What is a shaheed in Islam?
A shaheed (martyr) is a Muslim who dies in a way Allah honours, most of all someone killed while sincerely defending people in a just cause, but also those who die from plague, drowning, a collapsing building and other hard deaths. It is a title from Allah, not a label people can give to violence against innocents.
What the word means
"Shaheed" comes from a root meaning "witness". Scholars give several reasons for the name: the angels witness the martyr's death, Allah witnesses their sincerity, and the martyr witnesses the reward promised to them. The Quran describes them like this:
Who counts as a shaheed?
Many people are surprised by how wide the term is. The Prophet ﷺ said the martyrs are five: the one who dies of plague, the one who dies of a stomach illness, the one who drowns, the one crushed under a falling building, and the one killed in Allah's cause (Sahih al-Bukhari 2829). He also said that whoever is killed defending his property is a martyr (Sahih al-Bukhari 2480). Other narrations mention people who die in a fire and a woman who dies in childbirth.
Scholars therefore speak of two kinds:
- Martyr of this world and the next: killed on the battlefield in a legitimate, sincere fight. By agreement of the four schools, this person is buried in their clothes without the usual washing.
- Martyr of the next world only: people who die of plague, drowning, childbirth and so on. They receive a martyr's reward, but they are washed and prayed over like any Muslim. See What do Muslims believe happens after death?
Intention is everything
Martyrdom depends on sincerity. Someone who fights for fame or tribe is not a shaheed in Allah's sight. And the Prophet ﷺ said that whoever sincerely asks Allah for martyrdom will be raised to the rank of the martyrs even if he dies in his bed (Sahih Muslim 1909).
A martyr is forgiven everything except debt (Sahih Muslim 1886), which shows how seriously Islam takes other people's rights.
What a shaheed is not
Islam forbids killing non-combatants, women, children and people living in peace. Someone who murders innocent people or kills themselves to harm others is not a martyr, whatever they call themselves. Mainstream scholars across the world have said this clearly. See How do I understand the verses about fighting in the Quran?
- A shaheed is a Muslim who dies a death Allah honours, with sincere intention.
- It includes deaths by plague, drowning, collapse, childbirth and defending one's property.
- Only the battlefield martyr is buried unwashed; others get normal funeral rites.
- Harming innocents is never martyrdom.
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