This world is full of great
tales of the Martyrs. Every society, country, religion and civilization has
their own respected martyrs who wrote a history through their blood. Sacrificing
oneself for any cause is known to be as a true martyr. As an ordinary student of
history I passed through many significant examples of different civilizations
that changed the history once forever. They are known to be as true heroes. Same
in our religion, Islam has many great martyrs but Hussain Ibne Ali will be known
as the greatest martyr in the world history. He was slaughtered along with His
entire family was one of the unique event and it will be remembered until the
end of time.
Who is martyr? In Islam we use the word “Shaheed” not martyr. “Shaheed” is one
who sacrifice own lives for Allah's cause only. A shaheed is considered one
whose place in Paradise is promised according to these verses in the Qur'an:
“And do not (ever) think that those who are slain in the way of Allah are dead.
Rather, they are alive in the presence of their Lord. They are served with
sustenance (comprising bounties of Paradise). ”
—Qur'an, Sura 3 (Al-i-Imran), Ayat 169 – 170
According to the Dictionary of Merriam-Webster Which Says: -
A person who is killed or who suffers greatly for a religion, cause, etc.
According to the Dictionary of Oxford:-
A person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs.
Here I would like to quote few greatest martyrs of the history in different
faiths and in different civilization and at the final stage the greatest martyr
of history Hussain Ibne Ali.
The Concept of Martyr in Christianity and Notable Martyrs:-
The dictionary defines a martyr as “a person who is killed because of his
religious or other beliefs.” Interestingly enough, the English word martyr is
really a word transliterated from the original Greek martur, which simply means
“witness.” The reason why this word became synonymous with dying for one’s
religious beliefs is that the early Christian witnesses were often persecuted
and/or killed for their witness.
Stephen:-
Acts chapters 6 and 7 give us the account of Stephen’s martyrdom. Stephen is
considered one of the first Christian martyrs after Christ himself.
Stephen was speaking the truth of Jesus Christ. However, his words offended the
listeners. They put together a council that brought false-witness to the things
Stephen was saying (Acts 6:11-13). Stephen proclaimed that God’s own people were
at fault for suppressing the prophets’ call to righteousness. After that he was
crucified.
Some notebale martyrs are Andrew, Simon Peter, Polycarp, Wycliffe,John
Huss,William Tyndale,Dietrich Bonhoeffer,Jim Elliot and Four Missionary
Friends,Nag Hammadi Massacre,Saint Anastasia ,Saint Apostolos of St. Laurence
,Saint Artemius, Saint Barbara ,Prince Bidzin, Prince Elizbar, and Prince Shalva
of Georgia ,Saint Catherine of Alexandria , Saint Christina , Saint Demetrius,
Saint Euphemia , Saint George , Saint George the New at Sophia (1515) , Saint
Haralambos , Saint Irene , John the New of Suceava , Ketevan, Queen of Georgia ,
Kostanti-Kakhay, of Georgia , Saint Lazar of Serbia , Saint Marina , Saint Menas
, Saint Mercurius, Saint Michael-Gobron of Georgia , Saint Panteleimon, Saint
Paraskeva, Saint Phanourios, Saint Procopius, Saint Sabbas the Goth, Theodore
Gavra of Atran in Chaldea, Saint Theodore Stratelates, Saint Theodore Tyro,
Saint Tryphon and Xenia of Peloponnesus.
Martyrdom in Judaism:-
Ten Martyrs of Judaism:- In the story, the Roman emperor Hadrian decides to
martyr 10 rabbis as 'punishment' for the 10 brothers listed in the Torah who
sold their brother Joseph to Ancient Egypt (Genesis 37). He justifies this by
saying that the penalty for this was death (according to Jewish law, one who
kidnaps his fellow Jew and sells him into slavery is punished with death. This,
however, does not allow for descendants to be punished in place of their
ancestors), and though this crime took place almost two thousand years earlier,
there are 'none like you' 10 who are capable of rectifying this crime.
Martyrdom in Judaism is one of the main examples of Kiddush Hashem, meaning
"sanctification of the name [of God]" through public dedication to Jewish
practice.
A historical Ephraim ben Yaakov (1132 - AD. 1200) describes Crusaders' massacres
of Jews, including the massacre at Blois, where approximately forty Jews were
killed following an accusation of ritual murder:
"As they were led forth, they were told, 'You can save your lives if you will
leave your religion and accept ours.' The Jews refused. They were beaten and
tortured to make them accept the Christian religion, but still they refused.
Rather, they encouraged each other to remain steadfast and die for the
sanctification of God's Name."
