Qari Bakhtiar Ali Farooq, son of Gulistan, was born in 1371 H.S. in Hajam Kala village, Spin Ghar district of Nangarhar province, into a religious and devout family.
From childhood, he had a love for receiving religious education. He completed his first religious studies under the village imam up to the third grade. He was still young when he was affected by the events of his surroundings and the wars of that time, and in the year 1384 H.S., despite his young age, which was an important stage of life, he entered the battlefield alongside his peers.
Because of his strong determination, bravery, and special interest in jihadi struggle at a young age, Qari Bakhtiar Ali Farooq took on various responsibilities. From group leadership to military responsibilities, he was active in the areas around his own region. He carried out military responsibilities in the areas of Hajam Kala, Chehel Gazi, Lokhi, Maruf Chini, Shamir village, and Maidanak in Spinghar district.
Life memories and jihadi activities
His friends say: Qari Farooq has many memories from his struggle. One day, an American military convoy was moving from Kot district toward Spinghar district, and he himself detonated a mine against it, as a result of which the tank was completely destroyed and the American occupying forces inside it were killed.
They say, in another incident too, when the convoy of American occupying forces was moving from Spinghar district toward the center, Qari Farooq (RH) detonated an explosive against a tank, completely destroying it and killing all the American forces inside.
According to Qari Farooq’s friends, these two incidents were among those memories of his life that he would especially take pride in and remember.
A life faced with troubles and hardships
The life of Qari Bakhtiar Ali Farooq was not made up only of stories of wars, responsibilities, and struggles; in the lap of his life also lay bitter memories that, along with the sweet moments of childhood and youth, also bore the pains of poverty and the hardships of life.
His mother Bibi, recalling those days, says that the family’s economic situation was very weak. Life’s needs would be met with great hardship, and the door of the house would still be open to guests. When Bakhtiar would come home with his friends, on one hand the mother’s heart would be happy at seeing her son, but on the other hand, the thought of hosting guests would pain her heart. There were not enough means in the house to offer the kind of hospitality to guests that the heart of a hospitable mother desired.
Because of poverty, she would feel a hidden worry in her heart when guests came, because her heart wanted to spread a table of honor and love before every guest, but the narrow-handedness of life did not allow it. These small but deep memories remained in her heart; memories that express, along with a mother’s heart’s feelings, the silent pain of poverty too. Bakhtiar passed through these very hardships and deprivations of life, and amid the troubles, his sense of patience, contentment, and responsibility grew even stronger.
Under the Shadow of an Airstrike
There were also moments in Qari Farooq’s life when the shadow of war reached deep into his heart and mind. Once, an airstrike in the Momand Dara area left him under severe psychological pressure. The intense shock and psychological effects of the attack caused his health to deteriorate to the point that he came close to a state of psychological disorder.
His condition was a matter of concern for his family and friends. For the purpose of treatment and health care, he was later sent abroad. There, he completed a period of treatment, and by the grace of Allah (SWT), after long treatment, his health recovered and he returned to his normal life in a recovered condition.
Martyrdom
One of the bitter and painful memories of Qari Bakhtiar Ali Farooq’s life was that last battle that took place in the year 1394 H.S. in the village of Shamir, Spinghar district, with the Daeshi Khawarij. This was the incident that suddenly closed the page of his life and left behind a forever unforgettable memory of grief in the heart of his family.
According to the account, in the early hours of the morning, a group of around seventy Daesh fighters attacked Hajam Kala. At this same time, Qari Bakhtiar Ali Farooq, along with six of his friends, was besieged in a hujra near his house. On one side was the hail of gunfire, and on the other, the heartbeat of family members, especially his mother, grew even faster.
His mother Bibi says, for about three or four hours she heard the sounds of firing, but she knew nothing of the fate of her son and his friends. According to her, because of severe anxiety, “the earth did not give me a place, and I did not have the strength to sit.”
Later, that news arrived that was heavier and more painful for a mother than any news: her son, Qari Bakhtiar Ali Farooq, and one other friend of his, had reached the high station of martyrdom in this same battle, in a state where they had also sent six Daeshis over the sword.
نَحْسَبُهُ كَذَٰلِكَ، وَاللّٰهُ حَسِيبُهُ.
