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distinction in the Hereafter. His lot is truly divine. About the martyrs it is said in the Quran that they should not be thought of as dead: they are alive, a very special existence is conferred on them and they are the recipients of boundless favors and blessings from their Lord.

Think not of those who are slain in Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa)’s way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.

How marvelous is the fate of these true and noble sons of Islam, how mightily beloved of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) they are and what glorious rewards are showered upon them by Him can be visualized from the Tradition we are going now to reproduce. The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) is reported to have said:

“No one among the dwellers of the Paradise will ever want to be sent back to the world, although all the worldly joys and riches may be his if he is sent back, except one who had been killed in the way of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa); such a man will want to be returned to the earth and killed in the cause of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) ten times over because of the high honor and splendid ceremony with which he will be received in the Heaven on account of dying a martyr’s death.”

The sacred Prophet (Peace be upon him) himself was so enthusiastic about attaining martyrdom that he used often to say:

“By the Holy Being in whose power lies my life, I wish I was killed in Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa)’s way and brought back to life and killed once more and brought back to life and that this happened to me over and over again.”

Another of the Prophet’s Traditions reads:

“Six rewards are conferred on a martyr by Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa): one, he is forgiven immediately and his abode in the Paradise is shown to him; two, he is spared the punishment of the grave; third, he is granted freedom from the acute fear and anxiety of the Day of Requital that will grip the heart of every one (‘Except of those on whom there will be the favor of the Lord’); four, a crown of honor will be placed on his head, a single ruby of which will be more valuable than the whole world; five, seventy-two celestial brides will be given to him in marriage; and, six, his intercession will be accepted on behalf of seventy kinsmen.”

Furthermore:

“To fall a martyr in the cause of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) atones for everything except a debt”. And, it should be remembered that the Divine reward and other wonderful favors promised on martyrdom are not dependent only a death occurring in the way of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa). It is not that when a person is killed in the cause of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) only then does he become entitled to them. Every loss or injury suffered, every pain and suffering undergone, in the service of the faith carries a bounteous reward. Any believer who may be persecuted, punished, beaten, insulted or tortured for the sake of Islam will be rewarded most lavishly in the Hereafter. Allah (Subhaanahu Wata’aalaa) will raise him so high in honor that the most exalted of saints and divines will envy his fate. Just as soldiers, in this world, who serve their motherland gallantly and care nothing for their own safety when the call of duty comes are honored with awards and decorations by their governments in the same way the servants of Allah (Subhaanahu