Resistance Is The Only Way

The Concept and Components of Resistance Discourse

In the lexicon, ‘resistance’ means to stand firm, oppose, persist, endure, and maintain. The technical concept also does not deviate from its lexical meaning and has been used in this sense across various fields. We can identify two fundamental characteristics of resistance:

A. There must necessarily be an action for resistance to manifest. From this characteristic, it might be inferred that resistance has a passive nature, but it should be understood that it does not necessarily imply passivity. Instead, it can be an active behavior, whether verbal, cognitive, or physical. Therefore, resistance might be due to the existence of specific conditions or initial actions, but its strategies and tactics can be proactive, with the initiative in the hands of the resistor.

B. Resistance exists due to at least some contradiction with the current situation; this contradiction is expressed in the form of opposition, denial, social change, conflict, confrontation, challenging, or disruption and disorder.

C. Resistance is a continuous policy, not just a temporary phase.

Resistance in the Quran

Steadfastness, in its Quranic sense, is a term for persisting in faith and the path of truth in the face of deviations. Those knowledgeable in spirituality use expressions like ‘people of steadfastness’ and ‘abode of steadfastness’, which is a stage in the journey towards Allah. In the view of mystics, steadfastness is an isthmus between the terrifying cliffs of the world of separation and the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary in the world of union, and it is the spirit that keeps the states of the seekers alive and enduring.

The term ‘steadfastness’ as a gerund does not appear in the Quran; however, its verbal and active participle forms are used 47 times: in 9 verses, the verbal derivatives of steadfastness are used 10 times in forms like ‘istiqam’ (Hud/11, 112; Ash-Shura/42, 15), ‘istiqima’ (Yunus/10, 89), ‘istiqimoo’ (Fussilat/41, 6) for commanding steadfastness, and in the form ‘yastqim’ (At-Takwir/81, 28) and ‘astaqamoo’ (At-Tawba/9, 7; Fussilat/41, 30; Al-Ahqaf/46, 13-14; Al-Jinn/72, 16) for stating the effects of steadfastness. In 37 other verses, the term ‘mustaqim’, which is the active participle of the verb ‘istaqama’, is used, including in 3:51 Al ‘Imran, 36:4 Ya Seen, and 43:61 Az-Zukhruf.

Most Quranic discussions on steadfastness relate to the 9 verses that include the verbal derivatives of steadfastness. In these verses, except for 9:7 At-Tawba, which deals with steadfastness in covenant and agreement, the other verses discuss steadfastness in terms of monotheism and the journey toward Allah.

Resistance in the Traditions of the Infallibles (A.S.)

Religion stands strong through defense and jihad. The Quran commands steadfastness in confronting the enemy, for without it, divine aspirations can never be realized: ‘So be patient, as were those of determination among the messengers’ (Faṣbir kamā ṣabara ulu al-ʿazmi mina al-rusul). ‘And be steadfast as you are commanded’ (Fa-staqim kamā umirta).

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), with the guidance of the Almighty Allah, showed such perseverance for His divine cause that when asked why he had aged so quickly, he said that it was Surah Hud, because of its command for resistance, and Surah Al-Waqi’ah that aged him.

The life and resistance of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) teach everyone the lesson of steadfastness in the path of truth. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) endured the harassment of enemies, the hardships of a nascent system, the shortages on the front and in jihad, the torture, harassment, and killing of his companions, exile from his homeland, and other tricks of the enemy in such a way that he wore out steadfastness itself! And this is the realization of the ‘beautiful patience’ to which the Quran guides: ‘So be patient with beautiful patience’ (Faṣbir ṣabrā jamīlā).

History of Resistance

When the leaders of the Quraysh did not achieve results from their previous schemes, they closely monitored the Prophet and did not refrain from any opportunity to harm him. The leaders of each tribe tortured their Muslim members, compelling them to renounce Islam and the Prophet.

Seeing the situation, the Prophet discussed it with his uncle Abu Talib, and they both agreed that to avoid the Quraysh and protect themselves from harm, all the men and women of the Banu Hashim should take refuge in a valley located outside Mecca.

In Arabic, a valley is called ‘Sha’ab,’ and later this valley became known as ‘Sha’ab Banu Hashim’ or ‘Sha’ab Abu Talib.’

All members of Banu Hashim, whether Muslim or not, heeded Abu Talib’s tribal call to support the Prophet in the valley.

