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Shahid or shaheed is an Islamic term of Arabic-origin meaning "martyr", used byMuslims formujahideen who die while fighting in the way ofAllah.[1] The word is used frequently in theQuran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); the latter sense acquires wider usage in thehadith.[2][3] The term is also used in some non-Muslim communities whose cultures were influenced byIslamic persianate empires, such as amongstHindus andSikhs in India.
The term is commonly used as a posthumous title for those who are considered to have accepted or even consciously sought out their own death in order to bear witness to their beliefs.[4] Like the English-language wordmartyr, in the 20th century, the wordshahid came to have both religious and non-religious connotations, and has often been used to describe those who died for non-religious ideological causes.[5][6]
InArabic, the wordshahid means "witness". The broadening of the term's meaning over time closely parallels that of the Greek word martyr (μάρτυς,lit. 'witness'; also "martyr" in theNew Testament), the origin of the termmartyr.
A shahid is considered one whose place inParadise is promised according to these verses in theQuran:
Think not of those who are slain inAllah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of theirLord; They rejoice in the bounty provided by Allah. And with regard to those left behind, who have not yet joined them (in their bliss), the (Martyrs) glory in the fact that on them is no fear, nor have they (cause to) grieve.
Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through theTorah, theGospel, and the Qur’an: and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah? then rejoice in the bargain which ye have concluded: that is the achievement supreme.
The Quranic passage that follows is the source of the concept of Muslim martyrs being promised Paradise:
Those who leave their homes in the cause of Allah, and are then slain or die,- On them will Allah bestow verily a goodly Provision: Truly Allah is He Who bestows the best provision. Verily He will admit them to a place with which they shall be well pleased: for Allah is All-Knowing, Most Forbearing.
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The importance of faith is highlighted in the following hadith:
It has been narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Who seeks martyrdom with sincerity shall get its reward, though he may not achieve it.
— Collected byMuslim ibn al-Hajjaj, "Sahih Muslim"[8]
Narrated Sahl ibn Hunayf: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Whoever asks Allah for martyrdom with the sincere intention of Allah, Allah will grant him the status of a martyr, even if he dies in his bed.”
— Muslim 1909, Tirmidhi 1653, Nasa’i 3162, Abu Dawud 1520, Ibn Majah 2797, Darimi 2407
It is thus not the outcome that determines the placement in Heaven but rather the intention.
Nonetheless, Paradise for a shahid is a popular concept in the Islamic tradition according to Hadith, and the attainment of this title is honorific.
Muhammad is reported to have said these words about martyrdom:
By Him in Whose Hands my life is! I would love to be martyred in Allah's Cause and then get resurrected and then get martyred, and then get resurrected again and then get martyred and then get resurrected again and then get martyred.
— Collected byMuhammad al-Bukhari,Sahih al-Bukhari[9]
The Prophet said, "Nobody who enters Paradise likes to go back to the world even if he got everything on the Earth, except a Mujahid who wishes to return to the world so that he may be martyred ten times because of the dignity he receives (from Allah).
— Collected byMuhammad al-Bukhari,Sahih al-Bukhari[10]
Several hadith also indicate the nature of a shahid's life in Paradise. Shahids attain the highest level of Paradise, the Paradise of al-Firdous.
Haritha was martyred on the day (of the battle) of Badr, and he was a young boy then. His mother came to the Prophet and said, "O Allah's Apostle! You know how dear Haritha is to me. If he is in Paradise, I shall remain patient, and hope for reward from Allah, but if it is not so, then you shall see what I do?" He said, "May Allah be merciful to you! Have you lost your senses? Do you think there is only one Paradise? There are many Paradises and your son is in the (most superior) Paradise of Al-Firdaus.
— Collected byMuhammad al-Bukhari,Sahih al-Bukhari[11]
Furthermore, Samura narrated:
The Prophet said, "Last night two men came to me (in a dream) and made me ascend a tree and then admitted me into a better and superior house, better of which I have never seen. One of them said, 'this house is the house of martyrs.'
— Collected byMuhammad al-Bukhari,Sahih al-Bukhari[12]
There are at least five different kinds of martyrs according to hadith.
Allah's Apostle said, "Five are regarded as martyrs: They are those who die because of plague, abdominal disease, drowning or a falling building etc., and the martyrs in Allah's cause.
— Collected byMuhammad al-Bukhari,Sahih al-Bukhari[13]
One who dies protecting his property is also considered a martyr according to Hadith:
I heard the Prophet saying, "Whoever is killed while protecting his property then he is a martyr.
— Collected byMuhammad al-Bukhari,Sahih al-Bukhari[14]
While the Qur'an does not indicate much about martyrs' death and funeral, the hadith provides some information on this topic. For example, martyrs are to be buried two in one grave in their blood, without being washed or having a funeral prayer held for them. The following Hadith highlight this:
The Prophet collected every two martyrs of Uhud in one piece of cloth, then he would ask, "Which of them had (known) more of the Quran?" When one of them was pointed out for him, he would put that one first in the grave and say, "I will be a witness on these on the Day of Resurrection." He ordered them to be buried with their blood on their bodies and they were neither washed nor was a funeral prayer offered for them.
