Martyrdom in Islam
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'Shahid' (Arabic: شَهيد šahīd, plural: شُهَداء šuhadā) is an Arabic word meaning "witness". It is a religious term in Islam, meaning "witness", as stated, but most often "martyr." Alternative spelling is shaheed. It is used as a title for Muslims who have died fulfilling a religious commandment, or waging war for Islam.
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[edit] General use
The shahid is considered one whose place in Paradise is promised according to these verses in the Qur'an:
| “ | Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord; 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 (martyr's) 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 the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran: and who is more faithful to his Covenant than Allah? Then rejoice in the bargain which ye have concluded: that is the achievement supreme. | „ |
Islam's prophet Muhammad is told to have said these words about Martyrs:
| “ | The martyrs requested of Allah the following; "For the sake of you, o Allah, send us back to the world again so that we may be martyred once more". | „ |
Muslims also believe that God grants the reward of martyrdom to those who die in a variety of ways, including death during childbirth, accidents such as fires and drownings, and epidemic diseases such as the plague.[1]
Regardless of how death occurred, Muslims believe that the reward of martyrdom is contingent upon proper belief, sincerity, perseverance and thankfulness to God.[2]
[edit] History
Muslim interpreters of the term opine that the "shahid" testifies by his or her death of his faith or that the "shahid" dies during saying the shahadah (الشهادة - the principle of Islam). But there are more occasions when someone can earn this honorific title, see below.
“The daughter of Khabbaat and the mother of ‘Ammaar ibn Yaasir, she was the seventh person to enter Islam. She was tortured by Abu Jahl who stabbed her in her private parts, and she died. She was the first shaheedah (martyr) in Islaam… Al-Mujaahid said: The first seven to publicly declare their Islam in Makkah were: the Messenger of Allah , Abu Bakr, Bilaal, Khabbaab, Suhayb, ‘Ammaar and Sumaya. The Messenger of Allah and Abu Bakr were protected by their own people, but the others were forced to wear iron shields then were exposed to the burning sun. Abu Jahl came to Sumaya and stabbed her in her private parts, killing her. This was reported by Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah from Mujaahid; it is mursal and its isnaad is saheeh. Ibn Sa’d reported with a saheeh isnaad from Mujaahid: The first martyr in Islam was Sumayah, the mother of ‘Ammaar ibn Yaasir. She was an old, weak woman (according to a report narrated by al-Bayhaqi: Abu Jahl stabbed her in her private parts. Al-Dalaa’il, 2/282). When Abu Jahl was killed on the day of Badr, the Prophet said (to ‘Ammaar): ‘Allah has killed the one who killed your mother.’” (al-Isaabah, 4/327; al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah by Ibn Katheer, 3/59).
The first martyr in Islam was the woman Sumayyah bint Khabbab[1], the first Muslim to die at the hands of the polytheists of Mecca (specifically, Abu Jahl). A famous person widely regarded as a martyr — indeed, an archetypal martyr for the Shia - is Husayn bin Ali, who died at the hands of the forces of the second Umayyad caliph Yazid I at Karbala. The Shia commemorate this event each year at Aashurah.
Muslims who died in an Islamic holy war were considered shaheed.
[edit] Modern Era
In the 20th century, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran emphasized the importance of martyrdom among Muslims, in the Iranian Revolution he led and later in the Iran–Iraq War when Iran fought against their invading neighbor, Iraq.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and a score of Iraqi and Afghani insurgents are among some of the jihadist groups that have engaged in "martyrdom operations" since.
In 1999, the President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev gave the victims of the 1990 Black January crackdown by Soviet troops the honorary title "Shahid of January 20."
[edit] Case of suicide bombings
Some Muslims use this term to describe those who die in suicide attacks, such as the attack on the United States Marines barracks in Lebanon in 1983, despite Islamic strictures against suicide[3]. Further, there is the fatwā that a person should not expose himself or herself to excessive, unnecessary risk.[4] In this case, the risk is considered unnecessary and excessive if death occurs in a situation that the individual knows to be "not safe." More controversial among Muslims is the use of that description for those who die in attacks which target noncombatants, such as those against Israelis in the Second Intifada and the September 11 attacks. [5]
[edit] Other uses
The term has also been used in this narrower sense by Arab Christians and by some Hindus and Sikhs
A Muslim who is killed defending his or her property (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book 43, Number 660) is considered a martyr.
[edit] Women
A woman is considered "shaheeda" (شهيدة) if she died during fulfillment of a religious commandment, but there is an argument among the Muslim sages as to whether a woman can participate in a war for religion.
[edit] See also
[edit] References & notes
- ^ Mufti Taqi Usman, "The Meaning of Shaheed".
- ^ Muqbil bin Haadee, "Calling someone a Shaheed (Martyr)
- ^ Verse 29 in the 4th chapter of the Quran, An-Nisaa (The Women) instructs; "And do not kill yourselves, surely Allah is most Merciful to you." (4:29)
- ^ Ibn Taymiyah, "Can a person be considered as a shaheed if he dies whilst on a business trip by sea?".
- ^ John Esposito, "Legitimate and Illegitimate Acts of Violence", July 24, 2007.
[edit] External links
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