Early this morning, I received news of the martyrdom of the mujahid leader Abu Al-Abd Ismail Haniyeh; I was seized with panic, pain, and dizziness, and then I rushed to news platforms to verify the truth of the news and its implications. After spending considerable time following up, I returned to myself, asking: What is this panic that seized you? And what is this dizziness that afflicted you?

Did you think that talk of sacrifice and jihad was just propaganda and statements? Did you think that dying in the path of Allah is exclusively for those in trenches, ranks, and camps? Did you not know that whoever lives by something will die by it, and whoever dies by it will be resurrected by it, and that the blood shed in martyrdom will be his proof on the Day of Judgment? As narrated by Abu Huraira, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "By He in whose hand my self is! None of you is wounded in the way of Allah - and Allah knows best who is wounded in HisWay, but that when the Day of Rising comes, blood will gush forth from his wound. It will be the colour of blood, but its scent will be that of musk." (Reported by Bukhari).

Did you not know that the weapons they carried on their shoulders, and the appearance they had during their jihad, will be a mark distinguishing them on the Day of Judgment and reasons for their precedence to the Gardens of Delight? The sign of this is what Anas narrated that the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "When the servants stand for accountability, a group will come with their swords on their necks, dripping with blood, and they will crowd at the gate of Paradise. It will be said: Who are these? It will be said: The martyrs who were alive and provided for" (Reported by Al-Tabarani, Hassan). The sword is mentioned in the hadith because it was the predominant weapon at that time, and today's weapons are included in its meaning, so the martyrs of our time will come on the Day of Judgment carrying the weapons they used.

Then I returned to myself asking: Did you forget that whoever claims something, it is incumbent upon Allah to test him in it? Allah tested your companion in his children and grandchildren, and he showed patience that amazed the creatures. When he was truthful with Allah in patience, steadfastness, and certainty, Allah rewarded him with the ranks of the martyrs, the righteous, and the good.

Did you think that steadfastness necessarily ends with the survival of the preacher and the death of the people of falsehood and calumny? Have you not heard the words of Allah addressing His Prophet (peace be upon him): "So be patient, [O Muhammad]; indeed, the promise of Allah is truth. And whether We show you some of what We have promised them or We take you in death, it is to Us they will be returned." (Ghafir: 77), and His words: "And whether [or not] We take you away [in death], indeed, We will take retribution upon them. Or whether [or not] We show you that which We have promised them, indeed, We are Perfect in Ability." (Az-Zukhruf: 41-42).

Then I returned asking myself: What are you grieving over? And why all this distress and anxiety? My soul said: I grieve because the criminal enemy has struck at the valiant resistance, assassinating a prominent leader among its ranks. I replied to it: When has the nation ever triumphed by the birth of a leader or his death? The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) died, and the companions, especially Umar, were shaken until Abu Bakr declared, establishing a doctrinal and intellectual foundation: "Whoever worships Muhammad, Muhammad has died. And whoever worships Allah, Allah is alive and never dies." The companions then awoke and advanced to carry out the mission with guidance.

Abu Bakr died during highly sensitive times, and then Umar came to be a Furqan, through whom Allah raised the banner of religion. This is how the glorious history of the nation has been throughout the ages and times.

The death of a leader or more does not mean the defeat of truth and the victory of falsehood. Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the founding leader, was martyred, and before him, Sheikh Hassan Al-Banna, the founding leader, was martyred, as well as the leader Dr. Abdel Aziz Al-Rantissi, among many others. Their martyrdom was nothing but a youthful launch for strong leaders, a firm rooting of the idea, the spread of the method, the anger of falsehood, and the elevation of the banner.

The criminals did not triumph by targeting a gallant political leader, but they failed in the field and resorted to the methods and tactics of highwaymen. Allah will bring forth new leaders to replace the ones, and the cause will grow its branches and strengthen its roots as much as it is watered by the blood of martyrs.

My soul said to me: But he was an eloquent preacher, a proficient memorizer of the Quran, a gentle brother, and a dear companion. I said to it: Yes, we grieve for the loss of loved ones, but with our certainty that, by being chosen for martyrdom, they are alive, not just alive, but alive with their Lord, provided for and rejoicing. Allah has forbidden us from calling them dead, saying: "And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah, “They are dead.” Rather, they are alive, but you perceive [it] not." (Al-Baqara: 154).

They have shed the shirt of suffering, the garment of trials, and the body of tests, for their souls to transition to the highest gardens, roaming in their bliss, delighting in their Lord's pleasure. What did Abu Al-Abd lose by the assassination?

He gained what no human imagination could conceive. If it were decreed for me to speak with Abu Al-Abd now and ask him: What do you wish, Abu Al-Abd? Would you wish that you had not gone to this ceremony so that you would not be killed, or would you wish to be in another hotel, or that the enemy did not manage to reach you?

He would undoubtedly answer me: No, by Allah, I only wish to return to you to be killed again and again and again in the path of Allah. The sign of this is that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "No one who has entered Jannah will desire to return to this world even if he should be given all that the world contains, except a martyr. For he will yearn that he should return to the world and be killed ten times on account of the dignity that he will experience by virtue of his martyrdom." (Reported by Bukhari).

The blessed cause has not lost, nor has it been defeated. Rather, every heedless person has been awakened, strength has surged through the body of every mujahid, the proof has been established against every idle and lazy person, and the journey of jihad has deepened in every coming generation. It has become a duty upon every Muslim on the entire earth to avenge every wicked occupier, as the battle has expanded to encompass the entire earth, and the spilled blood has awakened the entire nation in all its colors.

Abu Al-Abd was martyred to teach the nation that whoever lives devoted to his cause, preserving its principles, Allah will reward him with martyrdom for the cause he lived for. The end-of-service reward for the people of jihad lies in being chosen for martyrdom in His path.

Abu Al-Abd was martyred far from Gaza of pride, so that despite the distances, he would be a martyr with the children who were assassinated by the hands of international crime, with the women whose homes and shelters were destroyed over their heads, with the men in the fields of defending the land and honor, and with the mujahideen in the tunnels, under bombardment, atop the spears, and at the forefront of the ranks. It is a system of sacrifice and jihad where companionship has become inseparable.

Abu Al-Abd achieved what he wanted, and we reckon he emerged from the furnace of trial to the honor of proximity, from the heat of battles to the expanses of blessed dominions, and from the world of hypocrisy and betrayal to the world of grace and generosity. Do not be preoccupied with his position and stance; rather, be preoccupied with your own position and mission. Be preoccupied with the state in which you will meet your Lord, your sincerity in carrying the banner, and your efforts to plant it deep in the heart of the Muslim Ummah, so you may be with Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and be gathered with the truthful ones whom Allah mentioned: "And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions." (An-Nisa: 69).

Be sincere with Allah in seeking martyrdom, and Allah will grant you martyrdom wherever you are, and declare it clearly and plainly:

I will die clinging to the rope of my faith
And I will die smiling so that my religion may live

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