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An article in the latest issue of "Voice of Khurasan," an English-language monthly magazine published by Al-Azaim Foundation, the media arm of Islamic State's Khurasan Province (ISIS-K), cites many hadiths (sayings and deeds of Muhammad) to define martyrdom.
"The believer who has committed sins, then fights in the way of Allah with his life and wealth until he is killed. He will be cleansed from sins as wielding a sword in the way of Allah removes sins," adds the article, titled "The Rewards Of A Martyr In The Path Of Allah."
The article appears in the Issue No. 12 of "Voice of Khurasan," which is dated Muharram 1444 Hijri, the month beginning July 31, 2022.
Following is the text of the article:[1]
"Allah Gives Six Rewards To A Martyr: 'All Of His Sins Will Be Forgiven With The First Drop Of His Blood, His Abode In The Paradise Will Be Shown To Him...'"
"Allah gives six rewards to a martyr: 'All of his sins will be forgiven with the first drop of his blood, his abode in the Paradise will be shown to him, he will be granted respite from the tribulation of grave, he will be at no fear in the Day of Judgment, an ornament of faith will be adorned on him, he will be married to the large-eyed maidens, and he will be able to intercede for 70 members from his relatives' – (Musnad Ahmad & Ibn Majah).
"It has been narrated by Abdullah ibn Masud on the authority of the Messenger of Allah: 'The spirits of the martyrs will be put in the chests of green birds, and for the spirits there will be cages attached to the Throne of the Most Merciful Allah. The spirits will roam in heaven at will, and they will return to the cages at night when their Lord will appear to them and ask them: What else do you want?
"'They will reply: What else we may ask for as we can go wherever we wish? The question will be repeated three times, when the people of Jannah [Paradise] will know the question will not stop without answering them, so they will say: O our Lord! We want that our souls be returned to our bodies so that we may die as martyr once again, so when Allah the exalted will see that they don't need anything else, they will be let go' – (Narration of Sahih Muslim).
"Abdullah ibn Umar said: 'The Messenger of Allah asked me: Do you know the first category of people entering Jannah from my nation? I replied: Allah and his Messenger know better. He said: The migrants will stand by the gate of the Jannah when the gatekeeper will ask them: Have you been accounted for? They will reply: How may we be accounted for as swords were on our necks until we were killed.
"'The Messenger of Allah said: The door will be opened for them and they will sleep for 40 years there until other people will enter – (Al-Mustadrak lil-Huqum)."
Prophet Muhammad: "There Are Hundred Levels In Jannah For The Mujahideen"; "A Muslim, Who Fights In The Way Of Allah For A Duration Of Milking A Camel, It Becomes Obligatory Upon Allah The Almighty To Enter Him To Jannah"
"The Messenger of Allah said: There are hundred levels in Jannah for the mujahideen and the width in between two levels is like that of the heaven and the earth – (Sahih Bukhari).
"The Prophet said: I saw two men in a dream tonight. They took me above a tree and entered me into a beautiful house. I have never seen such a beautiful house before. They both said, This is the house for the martyrs – (Sahih Bukhari).
"The Prophet said: Death is of three kinds: A believer who fights in the way of Allah with his life and wealth, and when he encounters an enemy, he fights until he is killed. He is the purified (tested) martyr who will be in the tent under the Throne of Allah. The difference, in rank, between he and the prophets is due to their prophethood.
"The second is the believer who has committed sins, then fights in the way of Allah with his life and wealth until he is killed. He will be cleansed from sins as wielding a sword in the way of Allah removes sins. He will be allowed to enter through any of the gates of Jannah. Jannah has eight gates, and Hell has seven gates, and some of them are lower than others.
A screenshot of the article
"The third is a hypocrite who fights in the path of Allah with life and wealth and gets killed. But he will go to Hell as sword doesn't clean hypocrisy.
"A Muslim, who fights in the way of Allah for a duration of milking a camel, it becomes obligatory upon Allah the almighty to enter him to Jannah [paradise], and whoever seeks martyrdom in the path of Allah, glory be to him, from the bottom of his heart, whether he dies or is killed, he will get the reward of a martyr, and whoever is wounded in the way of Allah, on the Day of Resurrection, blood will come out of his wounds with the color of blood but with the fragrance of musk, and whoever is injured in the way of Allah, he will have the seal and mark of the martyrs – (Musnad Ahmad)."