— Collected byMuhammad al-Bukhari,Sahih al-Bukhari[15]
Imran ibn Yazid (RA) ... Abu Hurairah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A martyr will not feel the pain of being killed more than the pain of being bitten by an ant or pinched by a pin."
— Ibn Majah 2802. Tahqiq: Hasan.
Yahya ibn Habib al-Harithi (may Allah be pleased with him) ..... Narrated Sulayman ibn Yasar (may Allah be pleased with him). He said, Once when the people were leaving Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), Natil (may Allah be pleased with him) from Syria said, O Sheikh! Tell us a hadith that you heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He said, Yes! (I will listen). I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, The first person to be judged on the Day of Resurrection will be a martyr. He will be brought and Allah will tell him about his blessings and he will recognize them all (and will confess them as usual). Then Allah the Almighty will say, What did you do in return for this? He will say, I fought in Your way until I was martyred. Then Allah will say, "You have lied. Rather, you fought so that people would say of you, 'You are a warrior.'" It has been said, and then the command will be given. According to that, he will be dragged on his back and thrown into Hell.
— Muslim 1905
"Around the Throne are pulpits of light, on which will be seated a group of people, whose clothes are light and whose faces are light, but they are neither prophets nor martyrs, and the prophets and martyrs will envy them." The companions said: O Messenger of Allah! Describe for us their description." He said: They are those who love one another for the sake of Allah, who befriend one another for the sake of Allah, and who are friends with one another for the sake of Allah. Interviewer./"Among the servants of Allah are some who are neither prophets nor martyrs; but on the Day of Resurrection, the prophets and martyrs will envy them (i.e., will be happy to see their high status) in the court of Allah.
The Companions asked: O Messenger of Allah! Tell us who they are?
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: They are those who love each other for the sake of Allah, sit together for the sake of Allah, and meet each other for the sake of Allah. On the Day of Resurrection, their seats will be of light, their clothes will be of light, and their faces will be of light. When people are afraid, they will not be afraid, and when people are worried, they will not be worried."
— Musnad Ahmad: Hadith number 22080 (narrated by Mu'adh ibn Jabal).
Sunan Abu Dawud: Hadith number 3527 (narrated by Umar ibn al-Khattab).Sahih Ibn Hibban: Hadith number 573. Silsilat al-Sahihah 2510
Mustadrak al-Hakim: Hadith number 7314."Nasa'i, as-Sunan al-Kubra and the hadith is sahih.The Sahabas specifically mentioned as Shahid in Hadith are (shia dispute some are considered shahid with them marked as *):
The wordshahid (Punjabi:ਸ਼ਹੀਦ) is also found inSikhism, a religion founded byGuru Nanak in the northwest part of theIndian subcontinent (now Pakistan and India). It means a martyr.[16][17][18]
The term was borrowed from the Islamic culture inPunjab when Sikhism was founded, and before the start of theBritish Raj it referred to the Sikh people who met death at the hands of oppressors.[16] Another related term isshahid-ganj, which means a "place of martyrdom".[16][19]
The most discussedshahid in Sikhism have been two of theirGurus, namelyGuru Arjan andGuru Tegh Bahadur for defying Islamic rulers and refusing to convert to Islam.[18] Guru Arjan was arrested under the orders of the Mughal EmperorJahangir and asked to convert to Islam.[20][21] He refused, was tortured and executed in 1606 CE.[20][22] Historical records and the Sikh tradition are unclear whether Guru Arjan was executed by drowning or died during torture.[20][23] His martyrdom, that is becoming ashahid, is considered a watershed event in the history of Sikhism.[20][24]
Guru Tegh Bahadur's martyrdom resulted from refusing to convert and for resisting the forced conversions ofHindus inKashmir toIslam because he believed in freedom of conscience and human rights.[25] He was publicly beheaded in 1675 on the orders ofMughal emperorAurangzeb inDelhi.[26][27]Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Delhi marks theshahid-ganj, or place of execution of the Guru.[28]
The Sikh have other major pilgrimage sites, such as the shahid-ganj in Sirhind, where two sons ofGuru Gobind Singh werebricked alive[29] by theMughal Army in retaliation of their father's resistance. In Muktsar, near a lake is a shahid-ganj dedicated to forty men who died defending Guru Gobind Singh.[19]
In the eighteenth century, several wars of independence took place in the colonial territories of the Muslim world, and many of the soldiers who died in these conflicts were buried asshuhadāʾ (martyrs).[30]
A Muslim who is killed defending his or her property is considered a martyr.[14]
Bosnians who died during theBosnian War and theBosnian genocide are considered martyrs by many due to them being killed for being Muslim.
