A Note on the Term "Shahid" for One Killed in War, and Likewise the Terms "The Late So-and-So" and "May Allah Forgive Him"
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The Shaykh : Now, there remains a question that many people ask, and it is a great error: if a man is killed in jihad, even if it is Islamic jihad, is it permissible for us to say that he is a shahid (martyr)?
The answer is no, it is not permissible to say that he is a shahid, even if he was killed in battle. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Mishkat al-Masabih 3802 His saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1656Sahih (Darussalam) is evidence that the matter depends on what is in his heart, and what is in his heart is not known to us. However, it is correct to say, "We hope that so-and-so is among the martyrs."
As for being definitive and saying, "So-and-so is a shahid," that is not permissible, because it is a testimony to what we do not know. Knowing that is entrusted to Allah. If you testified that he is a shahid, it would be permissible for you to say that he is in Paradise. It is not permissible to testify to Paradise for anyone except for those for whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) testified. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not testify that this specific man is among the people of Paradise. It is true that we testify that every shahid is in Paradise, and we testify that whoever is killed in the cause of Allah is a shahid, but not for a specific individual. Just as we testify that every believer is in Paradise, if you wanted to testify for a specific person who has a sign of faith that he is in Paradise, is that permissible or not?
The student: It is not permissible.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible. So there is a difference between generalization and specification, and I hope you pay attention to that, because we hear on the tongues of many people, "So-and-so is a shahid, so-and-so is a shahid." And Allah knows best who is a shahid in the cause of Allah.
The questioner : If he says, "If Allah wills"?
The Shaykh : He should not say "If Allah wills," but rather say, "We hope he is a shahid," because the phrase "If Allah wills" may be intended to mean certainty rather than suspension. Yes?
The questioner : Did he become a martyr, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : By Allah, I hesitate regarding this. I hesitate regarding the word "became a martyr," unless it is intended to mean that what happens to martyrs happened to him or occurred to him; in that case, there is no harm.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : We are speaking about the martyrs, we are speaking about the mujahideen in the cause of Allah.
As for "the late" and "may Allah forgive him" and the like, those who say them do not say them with certainty, but rather as an expression of hope, just as we say, "May Allah have mercy on so-and-so." This is permissible. But is the meaning that he is informing that Allah had mercy on him, or that he is supplicating that Allah have mercy on him?
The student: The second.
The Shaykh : The second one: likewise, "so-and-so is the late" does not mean we are informing that he is the late, for we do not know about him, but we hope and wish that he is the late. Has the time for questions come?
The student: To continue the previous lesson.
The Shaykh : How?
The student: To continue the previous lesson.
The Shaykh : I told you that when the time for questions comes... When did it start?
The student: From the day before yesterday...
The Shaykh : No, when did the time for questions start?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : That means twenty minutes have passed. Okay, let us have the questions, my brother Abdul Aziz, take turns, so that tonight it is from your turn?
The student: No, it is not from my turn...
The Shaykh : I say that the selection of questions should be from a specific side, but the reading of the questions should be by turns, because the brothers asked us for that. It is your turn to read now.
The answer is no, it is not permissible to say that he is a shahid, even if he was killed in battle. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
No one is wounded in God's path, and God knows best those who are wounded in His path, without coming on the day of resurrection with his wound spouting blood, the colour being that of blood but the fragrance that of musk.
ما من مكلوم يكلم في سبيل الله والله أعلم بمن يكلم في سبيله إلا جاء يوم القيامة وجرحه يثعب دما، اللون لون الدم والريح ريح المسكand Allah knows better about who has been injured in His cause
والله أعلم بمن يكلم في سبيلهAs for being definitive and saying, "So-and-so is a shahid," that is not permissible, because it is a testimony to what we do not know. Knowing that is entrusted to Allah. If you testified that he is a shahid, it would be permissible for you to say that he is in Paradise. It is not permissible to testify to Paradise for anyone except for those for whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) testified. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not testify that this specific man is among the people of Paradise. It is true that we testify that every shahid is in Paradise, and we testify that whoever is killed in the cause of Allah is a shahid, but not for a specific individual. Just as we testify that every believer is in Paradise, if you wanted to testify for a specific person who has a sign of faith that he is in Paradise, is that permissible or not?
The student: It is not permissible.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible. So there is a difference between generalization and specification, and I hope you pay attention to that, because we hear on the tongues of many people, "So-and-so is a shahid, so-and-so is a shahid." And Allah knows best who is a shahid in the cause of Allah.
The questioner : If he says, "If Allah wills"?
The Shaykh : He should not say "If Allah wills," but rather say, "We hope he is a shahid," because the phrase "If Allah wills" may be intended to mean certainty rather than suspension. Yes?
The questioner : Did he become a martyr, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : By Allah, I hesitate regarding this. I hesitate regarding the word "became a martyr," unless it is intended to mean that what happens to martyrs happened to him or occurred to him; in that case, there is no harm.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : We are speaking about the martyrs, we are speaking about the mujahideen in the cause of Allah.
As for "the late" and "may Allah forgive him" and the like, those who say them do not say them with certainty, but rather as an expression of hope, just as we say, "May Allah have mercy on so-and-so." This is permissible. But is the meaning that he is informing that Allah had mercy on him, or that he is supplicating that Allah have mercy on him?
The student: The second.
The Shaykh : The second one: likewise, "so-and-so is the late" does not mean we are informing that he is the late, for we do not know about him, but we hope and wish that he is the late. Has the time for questions come?
The student: To continue the previous lesson.
The Shaykh : How?
The student: To continue the previous lesson.
The Shaykh : I told you that when the time for questions comes... When did it start?
The student: From the day before yesterday...
The Shaykh : No, when did the time for questions start?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : That means twenty minutes have passed. Okay, let us have the questions, my brother Abdul Aziz, take turns, so that tonight it is from your turn?
The student: No, it is not from my turn...
The Shaykh : I say that the selection of questions should be from a specific side, but the reading of the questions should be by turns, because the brothers asked us for that. It is your turn to read now.