"The blessing of God will fall upon the mane of the war-horse to the day of judgment.
"Armed from head to foot or but lightly clad, it matters not—up and away!
"O believers! what shall be done to you if, when called to the battle, you remain with face turned to the earth?
"Do you prefer the life of this world to the life to come?
"Believe me, the gates of paradise stand in the shadow of the sword.
"He who dies in battle for the cause of God shall wash away with his blood all the defilement of his sins.
"His body shall not be wasted like the other bodies of the dead, for on the day of judgment his wounds shall yield a fragrance like musk.
"When the warriors present themselves at the gates of paradise, a voice within shall ask, 'What have you done in your life?'
"And they shall answer, 'We have brandished the sword in the struggle for the cause of God.'
"Then the eternal doors will swing open, and the warriors will enter forty years before the rest.