"Numerous Virtues Of Jihad Have Been Recorded; When A Mujahid Leaves Home, The Number Of These Virtues Begins; His Rest, Laughing, Or Eating Is Also Considered As Worship"
"Common Virtues Of Jihad
"The Prophet said: Allah made obligatory upon him to help three persons: the mujahideen for the sake of Allah, the one who marries for safeguarding chastity, and the slave who wants to pay money to his master – (Musnad Ahmad).
"The Prophet said: Satan seduces man in different ways. When he converts to Islam, he says to him: Will you be converted to Islam and leave your and your forefather's religion? This man does not accept Satan's word and converts to Islam. Then Satan sits for him in the path to emigration and says to him: Are you emigrating and giving up your properties?
"The man, however, ignores him and prepares his horses for emigration. Then Satan lies on his path of jihad and says to him: Shall you participate in jihad while you will die and your wife will be married to someone else and your properties will be distributed among people?
"The man ignores him and marches forth to jihad. Whoever does this and dies, it becomes obligatory upon Allah to admit him to Jannah, and if he is killed, Allah will surely admit him to Jannah. If he sinks in water, Allah will admit him to Jannah. Even if he dies falling down from his rides, Allah will admit him to Jannah – (Musnad Ahmad).
"Fighting in the path of Allah is better than doing hajj for even 50 times.
"Standing for while in fighting in the path of Allah is better than worshipping with own family members for 60 years at home. Allahu Akbar [Allah is Greatest]! It is a wonderful virtue. O Mujahid! Whenever you go to any operation, remember this virtue and try sincerely, it will be a blessing and a pleasure to do so.
"For example, if you carry out five mine planting operations, you will be rewarded with 300 years of worship of another non-mujahid Muslim, by the will of Allah. Likewise, every attack and every operation is accounted for. Numerous virtues of jihad have been recorded. When a mujahid leaves home, the number of these virtues begins; his rest, laughing, or eating is also considered as worship.
"These noble servants of the Lord are much loved by him. And they are the pillars of his religion, and the religion is established with their help, and it stands erected through the external means they adopt. No matter how many good deeds are done within the religion, a muajhid possesses his share in all. Contemplating the virtues of jihad and mujahid is beyond the human capacity."
"It Can’t Be Denied That Jihad Is Just Another Part Of Deeds Like Prayer, Fasting, And Hajj"
"Jihad Is The Pillar Of Faith
"Jihad is considered as the pillar of faith. It has been narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari that a delegation from al-Qais tribe came to the Prophet and so he explained to them the definition of faith as follows: Testimony of shahada [the words spoken to become a Muslim, i.e., "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet"] prayer, fasting, zakat [i.e., alms], and paying khums [one-fifth] on booty.
"Some scholars mention this hadith while implying that deeds are part of the faith. So there is no dispute regarding jihad being part of faith. So it can't be denied that jihad is just another part of deeds like prayer, fasting, and hajj. But, in this case, jihad has been mentioned in the context of definition of faith which is not the case of modesty which is also a part of faith.
A screenshot from the article
"Hafidh ibn Hajar explained this narration of al-Bukhari in Fath al-Bari regarding the four things being commanded by the Prophet, while five things have been recorded in the hadith, and he wrote: Qurtubi says: It has been said that the four things, that are commanded, begin with prayer while the shahadah has been mentioned here for blessings. There is no point in mentioning it here, because these people are already Muslims, what is the point of confession of the shahadah?
"They might have thought that testimony of faith would be sufficient as the case in the beginning of bringing Islam while these testimonies are not counted in the four commandments. Qadhi Abu Bakr ibn Arab said that it is possible that the prayers and the zakat were considered on the same basis, because it is mentioned in the Koran together with the prayers, or it does not include the payment of khums because it is generally included in the zakat. So apparently, it can be concluded that jihad is the part of as faith and Imam Bukhari also wrote [in his Sahih al-Bukhari] separate chapter on this issue."
[1] August 22, 2022. The original English of the article has been lightly edited for clarity and standardization.
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