it is the tearing down of the physical life and moving towards the grandeur of God. It is the same as getting rid of self – consciousness to achieve freedom; in brief martyrdom is not a kind of death rather it is an aspect of the spiritual life and he is a person who has reached everlastingness and eternity. He has passed the world of fall.
The achievement of martyrdom for the human beings:
Following Vilayat without any question to the end of his life . . . . . . .
Taking God as the axis and principal instead of taking oneself as such . . . . .
Generosity, taking people superior to oneself while having Godly intentions . . . . .
Prioritizing the world to come over this world . . . . .
Prioritizing the humanistic values over the personal advantages. . . . . .
Moving in the ways of completion . . . . .
Patience and resistance
Lack of compatibility with regard to the enemies . . . .
Having self confidence and not accepting the downgrading and condescending . . . . . .
Living like a brave man, observing and dying
Having no fear of the death . . . . .
Having far reaching out looks instead of having lack of prudence . . . . .
Prioritizing the satisfaction of God over that of the people . . . . . . .
Combining wisdom with love . . . . .
Having a brave and conscious death from the view point of the martyrs
Having a healthy body as well as having a brave spirit to achieve a conscious choosing of martyrdom. In this part we review the point of view of the martyrs about martyrdom:
The young martyr Abdollah Mardani:
Father and mother please do not be worried about me because I have chosen my way (martyrdom) consciously and there is no more ways except for the paths of God.
Martyr Hussein Ali Kaviani
If martyrdom is placed in the mouth of the lion I would reach it and get it.
Martyr Jamshid Raeesi:
Martyrdom is sweet syrup that everybody can not drink it unless he or she has freed himself from every superficial boundaries and limitations such as property and life and . . . . . . . Such a person wants to get rid of everything in the way of God and to fight against the wrong.
Martyr Hamid Reza Basir Zadeh:
God! You be witness that we have come at your decree to this warfare and we have drown in blood and martyred for your sake. Martyrdom is not an aim in itself. Victory is not also an aim in itself. Rather it is the propagation of the religion that is our goal.
Martyr Akbar Farsian:
Lo! Great God, please lead us to the right path so that we give our life for your sake. Please bestow martyrdom on us so as to be martyred. Please bestow martyrdom on us so as to be an observer.
Shahid Hussein Rikhtegaran:
I have chosen this way consciously and with love and now that I am in the war fronts where blood is tied with idea and it is there that martyrdom would become possible. Martyrdom is a bridge that leads us to the final destination and our final goal.
Martyr Ismaeil Yousefi:
Lo! My dear father and mother! Lo! My dear brother and sister! I have found myself after 18 years of futile life and now I have chosen the paths of Imam Hussein (A. S.), because martyrdom is from my point of view the beginning of a new life.
8. Martyr Amir Maghfouri
Lo God! If you did not call on me to the land of martyrdom and if you would cut my hope from coming to the land of the lovers, and if you did not bestow upon me such a great happiness, I would never be able to cry for the death of Imam Hussein (A. S.) and mourn for him.
Martyrdom from the point of view of Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.):
Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.) who was a faithful man himself and who was living in the love cottage of seeking the beloved, has said a lot of precious things about martyr and martyrdom from among which we can only refer to a brief part of it about martyrdom and martyrs:
The position of a martyr is one of the most grandiose and perfect positions that is inherited from the prophets of God. We as settles of the earth and sublunary positions would never know what being fed by God means. There might be some positions that are specialized for the close friends of God and those who have gotten rid of their homes and their land. So what should a person like me who is still dependant on the interests and those who have remained backwards from the rights? What should I write about? It is better to keep silence and break the pencil. The position of martyrdom is one of the necessities of the being a caliphate to God that the holy Qur'an gives the promise of seeing God in the light of martyrdom. And this inheritance reaches us through the God's prophets and the prophet's descendants. We hereby make this article more pleasant by some words from Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.) words: . . . . . .
". . . . . Martyrdom is an inheritance that has reached our martyr rearing nation through the God's chosen prophets who have considered life as jihad and belief; they have supported Islam through their bloods and the blood of the younger generations.
In the professional words of Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.), martyr is a very great word which our mind is not capable of holding it. The martyr is the rain of the God that is falling on the land to give a new life to the arid land. The love of the martyr is a real love that can not be exchanged with anything. Martyr is the spring of God's mercy that has come in to existence. The martyr is a cup whose water is blood and whose blood is running.
