“And know that Paradise is beneath the shade of swords.” We ask Allah for His grace!

Paradise, then, lies beneath the shade of the swords carried by those who fight in Allah’s cause, for when the combatant in the path of Allah is killed he becomes one of the people of Paradise. The Prophet ﷺ alluded to this, just as the Almighty says: “Do not suppose that those who are killed in the way of Allah are dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, provided for, rejoicing in what Allah has granted them of His bounty, and heralding glad tidings to those who have not yet joined them—that no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve. They rejoice in favor from Allah and bounty, and Allah does not allow the reward of the believers to be lost” (Aal ʿImran 169–171).

When a martyr is slain in Allah’s cause, he feels nothing of the stab or the strike—as though it were nothing at all. All he senses is his soul departing this world for everlasting bliss. We ask You, O Allah, for Your bounty.

For this reason the Messenger ﷺ said, “And know that Paradise is beneath the shade of swords.”

Among the Companions was Anas ibn an-Nadr, who exclaimed, “I can smell the fragrance of Paradise just beyond Uhud!” See how Allah opened his sense of smell so that he actually perceived the scent of Paradise near Uhud. He then fought until he was killed, bearing more than eighty wounds—struck by sword, spear, arrow, and the like—so he died a martyr. Hence the Prophet ﷺ declared: “And know that Paradise is beneath the shade of swords.”