Istishhad

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Istishhad (Arabic: اِسْتِشْهَادٌ, romanized: istišhād) is the Arabic word for "martyrdom", "death of a martyr", or (in some contexts) "heroic death".[1][2] Martyrs are given the honorific shaheed.[3] The word derives from the root shahida (Arabic: شهد), meaning "to witness". Traditionally martyrdom has an exalted place in Islam.[note 1] It is widely believed among Muslims that the sins of believers who "die in the way of God" will be forgiven by Allah.[4][5][6] Shia views on martyrdom have been profoundly influenced by internal Muslim conflicts, notably Husayn ibn Ali's martyrdom at Karbala in 680, shaping it as a central belief and practice.[3]

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the term istishhad has been redefined by Jihadists to emphasize the "heroism" of sacrifice, rather than portraying it as an act of victimization. This concept has evolved into a military and political strategy known among Jihadist groups as "martyrdom operations".[7] although Western media commonly refer to them as suicide attacks.[8] These acts contain "a central ideological pillar and organizational ideal" of waging "active jihad against the perceived enemies of Islam".[9]

Sunni Islamist figures such as Hassan Al-Banna viewed martyrdom as a duty incumbent upon every Muslim, urging them to ready themselves for it and to excel in the "art of death". Contemporary Shi'ite perspectives on martyrdom have commonly followed similar paths.[3] One controversial aspect of martyrdom in jihadist ideology is the promise of sensual and material rewards in the afterlife, including entry into Paradise, the absolution of sins and the companionship of houris with swelled breasts, blending physical desires with spiritual aspirations.[8]

The rise of many martyrs in conflicts spanning regions such as Palestine, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Chechnya, Iraq, and Iran has been accompanied by extensive literature glorifying their actions.[3] Jihadist terror groups, in particular Al-Qaeda, have "employed innovative modes of action and raised suicide terrorism’s level of destruction and fatalities to previously unknown heights".[10]

  1. ^ J Milton Cowan, ed. (1994). Hans Wehr Arabic-English dictionary: The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (4th ed.). Urbana, IL: Spoken Language Services, Inc. p. 572.
  2. ^ Wehr, Hans; Cowan, J.Milton. Searchable Hans Wehr (PDF). Gift of Knowledge. p. 414. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Martin, Richard C. (2003). "Martyrdom". Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World. New York: Macmillan reference USA. pp. 433–434. ISBN 978-0-02-865603-8.
  4. ^ a b Sa'id Akhtar Rizvi. "Lecture 4: Concept of Martyrdom in Islam | Four California Lectures". Al-Islam.org. A lecture delivered at Husain Day, held at New York, on Sunday, October 25, 1987. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  5. ^ Lange, Christian (2016). Paradise and Hell in Islamic Traditions. Cambridge United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-50637-3. p.40
  6. ^ Bale, Jeffrey M. (October 2013). "Denying the Link between Islamist Ideology and Jihadist Terrorism". Perspectives on Terrorism. 7 (5): 8. JSTOR 26297006. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  7. ^ Neil L. Whitehead and Nasser Abufarha, "Suicide, violence, and cultural conceptions of martyrdom in Palestine", Social Research, Summer 2008
  8. ^ a b Romero, Juan (2022). "Rules of jihad". Terrorism: the Power and Weakness of Fear. Routledge Studies in Modern History. Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 145–146. ISBN 978-1-032-19806-4.
  9. ^ Schweitzer, Yoram; Ferber, Sari Goldstein (2005). "Suicide 2. Terrorism as Ideology and Symbol". Al-Qaeda and the Internationalization of Suicide Terrorism. Institute for National Security Studies. p. 25. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  10. ^ Schweitzer, Yoram; Goldstein Ferber, Sari (November 2005). "Executive Summary". Al-Qaeda and the Internationalization of Suicide Terrorism (PDF). Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies. p. 7. Retrieved 2 July 2023.


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