The Criterion for Using the Term (Shahid) in the Shari'ah
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[The Criterion for Using the Term (Shahid) in the Shari'ah]
The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (The master of the martyrs is Hamzah.
) to the end of the hadith, so what is the criterion for using the term shahid? Is it for the one who died in battle, or for a righteous person who was detained or imprisoned and then died? Is the term shahid applied to him?
The term shahid is undoubtedly a term beloved to souls [Al-Hadid: 19] , but it is not permissible for us to testify that a specific person is a shahid except for those whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) testified to, for the following reasons: The first reason: If we see a man fighting the disbelievers and he is killed, we do not say: This is a shahid,But we say: we hope that he is a shahid,Or we say in a general sense: everyone who is killed in the cause of Allah is a shahid, and that is because martyrdom is based on something unknown to us; it is based on the intention of the heart, and the intention of the heart is not known,For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (No one who is wounded in the cause of Allah, and Allah knows best who is wounded in His cause.
) And this is a precaution of the best precautions,As if he is saying: and do not judge that everyone who is killed or wounded in the cause of Allah is in the cause of Allah; because Allah knows best who is wounded in His cause, and thus we do not take the appearance as the basis,Meaning: we do not testify that this person is a shahid; because there may be something in his heart that we do not know. A person may fight with bravery, he may fight out of tribal pride, he may fight out of partisanship which is tribal pride, and he may fight so that the word of Allah is the highest, and this is in the cause of Allah, but this is based on intention.
The second aspect: that we do not say: So-and-so is a shahid;Because if we said: So-and-so is a shahid; it would necessitate that we testify for him that he is among the people of Paradise; because every shahid is among the people of Paradise without doubt, and it is not permissible to testify that a specific person is among the people of Paradise except for those whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) testified to,And if we do not say: that he is a shahid, and he was a shahid with Allah; our failure to testify for him does not harm him,And if we say: that he is a shahid, and he is not a shahid with Allah, does our testimony for him benefit him? If the matter is so; why do we let our tongues run in a matter we do not know?But we say: Whoever is killed in the cause of Allah is a shahid, and we hope that this man is among those who were killed in the cause of Allah and thus attains martyrdom.
The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (The master of the martyrs is Hamzah.
) to the end of the hadith, so what is the criterion for using the term shahid? Is it for the one who died in battle, or for a righteous person who was detained or imprisoned and then died? Is the term shahid applied to him?
The term shahid is undoubtedly a term beloved to souls
and the martyrs, with their Lord. For them is their reward and their light.
وَالشُّهَدَاءُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ وَنُورُهُمْ) And this is a precaution of the best precautions,As if he is saying: and do not judge that everyone who is killed or wounded in the cause of Allah is in the cause of Allah; because Allah knows best who is wounded in His cause, and thus we do not take the appearance as the basis,Meaning: we do not testify that this person is a shahid; because there may be something in his heart that we do not know. A person may fight with bravery, he may fight out of tribal pride, he may fight out of partisanship which is tribal pride, and he may fight so that the word of Allah is the highest, and this is in the cause of Allah, but this is based on intention.
The second aspect: that we do not say: So-and-so is a shahid;Because if we said: So-and-so is a shahid; it would necessitate that we testify for him that he is among the people of Paradise; because every shahid is among the people of Paradise without doubt, and it is not permissible to testify that a specific person is among the people of Paradise except for those whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) testified to,And if we do not say: that he is a shahid, and he was a shahid with Allah; our failure to testify for him does not harm him,And if we say: that he is a shahid, and he is not a shahid with Allah, does our testimony for him benefit him? If the matter is so; why do we let our tongues run in a matter we do not know?But we say: Whoever is killed in the cause of Allah is a shahid, and we hope that this man is among those who were killed in the cause of Allah and thus attains martyrdom.