When the Quraysh realized they could not kill the Prophet and that Abu Talib would not hand him over, and after learning of his poems on this matter, they wrote and sealed a covenant to economically besiege Banu Hashim in the valley outside Mecca.

They agreed not to sell anything to them, not to marry them, not to trade with them unless Abu Talib delivered Muhammad to them to be killed! Eighty people then committed to the terms of the covenant and sealed it.

Subsequently, the Quraysh put the Prophet, his family, and all the descendants of Abdul-Muttalib, except Abu Lahab who did not participate in defending the Prophet, under economic siege. This event occurred six or seven years after the Prophet’s mission and two years after his public invitation.

Thus, the Prophet and Banu Hashim spent three years in that valley until everything the Prophet, Abu Talib, and Khadijah had was exhausted, and they faced severe hardship in their lives.

Geography of Resistance

When Imam Khomeini (RA) declared Quds Day as the day of uprising of all the oppressed people of the world against the Zionist regime, it was thought that he was merely trying to keep the issue of liberating Jerusalem and Palestine alive and attract the attention of the Islamic world to this important priority. Few understood the Imam’s purpose and the horizon he outlined. Now, as the Islamic awakening has emerged from the anti-Zionist resistance, it is clear that the path to the liberation of the entire Islamic world goes through the negation of this illegitimate regime. An examination of the Zionist regime’s role in maintaining conditions of tyranny and backwardness in the region’s countries and the connection of all these issues to the continuation of this usurping regime shows that the Islamic world, to break free from backwardness and dependency, must inevitably base its macro perspective on the liberation of Palestine and the negation of the Zionist regime, setting aside the narrow-minded views based on nationalism. The onset of the Islamic awakening wave in North Africa and the Middle East in 2011 transformed the face of the Middle East, significantly altered the internal structure of many countries, and changed their foreign policy, alliances, and coalitions. Consequently, the Zionist regime felt severely threatened, and the leaders of America were forced to accept the regional developments and dialogue with the Islamic movements that played a significant role in this process. The change in social beliefs is the most critical variable in the Islamic awakening movement.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, the Origin and Axis of Resistance

Material and moral support for the nuclei of resistance and liberation movements across the Islamic world, apart from being an ideological duty for the Islamic state, plays a significant role in securing national interests and security and expanding our country’s spheres of influence in various dimensions. It acts as one of the most crucial levers of power for the Islamic Republic, deterring superpowers from implementing their imperialistic objectives in our region, and supporting these fighting peoples means strengthening our own defensive positions. Foresight and securing long-term interests are the best reasons for such actions; the aspirations and expansionist goals of the Zionist regime are not limited to Palestine and Lebanon, but they aspire to dominate the Islamic world, especially its heartland (the Islamic Republic of Iran).

As the Supreme Leader says: ‘The strategic policy of America is to create insecurity, crisis, and war in this region; they should know that the more they spread insecurity, the angrier they will make the nations and the more insecure they will make the world for themselves. The aggressive behavior and nature of America and Israel will further enliven the spirit of resistance in the Islamic world and make the value of Jihad more apparent to them. The Islamic world and Muslim youth in all Islamic countries should know that the only way to confront the savage wolf of Zionism and the aggression of the Great Satan is through selfless resistance. Submission and subjugation to the adventurous and trouble-making statesmen of America will only increase their audacity and make it harder for the nations. If Lebanon had surrendered to the aggression of Israel and America, and if the young Mujahideen of Hezbollah and the oppressed people of the South had not endured the hardships of this sacred defense, a long-term affliction and increasing disgrace would have threatened all the Lebanese people, and the continuation of this aggressive trend would have engulfed the entire region. Today, Hezbollah is the front line of defense for the Islamic Ummah and all the nations of this region.

Palestine, the Frontline of Resistance

The Zionist regime imposed numerous wars on the Arabs, especially the Palestinians, to achieve its political objectives. Although the regime achieved its political goals in most of these wars, its longstanding dream and illusion of invincibility did not last long. It experienced its first bitter and humiliating defeat at the hands of the Islamic Resistance of Lebanon (Hezbollah) in the summer of 2006. However, the regime’s first bitter defeat by Palestinian resistance occurred in early 2009.