It is out of the Islamic researchers that the martyrs are born and it is out of the martyrs' blood that the pens of the researchers are satisfied. The martyr is the lovely flower of love and it is the greatest position that a human being might achieve. God is very benevolent and martyrdom is the real vessel of this mercy. The body of the martyr is heavy for him to carry and it is the obstacle that prevents him from achieving God; martyr is a great outlook, it is a running blood. It is a character who is delighted and who is happy in his heart because of his love towards God. It is not possible to talk so much about the martyrs. The martyrs are the candle of the friends cycles. The martyrs are fed by God in their drunken laughter and in their happiness which is resulted from achieving God. They are included among those who are addressing God "to enter them among the truthful servants and to enter them to the paradise". Here it is to speak of the truthful and superlunary love; the sublunary love and the pen are unable to draw what that is. Imam Khomeini says in some other statements that:
"Merry are those who have gone through martyrdom; merry are those who have given their lives and their heads in this caravan of light, merry are those who have reared these pearls in their bosoms. Lo God! Please keep this path and tracks to martyrdom open and please do not abstain from letting us die for your sake and from achieving this great position. Dear God! Our nation and our country are still at the start of the fighting still. They need the candle of the martyrdom; you! God! Please keep this candle full of light and we like you to preserve it, because it is this pure tomb of the martyrs that would be a guide for the lovers, theosophists and devotees as well as the heath care center for the free men.
The history of martyrdom is the history of ideas and Jihad as well as the history of attachment to the religious principles and ideas. In the Imam Khomeini's thinking (R. T. A.) if it was not for the sake of the martyr's blood that has watered the tree of mission there would be no such thing as Islam neither would there be any thing such as the unifying school of God. If there was not the martyrdom in the Karbala and the Ashura movement of Hojr Ibne Odai, Rashid Hejri and Komail Ibne Ziad as well as the other lovers of the household of Prophet Mohamad (S. A.), there would be no such things as the love and friendship of millions of human beings to the depth of their heart to the Prophet Mohamad (S. A.).
From the point of view of Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.) the martyrdom that comes into being via one's faith and conscience as well as the one that results from having relation with God and while one is praying accompanies love because praying has fulfilled in his blood; the war scenes have become his cottage; he has performed his ablutions with his red blood; he has been busy praying his beloved God under the shower of the bullet of the enemy. He has risen to fight the enemies at the down and under the blue sky; such prayer has reached the final end of cleansing; he has reached the deep love and he is not only a faithful man rather he is lover and not only he prays God as a servant but also he considers God as his beloved.
Ashura and the Culture of Martyrdom:
The day of Ashura is the day of heroism, bravery, commitment and great test as well as the day of generosity, honor and respect as well as esteem of the Islamic territories; it is the day of negating one's life generosity and usefulness. It is the day in which blood is victorious over the sword.
What is important is not to accept downgrading, condescending and serving others; it s the day in which we show that we are not the servants of the oppressors and the exploiters. It taught the lessons of not surrendering to the enemies. Ashura is the date of martyrdom; it is the day in which the heads are befallen from the bodies. It is the date in which the rights distinguished from the wrong. It is the date in which Islam faced and encountered with the faithlessness. It is the date in which the ethical and the non – ethical are distinguished. It is the date of the should and should not. It is the date in which the normal and the abnormal are separated; It is the date in which the faithful and the faithless are separated from one another.
Islam has reared such people who consider martyrdom superior over captivity and condescension; they insisted so much so that they have lost their lives and thereby saved Islam. And now we are witnessing these bravery and valor which have been learned from the chief of the martyrs ( Imam Hossein A. S. ) and his fellow companions and it is the culture of Ashura that has offered the society such great and benevolent as well as brave and courageous creatures and we are indeed indebted to the culture of Ashura.
Some of the slogans that were stated for seeking martyrdom in the Ashura epic are:
1. Death is far much better than the base life . . . . .
2. Martyrdom for the sake of God is very pleasant . . . . . .
3. The death which accompanies bravery is a great fortune and leading life with oppression is indeed very boring . . . . . .
4. If bodies are created for death then being killed with a sword for the sake of God is very valuable . . . . . .
5. A grave death is everlasting life and leading a base and terrible life is no more than an eternal death.
Martyrdom had, in the words and point of view of Imam Hussein (A. S.) who was grown up and was benefited by the prophetic source of mercy and who was reared in the Alavi school, a very high position and value; it is regarded as the great sources of honor and bravery of the human being.
Finally, the Ashura heroism is the stating principle of Ashura culture which is for all people all over the world and all over the history of mankind.
The effects of the Ashura Heroism on the Martyrs' Letters of Will
With a cursory glance over the wills of the martyrs, one can see that there are some points or sentences that have been taken from the wills of Imam Hussein (A. S.) and his valuable statements or they have been under the influence of his will. In other words the wills of the martyrs have been affected by the wills of Imam Hussein (A. S.).
Hereby we study some samples of the martyrs' wills in this regard:
You Hussein! You who are the beloved, you have killed a lot of people for your own love, you are the chief of the martyrs; you have asked the enemy for a night to live more from, not to bid adieu to life rather to attach to the world to come with all its grandeur . . . . . . Nowadays our youths have set you as their paradigm to follow . . . . . . .
