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Martyrdom and the Islamic Consciousness
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Copyright Year | 2017 |
| Abstract | The virtuousness of martyrdom is a pervasive theme throughout the history of Islam and other religions, including Judaism and Christianity. There is no doubt that this idea has shaped both the Islamic consciousness and the public perception of Islam in the global community. Ideas about martyrdom and its importance to Islam have continually evolved since the inception of the religion, and continue to shape the identity and actions of devout Muslims, coloring the interpretation of the actions of martyrs through history. To address this complex topic we will analyze the history of martyrdom in Islamic thought, starting with the primary religious sources of the Qur’an and Hadith. We will then turn to martyrdom in modern Islam, specifically in response to 21st Century struggles. We will analyze the ideas of thinkers who have shaped modern perceptions of martyrdom, such as Abd al-Salam Faraj, Abdullah Assam and Sayyid Qutb, comparing these views with what is explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an and Hadith. Through this narrow analysis, we hope to gain insight into the importance of martyrdom to the Islamic consciousness and its evolution in response to geopolitical events. To start with our analysis, we turn to the Hadith for historical evidence of martyrdom in the Islamic consciousness. Several early traditions, including those narrated by Imaam Ahmad and Ibn Maajah and dictated to Atik b. al-Harith tell the story of the death of Ubaydah ibn al-Harith, killed in the battle of Badr. The prophet Muhammad is said to have replied “The martyrs are seven. Other than being killed in the path of God, one who dies of a stomach ailment is a martyr [shahid], one who drowns is a martyr, the one who is stricken by plague is a martyr, one who is struck dead by having something fall on him is a martyr, one who is burned fatally is a martyr, and the woman who dies during pregnancy is a martyr.” [1] This hadith, which contains in it a sample of Islamic thought and tradition, does not necessarily command a military death or sacrifice for a greater good. Another version of this hadith, relayed by companion Aqaba b. Amir, addresses the same issue by defining a martyr as “one who dies in the path of God.” [1] This actually seems to directly contradict the first definition, which specifically mentions martyrdom as achievable without being killed on the “path to God”. These definitions can be reconciled, however, depending on how one defines “path to God” and “path of God”, and highly relates the subjects of martyrdom jihad, often defined as striving or struggling in the path of God. [1] With some definitions of greater jihad, which define any internal struggle to be a better Muslim as a struggle towards God, these definitions may in fact be identical. The interpretation of the specific definition of the path of God provides one of the traditional sources used to justify a variety of definitions of martyrdom in |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://pdaian.com/martyrdom.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
