After performing the Fajr prayer in congregation at the Islamic Center Mosque on Monday, 1st of Safar, 1925 AH / 22nd of March, 2004 AD, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), sat with the youth of the mosque in a Quranic circle. He then left the mosque heading towards his home. In the middle of the way, Zionist aircrafts, under the supervision of Sharon himself, assassinated Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

 This cowardly assassination, which resulted in his martyrdom along with five worshippers and two of his companions, reflects the malicious nature of the Jews who are accustomed to shedding blood and killing the innocent. They are the killers of prophets and righteous people. Indeed, they killed Yahya (John) and Zakariya (Zechariah). As mentioned in the Quran: "They will be stricken with disgrace wherever they go, unless they are protected by a covenant with Allah or a treaty with the people. They have invited the displeasure of Allah and have been branded with misery for rejecting Allah’s revelations and murdering ˹His˺ prophets unjustly. This is ˹a fair reward˺ for their disobedience and violations." (Surah Al-Imran, 3:112). Ibn Kathir's interpretation of this verse, as narrated by Abdullah bin Mas'ud, states: "The Children of Israel used to kill three hundred prophets in a single day, then they would establish a market at the end of the day to trade their remains."Top of Form

Your limbs, O our Sheikh, have scattered across the sky of Palestine, and your chair upon which you sat has shattered, and the scarf you wore on your noble chest has burned. It is the crime of the era, the crime of the twenty-first century.

The day of your martyrdom, O our Sheikh, is a new birth for the resistance and the cause. The day of your martyrdom heralds a renewal that will permeate the spirit of the nation once again. It is a day of victory, of dignity, of honour and pride. Gaza and the West Bank bid you farewell with hundreds of thousands of men, women, youth, and elders pledging to continue on the path of jihad, willing to die in the way of Allah. Angry crowds emerged across Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, and other Arab and European countries, all condemning the heinous crime, all saying: "We are with you, O symbol of resistance, we will follow in your path, by the will of Allah."

You have departed from us, O our Sheikh, after planting hope in our hearts that victory is indeed near, and that resistance will continue until the occupation is defeated.

You have departed from us, yet your students and admirers in every home and street, in schools, universities, and mosques, are carrying the banner after you. Sleep peacefully, with a calm heart, for you, who said: "My goal is the pleasure of Allah, the Almighty," now meet Allah while He is pleased with you, God willing. "Never say that those martyred in the cause of Allah are dead—in fact, they are alive! But you do not perceive it." (Al-Baqarah: 154).

The martyr Sayyid Qutb commented on this verse, saying: "There are those who will become martyrs in the ranks of the precious, honourable martyrs. Those who are killed in the way of Allah, their effectiveness in supporting the truth for which they were killed is impactful. The idea for which they quenched their thirst with their blood continues to spread and influence others behind them through their martyrdom."

Truly, O our steadfast Sheikh, you were like the lion of the battlefield. With just your firm, resounding voice, fear and terror would strike their hearts, even as you sat calmly in your chair. I remember you, our leader, when you declared before your martyrdom, saying: "Sharon will leave Gaza defeated because of the strikes of the mujahideen, and his withdrawal from Gaza is the fruit of jihad and resistance."

With these words, Sharon and his government wept and panicked, resorting to sending tanks and missiles to invade Palestinian cities and villages daily, causing loss of lives and equipment. In response, the joint operation between the Al-Qassam Brigades and the Martyrs of Al-Aqsa Brigades in the port of Ashdod struck like lightning, leaving the Zionist entity in unprecedented confusion, unlike anything in its history. They feared you, O Sheikh, the jewel of Islam firmly embedded in your heart. They feared you and your sincere jihadist disciples, perhaps fearing God as well, as Allah Almighty said: "Indeed, there is more fear in their hearts for you ˹believers˺ than for Allah. That is because they are a people who do not comprehend." (Surah Al-Hashr: 13)

Sharon foolishly thought that by assassinating you, he would eliminate Hamas, dismantle the resistance, and weaken its resolve. Little did he know that he was digging his own grave with his own hands. He will realize, even if belatedly, that your assassination marked the beginning of the end for the Zionist (monster) entity.

You taught us, O our Sheikh, the meaning of standing firm on principles even in the darkest and most difficult times. The Egyptian delegation came to you carrying a message from the Jews and Americans, saying: If Hamas accepts a ceasefire, Israel will stop assassinating Hamas leaders. You immediately rejected this, saying: "This is unacceptable, unacceptable. we do not fight to protect ourselves. If we wanted that, we would sit in our homes with our wives and children and abandon jihad. We fight for the justice of our cause, and we do not fear death. The leaders of Hamas are no better than the children being slaughtered before the eyes and ears of the whole world."

You taught us, O our Sheikh, how to make decisions through consultation (Shura). Despite your majesty and status among the members of the Islamic movement, you insisted on being one of them, subjecting yourself to the internal system of the Muslim Brotherhood and the institutions of the movement in everything. You never made a decision except through consultation (Shura). When Minister Omar Suleiman, the head of Egyptian intelligence, called you during the escalation of tensions and the increasing intensity of the uprising against the Jews, he said to you: "O my master Sheikh, we hope you will intervene to solve the problem by declaring a ceasefire." You replied: "I cannot make a decision alone, but I will present the matter to the institutions of the movement, which are the decision-makers!"

O our Sheikh, you lived preaching generations, when your home was a refuge for the youth and you were in the Northern Beach Camp, in a small tiled room not exceeding 3 × 3 meters. This room was a cell for disputes around the clock. No one entered it without leaving satisfied and convinced. Indeed, we remember you, O our Sheikh, as you raised generations in the Mosque of the Northern Camp. We remember you as a preacher in the Mosque of Al-Abbas, inciting people to jihad and instilling in them the spirit of hope for victory over our enemies.

O our Sheikh, you are the Mujahid, the preacher, the distinguished politician, the educator, the leader, the father, the brother, and the husband. You were a father to the poor and needy, giving everyone who came to you what Allah had given you.

Peace be upon you, O Abu Muhammad, among the first and the last, until we meet you in the highest paradise, God willing.

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The Source:

 Al-Risalah Magazine, issue (285)

Read the Article in Arabic.