Originally Posted by Shahzaib Abbasi

They were surely not fighting for secularism brother. They were fighting for Islam and the continued to fight even after the conquest of Makkah as demonstrated by the conquest of Iraq, Iran and Syria up to the current state of Israel.

Giving up your life is not mandatory for a contribution to Islam, being a "Ghazi" is not a deplorable state, so the effort that one makes in the way of Islam is risky as it may or may not result in the loss of life or property. Hence there are risks involved and which is why those who take these risks are looked upon as great men.