After months of prolonged siege of the Gaza Strip and closing all its passages to its residents, who number more than one and a half million, the regime failed to subdue these people. This was despite the Palestinians enduring the economic crisis of Gaza, which they struggled with silently, but they never ceased their resistance. Therefore, the Zionist regime, failing to defeat the legitimate government of Hamas, attempted to take revenge on the Palestinians and carry out collective punishment in the Gaza Strip. Accordingly, on December 27, 2008, it initiated the first phase of a massive military operation against the enclosed area of Gaza to break the Islamic resistance of the people and eliminate the resistance from the Israeli-Palestinian equation, effectively establishing a single Muslim-Christian state in part of the land under Israeli control.

While the Zionist regime failed to achieve any of its objectives and could not occupy the Gaza Strip, which in some places is less than six kilometers wide, the war eventually ended after 22 days on January 17, 2009. This was in contrast to the regime’s army, which in the Six-Day War of 1967 against the armies of four Arab countries – Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq – managed to quadruple its occupied territories and destroy about 80% of these countries’ military equipment, inflicting about a thousand casualties and missing from the Egyptian army.

Following the Zionist regime’s defeat after 22 days of attack on Gaza, its army began its withdrawal from the region on January 18, 2009. According to news agency reports quoting Al Jazeera, the Zionist occupation forces began their withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and positioned themselves in the border strip between the occupied territories and Gaza. This action followed global public protests and a one-week ultimatum by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement ‘Hamas’ and the Islamic Jihad of Palestine for the Israeli military to leave the Gaza Strip.

Achievements of Resistance

‘You who believe, fight in the path of Allah. Those who do not care about Allah, fight in the path of tyranny. Yes; they also fight; but ‘fight against the allies of Satan. Indeed, the plot of Satan has ever been weak.’ If you fought, if you stood firm, if you did not lose your patience and stability, you are victorious; but if you let go, felt weak, despaired, retreated, then no. So, the presence and attack of the enemy is not surprising; ‘ This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth, and it only increased them in faith and submission.’

Therefore, the divine promise is certain; meaning that victory is achieved both in the case of fighting, patience, and standing firm, and also in the case that you are truthful, hostilities will turn towards you. See how many countries in the world claim to be Islamic, but on foreign radios, in the propaganda of global arrogance and the world’s advertising empire, it has never been heard to reproach those countries for their Muslim identity. Islamic Iran, from the day of the victory of the revolution onwards, has been attacked, reproached, slandered, and maligned in all propaganda horns because of its Muslim identity. If you are truthful in your path, this truthfulness in the path of Allah will definitely attract the enmity of Allah’s enemies, but if you stand firm, your victory over them will also definitely be realized. All these are Allah’s promises. (Statements of the Supreme Leader in the Friday prayer sermons of Tehran; October 26, 1998)

With Guardianship Alongside Resistance

What distinguished Imam [Khomeini] as a school of thought, an ideology, and a path in history for his time was his characteristic of resistance.

• Imam demonstrated his resistance in the face of difficulties, obstacles, and against tyrants to the whole world.
• During the struggle, many became tired, and many were on the verge of despair, but Imam stood firm, unwavering without a hint of retreat.
• After the victory of the revolution, pressures of a different nature and more comprehensive appeared against Imam, yet he never abandoned the principle of resistance and steadfastness.
• Threats, temptations, and deceptions had absolutely no effect on Imam. The enemy could not disrupt his decision-making process, which was based on the clear teachings of the religion of Islam.
• What does resistance mean? Resistance means choosing a path that one believes to be right and true, starting to move on this path, and not letting obstacles stop this movement.
• This was how Imam was. He had chosen a path and was moving on it.
• What was this path that Imam steadfastly adhered to? Imam’s message was about the governance of Allah’s religion and the divine school over the Muslim community and the lives of the people. After overcoming the obstacles and establishing the Islamic Republic system, he declared that we neither commit oppression nor submit to it.
• This statement of the Imam is derived from the essence of religion and the Quran. It naturally has powerful enemies in the apparatuses of global arrogance, so hostilities began from day one.
• Today’s resistance front is a strong front. Whenever the Iranian nation embraced resistance with both hands and moved forward, we succeeded, and others were also encouraged to resist. (Excerpt from the speech of the Supreme Leader at the shrine of Imam [Khomeini]; June 4, 2019)

Legends and Role Models of Resistance

Martyr Imad Mughniyeh, also known as Hajj Radwan, who recorded the highest number of operations against the Zionist regime in the world, was born in July 1962 in the city of Tyre.