My dear God! From my childhood the name of Imam Hussein (A. S.) was lightening my heart and mind; Imam Hussein (A. S.) has come to life for me and thereafter I knew the reason why Imam Hussein (A. S.) has got all these things and these people killed and now I want you to put my with all these people.
I see freedom and my release in choosing a path which leads to victory under the influence of Qur'anic and religious movements. This is the same bloody path as that of Imam Hussein (A. S.). . . . . .
My dear father I have learned this lesson from Imam Hussein (A. S.) to prioritize death for the sake of God over the a terrible and downgrading life. Be sure that I have chosen this path very consciously because the pure blood of martyrs from Abel to Imam Hussein (A. S.) and from Imam Hussein (A. S.) to the martyrs of the south and the martyrs of the west are calling me and they ask me why I am sitting. We are living in a world which is dominated by cruelty and this is why we have to offer our blood to cleanse it.
Peace be upon our great Prophet, the prophet of Islam, who has taught us how to live and peace be upon his beloved descendant Imam Hussein (A. S.) who has taught us how to die. A person can claim that he is like Imam Hussein (A. S.) when he is ready to die to kill and eradicate the oppressor of his time and offer his body; he should be ready so that his body is destroyed under tanks.
When my body is on your shoulders, if you look at me intuitively, you will see that my eyes are looking Karbala. Lo Mother! Of what kind was the earth that you put in my mouth? Wasn't it from Imam Hussein (A. S.) 's earth and wasn't she you who was saying that I am rearing my child for you so that he is the follower of Islam and your way? Now Hussein of the present time asks us to help his grandfather and it is why we are ready whole heartedly to follow the decrees of Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.). Today our position and situation is like that of Imam Hussein (A. S.), Islam needs blood and it needs victims and I am, as the follower of Imam Hussein (A. S.) and Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.), ready to give my blood so that Islam remains steady and stable. There is no possibility of leaving Imam Hussein (A. S.) alone. Nor is there the possibility of remaining passive and not doing any thing while one considers himself to be a follower of Imam Hussein (A. S.).
Conclusion and Final Remarks:
It is possible to certainly say that the Islamic system will remain stable with the culture of martyrdom. Otherwise it is possible that the martyr remains but it might be melted in the real religious identity; In Islam martyrdom is regarded to be a very valuable success and it is also regarded to be a great ascendance.
Marty is alive in Islam because he has risen to defend the right and he is fed by God because he has attached himself to God and this thinking is based on the religious and theosophical thought. The martyr rises consciously and he has risen to settle justice and equality while he is ready to give his life while he is burnet and he is about to become ashes. He gives such a reality grandeur, life and soul. He himself goes from the sublunary world but he goes to live in a greater life and more sensible world.
A person who gives his life for the great Islamic values in order to stabilize the Islamic values humanistic and Islamic values has reached the highest degree of perfection and it is he who is considered to be the valuable and real soldier of Islam.
While he is very brave and he has got the spirit of martyrdom, he is ready to give his life in order to achieve God.
He has prioritized soul over the body and he is making use of all his facilities in order to achieve complete perfection; he is regarded to be equal to the prophets, the truthful and the good – doers.
Three characteristics are seen in martyrdom: A. for the sake of God B. Consciousness C. authority
Having a Great Spirit and great capabilities are pre – requisites of martyrdom and bravery. When the culture of martyrdom became prevalent in the society there would be a very special enthusiasm in the heart which causes some competition over this position. Our dear Prophet Mohammad (S. A.) was able – by propagating the culture of martyrdom and generosity – to become victorious with the help and aid of God while he was accompanied by a small and disable (economically of course) group of Muslims and thereafter he was able to attack the enemies and defeating them; he was because of this able to stabilize Islam and develop Islam.
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Writer: Mohammad Jossein Mardani Nokade
The important question: How martyrdom can be a way toward the transcendence and evolution of the human beings?
Of the most important preventive factors in the way of the development of the society and the most important calamity of the revolution and the progressive steps is the combination of the deviational lines and negative movements with the original and pure as well as lawful essences. The right and wrong are so well combined that differentiating them from one another needs a very powerful flood and very strong wind so as to throw the wrong out of the society and to keep the right and worthy as well as to grow them up. The right and the wrong are sometimes like the foam and the water and accordingly it is very easy to distinguish them; sometimes they are so well mixed that they have to be separated from one another by the use of the severe and strong movements.
Conscious selection of martyrdom under the correct thinking in such cases plays its roles; martyrdom creates such an enthusiasm and creates such a movement and such a shake that it easily differentiates and distinguishes its own adherents and followers from the wrong and its followers.
Martyrdom bravely plays the role of an agent who differentiates and identifies and finally grows the right; accordingly and on the other side it destroys the roots of the wrong completely and as a result o this it takes the society out of passivity, seclusion and lifelessness. And by deep cleansing it ensures the growth and completion of the society.
