The Meaning of Martyrdom in the Cause of Allah
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Who is a martyr in the cause of Allah?
The Shaykh: First: Do you know the meaning of "in the cause of Allah"?The questioner: Defending one's honor.
The Shaykh: No, defending one's honor is undoubtedly martyrdom, but it is not martyrdom in the cause of Allah. By that, I mean if a person, for example, intends to commit a heinous act against your family, you may defend yourself until you die. If you are killed, you are a martyr, but it is not martyrdom in the cause of Allah.Martyrdom in the cause of Allah is: That a person is killed while fighting so that the word of Allah is the supreme word; this is the standard. If he is killed so that the word of Allah is the supreme word, he is a martyr. But is it permissible for us to testify that this specific man is a martyr? It is not permissible. So do not be deceived by the words of people. Every person who is killed, even if he was killed for the sake of nationalism, Arabism, or the like, they say: "He is a martyr"; this is not correct. Listen to the words of al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) in his Sahih, where he said: "Chapter: It is not said that so-and-so is a martyr," "except for those whose status as martyrs is established, such as the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) when he ascended the mountain at Uhud and the mountain shook, so he said: (Be quiet, or be firm, O Uhud, for upon you is a Prophet, a close friend, and two martyrs) The Prophet is Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the close friend is Abu Bakr, and the two martyrs are 'Umar and 'Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them).
So we testify that 'Uthman is a martyr, 'Umar is a martyr, and 'Ali is a martyr,But as for one who is killed while fighting, we do not say: that he is a martyr.
Then al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) cited a hadith as evidence, which may be hidden from many people, but al-Bukhari has wonderful derivations from the hadiths. He would bring a chapter heading, then bring a hadith that you might think is far from the heading, but his understanding was precise (may Allah have mercy on him). He brought the hadith: (No one is wounded in the cause of Allah—Allah knows best who is wounded in His cause—except that on the Day of Resurrection he will come with his wound oozing blood, the color the color of blood, and the scent the scent of musk) He derived from His saying: (Allah knows best who is wounded in His cause) that it is not permissible for us to say: "So-and-so is a martyr"; because this knowledge is with Allah. And the author of Fath al-Bari mentioned a report from 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he gave a sermon and said: [O people! You say: "So-and-so is a martyr," "So-and-so is a martyr," and perhaps he did such and such. But say: "Whoever is killed in the cause of Allah or dies is a martyr"] .
So we do not say to a specific person: that he is a martyr, even if he was killed in the ranks of the Muslims while fighting the disbelievers, and Allah knows best.
The Shaykh: First: Do you know the meaning of "in the cause of Allah"?The questioner: Defending one's honor.
The Shaykh: No, defending one's honor is undoubtedly martyrdom, but it is not martyrdom in the cause of Allah. By that, I mean if a person, for example, intends to commit a heinous act against your family, you may defend yourself until you die. If you are killed, you are a martyr, but it is not martyrdom in the cause of Allah.Martyrdom in the cause of Allah is: That a person is killed while fighting so that the word of Allah is the supreme word; this is the standard. If he is killed so that the word of Allah is the supreme word, he is a martyr. But is it permissible for us to testify that this specific man is a martyr? It is not permissible. So do not be deceived by the words of people. Every person who is killed, even if he was killed for the sake of nationalism, Arabism, or the like, they say: "He is a martyr"; this is not correct. Listen to the words of al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) in his Sahih, where he said: "Chapter: It is not said that so-and-so is a martyr," "except for those whose status as martyrs is established, such as the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) when he ascended the mountain at Uhud and the mountain shook, so he said: (Be quiet, or be firm, O Uhud, for upon you is a Prophet, a close friend, and two martyrs) The Prophet is Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the close friend is Abu Bakr, and the two martyrs are 'Umar and 'Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them).
So we testify that 'Uthman is a martyr, 'Umar is a martyr, and 'Ali is a martyr,But as for one who is killed while fighting, we do not say: that he is a martyr.
Then al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) cited a hadith as evidence, which may be hidden from many people, but al-Bukhari has wonderful derivations from the hadiths. He would bring a chapter heading, then bring a hadith that you might think is far from the heading, but his understanding was precise (may Allah have mercy on him). He brought the hadith: (No one is wounded in the cause of Allah—Allah knows best who is wounded in His cause—except that on the Day of Resurrection he will come with his wound oozing blood, the color the color of blood, and the scent the scent of musk) He derived from His saying: (Allah knows best who is wounded in His cause) that it is not permissible for us to say: "So-and-so is a martyr"; because this knowledge is with Allah. And the author of Fath al-Bari mentioned a report from 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he gave a sermon and said: [O people! You say: "So-and-so is a martyr," "So-and-so is a martyr," and perhaps he did such and such. But say: "Whoever is killed in the cause of Allah or dies is a martyr"] .
So we do not say to a specific person: that he is a martyr, even if he was killed in the ranks of the Muslims while fighting the disbelievers, and Allah knows best.