Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
Encyclopedia
Sheikh
Muhammad Izz ad-Din al-Qassam (1882– 20 November 1935) was a Tijani Sufi
who led militant activities against British
, French, and Zionist
organizations in the Levant
in the 1920's and 1930's.
, son of a teacher and adherent of the Qadari Sufi
order. He was educated at al-Azhar University
, where he gained a reputation for piety and self-sufficiency. Upon his return he became a teacher and an imam
at the local mosque, where he called for the villagers to return to b'alal
.
After Italy
's 1911 invasion of Libya
, al-Qassam began collecting funds for the Libyan resistance
and composed a victory anthem. He enlisted dozens of volunteers and set out for Libya
, but Ottoman
authorities detained him. He later enlisted in the Ottoman army
when World War I broke out, where he received military training and was attached as a chaplain to a base near Damascus
. Returning home before the war's end, al-Qassam organized a local defense force to fight the French occupation
, but French-incited internecine fighting led him and several of his followers to head into the mountains to prepare for a guerrilla offensive
.
declared his kingdom of Greater Syria
in Damascus and was sentenced to death
after its failure. After the French besieged the city, al-Qassam fled via Beirut
to Haifa
, then under the British Mandate, where his wife and daughters later joined him. Already in his forties, he concentrated his activities on the lower classes, setting up a night school for casual labourers and preaching to them as imam in the Istiqlal mosque, and he would seek them out on the streets and even in brothels and hashish dens. His greatest following came from the landless ex-tenant farmers drifting in to Haifa from the Upper Galilee
where purchases of agricultural land by the Jewish National Fund
and Hebrew labour policies excluding Arabs had dispossessed many of their traditional livelihoods'. He was also a prominent member of the Young Men's Muslim Association
. Associated with the Istiqlal party
(Independence Party), his activities were financed by several well-off businessmen due to his spreading reputation.
In 1929 he was appointed the marriage registrar in Mufti
Amin al-Husayni
's Supreme Muslim Council
Sharia
court in Haifa, a role that allowed him to tour the northern villages, whose inhabitants he encouraged to set up agricultural cooperatives. According to Abdullah Schleifer, Al-Qassam was:
, he intensified his agitation and obtained a fatwa
from Shaykh Badr al-Din al-Taji al-Hasani, the Mufti
of Damascus
, authorizing those attacks.
According to Shai Lachman, between 1921 and 1935 al-Qassam often cooperated with Mufti of Jerusalem Hajj
Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
:
When the Mufti rejected his plans to divert funding marked down for mosque repairs towards the purchase of weaponry, Qassam found support in the Arab Nationalist Istiqlal Party
. Qassam continued his attempts to forge an alliance with the Mufti in order to attack the British. He was not successful for the Mufti, who headed the Supreme Muslim Council
, was still committed to a diplomatic approach at the time. Qassam went ahead with his plans to attack the British on his own.
Al Fraihat was the only one from Jordan who provided a direct support to the Palestinian Revolution of 1935, the "Revolution of Sheikh
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam", and he provided direct protection to the rebels, the Palestinians and their leadership in the mountains of Ajloun
and fortified them with supplies and weapons through the region called “Makadet Kraymeh” near Ajloun as well as direct meetings with the struggling Sheikh
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam and Hajj Amin al-Husseini from Palestine, Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
also afforded the necessary funds for the Palestinian rebels through intermediaries, who were sending his aid to Palestinian revolution directly, in addition to the Prince Rashed multiple visits, these visits to Palestine, which was accompanied by the pro-Jordanian Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
sent to fight in Palestine, under the direct command of the Palestinian revolution and he brought several Palestinian militants wanted by the Jews and the British Mandate and settled them in Jordan to live among many Jordanian tribes.
