Special to WorldTribune.com
A Palestinian man recently shot and killed by Israeli security forces after attempting a stabbing attack had chosen a life of bachelorhood for solid theological reasons, according to a news report.
He wanted to hold out for the 72 virgins promised to terrorist “martyrs” but that was not the only factor.
“Martyrs” are also granted the perk of possessing the sexual potency of 100 men, according to the Muslim faith.
Ibrahim Barda’aya, a 54-year-old single resident of al-Aroub in Judea, was killed as he attempted to conduct a stabbing attack armed with an ax. One soldier was treated for light wounds in the attack.
Abdallah Azam, the imam of Barda’aya’s mosque, told the Hamas newspaper Palestine that the terrorist aspired to be a “martyr” and to “marry virgins in Paradise.”
In Muslim theology “martyrs” are those who die while trying to implement the path of Allah, and they are given immediate atonement for all their sins with the first drop of their blood.
“Martyrs” are likewise freed of the tribulations of the grave, a crown of honor is placed on their heads, and they marry 72 virgins from Paradise known as Hoor al-Ayn. They can bring 70 of their family members along with them into Paradise.
According to the tradition, in Paradise each man will have only one wife, while the righteous will have two wives, and “martyrs” will have 72 because they enter Paradise without any sins on their souls.