In the Name of Allah: A Call to Embrace Martyr

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
I Am With You
A Message to Muslims, Arabs and Non-Arabs
By: Dr. Muhammad Akram Nadwi, Oxford
Translated by: Celsabil Hadj-Cherif

The cry went up, saying: “The rider has fallen,” and the uproar reached its peak, filling the world from its furthest ends. The noise spread far and wide when it was said:
Indeed, a man is but a wretched servant, but the one who asks his Lord for martyrdom in His cause and is sincere in his request becomes the blessed, envied martyr.

His image was displayed, showing him pierced by spears, as though stakes were driven into stretched fabric.

O nation of the Beloved of the Lord of the Worlds! Stop your mourning and silence your cries and wails. Do you not know that denying the life of the martyrs is open disbelief in Allah? Have you not realised that Muslims do not grieve for those who are living eternally in the Gardens of Eden, receiving sustenance from their Lord?

Have you not read the words of your Lord: “Among them are those who have fulfilled their vow, and among them are those who still await, but they have not changed in the least”? Did Ibn Ishaq not narrate to you from Al-Qasim ibn Abdul-Rahman ibn Rafi’, the brother of Banu Adiyy ibn al-Najjar, that Anas ibn al-Nadr, the uncle of Anas ibn Malik, came upon Umar ibn al-Khattab and Talha ibn Ubaydullah, along with men from the Muhajirun and Ansar, who had thrown down their arms? He asked them: “Why are you sitting here?” They said, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, has been killed.” He replied: “What will you do with life after him? Get up and die upon what the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, died upon.”

O people of our kin! Have you not heard the bells of the caravans departing at dawn? The loved ones have gone, leaving nothing but crumbs and ashes behind. Have you not heard the voices of your slain, drenched in blood? Have you not listened to the loud calls from your mosques? O you who indulge in comforts, oppressing yourselves! We have left, so prepare for your journey. We have been granted a wondrous joy, a sweet ecstasy. We have been blessed with soaring through the highest skies. Woe to you! Are you seeking nests and tiny huts in narrow orchards? How low your ambitions, and how vile your desires!

A woman once went out to a garden with her children. She sat in a corner, busy with her tasks, leaving them to wander and play. They lost a small ball and came to her, crying. She asked: “Why are you wailing and lamenting?” They said: “We lost our ball.” She replied: “Are you mourning over a mere toy?
Do not grieve, for I am with you”. This is our condition as Muslims, both Arabs and non-Arabs. We cry over every little thing we lose, every opportunity that passes us by, forgetting that the Almighty, the source of all our comfort and joy is with us.

My brothers in the East and West! Wake up, for your standards have changed. You have associated yourselves with people of corrupt taste, twisted minds, skewed values, filthy natures, and decayed morals. Have you forgotten that a single ugly face can bring disgrace and humiliation to a thousand mirrors? Turn away from them and dedicate yourselves to your holy book, so your souls may be purified, your minds cleansed, your morals refined, and your darkness turned into light. Do you not see that when smoke enters the eye, it turns into soft tears? And when the rain from the sky mingles with dirt, it brings forth roses and flowers, palms and grapes, turning barren land into gardens and rivers?

O servants of Allah! Flee from the false allure of Western and Eastern civilisation. Escape from those whose only concerns are their stomachs and desires. Free yourselves from hearts devoid of sorrow and pain. Distance yourselves from deserts whose tents are not like the tents of the other companions. Turn away from the places that no longer provide the refuge once sought and found by the prophets, peace be upon them. Flee from the Hijaz that does not contain Zamzam, for it made life in the desert possible.