Elevation in Life and Death

By Mahjoub Fadl Badri

A sea of bravery and courage, a sea of appreciation and respect—that is the glorious martyr, Major General Bahar Ahmed Bahar. From the depths of my heart, I wished the news of his martyrdom was untrue. He was a man in constant pursuit of martyrdom, seeking it with patience and perseverance. The words of the martyred Marshal Al-Zubair Mohammed Salih filled his memory, and the image of Al-Zubair remained vivid in his mind as he once said:

“By God, by God, death—wherever it may be—we search for it in the place that honors Sudan and its people.”

And he was truthful. So, God fulfilled his wish, granting him the martyrdom he longed for. Indeed, God chooses martyrs from among us, as He said in His Holy Book:

“If a wound should touch you—there has already touched the [opposing] people a wound similar to it. And such days [of varying conditions] We alternate among the people so that Allah may make evident those who believe and [may] take to Himself from among you martyrs—and Allah does not like the wrongdoers.”
— The Holy Qur’an

Major General Bahar Ahmed Bahar was an officer of high rank and stature, a man of dignity, piety, and devotion. He was deeply knowledgeable in his field, a “memorizer of his book” as described by Professor Ibrahim Ghandour during his acquittal from accusations of plotting a military coup. Bahar was the embodiment of military discipline—a man who politely declined the position of Governor of Khartoum State, a city he knew stone by stone from his time commanding its military district.

Had he wished to seize power, he had the expertise and ability to do so, but he was a man of mission, undistracted by the lure of authority. Fear never found a way into his heart. If he had chosen to abandon his steadfast military principles—his belief that “everyone should do their job”—he could have settled in Port Sudan, engaging in politics with an easy administrative role instead of being in the heart of war.

Yet, he gave everything he could to the battlefield, avoiding media appearances. Not a single video or audio recording surfaced of him, even as he led some of the most intense battles in Greater Bahri until the signs of victory emerged. The history of the Dignity War will illuminate the heroic feats of Major General Bahar Ahmed Bahar, just as it remembers the bravery of Major General Ayoub, Major General Yasser Fadlallah, and other valiant officers of the armed forces.

Today, nothing can tarnish Bahar’s honor. We bear witness, the people bear witness, and above all, God is the ultimate witness that the martyred General Bahar fought with unwavering faith and was taken as a martyr by His will. God raised him to a lofty place, as he never sought anything less than greatness in life, and now he is immortalized among the honored.

It is as if the poet Abu al-Hasan al-Anbari was referring to him in his elegy:

Elevation in life and in death—
A right that is one of the miracles.

As if the people around you, when they rose,
Were your callers on the day of prayer.

As if you stood among them, preaching,
And they all stood in prayer.

You stretched your hands toward them in celebration,
As if extending gifts upon them.

When the earth’s belly was too narrow to embrace
Your greatness after death,

They made the sky your grave and exchanged
Shrouds for the garments of the winds.

For the greatness you held in their hearts,
They left you guarded by faithful sentinels.

Glory and eternity to our righteous martyrs.

Victory to our valiant army.

Honor and strength to our fighting people.

Shame and disgrace to our enemies and traitors.

(As published by Al-Muhaqqiq website)