Issam Hashem al-Saqqa

Issam the affectionate. He was like a defense lawyer, understanding and very principled, always seeking to make good use of his time. During the war, he began memorizing the Quran and completed four parts of it, hoping to memorize it in its entirety. This past Ramadan, he was determined to go out every day at the Maghrib call to prayer and distribute juice in the street to those who were fasting, for the souls of his maternal uncle, his wife, and their daughter, who were also martyrs. He greatly wished to be martyred. He recently told his sister, "Take a nice picture of me, so when I am martyred you can post it online and write, 'The Martyr Issam al-Saqqa'." In his final days, he was very committed to praying on time, urged his younger brother to pray, and helped him memorize the Quran.