As a direct result and in particular to the revolution of Sheikh
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam fighter in Palestine and in direct support from Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
, these Arabian noble stands led most of the Jordanian national clans that were loyal to Prince Rashed for a direct confrontation with the Jordanian regime, especially with Jordans King Abdullah I and the British Mandate, which tried to liquidate Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
by bombed his positions and killed many of the rebels loyal to the Jordanian Prince Al-Khuzai at that time, forcing him to leave the land beyond Jordan, to Saudi Arabia, and under the policy of pressure and fatigue by the British Mandate and his aides in the Emirate of East Jordan stated at that time, such serious political situations were forced Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
and a group of his fellow elders and leaders of Jordan in 1937 to leave Jordan into Saudi Arabia where Prince Al Khuzai lived there for several years in the hospitality of the late King Abdul-Aziz Al Saud. It was a difficult period of political history in Palestine & Jordan too. Most of the Palestinian militants cling and believed in Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
, may have been the reason behind this is linked very closely with the struggling Sheikh
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Gods mercy.
and Nablus
, spending ten days on the move, during which time they were fed by local villagers. When two of his men engaged in a firefight with a Palestine Police Force
patrol hunting fruit thieves and killed a Jewish policeman, British police launched a manhunt and surrounded al-Qassam in a cave near Ya'bad
. In the ensuing battle, al-Qassam was killed. The manner of his last stand assumed legendary proportions in Palestinian circles at the time:
Two weeks later David Ben Gurion, leader of the Jewish workers organisation, the Histadrut
, warned the political committee of Mapai
that "Now for the first time, the Arabs have seen someone offer his life for the cause. This will give the Arabs the moral strength they lack." He compared al-Qassam to Joseph Trumpeldor
who had been killed at Tel Hai
in 1920.
The military wing of Hamas
, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
, bears his name. The Qassam rocket
is named after the brigades who use them.
Al-Qassam is buried at the Muslim cemetery at Balad ash-Sheikh
, now Nesher
, a suburb of Haifa.
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
Muhammad Izz ad-Din al-Qassam (1882– 20 November 1935) was a Tijani Sufi
Tijaniyyah
The Tijāniyyah is a sufi tariqa originating in North Africa but now more widespread in West Africa, particularly in Senegal, The Gambia, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, and Northern Nigeria and Sudan...
who led militant activities against British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, French, and Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
organizations in the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
in the 1920's and 1930's.
Early life
Al-Qassam was born in Jableh, Syria, in the northern Latakia GovernorateLatakia Governorate
Latakia Governorate or muhafazah al Ladhiqiyah is one of the fourteen governorates of Syria. It is situated in western Syria, bordering Turkey. Its reported area varies in different sources from 2,297 km² to 2,437 km² . The Governorate has a population of 991,000 and is one of the...
, son of a teacher and adherent of the Qadari Sufi
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
order. He was educated at al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University is an educational institute in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 970~972 as a madrasa, it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world. It is the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt. In 1961 non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.It is...
, where he gained a reputation for piety and self-sufficiency. Upon his return he became a teacher and an imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
at the local mosque, where he called for the villagers to return to b'alal
Repentance in Islam
The word Tawbah in Arabic literally means 'to return'. In an Islamic context, it refers to the act of leaving what God has prohibited and returning to what He has commanded. The subject of repentance is one which concerns all people who believe in God, and is central to Islamic belief as well. It...
.
After Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
's 1911 invasion of Libya
Italo-Turkish War
The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and...
, al-Qassam began collecting funds for the Libyan resistance
Omar Mukhtar
Omar Mukhtar , of the Mnifa, was born in the small village of Janzour, near Tobruk in eastern Barqa in Libya. Beginning in 1912, he organized and, for nearly twenty years, led native resistance to Italian colonization of Libya. The Italians captured and hanged him in 1931...
and composed a victory anthem. He enlisted dozens of volunteers and set out for Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, but Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
authorities detained him. He later enlisted in the Ottoman army
Military of the Ottoman Empire
The history of military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years between 1300 and 1453 , the classical period covers the years between 1451 and 1606 , the reformation period covers the years between 1606 and 1826 ,...
when World War I broke out, where he received military training and was attached as a chaplain to a base near Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. Returning home before the war's end, al-Qassam organized a local defense force to fight the French occupation
French Mandate of Syria and Lebanon
Officially the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon was a League of Nations mandate founded after the First World War and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire...
, but French-incited internecine fighting led him and several of his followers to head into the mountains to prepare for a guerrilla offensive
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
.
