Omar Suleiman – 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.