If someone dies from a fall from a height, is he considered a martyr and are the rulings for martyrs applied to him, such that he is not washed, not shrouded, and no funeral prayer is performed over him?
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Question:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. A girl says that when she climbed the mountains to bring herbs for the cows and sheep, she fell and died by the will of Allah the Exalted. So her people committed a sin in this matter; they did not wash her, and they did not shroud her except in her clothes, with her testimony, saying that this is martyrdom. Were they correct?
Answer:
They are not correct in this. It is obligatory that she be washed, shrouded, and that the funeral prayer be performed over her, like the other funerals of the Muslims. As for her being a martyr, we hope for that for her, because she is among those who died by a sudden accident, such as a collapse, drowning, or falling from a height, like the case of this woman. A Muslim who dies by a sudden accident is hoped to be a martyr, but he is not treated like the martyrs of the battlefield. The non-washing, non-shrouding in clothes other than their own, and non-performance of the funeral prayer are specific to the martyrs of the battles in the cause of Allah, the mujahideen in the cause of Allah. If they are killed in the battle, if they are killed in the battle, then they are not washed, nor shrouded in anything other than the clothes in which they were killed, and their blood remains on them, and no funeral prayer is performed over them. Rather, they are buried as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did for the martyrs of Uhud. This is because they are martyrs in the sight of Allah, as He the Exalted said:[Ali 'Imran 3:169-171].
So the martyrs of the battles among the Muslims are those who are treated in this manner: they are buried with their blood and the clothes in which they were killed, they are not washed, and no funeral prayer is performed over them; so that the traces of martyrdom and the traces of jihad in the cause of Allah remain on them; because these are beloved traces, and Allah will resurrect them on the Day of Resurrection in the state in which they were killed.
They come with their blood to testify for them before Allah the Glorious and Exalted. This is the secret behind not washing them and not changing their clothes. As for the martyrs other than in battle, such as the martyrs of sudden accidents, these are martyrs in the Hereafter. As for in this world, they are treated like the dead,
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. A girl says that when she climbed the mountains to bring herbs for the cows and sheep, she fell and died by the will of Allah the Exalted. So her people committed a sin in this matter; they did not wash her, and they did not shroud her except in her clothes, with her testimony, saying that this is martyrdom. Were they correct?
Answer:
They are not correct in this. It is obligatory that she be washed, shrouded, and that the funeral prayer be performed over her, like the other funerals of the Muslims. As for her being a martyr, we hope for that for her, because she is among those who died by a sudden accident, such as a collapse, drowning, or falling from a height, like the case of this woman. A Muslim who dies by a sudden accident is hoped to be a martyr, but he is not treated like the martyrs of the battlefield. The non-washing, non-shrouding in clothes other than their own, and non-performance of the funeral prayer are specific to the martyrs of the battles in the cause of Allah, the mujahideen in the cause of Allah. If they are killed in the battle, if they are killed in the battle, then they are not washed, nor shrouded in anything other than the clothes in which they were killed, and their blood remains on them, and no funeral prayer is performed over them. Rather, they are buried as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did for the martyrs of Uhud. This is because they are martyrs in the sight of Allah, as He the Exalted said:
(169) And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision, (170) Rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty, and they receive good tidings about those [to be martyred] after them who have not yet joined them - that there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. (171) They receive good tidings of favor from Allah and bounty and [of the fact] that Allah does not allow the reward of believers to be lost -
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ فَرِحِينَ بِمَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَيَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِالَّذِينَ لَمْ يَلْحَقُوا بِهِم مِّنْ خَلْفِهِمْ أَلَّا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِنِعْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَفَضْلٍ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَSo the martyrs of the battles among the Muslims are those who are treated in this manner: they are buried with their blood and the clothes in which they were killed, they are not washed, and no funeral prayer is performed over them; so that the traces of martyrdom and the traces of jihad in the cause of Allah remain on them; because these are beloved traces, and Allah will resurrect them on the Day of Resurrection in the state in which they were killed.
They come with their blood to testify for them before Allah the Glorious and Exalted. This is the secret behind not washing them and not changing their clothes. As for the martyrs other than in battle, such as the martyrs of sudden accidents, these are martyrs in the Hereafter. As for in this world, they are treated like the dead,
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 4881- من مات من شاهق هل يعتبر شهيدًا وتطبق عليه أحكامه فلا يغسل ولا يكفن ولا يصلى عليه؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.