Involvement in the 1921 Syrian revolt
Al-Qassam was a key figure in the 1921 Syrian revolt against the French when Faisal IFaisal I of Iraq
Faisal bin Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi, was for a short time King of the Arab Kingdom of Syria or Greater Syria in 1920, and was King of the Kingdom of Iraq from 23 August 1921 to 1933...
declared his kingdom of Greater Syria
Greater Syria
Greater Syria , also known simply as Syria, is a term that denotes a region in the Near East bordering the Eastern Mediterranean Sea or the Levant....
in Damascus and was sentenced to death
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
after its failure. After the French besieged the city, al-Qassam fled via Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
to Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, then under the British Mandate, where his wife and daughters later joined him. Already in his forties, he concentrated his activities on the lower classes, setting up a night school for casual labourers and preaching to them as imam in the Istiqlal mosque, and he would seek them out on the streets and even in brothels and hashish dens. His greatest following came from the landless ex-tenant farmers drifting in to Haifa from the Upper Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
where purchases of agricultural land by the Jewish National Fund
Jewish National Fund
The Jewish National Fund was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Palestine for Jewish settlement. The JNF is a quasi-governmental, non-profit organisation...
and Hebrew labour policies excluding Arabs had dispossessed many of their traditional livelihoods'. He was also a prominent member of the Young Men's Muslim Association
Young Men's Muslim Association
The Young Men's Muslim Association was founded in Egypt in 1928, with the start of the Muslim Brotherhood. By the end of the decade it had around 15,000 members. The leader of YMMA in Palestine was Izz al-din Qassam....
. Associated with the Istiqlal party
Independence Party (Palestine)
The Independence Party was an Arab nationalist party established on 13 August, 1932, in Palestine during the British mandate. Its origins lay in the Istiqlal movement associated with the short-lived Sharifian government in Damascus....
(Independence Party), his activities were financed by several well-off businessmen due to his spreading reputation.
In 1929 he was appointed the marriage registrar in Mufti
Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem is the Sunni Muslim cleric in charge of Jerusalem's Islamic holy places, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque.-Ottoman era:...
Amin al-Husayni
Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
Haj Mohammed Effendi Amin el-Husseini was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in the British Mandate of Palestine. From as early as 1920, in order to secure the independence of Palestine as an Arab state he actively opposed Zionism, and was implicated as a leader of a violent riot...
's Supreme Muslim Council
Supreme Muslim Council
The Supreme Muslim Council was the highest body in charge of Muslim community affairs in Mandate Palestine under British control. It was established to create an advisory body composed of Muslims and Christians with whom the High Commissioner could consult...
Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
court in Haifa, a role that allowed him to tour the northern villages, whose inhabitants he encouraged to set up agricultural cooperatives. According to Abdullah Schleifer, Al-Qassam was:
'An individual deeply imbued with the Islamic social gospel and who was struck by the plight of Palestinian peasants and migrants. Al-Qassam’s pastoral concern was linked to his moral outrage as a Muslim at the ways in which the old implicit social compact was being violated in the circumstances of British mandatory Palestine. This anger fueled a political radicalism that drove him eventually to take up arms and marks him off from the Palestinian notable politicians’He also took advantage of his travels to deliver fiery political and religious sermons in which he encouraged villagers to organise resistance units to attack the British and Jews. After the 1929 Hebron massacre
1929 Hebron massacre
The Hebron massacre refers to the killing of sixty-seven Jews on 23 and 24 August 1929 in Hebron, then part of the British Mandate of Palestine, by Arabs incited to violence by rumors that Jews were massacring Arabs in Jerusalem and seizing control of Muslim holy places...
, he intensified his agitation and obtained a fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
from Shaykh Badr al-Din al-Taji al-Hasani, the Mufti
Mufti
A mufti is a Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon to a Sunni population...
of Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, authorizing those attacks.
The Black Hand group
In 1930 al-Qassam organized and established the Black Hand, an anti-Zionist and anti-British militant organisation, which was subsequently classified by the Mandatory authority as a terrorist group. He recruited and arranged military training for peasants and by 1935 had enlisted between 200 and 800 men. The cells were equipped with bombs and firearms, which they used to raid Jewish settlements and sabotage British-constructed rail lines.According to Shai Lachman, between 1921 and 1935 al-Qassam often cooperated with Mufti of Jerusalem Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
Mohammad Amin al-Husayni
Haj Mohammed Effendi Amin el-Husseini was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in the British Mandate of Palestine. From as early as 1920, in order to secure the independence of Palestine as an Arab state he actively opposed Zionism, and was implicated as a leader of a violent riot...
