In Arabic, shahid means “witness,” just as martyr means “witness” in Greek. A martyr is one who bears witness to the truth of his faith — in Christianity by dying for it, and in Islam by killing and dying for it, in accord with the Qur’an’s promise of Paradise to those who “kill and are killed” for Allah (9:111).
What this cleric is saying is not “extremist”; nor is he espousing the inventions of “Islamophobes,” as some have charged about the 72 virgins. What Nofal says here comes from a hadith of Tirmidhi: “The martyr has six unique traits: he is forgiven immediately; he sees his seat in Paradise and he is saved from the punishment of the grave; he is granted safety from the great terror [of the Day of Judgment]; a crown of honor is placed upon his head, a ruby of which is better than this life and all it contains; he is married to 72 maidens of Paradise; and he is allowed to intercede for 70 relatives.”
“On Hamas TV, Gaza Judge Omar Nofal Extolls the Six Virtues of Martyrdom, Says: Jihad in Palestine Is an Individual Duty Incumbent upon All Muslims,” MEMRI, July 22, 2018 (thanks to Ken):
Interviewed by Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV channel, Sheikh Omar Nofal, a judge in Gaza’s Shari’a appeals court extolled the six virtues of martyrdom, asking: “How can anyone cling to this world after hearing all of these great rewards?” Nofal said that Jihad is “an individual duty incumbent upon the entire nation.” The interview aired on July 22.
Following are excerpts:
Sheikh Omar Nofal: The martyr gets six rewards. First, he is absolved with the first drop of his blood. The moment the martyr’s blood is shed, all his sins are absolved by Allah.
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When he is martyred, he sees his seat in Paradise, and he is dressed in the clothes of faith. He is a unique and special person, different from the rest of the people, by the grace of Allah. In addition, he is married to 72 virgins of Paradise. This is means that he is granted, in Paradise, some of the things he wished for in life, but they are magnified to a degree that the human mind cannot comprehend. In addition, he is crowned with the crown of honor. The beads, or the links, in the crown of honor, are better than the whole world and all that is in it.
[…]
The martyr can vouch for 70 of his relatives. The martyr can intercede on behalf of his entire family. When he hears about…
Host: And he is married to 72……
The highest level of martyrdom is when a person purifies his intentions, sets out to fight for the sake of Allah and to sacrifice his life and his property, and is killed while facing the fight, not while in retreat. This is the highest level of martyrdom for the sake of Allah.
[..]
Regarding the situation in Palestine I say that Jihad is an individual duty incumbent upon the entire nation. Nobody is allowed to forsake this jihad….