Arash Shirazi — Chapter 28 Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

⚠️ This summary and analysis contains plot details from Chapter 28 of Martyr!. If you haven't read the chapter yet, you may want to do so first.

Summary

In May 1985, in Khuzestan, Iran, Arash Shirazi serves in the Iranian army. His superior, Arman, explains a peculiar practice: one man in every five hundred in each platoon is chosen to dress as an angel. The costume consists of a long black robe worn over the uniform, a black hood over the helmet, and a DC flashlight mounted in the horse's neck to illuminate the rider's face. Arman once demonstrated the costume while riding Arash's horse, Badbadak, whose name means “little wind wind.” The angel's role is to ride among the dying after battle, strengthening their conviction to endure suffering rather than end their own lives. Arman tells Arash a hadith about a dying soldier who, in agony, cut his own throat and was turned away from Jannah by the Prophet for not suffering manfully. This story becomes a central lesson for Arash.

A year earlier, Arman gave Arash a Zulfiqar-style sword with a split blade, meant to evoke the sword of Hazrat Ali. Arash rides Badbadak among the dead and dying, holding the drawn sword so its twin fangs catch the moonlight. He hears men cry for water but is forbidden to give any—Arman insists an angel would not carry water. One man vomits blood and goes quiet; another offers a gold wristwatch and then calls out “Mehrnaz,” which Arash initially takes as a loved one's name but later recalls Arman's warning that some men offer their own wives or sisters to escape death. A man with a leg wound gurgles through Ayat al Kursi, and Arash feels a fleeting sense of connection.

Throughout the chapter, Arash reflects on his own doubts about belief, his longing for Mira, a woman from the market, and the absurdity of his role. He notes that many of the dying are child soldiers, boys with men's names, sent into battle with keys to heaven around their necks. Arman reminds him that action is judged by intention, and Arash intends to help the men, even if he cannot fully share their faith.

Key Events

Arman explains the angel rider system to Arash, including the costume and the flashlight.
Arman demonstrates the costume on Badbadak, showing how the light makes the rider's face appear as a ball of light.
Arman tells the hadith of the soldier who cut his own throat and was turned away from Jannah.
Arash recalls receiving the Zulfiqar-style sword from Arman a year earlier.
Arash rides among the dying, hearing their pleas for water and witnessing their deaths.
A man vomits blood and goes silent; another offers a gold wristwatch and calls out “Mehrnaz.”
A man with a leg wound recites Ayat al Kursi through his tears and blood.
Arash reflects on child soldiers, the keys to heaven, and his own doubts about belief.

Character Development

Arash Shirazi is the chapter's focal point. He is torn between his role as an angel—a figure meant to inspire conviction—and his own skepticism. He admits he can only muster “scattered belief” in the prophets, yet he rides for the dying men, not for himself or his country. His compassion is evident in his desire to give water, though he obeys Arman's rule. His longing for Mira humanizes him, contrasting the grim battlefield with memories of the market. Arash's internal conflict deepens as he grapples with the moral weight of his actions: he is “too important to fight,” yet he feels he was chosen only because he fit the cloaks and could ride a horse.

Arman serves as a mentor and authority figure. He is devout, with the mark of his prayer rug on his forehead, and he imparts the hadith and the principle of intention over action. He is pragmatic about the angel's role, forbidding water and warning about men who offer their own kin. Arman's belief contrasts with Arash's doubt, but he still trusts Arash to carry out the mission.

Mira appears only in Arash's memories, but she represents a life outside war—a woman with fluorescent scarves and a plastic sword in her stall. She is a symbol of desire and normalcy, and Arash imagines her seeing him as an angel, perhaps loving him.

Badbadak is more than a horse; he is Arash's companion, a “kite” and “little wind wind,” described as dark and mighty. The horse's appearance, with fur around his hooves like cloaks, adds to the angelic imagery.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Suffering manfully versus suicide: The hadith and Arman's teachings emphasize that dying men must endure pain without taking their own lives. The angel riders exist to prevent suicide, preserving the men's hereafter.
Intention over action: Arman quotes the Quranic principle that action is judged by intention. Arash's intention to help the dying, even if he lacks belief, is what matters.
Amongness: The angel's presence among the dying gives them conviction. Arash reflects that “amongness” is the secret—being with an angel validates their suffering and promises Jannah.
Language's failure: Arash repeatedly notes how language fails to represent reality—calling the sun “the sun” means nothing, and calling someone a hero or coward is reductive. He also observes “my dead,” realizing how language fails again.
Child soldiers: The chapter highlights boys with men's names sent to war, carrying keys to heaven. This underscores the tragedy of war and the manipulation of faith.
Keys to heaven: The keys around the soldiers' necks symbolize the promise of paradise, but also the exploitation of their belief.
Angel riders: The black-robed, flashlight-lit riders are a surreal symbol of war's attempt to impose meaning on death.
Zulfiqar sword: The split-blade sword evokes Ali's legendary weapon, but Arash questions why an angel would carry it, adding to his confusion about his role.
Divine light: The flashlight creates a halo effect, reminiscent of how prophets are painted with a ball of fire for a head. This light is both sacred and artificial.
Thirst: The dying men's thirst is a visceral symbol of their suffering, and Arash's inability to give water highlights his powerlessness.
Death as fog: Arash describes death as a fog hanging over the valley, obscuring faces and identities, making the dying indistinguishable.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 28 provides crucial backstory for Arash Shirazi, revealing how he became an angel rider and the moral complexities he faces. It deepens the novel's exploration of faith, war, and the human cost of ideological manipulation. The chapter introduces the hadith that will likely echo in Arash's later decisions, and it establishes his relationship with Arman and his longing for Mira. By showing the angel riders as both comforting and absurd, the chapter critiques the machinery of war that uses religion to control soldiers. It also humanizes the dying men, making their suffering tangible and setting the stage for Arash's eventual choices.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Arman forbid Arash from giving water to the dying men?

Arman explains that an angel would not carry water, implying that the angel's role is purely spiritual, not physical. Giving water would break the illusion and undermine the angel's authority. The prohibition forces Arash to witness suffering without alleviating it, reinforcing the theme of suffering manfully.

2. How does Arash's view of his role as an angel differ from Arman's?

Arman sees the angel as a necessary instrument to preserve the men's hereafter, and he believes in the mission wholeheartedly. Arash, however, is skeptical and feels he was chosen for practical reasons—he fits the cloaks and can ride a horse. He doubts the theology but still intends to help the men, focusing on intention over belief.

3. What does the hadith about the soldier who cut his own throat teach Arash?

The hadith teaches that suicide, even in extreme agony, is a sin that bars one from Jannah. The Prophet turns the soldier away because he did not suffer manfully. Arash internalizes this lesson as he rides among the dying, understanding that his presence is meant to prevent such despair and keep the men on the path to paradise.

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