:
'During the (nineteen) twenties, both were on good terms, their understanding probably based on identity of views and mutual esteem. It was then that al-Qassam was appointed imamImamAn imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
of the al-Istiqlal mosque and shariaShariaSharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
register – appointments which required the Mufti's prior consent and approval and were financed by the awqafWaqfA waqf also spelled wakf formally known as wakf-alal-aulad is an inalienable religious endowment in Islamic law, typically denoting a building or plot of land for Muslim religious or charitable purposes. The donated assets are held by a charitable trust...
administration. The cooperation may well have increased as a result of the 1929 riots1929 Palestine riotsThe 1929 Palestine riots, also known as the Western Wall Uprising, the 1929 Massacres, , or the Buraq Uprising , refers to a series of demonstrations and riots in late August 1929 when a long-running dispute between Muslims and Jews over access to the Western Wall in Jerusalem escalated into violence...
. One source claims that al-Qassam's men took an active part in the bloody riots... Later towards the mid-1930s, there was a falling out between the two men. The reason for this is unknown, but it seems to have been closely related to al-Qassam's independent activity...
When the Mufti rejected his plans to divert funding marked down for mosque repairs towards the purchase of weaponry, Qassam found support in the Arab Nationalist Istiqlal Party
Independence Party (Palestine)
The Independence Party was an Arab nationalist party established on 13 August, 1932, in Palestine during the British mandate. Its origins lay in the Istiqlal movement associated with the short-lived Sharifian government in Damascus....
. Qassam continued his attempts to forge an alliance with the Mufti in order to attack the British. He was not successful for the Mufti, who headed the Supreme Muslim Council
Supreme Muslim Council
The Supreme Muslim Council was the highest body in charge of Muslim community affairs in Mandate Palestine under British control. It was established to create an advisory body composed of Muslims and Christians with whom the High Commissioner could consult...
, was still committed to a diplomatic approach at the time. Qassam went ahead with his plans to attack the British on his own.
Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai & Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
Prince Rashed Al-KhuzaiPrince Rashed Al-Khuzai
Prince Rashed Al Khuzai over the Mamluks in the battle of Marj Dabek, Ajloun Mountain it was a center for leadership & base for emirates that hold and control all the area of Jordan till some parts of Palestine...
Al Fraihat was the only one from Jordan who provided a direct support to the Palestinian Revolution of 1935, the "Revolution of Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam", and he provided direct protection to the rebels, the Palestinians and their leadership in the mountains of Ajloun
Ajloun
Ajloun also written Ajlun is the capital town of the Ajloun Governorate . A hilly town in the north of Jordan, located 76 kilometers north west of Amman. It is noted for its impressive ruins the 12th century castle which known nowadays as Ajlun Castle...
and fortified them with supplies and weapons through the region called “Makadet Kraymeh” near Ajloun as well as direct meetings with the struggling Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam and Hajj Amin al-Husseini from Palestine, Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
Prince Rashed Al Khuzai over the Mamluks in the battle of Marj Dabek, Ajloun Mountain it was a center for leadership & base for emirates that hold and control all the area of Jordan till some parts of Palestine...
also afforded the necessary funds for the Palestinian rebels through intermediaries, who were sending his aid to Palestinian revolution directly, in addition to the Prince Rashed multiple visits, these visits to Palestine, which was accompanied by the pro-Jordanian Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
Prince Rashed Al Khuzai over the Mamluks in the battle of Marj Dabek, Ajloun Mountain it was a center for leadership & base for emirates that hold and control all the area of Jordan till some parts of Palestine...
sent to fight in Palestine, under the direct command of the Palestinian revolution and he brought several Palestinian militants wanted by the Jews and the British Mandate and settled them in Jordan to live among many Jordanian tribes.
