The Martyrdom of Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam
Updated: Aug 16
Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam joined the uprising against the French occupation of the Syrian coast between 1919 and 1920, fighting valiantly in the mountains surrounding Saladin’s Castle above Latakia. The French recognized the threat he posed and sentenced him to death.
Al-Qassam fled with his family and some of his fellow activists to Haifa in late 1920. There, he worked as a teacher at Al-Burj Secondary School, established by the Islamic Society, which was responsible for administering Islamic endowments in the Haifa area. He later began delivering religious lessons at the Al-Istiqlal Mosque, also built by the Islamic Society, attracting considerable attention with his sermons. A few years later, he became the mosque’s imam and preacher. He also established an evening school to combat illiteracy.
Al-Qassam participated in establishing the Haifa branch of the Young Men’s Muslim Association and was elected its president in July 1928. The association became an effective means of spreading national awareness among young people and adults and of attracting them to its activities.
In 1930, Al-Qassam was appointed a Sharia marriage registrar by the Sharia Court in Haifa. This enabled him to travel to villages throughout Galilee, meet local residents, and become acquainted with their circumstances, further increasing his reputation.
Al-Qassam continued to observe the growing Zionist threat resulting from British policies supporting the project of a “Jewish national home.” He came to believe that Britain was both the root and the driving force behind the problem, and that the only way to deter it was through direct armed struggle. He also believed that such a struggle required sincere faith, rejection of partisan and familial divisions, solidarity, sacrifice, secrecy, disciplined organization, and careful timing. His compassion for the poor and those with meager incomes, together with his continuous efforts to improve their conditions, enabled him to attract an expanding circle of followers among rural residents and village elders who came to Haifa seeking work in its port, factories, and oil refineries. Many lived in impoverished neighborhoods on the eastern outskirts of the city, and many had been displaced from their lands after ownership was transferred to Zionist settlers.
Al-Qassam did not wish to declare jihad against the British colonial authorities before completing his preparations. However, the surge of mass Jewish immigration during the early 1930s, the authorities’ increasing surveillance of him, and his fear of a preemptive strike against his organization compelled him to declare jihad on the night of November 12, 1935, in Haifa. He subsequently set out with eleven of his companions toward the forests of Ya'bad, near Jenin.
On November 20, 1935, an unequal battle lasting six hours took place between Al-Qassam’s group and British forces. Sheikh Al-Qassam was killed along with four of his men, while the others were wounded and captured.
On November 21, 1935, the city of Haifa witnessed a general strike following news of his death. Shops, stores, and restaurants were closed, and thousands of residents gathered to bid farewell to Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam and his fallen companions in what became the largest funeral the city had ever witnessed.
Sheikh Al-Qassam was buried in the Balad al-Sheikh Cemetery near Haifa.
His death played a major role in fueling the Great Palestinian Revolt (1936–1939) and inspired Palestinian resistance for generations to come.
Source:
The Palestinian Encyclopedia. Damascus: Palestinian Encyclopedia Commission, 1984.
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