Our brothers in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip have launched this intifada; some of them are from Islamic groups and some are from secular groups.

The questioner : They asked me a question today because yesterday I was with them, and there were lessons, meaning after the 'Asr and Maghrib prayers, among the brothers. A question came up that I paused on. He said: Now, our brothers in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip have launched this intifada, and some of them are Muslims from Islamic groups, and the others are secular groups. That is left alone; we have no connection with it. The Islamic groups that are active now, especially the masked ones who throw stones at the enemy for the sake of jihad—for example—and this is their capability; they have nothing more than this. If this Muslim young man is killed, will he be a martyr and do the rulings of martyrdom apply to him, or what is your opinion on that?

The Shaykh : Martyrdom is not established merely by dying in jihad, .

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : As came in "Sahih al-Bukhari," a man said: O Messenger of Allah, a man from among us fights out of tribalism; is he in the path of Allah? He said: . He said: A man from among us fights out of bravery; is he in the path of Allah? He said: . The third said, the fourth said, and he was saying—(peace and blessings be upon him)—: . They said: Then who is in the path of Allah? He said: . So if there is a declared Islamic jihad, not just a revolution or an intifada as is said now, and Allah knows best about its motive; for indeed deeds are by intentions; and therefore came this hadith with which Imam al-Bukhari opened his "Sahih": .
The commentators of the hadith mention, in explaining the cause of this hadith, a story whose truth Allah knows best. The hadith is authentic in al-Bukhari, there is no doubt in it, but as for the cause they mention, Allah knows best about its truth. They say that a man went out as a mujahid with the Messenger—(peace and blessings be upon him)—and in his intention—and upon you be peace—and in his intention was to obtain a woman he loved, who was known as Umm Qays. So he went out as a mujahid with the Messenger, hoping to obtain her in the spoils of war. No, in the spoils of war, ah. So it was said of this man: the migrant of Umm Qays. Then revelation descended upon the Messenger—(peace and blessings be upon him)—and he spoke with this hadith: meaning spoils like Umm Qays, to marry her or take her as a concubine ; therefore this is a principle: .
And there came in "Sahih al-Bukhari" a hadith that is very, very, very terrifying. In one of the battles, one of the Companions was seen fighting a severe fight, not caring about death, until the Companions of the Messenger were amazed, and they were all brave, there was no coward among them. They were amazed at the intensity of his fighting, and this amazement led them to mention it to the Messenger of Allah—(peace and blessings be upon him). So the answer of the Messenger was very terrifying, hardly believable except by the true believer. He said—(peace and blessings be upon him)—: ; this one whom you see fighting the fiercest fight with the Messenger of Allah, fighting his enemies: .

The questioner : Quzman is this?

The Shaykh : Yes, they say this is the narration, but it is not in "Sahih al-Bukhari."
A second time, a second battle, likewise they came to the Messenger, he said: , and so the three times. In the third time, it occurred to one of the Companions, as it is said in the colloquial language, "he puts his effort with his effort," he follows him and wherever he goes he goes with him to see the fate of this man who is testifying, the most truthful person on the face of the earth, saying: ... and how is this in the Fire while he is striving in the path of Allah? And then he saw him, because in the colloquial way he says—I do not know if this is known to you—in our place in Syria, the one who wants to play with the cat must find his claws, "what do you say? Ah, this is not wanting to play with cats, he wants to fight the brave of the disbelieving polytheists, so inevitably they must inflict wounds, so naturally the wounds intensified on him, so what did he do, and he was watching him, but he placed the hilt of his sword, the head of the sword, in his belly and leaned on it, and it came out of his back and he died. The man ran to the Messenger—(peace and blessings be upon him).

The questioner : He committed suicide.

The Shaykh : He said to him: O Messenger of Allah, so-and-so, about whom you said such and such, did such and such and killed himself!