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Jihad & Shahadat
Dr. Ali Sharitati
 A
 D
iscussion of 
S 
hahid 
The term "martyr," derived from the (Latin) root "mort, "implies"death and dying," "Martyr" is a noun meaning "the one who diesfor God and faith." Thus a martyr is, in any case, the one who dies.The only difference between his death and that of others is to be seenin the "cause." He dies for the cause of God, whereas the cause of thedeath of another may be cancer. Otherwise, the essence of the phenomenon in both cases, that is to say, death, is one and the same.As far as death is concerned it makes no difference whether the person is killed for God, for passion, or in an accident. In this sense,Christ and those killed for Christianity are "martyrs." In other words, they were "mortals," because, in Christendom's the term"martyr" refers to the person who has died [as such].But a shahid is always alive and present. He is not absent. Thus thetwo terms, "shahid "and "martyr." are antonyms of each other. As itwas said, the meaning of shahid (pl. shuhada), whether national or religious, in Eastern religions or otherwise, embodies theconnotation of sacredness. This is right. There is no doubt that inevery religion, school of thought, and national or religious attitude, ashahid is sacred. [This is true], even though the school of thought inquestion may not be religious, but materialistic. The attitude andfeeling toward the shahid embodies a metaphysical sacredness. In myopinion, the question from whence the sacredness of a shahid comesneeds hair-splitting scientific analysis. Even in religions and schoolsof thought in which there is no belief in sacredness and the sacred,there is however belief concerning the sanctity of a shahid. Thisstatus originates in the particular relation of a shahid to his school.In other words he develops a spring of value and sanctity. It is because,at any rate, the relationship of an individual with his belief is asacred relationship. The same relation develops between a shahid and hisfaith. In the same way, yet indirectly, the same relationship develops
 
 between an adherent to a belief and its shuhada. Thus the origin of the sanctity of a shahid is the feeling of sacredness that all peoplehave toward their school of thought, nationality, and religion.In existentialism, there are discussions which are very similar, insome parts, to our discussions concerning wilayat and its effects.Man has a primary "essential" character and a secondary "shapingcharacter." In respect to the former, every person is the same.Anyone who wears clothes exists! But in the true sense of the term,what makes one's character, that is to say, makes him distinct fromother beings, are the spiritual attributes and dimensions, feelings,instincts, and particular qualities—the things that, once a personconsiders them, he senses (himself) as a particular "I"." He realizeshimself, saying, "Sum" (I am).From whence do the particular characteristics of "I" come? "I," asa human being, after being born, developed characteristics,attributes, and positive and negative values. Gradually I developed aknowledge of myself. Where does this come from. Heidegger says,"The sum of man's knowledge about his life's environment makes hischaracter, that knowledge being the conscious relation of theexistence of 'I' with an external 'thing', 'person', or 'thought."' WhenI establish a mental and existential relationship with individuals,movements, phenomena, things, thoughts, etc., this relationshipfinds a reflection in me. This reflection becomes a part of my essenceand shapes my character. Thus man's character is the sum of all hisrelations with other characters. Consequently my virtue and vice isrelative to the virtues and vices of the sum of the individuals,characters, ideas ... which surround me and with which I have arelation.This relation can be with a historical entity (if, for example, I readhistory). We have not had a [direct] relationship with Imam Husayn.But when we intellectually meet him through a book or words, he becomes a part of our knowledge, and then a part of our personalcharacteristics. In this sense, everyone exists relative to hisknowledge and ideals.Likewise, when we give a part of our existence for a cause, that part becomes a part of that cause. For example, in our mind, justice has
 
sacredness. It is one of those values which has become a part of usthanks to our relationship and contact with it. If I donate a thousanddollars of my own money for the establishment of justice, thatthousand dollars absorbs the sacredness of justice. As long as it wasin my pocket, it was merely one thousand dollars. When I negate it inthe way of justice, it is affirmed in another form, because ittransforms into the essence of justice. Or for example, we have somemoney and we feed a group of poor people. If feeding the poor hasthe attribute of sacredness, the amount of money which has come outof our pocket for the feeding develops a particular value. In other words, it develops a non-monetary value and adopts a spiritualvalue. If we had spent the same amount of money for promulgationof spiritual food, [for example, for] the writing, translating, of  publishing of a book, the money finds a new value depending on howsacred the act in question is. In other words, the money negates itsexistence in a sense, but obtains a new existence and value. In fact,money is an external measure of energy and power. If it is spent on"partying," the energy develops a profane value or, as some maythink, a sacred value! Money is like kerosene or gasoline, which can be used to move a machine or to light a lamp. Once it is spent andonce it is burned, it turns into a spiritual energy, depending upon the purpose for which it has vanished. What is spent does not have anindependent value. The value belongs to me who has spent it. Thatamount of money was a part of me. Thus the sanctity of the cause for which the money is spent reflects on me. Its value comes back to me. Iearn it; because that amount of money was a portion of my existence.The hundred dollars that I have paid for the cause of justicetransforms itself into "the sanctity of justice." The sanctity of justiceis transformed into "the money," that is to say, something absolutelymaterialistic and economic. Likewise, if it is spent for feeding the poor, the value of such feeding transports its value to the moneyspent. But the same amount of money, once spent for filthy partying,does not adopt a value. It rather becomes less than its materialisticvalue. At this point, we reach a principle: "everything obtains asimilar value to that for which it has been spent." As it is negated, itis affirmed. In other words, as its existence is negated, its value isaffirmed. In self-annihilation, it reaches the permanence of the purpose, provided that the purpose is something permanent, such asan ideal, a value, freedom, justice, charity, thought, or knowledge.Money, once spent for the sake of knowledge, goes out of one's
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