2 virgins or 70? Depends how you’re martyred
Seventy virgins for martyred fighters,
taught to kids at Al-Aqsa Mosque summer camp
A martyred “Ribat fighter”
“marries seventy of the Dark-Eyed [Virgins]” in Paradise
but the Martyr who doesn’t die fighting only “gets two”
Man criticizes the teacher:
“Can they [children] understand things like Ribat,
Martyrdom and the Dark-Eyed [Virgins]?
Give these lessons to us [adults], not to children”
Children:
“With our lives and blood, we will redeem Al-Aqsa!”
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
“The Prophet talks about the [martyred] Ribat fighter... He marries 70 of the Dark-Eyed (i.e., virgins). The Martyr gets two, while the Ribat fighter gets 70 of the Dark-Eyed. The Ribat fighter gets 35 times more than the Martyr.”
[Al-Msjed Al-Aqsa YouTube channel, July 26, 2015]
Click to view
A man overhearing this children’s education protested and criticized the Sheikh for speaking about these subjects to young children. He did not, however, argue against the content, only suggested that talk of Martyrdom, Ribat fighters and Virgins in Paradise be directed at adults, not children:
A man overhearing this children’s education protested and criticized the Sheikh for speaking about these subjects to young children. He did not, however, argue against the content, only suggested that talk of Martyrdom, Ribat fighters and Virgins in Paradise be directed at adults, not children:
“Can they understand things like Ribat, Martyrdom and the Dark-Eyed [Virgins]? You should be ashamed, sir, a man with a white beard like you. Give these lessons to us [adults], not to children. Look at these children, you fill their heads with this?”
Last October and November, when Palestinian terrorists killed 11 Israelis with cars and knives in the Jerusalem area, Mahmoud Al-Habbash, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious Affairs, defined those murders as "Ribat" and assured Palestinians that Abbas and PA leaders support it:
"We kiss every forehead, every hand and even every foot that carries out Ribat at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and in Jerusalem... We are behind them. The leadership is with them... President [Abbas] greeted them, reinforced them and requested more Ribat from them."
[Official PA TV, Nov. 5, 2014]PMW has documented similar explanations of a Martyr’s rewards in Paradise. In 2013, Mahmoud Al-Habbash, then PA Minister of Religious Affairs, stated in a sermon on official PA TV that the Martyr “has merit with Allah that no one else has,” that “his sins are forgiven with the first gush of blood” and that he “advocates on behalf of 70 members of his family, saving them all from hell.”
Other examples are this Hamas preacher’s description of "a full life with Allah and 72 wives" and this PA cleric explaining that “all sins are forgiven from first gush of blood.”
The following are longer excerpts of the statements about Martyrs’ rewards:
Sheikh Khaled Al-Mughrabi speaks to children at an Al-Aqsa Mosque summer camp about Ribat fighters, Martyrs and the virgins awaiting them in Paradise:
Sheikh Khaled Al-Mughrabi teaches Islam to kids in Al-Aqsa Mosque summer camp: “Let's talk about the Hadith (i.e., Islamic tradition) of Prophet Muhammad about the Ribat (religious conflict/war over land claimed to be Islamic). It compares the stature of the Martyr to that of the [martyred] Ribat fighter. The Prophet says... Three privileges are bestowed upon the Martyr: "His sins are forgiven with the first gush of blood. He marries two of the Dark-Eyed (i.e., virgins) of Paradise. He advocates on behalf of 70 members of his family." In the same Hadith, the Prophet talks about the [martyred] Ribat fighter... He marries 70 of the Dark-Eyed (i.e., virgins). The Martyr gets two, while the Ribat fighter gets 70 of the Dark-Eyed. The Ribat fighter gets 35 times more than the Martyr... The Prophet says... The Ribat fighter who dies in Ribat can advocate on Judgement Day on behalf of anyone he wants for 50,000 years.”
Bystander: "Do they [the children] even understand what you are saying?"
Children in the summer camp: "Allah is Great! Allah is Great!"
Sheikh Khaled Al-Mughrabi: "Leave us alone. Leave us alone."
Bystander: "Can they understand things like Ribat, Martyrdom and the Dark-Eyed [Virgins]? You should be ashamed, sir, a man with a white beard like you. Give these lessons to us [adults], not to children. Look at these children, you fill their heads with this?"
Children: “With our lives and blood, we will redeem Al-Aqsa!”
[Al-Msjed Al-Aqsa YouTube channel, July 26, 2015]
Then PA Minister of Religious Affairs, Mahmoud Al-Habash in 2013:
“After prophecy and righteousness there is no status Allah has exalted more than Shahada (Martyrdom)... ‘‘And think not of those who have been killed in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they are alive (and) are provided sustenance from their Lord.’
Allah forbade us to consider them [the Shahids (Martyrs)] as dead or to speak of them as being dead... They went smiling to their deaths... The Shahid has merit with Allah, a merit that no one else has... No one - not even the righteous - yearns to return to this world after death. Only Shahids. Why? Because they see the great honor Allah has prepared for them. One of them aspired to return to this world in order to be killed again, in order to die as a Shahid yet again... Allah spoke with one of them (a Shahid), Jabir ibn Abdullah... After all he saw in Paradise, he wanted to return and be killed [again] in order to taste the pain of death a second time. Abdullah said to Him:
‘Lord, then tell those who follow us about what we have found.’
Allah Himself is conveying to us the message from the Shahids. The prophets convey Allah’s message and Allah conveys the message of the Shahids. What kindness!