Martyrdom in Hinduism:-
Despite the promotion of ahimsa (non-violence) within Sanatana Dharma, there is
also the concept of righteous duty (dharma), where violence is used as a last
resort to resolution after all other means have failed. Examples of this are
found in the Mahabharata. Upon completion of their exile, the Pandavas were
refused the return of their portion of the kingdom by their cousin Duruyodhana;
and following which all means of peace talks by Krishna, Vidura and Sanjaya
failed. During the Great War which commenced, even Arjuna was brought down with
doubts, e.g., attachment, sorrow, fear. This is where Krishna instructs Arjuna
how to carry out his duty as a righteous warrior and fight.
Martyrdom in Sikhism:-
Martyrdom (called shahadat in Punjabi) is a fundamental concept in Sikhism and
represents an important institution of the faith. The Sikh Gurus and the Sikhs
that followed them are some of the greatest examples of martyrs who fought
against Mughal tyranny and oppression, upholding the fundamentals of Sikhism,
where their lives were taken during non-violent protesting or in battles.
Sikhism believes in Ibaadat se Shahadat (from love to martyrdom). Some famous
Sikh martyrs include:
· Guru Arjan, the fifth leader of Sikhism.
· Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth guru of Sikhism, martyred on 11 November 1675. He
is also known as Hind Di Chadar (i.e. "the shield of India"), suggesting that to
save Hinduism, the guru gave his life.
· Bhai Dayala is one of the Sikhs who was martyred at Chandni Chowk at Delhi in
November 1675 due to his refusal to accept Islam.
· Bhai Mati Das is one of the greatest martyrs in Sikh history, martyred at
Chandni Chowk at Delhi in November 1675 to save Hindu Brahmins.
· Bhai Sati Das is one of the greatest martyrs in Sikh history, martyred along
with Guru Teg Bahadur at Chandni Chowk at Delhi in November 1675 to save
kashmiri pandits.
· Sahibzada Ajit Singh, Sahibzada Jujhar Singh, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and
Sahibzada Fateh Singh - The four sons of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh guru.
Martyrdom in Chinese Culture:-
Martyrdom was extensively promoted by the Tongmenghui and the Kuomintang party
in modern China, revolutionaries who died fighting against the Qing dynasty in
the Xinhai Revolution and throughout the Republic of China period, furthering
the cause of the revolution, were recognized as martyrs.
The cult of the revolutionary martyr was also strongly developed in Vietnam and
North Korea.
Some noted Martyrs:-
· c. 34 CE – Saint Stephen, considered to be the first Christian martyr
· c. 2nd century CE – Ten Martyrs of Judaism
· c. 680 – Hussain ibn Ali, grandson of Hazrat Mohammad(Peace Be Upon Him)
· 1431 – Joan of Arc
· 1606 – Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth leader of Sikhism
· 1941 – Maximilian Kolbe, OFM, a Roman Catholic priest, who was martyred in the
Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz, August 1941
· Bhagat Singh - He was only 24 years old when he was executed, and his name was
added in the long list of young Indian martyrs who died for the Independence of
their country
· 1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr., assassinated in 1968 due to his leadership in
the Civil Rights Movement.
There are many great other martyrs of the history I can’t quote all of them but
yeah they also contributed as well.
Story of Imam Hussein – The Greatest Martyr Of History:-
Imam Hussain was the son of Hazrat Ali (Fourth Caliph of Islam) and Hazrat
Fatimah Zahra (daughter of theHoly prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and the
younger brother of Hazrat Hassan ibn Ali. Imam Hussain is an important figure in
Islam, as he is a member of the Ahl al-Bayt (the household of Muhammad) and Ahl
al-Kisa. He refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid I, the Umayyad caliph because
he considered the rule of the Umayyads unjust. As a consequence, he left Medina,
his home town, and traveled to Mecca. There, the people of Kufa sent letters to
him, asking his help and pledging their allegiance to him. So he traveled toward
Kufa. At Karbala his caravan was intercepted by Yazid's army. He was killed and
beheaded in the Battle of Karbala in 680 (61 AH) by Shimr Ibn Thil-Jawshan,
along with most of his family and companions. The annual memorial for him, his
family, his children and his As'haab (companions) is called Ashura (tenth day of
Muharram) and is a day of mourning.
He challenges the unjust, cruel empire of that time; Imam Hussain is known to be
the symbol of peace, Islam and Greatest martyr of not merely Islam but in the
Earth as per today. He saved the institutions and Islam as a religion till the
Day of Judgment.
I conclude my article on the famous a couplet by Moulana Mohammad Ali Johar:-
Qatal e Hussain Asal Mein Marg -e- Yazeed Hai,
Islam Zinda Hota Hai har Karbala Kay Bad
Translation:- Killing Hussein meant death of Yazeed
Islam is alive as far as Karbala is alive
Sources:-
Wikipedia, Article 10 Famous Christian martyrs, Islamic History, Irfan Ul Quran,
Oxford Dictionary, Dictionary of Merriam-Webster