Out Of Context – Part 12

Hi, my name is Mike Bachmann and I'm not a Methodist pastor, and I'm excited that we're able to share a little question and answer time with Imam Omar Suleiman. He's here to answer questions from some folks who have been part of our audiences, we've been having an extended conversation together. So I'll introduce them each and looking forward to hearing their questions. And their response to that Imam Omar has. So now we're sitting with Amy Mayo, and she is a student over at the University of North Texas, which is in nearby Denton, and she's studying anthropology and Arabic. So I'm really excited to hear what what question that you might have for us, Amy. Thank you. Thanks, and Hello.

Um, so I know that in the main interview, you touched on the fact that suicide bombing is normally taken on as a political enterprise. Sure, but with all of the common misconceptions, I do want to ask you about the concept of martyrdom in Islam. Okay.

So the concept of martyrdom in Islam, so there is

basically number one, martyrdom isn't just achieved through fighting. That's one thing so there are various categories of martyrdom in Islam defending your property, if you died defending your property, you'd be considered a martyr in Islam. If a woman died while giving birth, she would be considered a martyr in Islam.

If a person drowned in Islam, they're considered a martyr if a person died of a stomach disease or some sort of their concern, so there are various categories of martyrdom, right? But when it comes to fighting for the sake of God, okay, this concept in dying and adjust war, yes, it is a praiseworthy station it's something that's that's definitely looked upon very highly. And again, I mentioned that that in times of war here in this country, you know, before media before before the media we have today it was the posters, right and World War One and World War Two, the Uncle Sam posters and things of that sort to bring about that patriotism and people. So certainly, when you're

in the context of a just war, where you're fighting for your life, you're defending a group of oppressed people or you're, you know, you're doing something of that sort.

There is a there are verses of, of great promises and virtues and things of that sort, but never should martyred never is martyrdom equated with terrorism and Islam, or killing someone that's innocent or hurting someone that's innocent. In fact, in Islam, there, there isn't this concept of well, you know, if you've got a group of people that deserve to be killed, if you're fighting your enemy, and you take out 100 civilians as well, that it's fine, so even the death of a woman in the battlefield,

and one of the battles of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, there was a woman that passed away from the other side. And he stopped the entire army, he he, he tried to find out who killed that woman that wasn't allowed. So if a person was to have been in that situation, or is in a situation where they've defended something that's noble and they've died in something that's noble, there are lofty promises that is the highest station of Paradise and so on so forth. But never does that mean search it out or seek it out. And that's why I mentioned the Hadith, the saying of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him which is, don't ever wish to meet your enemy in a battlefield

don't wish for war. The first verse of the Quran is that fighting has been prescribed for you, but you hate it, even though you hate it. So we're not meant to be a people that crave violence or that crave war. But once a just war does take place, then certainly those noble men and women would be praised for for their service and sacrifice.

Thank you. Thank you.