As a direct result and in particular to the revolution of Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam fighter in Palestine and in direct support from Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
Prince Rashed Al Khuzai over the Mamluks in the battle of Marj Dabek, Ajloun Mountain it was a center for leadership & base for emirates that hold and control all the area of Jordan till some parts of Palestine...
, these Arabian noble stands led most of the Jordanian national clans that were loyal to Prince Rashed for a direct confrontation with the Jordanian regime, especially with Jordans King Abdullah I and the British Mandate, which tried to liquidate Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
Prince Rashed Al Khuzai over the Mamluks in the battle of Marj Dabek, Ajloun Mountain it was a center for leadership & base for emirates that hold and control all the area of Jordan till some parts of Palestine...
by bombed his positions and killed many of the rebels loyal to the Jordanian Prince Al-Khuzai at that time, forcing him to leave the land beyond Jordan, to Saudi Arabia, and under the policy of pressure and fatigue by the British Mandate and his aides in the Emirate of East Jordan stated at that time, such serious political situations were forced Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
Prince Rashed Al Khuzai over the Mamluks in the battle of Marj Dabek, Ajloun Mountain it was a center for leadership & base for emirates that hold and control all the area of Jordan till some parts of Palestine...
and a group of his fellow elders and leaders of Jordan in 1937 to leave Jordan into Saudi Arabia where Prince Al Khuzai lived there for several years in the hospitality of the late King Abdul-Aziz Al Saud. It was a difficult period of political history in Palestine & Jordan too. Most of the Palestinian militants cling and believed in Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai
Prince Rashed Al Khuzai over the Mamluks in the battle of Marj Dabek, Ajloun Mountain it was a center for leadership & base for emirates that hold and control all the area of Jordan till some parts of Palestine...
, may have been the reason behind this is linked very closely with the struggling Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Gods mercy.
Death
In November 1935, fearing arrest after a British constable had been killed in a skirmish with some of his followers, al-Qassam and twelve of his men left Haifa to hide out in the hills between JeninJenin
Jenin is the largest town in the Northern West Bank, and the third largest city overall. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,004 not including the adjacent refugee...
and Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
, spending ten days on the move, during which time they were fed by local villagers. When two of his men engaged in a firefight with a Palestine Police Force
Palestine Police Force
The Palestine Police Force was a British colonial police service established in the British Mandate for Palestine on 1 July 1920, when High Commissioner Herbert Samuel's civil administration took over responsibility for security from General Allenby's Occupied Enemy Territory Administration...
patrol hunting fruit thieves and killed a Jewish policeman, British police launched a manhunt and surrounded al-Qassam in a cave near Ya'bad
Ya'bad
Ya'bad is a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank, 20 kilometers west of Jenin in the Jenin Governorate. It is a major agricultural town with most of its land covered with olive groves and grain fields. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of...
. In the ensuing battle, al-Qassam was killed. The manner of his last stand assumed legendary proportions in Palestinian circles at the time:
'Surrounded he told his men to die as martyrs, and opened fire. His defiance and manner of his death (which stunned the traditional leadership) electrified the Palestinian people. Thousands forced their way past police lines at the funeral in Haifa, and the secular Arab nationalist parties invoked his memory as the symbol of resistance. It was the largest political gathering ever to assemble in mandatory Palestine.’
Two weeks later David Ben Gurion, leader of the Jewish workers organisation, the Histadrut
Histadrut
HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael , known as the Histadrut, is Israel's organization of trade unions. Established in December 1920 during the British Mandate for Palestine, it became one of the most powerful institutions of the State of Israel.-History:The Histadrut was founded in...
, warned the political committee of Mapai
Mapai
Mapai was a left-wing political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the Israeli Labor Party in 1968...
that "Now for the first time, the Arabs have seen someone offer his life for the cause. This will give the Arabs the moral strength they lack." He compared al-Qassam to Joseph Trumpeldor
Joseph Trumpeldor
Joseph Trumpeldor , was an early Zionist activist. He helped organize the Zion Mule Corps and bring Jewish immigrants to the Land of Israel. Trumpeldor died defending the settlement of Tel Hai in 1920 and subsequently became a Zionist national hero...
who had been killed at Tel Hai
Tel Hai
Tel Hai is the modern name of a settlement in northern Israel, the site of an early battle in the Arab–Israeli conflict, and of a noted monument, tourist attraction, and a college...
in 1920.
