Fadi Abu Shkhaydam, the Hamas-affiliated terrorist who perpetrated the November 21, 2021 deadly shooting near the Western Wall in Jerusalem, left a will explaining that it has long been his wish to become a martyr and be rewarded with Paradise. He called on his friends and family, and on all the people of Jerusalem, to follow in his footsteps and shed the shackles of this world by engaging in jihad and seeking martyrdom.
Fadi Abu Shkhaydam's last will (Source: safa.ps, November 22, 2021)
The following is a translation of his will: [1]
"In the name of Allah, the Compassionate and the Merciful
"My Will:
"I, Fadi Mahmoud Abu Shkhaydam, write these words in supreme joy, ready for my meeting with Allah the Almighty, the culmination of my years-long painstaking labor. Since my feet first stood in a mosque and I [began] imbibing the Quran and the Sunna, I have been dreaming of soon meeting Allah as a martyr [after] attacking the enemy and not fleeing, with Allah's help. The past years have been nothing but preparation, spiritual and military, for this honorable and blessed moment.
"My mother, brothers, sister, wife, sons and daughters:
"By Allah, it has been a supreme honor to live in your company, but life in the company of Allah will be even more honorable, exalted and noble. You have given me so much help and support that it is my duty to give you an even greater reward. For our Prophet [Muhammad], Allah's peace and prayer be upon him, told us that a martyr can intercede [with Allah] on behalf of his family,[2] and I ask Allah [to let me be martyred and] intercede on your behalf and on behalf of my late father. So be patient, seek to be rewarded by Allah, and be steadfast. Know that I chose this path in order to please Allah and to enter into His paradise. Life is short, and whoever lays down his life and manages to sacrifice himself for the sake of Allah has attained success. I urge you to adhere to Allah's religion until you meet Him. Your religion is the essence of everything, and your Al-Aqsa [mosque] is [the source of] your greatness and pride.
"My brothers, my partners in da'wa [Islamic preaching] and Islamic action,
"The blessed words and da'wa we have been dispensing since our youth require us to sacrifice our souls, so that our words do not remain dead and lifeless. Words require someone to bear witness to their justness and truth. The best change is brought about through sacrifice and through matching one's deeds to one's words.
"After years of working, studying and teaching, I say that we have no choice but to steer the ship by shedding our blood and become actual role-models of jihad, just as people [already] regard us as models of knowledge and hard work.
"The best path for us, given the oppression against our [Al-Aqsa] mosque, is to redeem it with our blood. We cannot live in honor as long as the situation of our mosque grows steadily worse and the attacks on it increase. So stay committed to ribat [deployment on the front lines],[3] jihad and sacrifice, and free yourselves from the shackles of this world.
"The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: By He Who holds [my] life in His hands, had it not been a burden for the Muslims, I would have never desisted from joining any company fighting for Allah. But I have no means to provide [the fighters with mounts], and they have no [means to acquire them] and it would be hard on them if they lag behind me. I swear by He Who holds Muhammad's life in His hands that I would have liked to fight for the sake of Allah and be killed and then fight [again] and be killed [again]. This [hadith] is related in [the reliable hadith compilations of] Bukhari and Muslim.
"So go forth and be blessed [by realizing] the will of the Prophet. I ask Allah to be a companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, at his pool in Paradise.[4] I hope you attain this status, like me.
"My dear students,
"For over 20 years I taught in schools, in mosques, in facilities [for teaching] jurisprudence, Quran, hadith and at other educational facilities. At every meeting [I attended] I would be sorry to hear of someone who reached Paradise before me by attacking [the enemy] and not fleeing. I used to tell you stories about [all] these people, from the companions of the Prophet to the lions of Islam in our era. By Allah, tears would always flow down my face as I spoke of them, and I readied and prepared myself to join them and follow their procession. And today, my dears, I leave you to join them and I command every one of you to continue on this path. This is the path of the prophets and of the righteous, on which [one] cannot go astray. We will meet in Paradise, Allah willing. Do not be sparing in your prayers for me and in forgiving me.
"Finally, people of Jerusalem,
"Allah chose you to engage in ribat here [in Jerusalem] and to defend the place of Muhammad's Night Journey.[5] Do not neglect this [holy] place. Know that the solution to your problems starts with your ribat and jihad. Allah said: 'But We shall be sure to guide to Our ways those who strive hard for Our cause' [Quran 69:29].
"Your unity depends upon Al-Aqsa, and ending your social and family problems depends on setting your compass by this blessed mosque. By Allah, the blessed Al-Aqsa, the place of [Muhammad's] Night Journey [i.e., Jerusalem], expects a lot from us. Resume your ribat there and set your compass by [this mosque]. Allah will provide for you, and He is the best of helpers.
"I conclude this will with a request that you pray for me, that [my martyrdom] be accepted and I be granted forgiveness, mercy and a high level [in Paradise]. If I owe anyone a debt, they may forgo it or request it of my family. And if someone owes me a debt, I forgo the debt for Allah's sake. I ask Allah to accept me, my efforts and my jihad, for the decision and the ability are His.
"My last words: Praise Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and Allah's prayers and peace be upon the Prophet, his family, his companions and those who follow in his footsteps until the Day of Judgement.
"Your loving brother,
"The living martyr, Allah willing,
"Fadi Mahmoud Abu Shkhaydam.
"November 20, 2021,
"Rabi' Al-Thani 15, 1443."
[1] Safa.ps, November 22, 2021.
[2] According to Muslim tradition, a martyr can intercede with Allah on behalf of 70 of his relatives.
[3] Ribat refers to the frontier of the Islamic world, whose warriors (murabitoun) defend the Islamic lands and fight the non-Muslims. Murabitoun is also the name of Palestinian activists at Al-Aqsa who protest against any presence of Jewish worshippers there.
[4] According to a hadith, each prophet has a pool of water in Paradise, and the Prophet's is the largest and sweetest of these pools.
[5] Muhammad's Night Journey (Al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj): According to Islam, Muhammad traveled from Mecca to Jerusalem in a single night, riding upon his winged steed Al-Buraq, and then visited heaven before returning to earth.
