The Madinan Period, Part 11: The Battle of Uḥud, Part Three
Section 3 of 14 · The Life of the Prophet Muhammad: The Madinan Period
The Martyrs Are Alive
These are some of the accounts of the martyrs of Uḥud, together with some of the verses and hadiths concerning the martyrs that were mentioned during the Battle of Uḥud — and though these verses and hadiths were said in the context of Uḥud, they apply to any martyr at any time. Ibn ʿAbbās said, "The Prophet (peace be upon him) told me: 'When your brothers were struck down at Uḥud, Allah placed their spirits in the crops of green birds that go down to the rivers of Paradise and feed off the fruits there, then retire to golden candelabra hung in the shade of the Throne. Enjoying their food, drink and lodging so well, they asked: Who can tell our brothers about us, that we are alive in Paradise and being well provided for, so that they will not shirk jihād and be reluctant in warfare? So Allah, the Almighty and Glorious, replied: I will inform them about you.'"** And so Allah sent down, in His Book, verses 169 to 171 of Sūrat Āl ʿImrān:
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ أَمْوَٰتًۢا ۚ بَلْ أَحْيَآءٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ فَرِحِينَ بِمَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ وَيَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يَلْحَقُوا۟ بِهِم مِّنْ خَلْفِهِمْ أَلَّا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ ۞ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِنِعْمَةٍ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَفَضْلٍ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
“Never take those killed in the way of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, well-provided, happy with what Allah has given them of His grace; and they feel pleased with the good news, about those left behind them who could not join them, that there shall be no fear for them nor shall they grieve. They feel pleased with blessing from Allah, and grace, and with the fact that Allah would not let the reward of the believers be lost.” (3:169–171)
So, number one, the martyr is alive. Number two, the martyrs want their brothers to carry on. The bond of brotherhood that develops among the mujāhidīn fī sabīli Allāh is a special one, and even after they die they are still thinking about their comrades, their brothers in arms — and the martyrs of Uḥud were so eager to convey a message to their brothers who were still alive that Allah, the Almighty and Glorious, sent down verses of the Qur'an to convey that news for them, verses that are still read today.
Ibn Masʿūd said, "We asked the Messenger of Allah about this verse, and he replied, 'Their souls are in the crops of green birds that fly wherever they want.'" So every one of them has a private jet to take them wherever they want in Jannah: they are the pilots, and they can fly them wherever they want. Their souls are in the crops of green birds that fly wherever they want. "'Then they retire to candelabra hanging near the Throne. Once, when they were there, your Lord looked over at them and said, Ask whatever you want. They replied, What could we have to ask for, flying about anywhere in Paradise as we do? So Allah repeated His question to them three times, and when they realised that they would be asked again and again, they replied, We ask of You that You return our souls to our bodies on earth, so that we may be killed in Your cause once more. And when Allah saw that this was the only request they would make, they were left alone.'" After insisting three times, the only thing they could come up with was: we want to go back and fight for Your sake.