Is it not truth that death will come to everyone and there is no way to escape from it. So it would be much better if there is a deal and in return for giving one's life up and for being victimized, one can achieve a great result.
In His holy Qur'an God says "if you are killed in the way of God or for the sake of God, God's forgiveness and His mercy are better than everything for you."
Martyrdom in the schools of Qur'an and Shiites School has got 7 bases:
. . . . Belief in God, Prophet and his innocent descendants
. . . . Conscious election
. . . . Following the decrees of God and his prophet, Following the decrees and
behaviors of Prophet Mohammad
. . . . Setting God as their enticement and motivation.
. . . . Generosity for the satisfaction of God and achieving Him.
. . . . Trying very hard to aggrandize the words of God and to eradicate the wrong.
. . . . Keeping company of God and his prophets.
The martyr burns like a candle and he sheds light on the darkness and dimness of the human life and thereby they prepare the ways of growth and development for the human society.
Seeking martyrdom means to welcome death just for the sake of God and Islam, not to afraid of death and giving one's life for the sake of God's control. Shahid Motahari writes: ". . . . . . when the strongest men have seen themselves in the hands of death have shown themselves to be weak and powerless. Their thoughts and ideas have changed."
Yes, it is a truth that the image of death and the thought of coming close to death has always been frightening and full of fear for the faithless and corrupted people and from the points of view death is equal to eternal darkness and ever – damnation. But from the point of view of a person who considers death as the beginning of an everlasting life and a bridge towards a never – ending life in the world to come; therefore such a person does not afraid of death rather he appreciates it. The end of everybody's life is marked with his or her death except for the real followers of God for whom death is the beginning of life.
Martyrdom in Qur'an:
There are a lot of ayahs in Qur'an which refer to the issue of martyrdom and here we refer to some them:
1. ولا تØسبن الذين قتلوا Ù?ÙŠ سبيل الله امواتاً بل اØياءعند ربهم يرزقون.
Do not ever think that those who are killed for the sake of God are dead rather they are alive and they are fed by God.
2. ولا تقولوا لمن يقتل Ù?ÙŠ سبيل الله اموات بل اØياء ولكن لاتشعرون.
Do not tell those who are killed in the way of God dead because they do not understand.
3. والذين قتلوا Ù?ÙŠ سبيل الله Ù?لن يضل اعمالهم سيهديهم Ùˆ ÙŠØµÙ„Ø Ø¨Ø§Ù„Ù‡Ù… Ùˆ يدخلهم الجنه عرÙ?ها لهم.
Those who are killed for the sake of God will never destroy their deeds; God will guide them and He will reform their deeds; He will enter them to a paradise which he had made them familiar with before.
Those who are killed for the sake of God or those achieve victory for His sake will be given a great reward.
As a result, conscious choice of martyrdom comes as a result of a rightful thinking which brought these rewards for the martyrs.
Martyrdom in the Great Sayings:
There are a lot of quotation regarding the martyrs and the higher position of the martyrs to some of which we hereby refer: Imam Sadiq (A. S.) quotes his holiness Prophet Mohammad (S. A.) and says:
1. اشرÙ? الموت قتل الشهاده
The greatest and the most valuable kinds of death are through martyrdom.
Imam Sadiq (A. S.) quotes his holiness father (S. A.) who had heard Prophet Mohammad (S. A.) and says:
2. Ù?ـوق كـل بـر بـر يقتـل الرجل Ù?ÙŠ سبيل الله، Ù?اذا قتل Ù?ÙŠ سبيل الله عز Ùˆ جل Ù?ليس Ù?وقه بر. . . . . . . .
Over every good is a better good until one dies for the sake of God and when a person is killed for the sake of God there is nothing which might be better than it . . . . . . . . . .
Imam Bagher (A. S.) said that Ali – Ibne – Hussein (A. S.) used to say that: His Holiness prophet Mohammad (S. A.) has said: There is not drop of blood dearer for the supreme God than the drop that is fallen for the sake of God.
4. Imam Sadiq (A. S.) quotes his holiness Prophet Mohammad (S. A.) and says: Why the martyr is not questioned in his tomb and he is not afflicted? He said: The sword over his head was at the time of his martyrdom was enough for his test and for his affliction.
About the reality of Martyrdom:
Martyrdom is a strengthening school which has the most wonderful effects and the most impenetrable reactions of the connected and complex generations of the history.
In fact martyrdom is a second blood that is injected to the half live body of the society. The blood of this great man in the social structure is as the most obvious and the most effective factor in propagating truth and mercifulness, reality information and usefulness. It is because of this that Imam Ali (A. S.) writes after the death of Mohammad Ibne Abi Bakr to Abdollah – Ibne – Abbas: ". . . . . I swear by God that if it was not because of my interest in martyrdom to fight with the enemy and if I did not prepare myself to die for the sake of God I would never be interested in coming across to these people who have left Mohammad Ibne Abi Bakr alone. . . . . . ." The grandeur and the greatness of martyrdom have always been a factor for a nation to be proud of. The history of martyrdom is the history of Jihad and ideas as well as the history of attaching to the basic principle of religion and beliefs. If it was not because of the blood of the martyrs to water the pure tree of mission there was no such thing as Islam and of the unifying school of God as well. If there was not martyrdom in Karbala and the Ashura movement, there was not such friendship and purity that is connecting millions of people to the households of Prophet Mohammad (A. S.) to the best of their hearts.
