MARTYRDOM: PHILOSOPHY OF SACRIFICE!
***:::TRUE TEACHINGS OF ISLAM::***
**::PROPHET MOHAMMED::***
**::ISLAM AND WOMEN::***
**::ISLAM AND EDUCATION::***
ISLAMIC EXPANSSIONISM
MARTYRDOM: PHILOSOPHY OF SACRIFICE!
About
A LECTURE GIVEN BY SAYYED HASSAN NASRALLAH IN JANUARY 2007
Martyrdom: Philosophy of life or philosophy of death: Detailed Explanation by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. January 2007
Source:
In the last few years, many around the world talked about the Philosophy of life and the Philosophy of death. Those people say that resistance movementsin Lebanon, Palestine and in Iraq have the Philosophy of death, as they believe in what they call Martyrdom. While all the rest, have their amazing philosophy,the philosophy of life. To educate the public, Nasrallah chose this to be his first topic for his first lecture in the Ashora mourning ceremony this year.
-Philosophy is your belief, faith, morals; and your view to all things around you is part of your philosophy. The way you think and the way you express what you think of is a part of your philosophy. The words you use, and your habits; those are all parts of your philosophy. Lately, it was suggested, which philosophy do you people want? The philosophy of life or the philosophy of death. It was said that the resistance movements in Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq want the philosophy of death…. Yes, said Nasrallah, There is a philosophy of life and a philosophy of death. There is a philosophy of happiness and philosophy of sadness. And in people’s lives, there are lots of ways and kinds of philosophies. There are people whose philosophy is the philosophy of pride and dignity. Dignity means something to them. While as to some other people, pride and dignity mean nothing to them. These two philosophies contradict with each other. There is the philosophy of the "jihad" struggle, and there is the philosophy of surrender. There is the philosophy of searching for victory and making victories, and there is the philosophy of the defeat and giving up to defeat and consenting to defeat. There is the philosophy of group-distress; that is for me or you to comeand share the distress of people around us. The distress of our people and our nation. Today, we are criticized for sharing the distress of the nationand caring for the nation; look to which thing they criticize us? There is the philosophy of group-distress and sharing people’s stress, and there is the philosophy of selfishness, and only individual burden. The leader thinks of his leadership; how he remains a leader, how he stays safe and if he is a leader, how he could pass his leadership to his son/daughter. As to people’s burdens and troubles, this means nothing to him. Also, there is the philosophy of isolation; one who hides in his/her house and does not care for what goes on around him/her. To be humble, and or to discriminate are philosophies;“We’re God’s chosen people", this is a philosophy; and there is the philosophy of prophets, “people are equal like the teeth of the comb”; “No difference between an Arab and a foreigner except in righteousness.” “All people belong to Adam, and Adam is from sand.” This is a philosophy. All of this bringsus to the philosophy of life and the philosophy of death.
PHILOSOPHY OF SACRIFICE
PHILOSOPHY OF SACRIFICE
All religions brought by prophets, starting with our father Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, to Jesus and to Mohammad, are calls for life, and not calls for death. They are calls for life, but which life? The Qoran describes the desired life as the good life. Therefore, prophets worked on assisting people establish a good life; and the desired life is good during life and good at the end. This means that Prophets did not work on establishing good life only for the end (after-life), but also in the normal present life to all humans. This means that prophets provided a real model and plan that views life in the correct way and to the continuing life. There is not, in God religions, Death or philosophy of death. In religions, death is just a move from life to another, place to another, status to another, from a presence to another and not nothingness. Prophets did not provide general program for the good life, but they provided people the program that works for every time and place. The detailed,clear program that can be understood by everybody, whether educated or not. When we enter this program, we will learn about sky religions, which Islam was the last one of them. This program is the only program that is capable of completing persons as individuals and as nations in order to have a goodlife. What does a good life mean? This means that a person will live a life that is content, pleased, safe, and happy as much as possible and feel that most or all his/her needs are being provided in a way or another. Nevertheless, it is not okay to view persons as independent parts and in an incompleteway, and this is what we suffer from in this world in these days. If we looked to humans just as a body, or physical needs only: Is it enough that a personis full, not thirsty, or get his