Martyr Mughniyeh joined the 17th branch of the military wing of the Palestinian Liberation Movement in the early 1980s, a special force established for the protection of fighters like Abu Ammar, Abu Jihad, and Abu Iyad. From that time, he played a fundamental role in the operation of transferring weapons from the Palestinian Liberation Movement to the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, represented in Hezbollah and the Amal Movement. However, following the occupation of Lebanon by the Zionist regime in 1982, the fighters of the Palestinian Liberation Movement were forced to leave Lebanon.

The siege of Beirut lasted three months and ended with the departure of the Palestinian fighters and the Palestine Liberation Organization from Lebanon. Imad Mughniyeh then joined the ranks of the fighters of the Islamic Resistance Groups (Amal Movement), established by Imam Musa Sadr and Martyr Mostafa Chamran. But Martyr Mughniyeh continued his path and joined the newly established Hezbollah along with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s transition from Amal.

After successfully executing several operations, Martyr Mughniyeh was appointed as the commander of the guard for the protection of high-ranking Hezbollah officials and later as the head of Hezbollah’s special operations.

Martyr Imad Mughniyeh eventually attained martyrdom following a car bomb explosion in Damascus. The Supreme Leader, in a message on the occasion of his martyrdom, addressed to Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah of Lebanon, stated: ‘The life and death of individuals like him is an epic that awakens nations, provides models for the youth, and outlines bright horizons and the path to reach them for all. The bloodthirsty and criminal Zionists should know that the pure blood of martyrs like Imad Mughniyeh creates hundreds of Imad Mughniyehs and intensifies the resistance against oppression, corruption, and tyranny.

Commander of Resistance

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Dear People of Iran!

A great and proud commander of Islam has ascended to the heavens.

Last night, the pure souls of the martyrs embraced the sacred soul of Qasem Soleimani.

Years of sincere and brave struggle on the battlefields against the devils and evildoers of the world, and years of longing for martyrdom in the path of Allah, finally elevated our beloved Soleimani to this lofty status, and his pure blood was spilled on the ground by the most wretched of humans.

I congratulate this great martyrdom to the presence of His Holiness Baqiyatullah (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and to the pure soul of Soleimani himself, and I offer my condolences to the Iranian nation.

He was an outstanding example of those trained in Islam and the school of Imam Khomeini. He spent his entire life in Jihad in the path of Allah. Martyrdom was the reward for his relentless efforts throughout these years.

With his departure, by the will and power of Allah, his work and his path will not stop and be closed, but a severe revenge awaits the criminals who have stained their filthy hands with his blood and the other martyrs of last night’s incident.

Martyr Soleimani is an international figure of resistance, and all adherents of resistance are his avengers. All friends – and also all enemies – should know that the path of Jihad and resistance will continue with doubled motivation, and certain victory awaits the fighters on this blessed path. The loss of our self-sacrificing and dear commander is bitter, but continuing the struggle and achieving final victory will make the taste bitterer for the murderers and criminals.

The Iranian nation will cherish the memory and name of the high-ranking martyr, Commander Major General Qasem Soleimani, and his accompanying martyrs, especially the great Islamic mujahid Mr. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. I declare three days of national mourning in the country and extend my congratulations and condolences to his honorable wife, dear children, and other relatives.

Sayyid Ali Khamenei; January 3, 2020

Summit of Resistance in Africa

Allama Sheikh Ibrahim Yaqoub Zakzaky (may Allah preserve him), who studied Islamic sciences and knowledge in seminary centers and has a university education in political and economic sciences, is one of the most famous and well-known Shia scholars in Nigeria, and indeed, in Africa. He always had a profound eagerness for the school of Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.) and its methods of struggle. In his youth, while turning to political activities at the university, he managed to visit Iran in 1979 and meet with Imam Khomeini (RA) in Tehran. This meeting completely transformed him, and inspired by the guidance and teachings of the Imam, he continued his struggles through the ‘Islamic Students Association of Sokoto’ and simultaneously promoted and introduced the principles and concepts of Shiism in Nigeria. Through speeches and with the help of like-minded friends, while making propaganda efforts to spread the culture of Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.), he protested against the actions of the ruling government at the time in Nigeria, questioning the religious legitimacy of the country’s governmental and administrative system.