The human beings can not speak of the logic of martyrdom if he is still restricted in the world of material and time, because he can find no way towards the world of meanings unless he is in love of this issue. According to Ostad Shahid Morteza Motahhari:
". . . . . . . . It is not possible to examine the logic of the common people with that of the martyrs; It is not possible to put the martyrdom in the mind of the common. His logic and wisdom is greater than them. It is a wisdom mixed with the wisdom of love. . . . . . . ."
The culture of martyrdom and generosity in the Islamic system is one of the most obvious characteristics of Shiites. It is obviously clear to all that it has been because of this culture and it is still because of this that the Islamic realities are still alive and prevalent. From the start of Islam to the present time, the history of Shiites, has witnessed the generosity and martyrdom seeking of the great men such as Prophet Mohammad (S. A.), his companions and comrades and the innocent descendants (A. S.) as well as their friends.
The culture of martyrdom has reared in its contexts humans that have great and valuable characteristics; having great and high will, having great souls, self – confidence and a great spirit, grandeur and grandiosity, purity and lack of attachment to the world as well as . . . . . . . are of the most important characteristics of the people who have been grown up in the culture of generosity and martyrdom.
The Position and the Value of the Martyr:
One of the issues that has come in Qur'an about the great life of the martyrs and refers to the high position of the martyrs is the sentence: "they are given sustenance by God". The position of being given sustenance by God is the supreme position of human being; in other words it is the highest position in which there is no distance between human being and God; in fact it is attaching to the God's position and His attachment that is the best and the most perfection of the human beings. What position is greater that that in which human beings are placed with the beloved and it is the same thing that the human beings are looking for. Prophet Mohammad (S. A.) said: God has determined 7 characteristics for the martyrs:
With the first drop of blood that is fallen from the martyr all his sins are forgiven.
His head is placed besides two angels in the heavens and they would dust the martyr's face and they welcome him. He also says hello to his paradise wives.
He is clad with the paradise clothes.
The receptors would wear heavenly perfumes on the newcomers to the heavens.
His soul is told to take rest in wherever in heavens he is interested in.
He looks at the face of God and this is the cause of satisfaction and content for every prophet and martyr.
The martyrdom is regarded as "great happiness" because the martyr has reached God as his greatest end which is placement near God. And in this final race he is victor and there is no more tests except for that final exam.
The Motivations for Martyrdom:
All in all the motivations for martyrdom can be summarized as follow:
Achieving completion and everlastingness
Doing an advantageous deal with God i. e. giving one's life in return for the paradise
Following the decrees of God and prophet as well as the innocent descendants . . . . .
Helping the poor and setting justice and freedom as well as eradicating oppression and cruelty . . . . . . .
Achieving at the great position of martyrdom which is the highest of values . . . . . . .
Cleansing one's spirit and forgiving the faults and looking at the face of God as well as attaching to God and coming close to God
Ordering to the good and preventing the bad as well as rejuvenating and propagating the God's customs as well as being accepted in the test that God gives as well as not to accept the worse and doing generous deeds for the sake of God and the high values
Setting paradigms for the society through creating epical deeds and encouraging the sensation of the society to propagate the spirit of seeking the truth and doing social responsibility and being emotional about the fate of the society
Injecting fresh blood in to the body of the society and strengthening the revolutionary spirits among the people of the society.
Choosing the best and the most artistic as well as the most beautiful kind of death
Being present in the scene of Jihad for the sake of God that is the stream of seeking martyrdom and doing one's duties
Going on the paths of spirituality and in the highest and greatest stages of faith and overwhelming in God and proving the real love of the lover to his beloved . . . . . . .
Why Martyrdom?
1. Having enthusiasm in meeting God
2. Real life
Greatness of the Spirit
Getting rid of one's attachment with the transient world and feeling attachment with the everlasting truth . . . . . .
Doing and performing the right and rejuvenating Islam . . . . . .
Conscious Choice of Martyrdom:
Martyrdom is the drowning of the human beings to go towards the origins of the light and to come close to the mere being.
Martyrdom is a death of being killed in which the martyr has consciously chosen death for a great aim and for the sake of God's paths . . . . .
Of the above statement we conclude that every death is not regarded as martyrdom. First of all this death should be a kind of being killed. And this has itself two great conditions in order to be called martyrdom: 1. It should be conscious and 2. it should for the sake of God. Its being conscious means that one should have chosen this death at his own will and to be conscious the martyr should understand the right and wrong of his period and he has to fight against the wrong under the flag of Islam in accompanying with the Imam of his period.