physical desires to live a life, and feel satisfied and safe? Look to what goes on in this world? When we read in newspapers, we will find that one of the reasons for suicide is poverty. But there are lots more reasons for suicide, and many of those are personal and spiritual problems. It is not okay to view humans as just a body. Prophets came up with God’s instructions that understand humans. This means that one who created humans, gave him/her the right instructions. Imagine a person making you a computer and another making the catalog. He/she will not know how to write it well. He/she will make mistakes. God knows what he created. Therefore, God’s instructions viewhumans as a whole: to his/her body needs, because a human is a body; to his/her mind, because a human is mind; to his heart and spiritual needs, because a human is a spirit; and balanced between all the needs. Therefore, Prophets told people to work to get their needs. When you want to eat, eat a purefood that is not stolen, and get married, because marriage is a way to find happiness in the society etc.. There are lots of things people are allowed to do, and very few things, humans are not allowed to do. For the needs of the mind, Islam and God’s religions open the doors of education for the humans. A person is also a heart, spirit, and blood, has feelings and emotions, he/she will not accept to live with a human, for example, who feeds him, for example,but hits and insults him/her during the day and at night. This is because, there is another part in the person; spirit, heart, feelings, emotions, and these are being ignored and being attacked. Therefore, prophets looked to humans in a complete view as a whole. Prophets taught human how to find the good life that is allowed for his/her body, mind, heart, spirit and emotions. They also looked for the need of the group. Therefore, Religions spoke about love, brotherhood, cooperating etc.. between people. Between all people, because safety is the need of all humans;because technology in all ways is made by groups and necessary for everybody. Prophets came to teach humans how to build earth, and how to view persons. And thus, people’s lives were so important in the Qoran and in all sky-religions “Who killed a life without a right, is just like to have killed allpeople.” This is what the meaning of the verse basically, Nasrallah reflected; and “one who revived a life, just like to have revived all people.” Mission sof religions that reached the philosophy of life is what teaches Muslims and all believers in sky-religions that the most precious in humans is their blood,life, and spirit. Therefore, it is not okay to shed this blood or kill this spirit. As to the philosophy of ignorance, and I will not say the philosophy of death, it is the philosophy that allows killing spirits because of a temporary desire, anger, or personal anger. Imagine living in a society where people kill and steel each other! What a life do those people live? This is how I will reach the point of the occasion that we are talking about. Therefore, we will never find in any sky-religion any prayer that says “God kill me, or kill this other person.” No prophetor book from God told anybody to wish death. Instead, people are told to pray to live a long life; to pray for his/her friends, family, relatives etc..to pray for them to live long. Is this a philosophy of life or a philosophy of death? Also, in religions, signaled toward some stuff that are required from people, but spoke about its effects. For example, it is said that visiting family and relatives extends persons’ lives; charity extends age; sponsoring orphans also extends persons’ lives. Then, the philosophy of religions came to teach humans how to live more. When it was brought up lately in Lebanon;about life. Why, do we in Lebanon want to die? We all want to live, but how do we want to live? Here comes the argument. Do we want to live humiliated and threatened by Zionists? Live controlled by the main powers in this world? Do we want to live in Lebanon and not be allowed to have a strong army that can defend us facing "Israel"? Do we want to live a life where we are not allowed to build a good economy far from the conditions of the internationalbank? Are we allowed to live in Lebanon with a government that has no corruption and no thieves in it? Then, we do want to live. Not only in Lebanon;we all want to live. It is not enough that leaders live for people to live. It is not enough for some homes to be wealthy for others to be in life. This is not life. Here we disagree. We disagree about which type of life we are looking for. Therefore, the missions of the prophets that matches withthe beliefs of humans. Look to African woods where tribes have never heard of a prophet or a book from God, but yet, you will find that those people in this or that tribe do not take humiliation, being insulted or attacked, because this is how human-life is created. Then, we want to live, yes. We want to live with Dignity. We are the children of the school that rejects to live humiliated and its symbol had always been “Humiliation is rejected forus” (Al-Hussein).
