The author broadens the meaning of shahāda, not restricting it to those killed in battle, but connecting it to public presence, attestation, and epistemic significance. In doing so, he refuses to turn it into a narrow combat label, and restores it to the wider field of Qur’anic meaning.
Mentioned in
- Jihad, fighting, and testimony are distinct concepts
- Testimony is not confined to the dead
- Testimony is not being killed in battle
- Qur’anic fighting is defensive and constrained, and the historical context prevents the legitimation of terrorism
Cross-book concept: see Testimony for the unifying theme across the books.