These political activities and continued protests led to the arrest and imprisonment of Sheikh Zakzaky; however, he did not cease his struggle and resistance, augmenting his cultural and propagandist activities and formally establishing the ‘Islamic Movement of Northern Nigeria’. The central government, feeling threatened by the extensive efforts of this fighting scholar, repeatedly arrested him and sent him to prison. When Muslims under Sheikh Zakzaky’s guidance were conducting the Quds Day rally, Nigerian soldiers attacked the demonstrators, martyring several people, including three of Sheikh Zakzaky’s children.

Also, during the anniversary of the demise of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the martyrdom of Imam Hassan Mujtaba (A.S.), planned by Allama Zakzaky, Muslims, both Shia and Sunni, were engaged in mourning ceremonies at Baqiyatullah Husseiniyah. The Nigerian army attacked the mourners this time, shooting several to death, and then stormed Sheikh Zakzaky’s home. In this assault, he and his wife were severely injured. Despite the grave injuries he sustained, he was arrested, detained, and subjected to trumped-up charges. A few months later, the Kaduna State High Court ordered the release of this fighting scholar, but he remains under the captivity of Nigerian security forces, who even deny him the opportunity to seek medical treatment.

Women and Resistance

The Zionists in their flawed mindset believed they could, after several decades, assimilate the Palestinians living in their homeland into the melting pot of Israeli society and erase their identity and existence. However, their scheme faded away. Neither those who stayed nor those who were expelled ever forgot the fragrant scent of the sacred land of this territory. Tirelessly, they struggled, both in military and political arenas as well as in cultural and artistic dimensions, to reclaim their beloved homeland and preserve the identity of this Islamic land. In this endeavor, the valiant Palestinian women, shoulder to shoulder with the men, continued their relentless effort to confront the occupying aggressors and increasingly intensified their actions.

They took up arms and fought in battlefields to defend their rightful claims, selflessly healed the wounds and injuries of their brothers and sisters, equipped their children with the weapons of awareness and knowledge, endured harsh and exhausting tortures for their struggle in captivity, and tasted the pain of displacement.

In 1920 CE, Palestinian women participated in the resistance against the British representative. Militant Palestinian women Milika Sakakini and Zuleikha Shahabi founded the first Palestinian Women’s Union in Jerusalem in 1921 CE. The initial uprisings of women generally involved individual participation or were quite limited in collective demonstrations and protests. However, a significant event occurred in 1929: a major conference was held in Jerusalem with the participation of three thousand women. In this conference, a committee was elected which repeatedly demanded the High Commissioner of Britain in Palestine to revoke the Balfour Declaration and prevent the immigration of Zionists to Palestine. The Arab Women’s Union Conference was also established, whose primary responsibility was to support the children of martyrs and prisoners.

Symbols of Resistance

On September 22, 1980, Khorramshahr came under heavy fire from the Iraqi army. Barrages of enemy mortars and artillery shells rained down on the city. Everyone was caught off guard and bewildered; the city was burning, and the sound of explosions was incessant. It didn’t take long for the hospital to fill up with a multitude of wounded and martyrs. Women, children, and the elderly became displaced in the deserts and roads, and the people, especially the youth, turned to the Grand Mosque and other bases to organize resistance.

The Grand Mosque of Khorramshahr played a crucial role during this time, serving as a center for support, war aid and intelligence, distribution of weapons, making hand grenades, food distribution, dispatching troops, setting up a central radio station, and command headquarters. In essence, the Grand Mosque, like a mother sheltering her children, and like a heart, despite the enemy’s efforts to destroy the city’s military and support centers with long-range weapons, kept beating until the final hours. The efforts of Khorramshahr’s sons like Mohammad Jahanara, Behrouz Moradi, Ahmad Shoush, Behnam Mohammadi, Amir Rafiei, Mohammad Dashtizadeh, Noorani, and their few companions, although unable to save Khorramshahr, thwarted the enemy from achieving its goals. After 34 days of resilience and resistance, on October 26, 1980, Khorramshahr, the “Bloody City,” fell into enemy hands…

May 24th commemorates a glorious epic of the manifestation of the power of faith and the grandeur of the will of selfless warriors who, by embodying the lofty concept of sacrifice and selflessness, marked the liberation of Khorramshahr. These sacrifices, heroisms, and passionate epics will always be unforgettable in the history of the country.

