In the words of Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Behishti (d.

In the words of Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Behishti (d. 1981), “Jihad liter­ally means utmost effort to achieve an objective.

In Islamic terminology it means to endeavor and make sacrifice for the cause of Allah, i.e., for the deliverance of the people from injustice and subjugation, restoration of belief in Allah’s Unity (Tawhīd), and establishment of a just social system.” Islamic Scholars have classified Jihad into two types: (1) Jihad al Akbar (the greater Jihad), i.e., the Jihad against the passions of one’s own self, and (2) Jihad al Asghar (the lesser Jihad), i.e., struggle against the oppressors to establish truth in the path of Allah and safe­guarding humanity.

Coming back to Shahadah, the word is derived from the Arabic verbal root shahada , which means to see, to witness, to testify, to become a model and an exemplary (Shahid). Shahadah therefore literally means to see, to wit­ness, and to become a model.

A Shahid is a person who sees and witnesses, and he is therefore the witness, as if the martyr witnesses and sees the truth and thus stands by it firmly, so much so that not only does he testi­fy it verbally, but he is prepared to struggle and give up his all for the truth, thus to become a martyr (Shaheed). In this way, and by this struggle and sacrifice for the sake of truth, he becomes a model, a paradigm, and an example for others, worthy of emulation.

Both Shaheed (Martyr) and Shahid (a witness) are derived from the same Arabic root. The renowned Philosopher and Scholar of the Muslim world, Ayatullah Murtaďa Mutahhari in his literary work Ash Shaheed, lucidly describes the role and importance of the martyr and martyrdom in the following words: “All those who have served humanity in one way or the other, whether as scholars, philosophers, inventors or teachers, deserve the gratitude of mankind.

But no one deserves it to the extent the martyrs do and that is why all sec­tions of the people have a sentimental attachment to them. The reason is that all other servants of humanity are indebted to the martyrs, whereas the martyrs are not indebted to any of them. A scholar, a philosopher, an inventor and a teacher require a congenial and conductive atmosphere to render their services and it is the martyr who with his supreme sacrifice provides that atmosphere.

He can be compared to the candle whose function is to burn and get extinguished in order to shed light for the benefit of others. The martyrs are the candles of humanity.