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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Four Californian Lectures Concept of Martyrdom in Islam A lecture delivered at Husain Day, held at New York, on Sunday, October 25, 1987 Allah says in (he Qurjan: And reckon not those who are killed in Allah *s way as dead; nay, they are alive (and) are provided sustenance from their Lord; rejoicing in what Allah has given them out of his grace, am* they rejoice for the sake of those who, (being left) behind them, have not yet joined them, that they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve.
They rejoice on account of favour from Allah and (His) grace, and that Allali will not waste the reward of believers. (The Family of'Imran, vs. 169-171) These three verses prove that the martyrs are not conquered by death, The moment a believer is slain in the way of Allah, his eternal life begins; a life in which he gets sustenance from Allah.
He rejoices for himself and hopes that even those whom he has left behind would receive the honour of martyrdom, so that they too would achieve this ever-lasting, never-ending life as he has. Why has Allah bestowed this special favour on martyrs? The value and worth of a sacrifice entirely depends on the value of the purpose for which that sacrifice was offered. Many people sacrifice their lives for wealth. But it Is just a wastage of life, and nothing eise.
How can a life be immortal, if it was worthless enough to be sacrificed for some stones or minerals? No matter how precious gold and diamonds are, they are lifeless. These treasures themselves have no life; how can they make a life immortal? Political power? Prestige? Fame? Popularity? None of these have any independent existence. These are imaginary things. As they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Likewise, these imaginary pictures are in people's minds only.
They are merely transient images. Now they are; now they are not. A life sacrificed on their altar will disappear just like a passing shadow. Those whose faith in the Creator is superfluous, can never solve the mystery of martyrdom. They feel puzzled as to why the Muslims, the true believers, appear eager to die in the way of Allah. They call them "suicide squad". But it is not suicide. Suicide implies termination of life, while martyrdom is continuation of life.
Although in Islam even a normal death is not the end of life; it is a transition from this world to the nex l How good or bad that life will be, depends on one's faith and deeds.