Pathology of Resistance

Four decades of international activity show us that the cost of surrendering to bullying powers is far greater than the cost of standing up to them. Surrender to the bullying of these powers impoverishes nations and countries, literally blocks their paths to progress, distances them from human values, and comes with heavy costs. (Statements of the Supreme Leader, August 3, 2017)

A clear example of the higher cost of compromise compared to resistance and challenge against the West and America is the country of Libya. Libya, under Muammar Gaddafi, once part of the front of countries against Western dominance, inviting Arab countries to confront and oppose America, eventually decided to compromise with America after increased pressures and sanctions. This led to his brutal killing and the chaos, looting, and destruction of his country. Initially, to reduce the pressures and negative consequences of confronting America, Libya agreed to pay ten million dollars per American killed in the 1988 Pan-American plane explosion (the Lockerbie incident, which the Americans blamed on Libya), amounting to a total of two billion and seven hundred million dollars. However, this action did not satisfy America and the West. Therefore, in the next step, Libya, aiming for trust-building and hoping for Western trade promises, dismantled its nuclear facilities in response to America’s demand due to concerns about Libya’s potential hostile actions and sent all to America. America did not find this sufficient either. Thus, Libya, in its third act to build trust, imposed limitations on its missile systems, destroyed all equipment related to its Scud-C missiles, and also agreed to destroy its Scud-B missiles. In this way, Libya destroyed its elements of power one after the other. Despite all these compromises and extensive cooperation with the West, America and the West were still not satisfied. Therefore, America continued its sanctions against Libya for human rights violations and Libya’s role in regional conflicts in Africa. Eventually, during the unrest and conflicts of 2011-2012 in Libya, America, and the West not only did not help Gaddafi but also intensified the conflicts by collaborating with his opponents. Despite confidential negotiations between Muammar Gaddafi and American officials to facilitate his and his family’s successful exit from the country, no action was taken in this regard. Ultimately, Muammar Gaddafi was killed, and his country was occupied by his opponents and Western countries, burning in the fire of conflict and chaos.

Art and Literature of Resistance

Resistance literature is a branch of the vast tree of Islamic Revolution literature. Therefore, it is not considered a distinct type of literary genre but can be a subset of any literary category. Just as we have revolutionary poetry, novels, and myths, we can also have poetry, novels, stories, myths, etc., of resistance.

Resistance literature can be examined from various aspects. Perhaps the first logical aspect to consider is its definition or conceptualization. Some may perceive it as the literature of the front and war, i.e., purely epic literature, and consider its mystical identity as a kind of contradiction and illusion. As some others may deny the existence of such a category in literature and overlook it with indifference. However, the reality is that with the emergence of Imam Khomeini’s (PBUH) movement, a new dawn has begun. It is literature born out of sublime mysticism or pure Islam, in which divine wrath mixes with mercy, love with the sword, and affection with anger and struggle against manifestations of gold, force, deception, and the appearances of disbelief and polytheism.

Resistance Poetry

Resistance poetry can be defined as a meaningful genre of poetry that relies on the elements of awakening, anguish, outcry, and global citizenship. It fights against all forms of falsehood while cherishing all the lofty values of humanity. Resistance poetry is meaningful and boundless, combining the nature of outcry and resonance. However, its Islamic aspect imbues it with a divine and sacred hue, although some may believe in its limitation to this scope. Due to Islam’s encompassment of all human, divine, and lordly virtues, resistance poetry transcends its humanistic aspect and approaches divinity. It maintains its obligation and commitment to man as the vicegerent of Allah and his Allahlike nature. Islamic resistance poetry is specific to a certain history and geography, yet its Allah-centric and human-centric nature extends beyond these two boundaries. The visual and structural commonalities of Islamic resistance literature are confined to incorporating verses and hadiths, certain occasions and linguistic commonalities, and allusions and insinuations to Islamic history.

In the face of darkness, tyrants might,

Stand we tall, guardians of light,

With hearts ablaze, in truth we trust,

Against oppression, resist we must.

For freedom’s call, echoes loud and clear,

In every alley, every sphere,

The winds of change, they whisper, persist,

In the art of resistance, we exist.

Tyrants may reign with iron fists,

But our spirit, the storm resists,

With courage sown in every vein,

We rise, again and again.

In every corner, shadows cast,

Our resolve, forever vast,

For in this struggle, fierce and long,

In unity, we stand strong.

Against the tide of unjust deeds,

Our will, like a mighty river, leads,

In the face of fear, our voices roar,

For every heart worth fighting for.

In this battle, not of flesh, but creed,

Our souls, the warriors that lead,

So hear the cry, from deep within,

Against tyranny, we fight to win.