The Verse:


مِّنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوا۟ مَا عَـٰهَدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّن قَضَىٰ نَحْبَهُۥ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَنتَظِرُ ۖ وَمَا بَدَّلُوا۟ تَبْدِيلًا

Among the believers are men true to what they promised Allah. Among them is he who has fulfilled his vow [to the death], and among them is he who awaits [his chance]. And they did not alter [the terms of their commitment] by any alteration -


Here the Islam-Hater has conveniently removed the brackets from the translation so that the reader cannot distinguish between the ideas of the translator and the words of the Quran. Let us help out by providing a translation without any additional ideas:


The Quran is praising those early companions who remained steadfast in their faith and true to the covenant. This verse does not mention fighting or Jihad at all. That is one interpretation of this verse, as Ibn Kathir writes:

When Allah mentions how the hypocrites broke their promise to Him that they would not turn their backs, He describes the believers as firmly adhering to their covenant and their promise:

([they] have been true to their covenant with Allah; of them some have fulfilled their Nahbah;) Some of [the Quranic commentators] said: "Met their appointed time (i.e., death)." Al-Bukhari said, "Their covenant, and refers back to the beginning of the Ayah. (and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed in the least.) means, they have never changed or broken their covenant with Allah. [Tafsir Ibn Kathir]

And Abdullah Yusuf Ali writes in verse 33:23:

In the fight for Truth were (and are) many who sacrificed their all - resources, knowledge, influence, life itself - in the Cause, and never wavered. If they won the crown of martyrdom, they were blessed... Other heroes fought valiantly and lived, always ready to lay down their lives. Both classes were staunch: they never changed or wavered. (Yusuf Ali, The Holy Quran, Text, Translation and Commentary)

Their covenant is their promise to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to protect him and support Islam. Some of the Muslims had already fulfilled it by dying to protect their faith, while others were still fully prepared to do the same. The comprehensive nature of this verse is better understood when we consider the words of Sheikh Abdul Bary Ath-Thubaity, Imam of the Prophet's Mosque, who said about verse 33:23:

The men about whom we are talking are not those who have sunk deep into the abyss of worldly pleasures, those who do not aim for high moral standards and turn away from their Lord. They are not those of imposing physical stature whose minds are devoid of any sense; for such people are most certainly not real men. The real men whom we are talking about are those whom Allah describes when He says:



وَعِبَادُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ ٱلْجَـٰهِلُونَ قَالُوا۟ سَلَـٰمًا
The ˹true˺ servants of the Most Compassionate are those who walk on the earth humbly, and when the foolish address them ˹improperly˺, they only respond with peace.


25:64
وَٱلَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَـٰمًا
˹They are˺ those who spend ˹a good portion of˺ the night, prostrating themselves and standing before their Lord.


25:65
وَٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا ٱصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَامًا
˹They are˺ those who pray, “Our Lord! Keep the punishment of Hell away from us, for its punishment is indeed unrelenting.


25:66
إِنَّهَا سَآءَتْ مُسْتَقَرًّا وَمُقَامًا
It is certainly an evil place to settle and reside.”


25:67
وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَنفَقُوا۟ لَمْ يُسْرِفُوا۟ وَلَمْ يَقْتُرُوا۟ وَكَانَ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ قَوَامًا
˹They are˺ those who spend neither wastefully nor stingily, but moderately in between.



This is what fulfilling one's covenant truly means. It refers to fulfilling one's Islamic obligations with devotion and sincerity, and speaking gently even to those disbelievers who are rude and harsh. On the subject of martyrs, it would be wise to quote from the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him):



حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ سُمَىٍّ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ الشُّهَدَاءُ خَمْسَةٌ الْمَطْعُونُ، وَالْمَبْطُونُ، وَالْغَرِقُ وَصَاحِبُ الْهَدْمِ، وَالشَّهِيدُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Five are regarded as martyrs: They are those who die because of plague, Abdominal disease, drowning or a falling building etc., and the martyrs in Allah's Cause."

Sahih al-Bukhari 2829
Chapter 30:  Book 56: 





حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمَّارِ بْنِ يَاسِرٍ، عَنْ طَلْحَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ مَنْ قُتِلَ دُونَ مَالِهِ فَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ وَمَنْ قُتِلَ دُونَ دِينِهِ فَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ وَمَنْ قُتِلَ دُونَ دَمِهِ فَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ وَمَنْ قُتِلَ دُونَ أَهْلِهِ فَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ ‏.‏ وَهَكَذَا رَوَى غَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ سَعْدٍ نَحْوَ هَذَا ‏.‏ وَيَعْقُوبُ هُوَ ابْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ سَعْدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ الزُّهْرِيُّ ‏.‏

Narrated Zaid: that he heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: "Whoever is killed over his wealth then he is a martyr, and whoever is killed over his religion, then he is a martyr, and whoever is killed over his blood, then he is martyr, and whoever is killed over his family, then he is martyr."

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1421
Grade: Sahih (Darussalam)

Also in: Abu Dawud: 4772, An-Nasa'i: 4100 and Ibn Majah: 2580]




These Hadith deals a severe blow to the misconception that martyrdom in Islam refers to those who die in battle only. As we have seen, the greatest manifestation of Jihad is when one is willing to sacrifice their life for the sake of God, and this can take any of the forms listed in the above narration. Dying physically defending the rights of others is only one form.



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