For the sake of God refers to the orientation and the aim of the martyr in fighting against the disbelievers and the faithless people. It also shows that a war is valuable which has no aim except for the one which is for the sake of God.
The word martyr means "witness" literally and over all it is told to a person who is killed for the sake of God.
There have been many reasons accounted for why a person who is killed for the sake of God is called martyr; It is written in "Lesan Al – Arab Al – Mohit" that:
A person who is killed for the sake of God is called martyr.
For the benevolent angels are witnessing him, in this condition the martyr means what is obvious.
For God and God's angels are witnessing him in the paradise.
For in the doomsday, he, along with the prophet Mohammad, is a witness on the past nations.
For he is not dead rather he is alive and present God . . . . . .
For the martyr has risen for the upholding of the right so much so that he is killed God . . . . . .
For the martyr are witness and observer of the gifts and blessing on the part of God . .
Martyrdom is putting an end to the normal and material as well as dirty life to defend the great and supreme humane values; it is the tearing down of the physical life and moving towards the grandeur of God. It is the same as getting rid of self – consciousness to achieve freedom; in brief martyrdom is not a kind of death rather it is an aspect of the spiritual life and he is a person who has reached everlastingness and eternity. He has passed the world of fall.
The achievement of martyrdom for the human beings:
Following Vilayat without any question to the end of his life . . . . . . .
Taking God as the axis and principal instead of taking oneself as such . . . . .
Generosity, taking people superior to oneself while having Godly intentions . . . . .
Prioritizing the world to come over this world . . . . .
Prioritizing the humanistic values over the personal advantages. . . . . .
Moving in the ways of completion . . . . .
Patience and resistance
Lack of compatibility with regard to the enemies . . . .
Having self confidence and not accepting the downgrading and condescending . . . . . .
Living like a brave man, observing and dying
Having no fear of the death . . . . .
Having far reaching out looks instead of having lack of prudence . . . . .
Prioritizing the satisfaction of God over that of the people . . . . . . .
Combining wisdom with love . . . . .
Having a brave and conscious death from the view point of the martyrs
Having a healthy body as well as having a brave spirit to achieve a conscious choosing of martyrdom. In this part we review the point of view of the martyrs about martyrdom:
The young martyr Abdollah Mardani:
Father and mother please do not be worried about me because I have chosen my way (martyrdom) consciously and there is no more ways except for the paths of God.
Martyr Hussein Ali Kaviani
If martyrdom is placed in the mouth of the lion I would reach it and get it.
Martyr Jamshid Raeesi:
Martyrdom is sweet syrup that everybody can not drink it unless he or she has freed himself from every superficial boundaries and limitations such as property and life and . . . . . . . Such a person wants to get rid of everything in the way of God and to fight against the wrong.
Martyr Hamid Reza Basir Zadeh:
God! You be witness that we have come at your decree to this warfare and we have drown in blood and martyred for your sake. Martyrdom is not an aim in itself. Victory is not also an aim in itself. Rather it is the propagation of the religion that is our goal.
Martyr Akbar Farsian:
Lo! Great God, please lead us to the right path so that we give our life for your sake. Please bestow martyrdom on us so as to be martyred. Please bestow martyrdom on us so as to be an observer.
Shahid Hussein Rikhtegaran:
I have chosen this way consciously and with love and now that I am in the war fronts where blood is tied with idea and it is there that martyrdom would become possible. Martyrdom is a bridge that leads us to the final destination and our final goal.
Martyr Ismaeil Yousefi:
Lo! My dear father and mother! Lo! My dear brother and sister! I have found myself after 18 years of futile life and now I have chosen the paths of Imam Hussein (A. S.), because martyrdom is from my point of view the beginning of a new life.
8. Martyr Amir Maghfouri
Lo God! If you did not call on me to the land of martyrdom and if you would cut my hope from coming to the land of the lovers, and if you did not bestow upon me such a great happiness, I would never be able to cry for the death of Imam Hussein (A. S.) and mourn for him.
Martyrdom from the point of view of Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.):
Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.) who was a faithful man himself and who was living in the love cottage of seeking the beloved, has said a lot of precious things about martyr and martyrdom from among which we can only refer to a brief part of it about martyrdom and martyrs:
The position of a martyr is one of the most grandiose and perfect positions that is inherited from the prophets of God. We as settles of the earth and sublunary positions would never know what being fed by God means. There might be some positions that are specialized for the close friends of God and those who have gotten rid of their homes and their land. So what should a person like me who is still dependant on the interests and those who have remained backwards from the rights? What should I write about? It is better to keep silence and break the pencil. The position of martyrdom is one of the necessities of the being a caliphate to God that the holy Qur'an gives the promise of seeing God in the light of martyrdom. And this inheritance reaches us through the God's prophets and the prophet's descendants. We hereby make this article more pleasant by some words from Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.) words: . . . . . .
