To embrace death unselfishly while preserving one’s beliefs and sacred purposes is martyrdom. It is a holy word. In Arabic, martyrdom is called ‘Shahadat’. Even though, martyr is killed physically, however, this sacrifice is preserved in history. “Don’t say dead to those who are murdered on the way of Allah [for the sake of moral beliefs] while they are alive and bestowed sustenance from their Lord.”Al-Quran. In the culture of Islam, a martyr is ever-alive.
The blood of martyr is the need of society and history, in order to conserve moral values, demolish the castles of dictators, protest against cruelties and injustice, and support the oppressed. It is a call to the world to protest. The blood of martyr always shakes the pillars of established authority. It gives a warning signal. The message of martyrdom is to choose bravery rather than slavery, to not fear political power. Martyrs have no greed for wealth, they can see through the tricks of the opponents. They show bravery in resisting the triangle of power, possession and deception. Martyr asks nations to embrace altruistic death so as not to be denounced by history or by future generations.
Martyrdom is valued all over the world. It is a historical element of all societies and deemed holy and sacred by all people. Martyrdom is a proof of the life of humanity and human values. Those who went along this path chose death to give life to others. It is a selfless act which secures the life of human beings. The bleeding wounds of martyrs water the trees of morality so as to bear ripe and useful fruits. Innocent blood which is shed, demonstrates the cruelty of some other human beings who are used to barbaric ways.
The spots of martyrs’ blood always remain fresh in history and give courage to future generations to fight firmly against dictatorships. Martyrs shout from the pinnacle of history to preserve moral values and human dignity. Martyrs leave their inerasable messages in blood. Martyrdom sensitizes a nation against injustice and cruelty.
Martyrdom is a sacred culture which enriches the social mores of a society. The destiny and history of a society largely depends on this culture of martyrdom. It is the pride of a nation and the mainstream of a community. Undeniably, the blood of martyr flows in the stream of history for centuries, demonstrating the fearlessness and valor of a nation.
Martyrs got butchered physically, but free their soul from disgrace and immorality. Those who chose martyrdom intended to not hang down their heads by accepting oppression. They were exonerated by history through the witness of their blood. History proudly certifies that they did not abandon dignity and moral values. Future generation appreciate their valorous acts and venerate their religious beliefs and principles.
Martyrdom is full of strong moral emotion and a deep awareness of history and human responsibilities. Whenever a society is exposed to pollution of evil, immorality, slavery, etc, martyrdom serves as a cleansing agent. Martyrdom is a beckon towards safety in the pitch darkness of time. In short, martyrdom has a halo of lofty moral values.
We live in a geographic area of martyrdom. Our country is used to it and is still red with the blood of martyrs. Our days start with martyrdom. Martyrdom goes continuously parallel with history.
Those who dared to choose martyrdom had high and holy objectives. Now, we are responsible to honor their martyrdom by furthering the fight against dictators and dictatorship, saving moral standards, social mores, and refusing to bow down before oppressors. If we agree to cruelties, shake hand with despots, accompany criminals, witness immoralities with silence, nod to wickedness we will betray the blood of martyrs. Let’s respect the selflessness and altruistic death of our martyrs.
On the other hand, those who martyred others are the real losers. History does not look with favor to murderers. Those murderers did not think that they would be denounced by history, as well as by future generation. They thought that their worldly position would make them famous for ever. The opposite is true. Life is full of opposites. Its lustrous, bright page includes selfless and altruistic acts which elevates human pride; it has dark pages also, which hide selfish, egoistic acts.
Unfortunately, martyrdom is misunderstood and misused in our country. Today it is used to describe death and destruction. In our current cultural atmosphere its meaning has been changed. Its connotations are threatened by sectarian and national interests. For example, the act of terror, suicide bombing, murdering innocent civilians, national police, women and children are carried out under the guise of martyrdom. It is highly naïve and self-deceptive of one to kill their own compatriots, nation, co-religious individuals, or at least those who are not concerned with politics. The sacred halo of martyrdom is broken flagrantly. In short, if martyrdom is used to fuel the fire of sectarianism, society will face disunity. In that case, its essential sacred purpose will be made meaningless.
If we put a glance over the history of our country especially the last three decades of war, people were burning amidst violence and bloodshed. Some of our political and religious leaders fooled others to carry out Jihad. These Jihads were done amongst different groups of the same nation. Many people lost their lives in those wars under the guise of Jihad. Presently, there are many politicians who are red-handed, however, occupying high positions in the government and being labeled Mujahedeen.
We should learn from the revolution of Imam Husain (A.S) which took place in the burning desert of Karbala going beyond time and location. The history of Karbala highlights the fact that martyrdom is not for lowly ambitions and desires rather it contains divine objectives. Moreover, Jihad is not carried out against women or children but against the aggressive groups intending to ruin a society on one way or another. Hence, those who are breaking the sanctity of martyrdom through their acts of terror and lead the society to disorder are the wicked parts of the society.