The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said...

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: ‘Whenever strugglers decide to fight, immunity from fire is written (by Allah) for them. When a martyr falls from on his horse at the strike of a sword, before reaching the ground, God Almighty, will prepare for him a Houri as his mate to give him the good tidings of what God has prepared for him of honor. When he reaches the earth, he shall be said: ‘Welcome to the pure soul that has gone out of the pure body!

I give you good news for what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and it has occurred to no human heart.’ On the Day of Resurrection, he will be raised from his grave while his sword is in his hand and blood will gush out of his veins, with the scent of musk while walking in the yard of (the day of) Resurrection.

By Him in Whose hand my soul is, if the prophets happen to be in their (martyrs) way, they will dismount their mounts and walk with them for the worth they see in them so as to share the martyrs’ provision and sit with them at their table.”[^8] The holy prophet (SAW) has been reported by Imam Sadiq (AS) as saying: “All the good lies in the sword and the shadow of the sword.

People cannot be rectified save by the sword, for swords are keys to paradise and hell.”[^9] There are many traditions on this topic, but here we would draw your attention to one historic anecdote. Truly, Jihad is an important religious duty in which the prophets and their successors have preceded and been ordered with.

In this relation God says: “And how many a prophet has fought with whom were many worshipers of the Lord; so they did not become weak-hearted on account of what befell them in Allah’s way, nor did they weaken, nor did they abase themselves; and Allah loves the patient. And their saying was no other than that they said: Our Lord! Forgive us our faults and our extravagant in our affair, and make firm our feet and help us against the unbelieving people.

So Allah gave them the reward of this world and the better reward of the hereafter and Allah loves those who do good (to others).” [^10] Secondly, there are the followers of the prophets and the friends of Allah who are not few at each time. We have seen it with our own eyes as to how young and old people offered their lives for the defense of Islam, their homeland, the , and Shiism, and welcomed the bullets of the enemy with their chests and considered it as the meeting place of God.

[^1]: Wasa’il al-Shiah, vol. 11, p. 8. [^2]: Qur'an, 8:69. [^3]: Qur'an, 3:123-124.