‘The Shahid - his sins are forgiven with the first gush of his blood from his wound...
The Shahid advocates on behalf of 70 members of his family, and saves them all from hell. The Shahid lives together with the prophets and the righteous ones.’
When they threatened Yasser Arafat, [he said] ‘You threaten me with death?
I yearn to die! I come only to it; I seek only it.’
We will never reach the level of the prophets. We won’t. So let us reach the level of the Shahids. I say to you, brothers, as the Prophet [Muhammad] said: ‘He who honestly seeks Shahada, Allah will give him the status of the Shahids, even if he dies in his bed.’”
Allah forbade us to consider them [the Shahids (Martyrs)] as dead or to speak of them as being dead... They went smiling to their deaths... The Shahid has merit with Allah, a merit that no one else has... No one - not even the righteous - yearns to return to this world after death. Only Shahids. Why? Because they see the great honor Allah has prepared for them. One of them aspired to return to this world in order to be killed again, in order to die as a Shahid yet again... Allah spoke with one of them (a Shahid), Jabir ibn Abdullah... After all he saw in Paradise, he wanted to return and be killed [again] in order to taste the pain of death a second time. Abdullah said to Him:
‘Lord, then tell those who follow us about what we have found.’
Allah Himself is conveying to us the message from the Shahids. The prophets convey Allah’s message and Allah conveys the message of the Shahids. What kindness!
‘The Shahid - his sins are forgiven with the first gush of his blood from his wound...
The Shahid advocates on behalf of 70 members of his family, and saves them all from hell. The Shahid lives together with the prophets and the righteous ones.’
When they threatened Yasser Arafat, [he said] ‘You threaten me with death?
I yearn to die! I come only to it; I seek only it.’
We will never reach the level of the prophets. We won’t. So let us reach the level of the Shahids. I say to you, brothers, as the Prophet [Muhammad] said: ‘He who honestly seeks Shahada, Allah will give him the status of the Shahids, even if he dies in his bed.’”
[Official PA TV, Nov. 8, 2013]
"Just as Allah selected the best of His creations, to be prophets and messengers, so Allah has chosen from among us, and from the best of His creations, to be the Shahids (Martyrs). ... Oh Allah, grant us Shahada (Martyrdom) for Your sake, Oh Master of the world! Join us with the Shahids (Martyrs)! ...
The Shahid of this life and of the Afterlife is one who ascended to Allah [dying] on the battlefield. ... This is the highest level of Shahada (Martyrdom). The Prophet said: 'The Shahid has six privileges.' [Sunan A-Tirmidhi (1663) and Sunan Ibn Majagh (2799), all subsequent quotes are from this Hadith if nothing else indicated. - Ed.]
The first of these privileges:
'He is forgiven [his sins] with the first gush of his pure blood.' ... Therefore, the Shahid is not washed, but is left bloodied. Why? His blood will testify for him before Allah about his Shahada (Martyrdom) on Resurrection Day.
The second [privilege]: 'He sees his place in Paradise.'
If we only knew what Allah has prepared for the Shahids in Paradise, we would not sit idly in this world. ... Shahids do not die. Shahids live a full life with Allah. They live in the highest Heaven and in the world of angels, eating, drinking, walking and enjoying themselves. Therefore Allah has forbidden us to say that Shahids are dead. He has forbidden us and told us: 'Do not think that those who are killed in the name of Allah are dead. No, because they are alive, and their livelihood is with Allah.' [Quran, Sura 3:169]
'He is forgiven [his sins] with the first gush of his pure blood.' ... Therefore, the Shahid is not washed, but is left bloodied. Why? His blood will testify for him before Allah about his Shahada (Martyrdom) on Resurrection Day.
The second [privilege]: 'He sees his place in Paradise.'
If we only knew what Allah has prepared for the Shahids in Paradise, we would not sit idly in this world. ... Shahids do not die. Shahids live a full life with Allah. They live in the highest Heaven and in the world of angels, eating, drinking, walking and enjoying themselves. Therefore Allah has forbidden us to say that Shahids are dead. He has forbidden us and told us: 'Do not think that those who are killed in the name of Allah are dead. No, because they are alive, and their livelihood is with Allah.' [Quran, Sura 3:169]
...
The third kindness: 'The Shahid is shielded from the Great Shock [on Judgment Day].'
...
The next kindness: 'A crown of honor is placed upon his head, one stone of which is worth more than all there is in this world.'
The next kindness: 'He marries 72 of the Dark-Eyed wives.'
One description of the Dark-Eyed [maidens]: 'If one of the women of Paradise would look towards the earth, she would light up everything between heaven and earth.' [Sahih Bukhari, 6199]
The next kindness: 'He is a heavenly advocate for 70 family members.'"
The next kindness: 'He marries 72 of the Dark-Eyed wives.'
One description of the Dark-Eyed [maidens]: 'If one of the women of Paradise would look towards the earth, she would light up everything between heaven and earth.' [Sahih Bukhari, 6199]
The next kindness: 'He is a heavenly advocate for 70 family members.'"
[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), Jan. 1, 2010]
Dr. Ismail Radwan, Professor of Hadith, Islamic University: “When the Shahid (Martyr for Allah) meets the Lord, all his sins are forgiven from the first gush of blood, and he is exempted from the torments of the grave. He sees his place in Paradise. He is shielded from the Great Shock and marries 72 Dark-Eyed (Virgins). He is a heavenly advocate for 70 members of his family. On his head is placed a crown of honor, one stone of which is worth more than all there is in this world.”
[Official PA TV, Aug. 17, 2001]