Abrahamic sacrifice of Habib Aka

by: Muhammad Jalal

Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Quran Surah At-Tawbah Verse 111: ” Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah, so they kill and are killed. [It is] a true promise [binding] upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur’ān. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment.”

Jihad and martyrdom are an indelible part of our Islamic history and culture, and Muslims are well aware of their value, necessity and background. The history of Afghanistan is also replete with tales of heroism and bravery displayed by Afghans for the sake of Islam, bringing much pride and glory to the people of our motherland. Today, history bears witness to the sacrifice of another father named Habib Aka who following the example set by Abraham (AS), sacrificed six sons for the sake of Allah in a demonstration of his unwavering faith in pursuit of defending the light of Islam from the ubiquitous darkness of the Soviet and subsequent American invasions.

From a worldly perspective, young men in Afghan society serve as the backbone of families, the loss of any of whom is deemed a heavy burden. Afghanistan is a country affected by 40 years of war and the ever-insidious effects of foreign invasions, and as such is very difficult to properly raise a child. Here the story of Habib Aka transcends human imagination, and the patience and steadfastness shown by him in the face of tyranny and occupation remains a lesson for the entire world.

Habib Aka is a frail old man, a common Afghan who takes pride in the sacrifices which he has made for the sake of Islam, and his story will be forever be etched in the history of Afghanistan with a golden pen. Habib Aka himself said that he is unlike those fathers who prevent their sons from performing the worship of Jihad and fighting the enemies of Islam, rather he proudly encouraged all of his sons to participate in the noble cause of Islam and liberation of Afghanistan. Words are not enough to explain nor able to do justice to the valor and bravery of Habib Aka and his family who sacrificed his sons at a time when he was an old man and in need of them to look after himself and his family. He sacrificed his sons when he could have sent them to work and earn money to live a comfortable life, but he chose the life to come and instead happily allowed them to pursue the path of Jihad and martyrdom. His sons drank from the cup of martyrdom one after the other, but still the losses never weakened his resolve as he sent off more to follow their martyred brothers.

The reason behind the withdrawal of foreign occupiers is precisely because of the sacrifices presented by the likes of Habib Aka, which put the final nail into the coffin of another empire and its allies in Afghanistan. These epics and sacrifices in the face of the most lopsided battle in human history shall not go in vain, rather they will be recorded in their entirety as part of our history and literature and shall continue to inspire the Ummah for generations to come.