The Muslim GeneralMa Fuxiang stated on how Chinese Muslims were willing to die to accomplish tasks assigned to them.[31]Imams sponsored by the Kuomintang called for Muslims to go onJihad to become martyrs in battle, where Muslims believe they will go automatically to heaven. Becoming a shaheed in the Jihad for the country was encouraged by the Kuomintang, which was called "glorious death for the state" and ahadith promoting nationalism was spread.[32] A song written by Xue Wenbo at the Muslim Chengda school, which was controlled by the Kuomintang, called for martyrdom in battle for China against Japan.[33] The Muslim GeneralBai Chongxi himself was a member of a Dare to Die corps in the Xinhai revolution.[34]
Some Uyghur activists have referred to victims of thePersecution of Uyghurs in China that died, martyrs.
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In modern political usage, variousPalestinian groups consider all Palestinians killed in theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict to be martyrs for the cause, whether they were civilians or fighters.[35] Groups such asHamas and thePalestinian Islamic Jihad consider martyrdom as the highest form of sacrifice for the Palestinian cause.[36][37] This ethos is widespread in educational materials, visual media, community events and ceremonies.
A woman is considered "shahida" (شَهِيدَةšahīdah) if she dies during the fulfillment of a religious commandment. A woman can also be considered a martyr if she dies during childbirth.[38] There are examples of women fighting in war such asNusaybah bint Ka'ab. The first martyr (male or female) in Islam wasSumayyah bint Khayyat, who was executed for her conversion to Islam. She died after Abu Jahl, an anti-Muslim leader of theQuraysh, stabbed her in the abdomen.[39] Though her name is not common in the modern Muslim dialogue, ancient Islamic literature makes note of the events at the end of her life.[40]
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Over a period of time, the word "shahid" began to be used by non-Muslims such asArab Christians to denote their own martyrs. So the word is still used by Christians in Arab-speaking countries, including the names of churches. Examples are theForty Martyrs Cathedral (Arabic:كنيسة الأربعين شهيد) inAleppo and theSaint George the Martyr Cathedral (Arabic:كنيسة القدّيس الشهيد مار جرجس)[41] inDamascus, both inSyria.
In South Asia,Hindus adopted the word "shahid" as a synonym to theSanskrit word "hutātmā" (हुतात्मा inDevanagari and হুতাত্মা inBengali; हुत् and হুত্ hut = sacrificing, आत्मा and আত্মা ātmā = soul, thus hutātmā = sacrificing soul / martyr), to denote Hindu martyrs.
Those who fight and die in the way ofAllah with the pure intention of upholding the word ofTawheed are the true martyrs, and the condition for accepting Shahadat (martyrdom) to Allah is that one does not fight for the sake of showing off, to be called brave, or to make people listen.[42][43]
According to Islam, all sins of a martyr are forgiven, except for debts.[44][45]
In Islam, if someone other than those mentioned as Shahid in the Quran and Hadith fulfills the conditions for being a Shahid, then according to the prohibition ofUmar as narrated in Sahih Muslim, he cannot be called a martyr directly,[46] Because this means that he is certain to be in Paradise after death, which is impossible to know without Allah's knowledge, many scholars includingAssim al-Hakeem advise that it is better to say "We hope and pray that Allah will accept him as a martyr" rather than saying "Shahid".[47][48]
Yahya ibn Bukair (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to supplicate:اللَّهُمَّ ارْزُقْنِي شَهَادَةً فِي سَبِيلِكَ، وَاجْعَلْ مَوْتِي فِي بَلَدِ رَسُولِكَ صلى الله عليه وسلم (O Allah! Grant me martyrdom in Your path and cause me to die in the city of Your Messenger). Ibn Zuray'i (may Allah be pleased with him) ... Narrated Hafsa bint Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrate the same. Hisham (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with him) from his father, who said: I heard Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) say. Abu 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Rawah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from his mother."
— Bukhari, 1769
This second martyrdom helped to make 'human rights and freedom of conscience' central to its identity." and "This is the reputed place where several Kashmiri pandits came seeking protection from Auranzeb's army.
Home > October 2013 > Q&A Question (17/17): Can a person be called by adding the word "Shahid" before his name? Answer read 1327 times: No. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "Allaah is most knowing of those who are wounded in the way of Allaah." (Bukhari, Muslim; Mishkat Ha/3802). Umar Farooq (may Allaah be pleased with him) once said in a sermon, "You say that such and such a person is a Shahid, such and such a person is a martyr. Do not say that. Rather, say what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say. And that is, whoever dies or is killed in the way of Allaah is a Shahid." (Ahmad Ha/285, isnaad Hasan; Fathul Bari 'Jihad' chapter 6/90). The word "martyr" mentioned in this hadeeth does not mean the title of Shahid. Rather, it means attaining the status of a Shahid. No companion who was killed in the path of Allah was called by adding the title 'Shahid' to his name. Therefore, it is not in accordance with the Shariah to call someone by adding the title 'Shahid' to his name.
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