". . . . . Martyrdom is an inheritance that has reached our martyr rearing nation through the God's chosen prophets who have considered life as jihad and belief; they have supported Islam through their bloods and the blood of the younger generations.
In the professional words of Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.), martyr is a very great word which our mind is not capable of holding it. The martyr is the rain of the God that is falling on the land to give a new life to the arid land. The love of the martyr is a real love that can not be exchanged with anything. Martyr is the spring of God's mercy that has come in to existence. The martyr is a cup whose water is blood and whose blood is running.
It is out of the Islamic researchers that the martyrs are born and it is out of the martyrs' blood that the pens of the researchers are satisfied. The martyr is the lovely flower of love and it is the greatest position that a human being might achieve. God is very benevolent and martyrdom is the real vessel of this mercy. The body of the martyr is heavy for him to carry and it is the obstacle that prevents him from achieving God; martyr is a great outlook, it is a running blood. It is a character who is delighted and who is happy in his heart because of his love towards God. It is not possible to talk so much about the martyrs. The martyrs are the candle of the friends cycles. The martyrs are fed by God in their drunken laughter and in their happiness which is resulted from achieving God. They are included among those who are addressing God "to enter them among the truthful servants and to enter them to the paradise". Here it is to speak of the truthful and superlunary love; the sublunary love and the pen are unable to draw what that is. Imam Khomeini says in some other statements that:
"Merry are those who have gone through martyrdom; merry are those who have given their lives and their heads in this caravan of light, merry are those who have reared these pearls in their bosoms. Lo God! Please keep this path and tracks to martyrdom open and please do not abstain from letting us die for your sake and from achieving this great position. Dear God! Our nation and our country are still at the start of the fighting still. They need the candle of the martyrdom; you! God! Please keep this candle full of light and we like you to preserve it, because it is this pure tomb of the martyrs that would be a guide for the lovers, theosophists and devotees as well as the heath care center for the free men.
The history of martyrdom is the history of ideas and Jihad as well as the history of attachment to the religious principles and ideas. In the Imam Khomeini's thinking (R. T. A.) if it was not for the sake of the martyr's blood that has watered the tree of mission there would be no such thing as Islam neither would there be any thing such as the unifying school of God. If there was not the martyrdom in the Karbala and the Ashura movement of Hojr Ibne Odai, Rashid Hejri and Komail Ibne Ziad as well as the other lovers of the household of Prophet Mohamad (S. A.), there would be no such things as the love and friendship of millions of human beings to the depth of their heart to the Prophet Mohamad (S. A.).
From the point of view of Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.) the martyrdom that comes into being via one's faith and conscience as well as the one that results from having relation with God and while one is praying accompanies love because praying has fulfilled in his blood; the war scenes have become his cottage; he has performed his ablutions with his red blood; he has been busy praying his beloved God under the shower of the bullet of the enemy. He has risen to fight the enemies at the down and under the blue sky; such prayer has reached the final end of cleansing; he has reached the deep love and he is not only a faithful man rather he is lover and not only he prays God as a servant but also he considers God as his beloved.
Ashura and the Culture of Martyrdom:
The day of Ashura is the day of heroism, bravery, commitment and great test as well as the day of generosity, honor and respect as well as esteem of the Islamic territories; it is the day of negating one's life generosity and usefulness. It is the day in which blood is victorious over the sword.
What is important is not to accept downgrading, condescending and serving others; it s the day in which we show that we are not the servants of the oppressors and the exploiters. It taught the lessons of not surrendering to the enemies. Ashura is the date of martyrdom; it is the day in which the heads are befallen from the bodies. It is the date in which the rights distinguished from the wrong. It is the date in which Islam faced and encountered with the faithlessness. It is the date in which the ethical and the non – ethical are distinguished. It is the date of the should and should not. It is the date in which the normal and the abnormal are separated; It is the date in which the faithful and the faithless are separated from one another.
Islam has reared such people who consider martyrdom superior over captivity and condescension; they insisted so much so that they have lost their lives and thereby saved Islam. And now we are witnessing these bravery and valor which have been learned from the chief of the martyrs ( Imam Hossein A. S. ) and his fellow companions and it is the culture of Ashura that has offered the society such great and benevolent as well as brave and courageous creatures and we are indeed indebted to the culture of Ashura.
Some of the slogans that were stated for seeking martyrdom in the Ashura epic are:
1. Death is far much better than the base life . . . . .
2. Martyrdom for the sake of God is very pleasant . . . . . .
3. The death which accompanies bravery is a great fortune and leading life with oppression is indeed very boring . . . . . .
