Is the one who enters prison because of his activity in calling to Allah, and then dies in prison under the weight of torture, considered a martyr, or is the martyr only the one who dies solely for the belief in the oneness of Allah, and not for other aspects of the Islamic religion?

The Shaykh : Number twelve: Is the one who enters prison because of his activity in calling to Allah or something similar, and then dies in prison under the weight of torture, considered a martyr, or is the martyr only the one who dies solely for the belief in the oneness of Allah, and not for other aspects of the Islamic religion?
The answer is that the one who dies in prison because of his activity in calling to Allah, the Exalted, undoubtedly dies a good death and dies in the path of Allah, the Exalted. However, there is no mention of this type being among the martyrs. The martyrs, according to the scholars, are of two categories: the martyr of the battlefield, which is the primary meaning of a martyr, and it is the one for whom the rulings of martyrs were established when the term is used without qualification. Then there is another category that the Wise Lawgiver attached to the first category in terms of virtue, not in terms of the legal rulings He established for the first category of martyrs, namely the martyrs of the battlefield. For example, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said that the one who drowns is a martyr Likewise, the one who dies from a stomach ailment, which is cholera, dies a martyr. There are many hadiths that I had collected in the rulings on funerals, in all of which the Messenger (peace be upon him) declared them martyrs. For example, a woman who dies because of her fetus, and a man or woman who dies from tuberculosis; the Wise Lawgiver made all these people martyrs. But these people are not treated like a martyr of the battlefield. A martyr of the battlefield is not washed, not shrouded, and is buried in the clothes in which he died. As for these whom the Lawgiver attached to the martyrs of the battlefield, their rulings are the rulings of all righteous and wicked Muslims: they are washed, shrouded, and buried... like all Muslims. But they have this virtue. These are martyrs by ruling, whereas in reality, the martyr is the one who dies on the battlefield. If a man goes out for jihad in the path of Allah and his camel throws him and his neck is broken and he dies, we say he died in the path of Allah because he went out in the path of Allah, but he is not considered a martyr of the battlefield, so he is not washed or shrouded, but rather he is treated like the dead of the Muslims.
Likewise, this man who was imprisoned in the path of his calling to Allah died in the path of Allah, because if a man goes out to earn a living to support himself and his parents, he is in the path of Allah. So how could the one who dies imprisoned because of his calling not be in the path of Allah? But we do not find in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), let alone in the Book of Allah, anything that attaches this type to the other types we mentioned, which the Messenger (peace be upon him) called martyrs. Perhaps the wisdom in restricting the scope of martyrdom, while the Lawgiver expanded it somewhat, is to preserve the value and sanctity of this term in Islam, so that the matter does not become such that the term becomes commonplace and is applied to any person, even to disbelievers, and "George Ghamal" is not far from your mention. This man is a martyr, and there are many martyrs like him. Recently, I heard that some obituaries were announced stating that so-and-so died a martyr because he died in the pursuit of knowledge. Then Allah knows best; we do not know what knowledge he was studying, but they simply declared that he died a martyr. This expansion in using the term martyrship first contradicts the limits of the Shari'ah; it is not permissible. We throw this word around and apply it to any person, even if he died in the path of Allah. I told you that the man who mounted his horse and set out for jihad in the path of Allah, fell and died; he died in the path of Allah, but he was not called a martyr. Likewise, the one who died in prison was not called a martyr. Likewise, the one who died in the pursuit of knowledge was not called a martyr. But he died in the pursuit of knowledge, intending thereby the pleasure of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, and being sincere to Allah, the Exalted, so he is in the path of Allah. But we must know that the path of Allah is very broad, whereas martyrdom is limited to the boundaries set by the Wise Lawgiver, either in the Book or in the Sunnah and the authentic Sunnah.
From the previous answer, we know the full question, which is his saying: "Or is the martyr only the one who dies solely for the belief in the oneness of Allah, and not for other aspects of the Islamic religion?" Of course, you have understood the answer. Whether he died in the calling in the path of the belief in the oneness of Allah while imprisoned, or in the path of the general calling to Islam, this and that is not a martyr. But the important thing is that the martyr is the one to whom the Wise Lawgiver applied the name of martyrdom. However, there is a very great difference between the one who calls to the oneness of Allah and is imprisoned and dies imprisoned, and our example for that is the most famous of examples: the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him). Here we take a lesson from the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. He was imprisoned in the path of the pure calling to the oneness of Allah, and he was imprisoned because he was explaining to the masses the calling of "La ilaha illa Allah" in truth. He detailed for them the oneness of lordship, the oneness of worship, and the oneness of attributes. So in the path of explaining the oneness of worship and the oneness of attributes, he died imprisoned because of the injustice of the scholars of his time who opposed his calling. Was the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), who was among the most beloved of people to him and he was the most beloved of people to them, described as a martyr? Did they say about him that he is a martyr? If there is a prisoner who deserves to be described as a martyr, it is the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him). But we know that he died in the path of Allah, and that is sufficient for us. And perhaps a person died in the path of Allah and is with Allah, the Exalted. This is also a point that the masses of people who do not study religious knowledge, but are content with a general understanding of Islam and a general calling to this Islam, must know, while they are far removed from the details. So here, in fact, we must mention this on this occasion: perhaps a person died in the path of Allah, and we do not find a way in the Shari'ah to call him a martyr, who is better with Allah, Blessed and Exalted, than a person for whom we find in the Shari'ah that he is described as a martyr. Thus, the comparison of degrees with Allah, Blessed and Exalted, is not based merely on whether one deserves the name of martyr or not, but the comparison is based on the deeds, the sum of deeds with which this person comes, whether he died in the path of Allah or died a martyr with Allah, Blessed and Exalted. So whoever has a greater sum of deeds with Allah is higher in degree with Him in Paradise than the other, even if the Lawgiver applied the name of martyr to him. This is also a reminder, and the reminder benefits the believers.

The questioner : If it is said that he is in the path of Allah, is the description of martyr not applied to him if he did not die in a battle?

The Shaykh : Our research returns: if you find a text, say it, and if not, do not say it. Did you find one? I did not find one.

The questioner : Nor did I.

The Shaykh : Well, then the question returns and the answer returns.