Knowledge without Realisation

THE ART OFCLEAR THINKING Companions of the Prophet who were engaged in fighting the rebels. He was famous for his bravery. He told some of the Companions of the Prophet to make him sit on a shield and to lift up the shield with the help of spears and get him to the top of the wall of the garden. Once he got to the top of the wall, he leapt over and entered into the garden. The rebels who were inside attacked him, but he fought them. Managing to get to the door of the garden, he opened it. As soon as the door was opened, a group of the Prophet’s Companions entered. Fighting the rebels, they overpowered them. Now, this step of Al-Bara’s was an act of great risk. It contained a threat to his life. But the rebels could not succeed in killing him and he was able to come out alive. In fact, after this incident, he lived for another eight years and died a natural death, in the year 20 A.H. (Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, Vol. 2, p. 218; Al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya, Vol. 9, p. 469-70; Al-A‘lam by al-Zirikli, Vol. 2, p. 47) There is a big difference between the act of Al-Bara and modern-day Muslim suicide bombers. Putting himself in danger, Al-Bara took a step that had two possible outcomes—either he would come out alive, or he would be killed. In contrast to this, the step that suicide bombers take has only one possible outcome—their own death. They strap bombs to their bodies and detonate them. The outcome of this action is dependent on their own death. This is a clear issue of knowingly and deliberately