4. If bodies are created for death then being killed with a sword for the sake of God is very valuable . . . . . .
5. A grave death is everlasting life and leading a base and terrible life is no more than an eternal death.
Martyrdom had, in the words and point of view of Imam Hussein (A. S.) who was grown up and was benefited by the prophetic source of mercy and who was reared in the Alavi school, a very high position and value; it is regarded as the great sources of honor and bravery of the human being.
Finally, the Ashura heroism is the stating principle of Ashura culture which is for all people all over the world and all over the history of mankind.
The effects of the Ashura Heroism on the Martyrs' Letters of Will
With a cursory glance over the wills of the martyrs, one can see that there are some points or sentences that have been taken from the wills of Imam Hussein (A. S.) and his valuable statements or they have been under the influence of his will. In other words the wills of the martyrs have been affected by the wills of Imam Hussein (A. S.).
Hereby we study some samples of the martyrs' wills in this regard:
You Hussein! You who are the beloved, you have killed a lot of people for your own love, you are the chief of the martyrs; you have asked the enemy for a night to live more from, not to bid adieu to life rather to attach to the world to come with all its grandeur . . . . . . Nowadays our youths have set you as their paradigm to follow . . . . . . .
My dear God! From my childhood the name of Imam Hussein (A. S.) was lightening my heart and mind; Imam Hussein (A. S.) has come to life for me and thereafter I knew the reason why Imam Hussein (A. S.) has got all these things and these people killed and now I want you to put my with all these people.
I see freedom and my release in choosing a path which leads to victory under the influence of Qur'anic and religious movements. This is the same bloody path as that of Imam Hussein (A. S.). . . . . .
My dear father I have learned this lesson from Imam Hussein (A. S.) to prioritize death for the sake of God over the a terrible and downgrading life. Be sure that I have chosen this path very consciously because the pure blood of martyrs from Abel to Imam Hussein (A. S.) and from Imam Hussein (A. S.) to the martyrs of the south and the martyrs of the west are calling me and they ask me why I am sitting. We are living in a world which is dominated by cruelty and this is why we have to offer our blood to cleanse it.
Peace be upon our great Prophet, the prophet of Islam, who has taught us how to live and peace be upon his beloved descendant Imam Hussein (A. S.) who has taught us how to die. A person can claim that he is like Imam Hussein (A. S.) when he is ready to die to kill and eradicate the oppressor of his time and offer his body; he should be ready so that his body is destroyed under tanks.
When my body is on your shoulders, if you look at me intuitively, you will see that my eyes are looking Karbala. Lo Mother! Of what kind was the earth that you put in my mouth? Wasn't it from Imam Hussein (A. S.) 's earth and wasn't she you who was saying that I am rearing my child for you so that he is the follower of Islam and your way? Now Hussein of the present time asks us to help his grandfather and it is why we are ready whole heartedly to follow the decrees of Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.). Today our position and situation is like that of Imam Hussein (A. S.), Islam needs blood and it needs victims and I am, as the follower of Imam Hussein (A. S.) and Imam Khomeini (R. T. A.), ready to give my blood so that Islam remains steady and stable. There is no possibility of leaving Imam Hussein (A. S.) alone. Nor is there the possibility of remaining passive and not doing any thing while one considers himself to be a follower of Imam Hussein (A. S.).
Conclusion and Final Remarks:
It is possible to certainly say that the Islamic system will remain stable with the culture of martyrdom. Otherwise it is possible that the martyr remains but it might be melted in the real religious identity; In Islam martyrdom is regarded to be a very valuable success and it is also regarded to be a great ascendance.
Marty is alive in Islam because he has risen to defend the right and he is fed by God because he has attached himself to God and this thinking is based on the religious and theosophical thought. The martyr rises consciously and he has risen to settle justice and equality while he is ready to give his life while he is burnet and he is about to become ashes. He gives such a reality grandeur, life and soul. He himself goes from the sublunary world but he goes to live in a greater life and more sensible world.
A person who gives his life for the great Islamic values in order to stabilize the Islamic values humanistic and Islamic values has reached the highest degree of perfection and it is he who is considered to be the valuable and real soldier of Islam.
While he is very brave and he has got the spirit of martyrdom, he is ready to give his life in order to achieve God.
He has prioritized soul over the body and he is making use of all his facilities in order to achieve complete perfection; he is regarded to be equal to the prophets, the truthful and the good – doers.
Three characteristics are seen in martyrdom: A. for the sake of God B. Consciousness C. authority
Having a Great Spirit and great capabilities are pre – requisites of martyrdom and bravery. When the culture of martyrdom became prevalent in the society there would be a very special enthusiasm in the heart which causes some competition over this position. Our dear Prophet Mohammad (S. A.) was able – by propagating the culture of martyrdom and generosity – to become victorious with the help and aid of God while he was accompanied by a small and disable (economically of course) group of Muslims and thereafter he was able to attack the enemies and defeating them; he was because of this able to stabilize Islam and develop Islam.
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Writer: Mohammad Jossein Mardani Nokade
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