Influence
Although al-Qassam's revolt was unsuccessful in his lifetime, militant organizations gained inspiration from his example. His funeral drew thousands, which turned into a mass demonstration of national unity. He became a popular hero and an inspiration to militants, who in the 1936–1939 Arab Revolt, called themselves Qassamiyun, followers of al-Qassam. His grave became a place of pilgrimage.The military wing of Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades is the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist fundamentalist socio-political organisation Hamas. Created in 1992, under the direction of Yahya Ayyash, the primary objective of the group was to build a coherent military organisation to support the goals of...
, bears his name. The Qassam rocket
Qassam rocket
The Qassam rocket is a simple steel artillery rocket developed and deployed by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas. Three models have been produced and used between 2001 and 2011....
is named after the brigades who use them.
Al-Qassam is buried at the Muslim cemetery at Balad ash-Sheikh
Balad ash-Sheikh
Balad al-Sheikh or Balad ash-Shaykh is a former Palestinian village located just north of Mount Carmel, southeast of Haifa. Currently the town's land is located within the jurisdiction of the Israeli city, Nesher.-History:...
, now Nesher
Nesher
Nesher is a city in the Haifa District of Israel. In 2011, Nesher had a population of 23,000. The mayor of Nesher is David Amar.-Etymology:...
, a suburb of Haifa.
Further reading
- http://www.almoarekhsaudi.com/?p=76# Network of Saudi Arabia- King Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, founder of the Kingdom.
- http://www.almoarekhsaudi.com/?p=174 The Saudi Historian Net- The historical strong ties between King Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, founder of the Kingdom, Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai- ruler of Ajloun Emirate, and Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam.
- http://www.asharqalarabi.org.uk/ruiah/b-sharq-115.htm The Arab Orient Center for Strategic and civilization studies London, United Kingdom- The political relationship between Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai and Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam.
- Ted Swedenburg, "The Role of the Palestinian Peasantry in the Great Revolt (1936–1939)," reprinted in Hourani, Albert H.Albert Hourani-Life and career:Hourani was born in Manchester, England, the son of Soumaya Rassi and Fadlo Issa Hourani, immigrants from Marjeyoun in what is now South Lebanon. His brothers were George Hourani and Cecil Hourani. His family had converted from Greek Orthodoxy...
, et al., The Modern Middle East (I.B. TaurisI.B. TaurisI. B. Tauris is an independent publishing house with offices in London and New York.-History:I.B.Tauris was founded in 1983. Its declared strategy was to fill the perceived gap between trade publishing houses and university presses—that is, to publish serious but accessible works on international...
, 2004), pp. 467–503. ISBN 1-86064-963-7
- http://althawra1965.com/index.php?open=detail&id=3259 Althawra News-The Official Website of the Palestinian National Authority- Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam and Prince Rashed Al Khuzai role in the Palestinian revolution at 1935– All rights reserved for Althawra1965.com.
- http://anntv.tv/new/showsubject.aspx?id=17145 Arab News Network, London- United Kingdom- The political relationship between Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai, Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, and Saudi Arabia.
- http://odabasham.net/show.php?sid=39526 Odaba Sham Network, London- United Kingdom- Honorable History of Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai, an article published by the Swedish Historian Dr. Mohammad Rahhal.
- http://alarabnews.com/show2.asp?NewId=26645&PageID=26&PartID=8 Al Arab News- Honorable History of Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai, an article published by the Swedish Historian Dr. Mohammad Rahhal.
- http://www.felixnews.com/news-7461.html Felix News, Yemen- Honorable History of Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai, an article published by the Swedish Historian Dr. Mohammad Rahhal.
- http://www.falestiny.com/news/7894 Palestinian Official Website, Palestine- Honorable History of Prince Rashed Al-Khuzai, an article published by the Swedish Historian Dr. Mohammad Rahhal.
- http://alrai.com/pages.php?news_id=284850 Alrai- Formal Jordanian news paper, Rashed Al Khuzai .. Home of the men and militants in the nation issued at 27 July 2009.