PHILOSOPHY OF SACRIFICE
When we request a life of this kind; A life that responds to our various needs, physically, spiritually and emotionally; this means that we must enter a challenge. A challenge because there are ones who do not want us to get this life. “Every wealthy who had pleasure, had it in what a person who is poor did not get.” There is an evil capitalism that can be in a country like the US that throws tens of thousands of tons of grain in the ocean to maintain the price of grain on a level, while tens of millions of humans are dying from hunger. Evil capitalism can be impersonated in a person, group, or a company. There are some people whose only care and stress is how to accumulate their fortune, even if it was on the accounts of people’s hunger and people’s poverty. Here people face a challenge. There are those who do not want people to be free, who wants to enslave them and control them. There are powers, countries,groups or individuals feel their need to control people and dictate and to even act as Gods. Did the Pharaoh not tell people “I am your highest God?”Even in the emotional situations, there are those who do not want you to be free, and then, you become in front of a challenge. What would you do then?Do you give up? It is a sin to give up in any way. There is not surrender in the philosophy of the prophets. Surrender, defeat or accepting defeat. There is no losing hope in the philosophy of the prophets. Do you realize that in religions, it is extremely a huge mistake to lose hope? Even if I lose, I must get back up; rebuild my will, depart and think, but never surrender for defeat if it ever happens to me. When You face a challenge, you will be forced to resist. To resist militarily, politically, in the society, culturally or in the media; and when you enterthe resistance, you will be forced to sacrifice. To give, sacrifice, blood, tears, money and casualties are sacrifices. Sacrifices in general for the resistance to win, make life and protect life. In this direction comes the title of the Martyrdom. Martyrdom here is not a normal death. Martyrdom is to get killed in the battle of life. Those who are noble, come to defend their parents, people, nation, and the dignity of these holy things that they value. This really deserves the sacrifice. If we were facing a reality: there is one who occupies our land, robs us and attacks us every day; and if each one of us stayed in his/her home doing nothing to change it, what would the result be? Would it be life, or would it be death? When a nation offersits neck to a tyrant, lots of its people will be slaughtered like sheep on the steps of this powerful tyrant. While when it fights and resists, it willgive less number of victims, but they will be martyrs, and will change this reality. Martyrdom in this situation is a part of a battle. I always said that we want to live. We never want for the nation to be a martyr. The plan of the nationis a plan of life. Some individuals might wish for their life to end with Martyrdom. My or that one’s ambition might be to have our life end with Martyrdom. Nevertheless, when I talk about Martyrdom, I talk about a legal resistance that has a purpose. Therefore, not everybody who gets killed is a martyr, but only those who die for God, and God’s way is God’s creations, pride and the dignity and happiness of God’s creations. Martyrdom here makes the life of the nation. I can say that Martyrdom is the top of life, and main sole of life and it is all life. There is no death in Martyrdom. Martyrs make the life of the nation, and protect it, reserve for children a future that has a spot for them. Martyrs then, make life. Martyrdom in this situation, makes the life of the nation and makes the life of the individual who becomes a martyr, who transfers from a life to another. From the life of world, to the life of the afterlife. From life mixed with pain to another that is full of taste. From life full of danger, to another than is full of safety. Therefore,starting the moment my son, your son, my father or your father, my wife or your wife, falls a martyr; two lives will be made, life for the nation and another for him/her whose blood was shed. This is the philosophy that was brought by prophets. When Al-Hussein was to choose between life humiliated or be killed, he chose to be killed and be a martyr. When we go back to the July war in Lebanon, the reality of this resistance is the one that we have learned through tens of years. And in this place, we all learned it all. The philosophy that became a faith and will, that is strong in us. The power in the resistance is not in the weapons that it has,although arms are necessary. Not in the management that it has, although management is important. Not in the planning that it has, although planning is necessary, but the power of the resistance is found in its spirit. One of the most important morals of the July war is that Israel is an American tool. This joke that Israel controls America is a trick that was made to excuse the defeat against it in the past. This Israel, the military base in our Arabic and Islamic world, is an American military tool, Period. go to the beginning of next line. America and its tool, Israel, come to force us to live under its control. Now, we become in front of a challenge; do we fear weapons, threat etc..? The school of the last war comes here and with pride. Comes to show you this experience. This is not from the history. You can always see it and select what you want. People, we need to renew this philosophy that makes victory, just like you won. Yesterday, Halutz resigned. The situation in the last war is not an issue of a weapon that won against a weapon there, not about how many got killed here or there. What is most important in the July war is that the spirit here, defeated the spirit over there. When the spirit is defeated, what do weapons change? Israeli generals say: we can get new weapons and new technology, but where could we come up with trust, spirit and will? This is the strategic victory that we achieved. This is how Al-Hussein taught us that blood wins over the sword. It is not enough to have troops and tanks; ask about the will and spirit behind this weapon or that weapon. Then, we can know the result ahead and early.
