What is the martyr in reality and the martyr by ruling?

The questioner : A martyr, or one who was martyred in the path of Allah?

The Shaykh : The martyr in Islam, my dear brothers, has two states: either his martyrdom is real, or it is by ruling and not real. There are two types of martyrdom. The first type is the Muslim who is killed in battle while fighting in the path of Allah; this is the martyr in reality. This has known rulings in Islam: he is not washed, not shrouded, and is buried in his clothes stained with noble blood, and he is buried in the place where he fell. These are specific rulings for the martyr in battle. Then there is martyrdom by ruling, which does not entail the rulings associated with the real martyr. This type of martyrdom naturally takes its status from what the Wise Lawgiver has decreed, stating that whoever possesses such a characteristic is a martyr. For example, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . These are some examples of what is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) where he applied the title of martyr to them. However, the scholars are unanimous that this application does not grant them the virtue of the real martyr who died in battle; rather, it is a matter of approximation in virtue. That is, those to whom the Messenger (peace be upon him) applied the title, or each one of them, has a virtue that others who do not die in one of these states do not share. "Are you not those who strive against the polytheists with your souls, your wealth, and your tongues?" So, the one who writes articles or prints treatises in refuting the disbelieving polytheists is a type of jihad, without a doubt. The one who assists them with his wealth is also a type of jihad in the path of Allah the Exalted. But he is not called a martyr by the Shari'ah if he dies in this state, because martyrdom is a legal ruling that is not permissible to apply to everyone who strives in the path of Allah in any type of jihad. It is only standing with one's soul. We give you an example of a man whom women rarely bore in terms of jihad in the general sense, namely Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. It is sufficient for you that he died in prison, unjustly and oppressively detained, because he was resolute in the truth and no one could make him fear Allah. Show us any book by the Muslim scholars who write biographies of this man and describe him as a nation alone, and they call him "Ibn Taymiyyah the Martyr." The truth is, and I say the truth, that this word has become so common that we laugh at some people: a man kills another unjustly, oppressively, and tyrannically, and then another kills the killer. When this killer, who has become a victim and received his due in this world, is carried on the bier and on people's heads, you hear people saying, "The martyr is the beloved of Allah." So, martyrdom has become a common word among us. In Syria, the story of a man in the war with the Jews became widespread, named Jursh Jamal. You may have heard his name. This man was a Christian and became among the Muslims, and due to their ignorance, misguidance, and distance from Islam, they called him "Martyr Jursh Jamal," and even named a large school after him: "Martyr Jursh Jamal School." What justified this extreme deviation in applying this name even to a disbeliever? We have been lax in using this word to the extent that we included under it any meaning, meaning his status in Islam. This is not permissible Islamically. We must stand as Allah the Exalted said: . So, in conclusion, we do not apply the title or name of martyr except to what came in the Sunnah, because he is a martyr no matter how great his work, as we gave you the example of this great man, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, who died while a prisoner. We do not say he is a martyr. And if we were to apply this word to some people who performed well in serving Islam and fighting the enemies of Islam, we would say "Martyr Ibn Taymiyyah." But far be it from us to exalt people with words for which we have not been given permission in the Shari'ah of Allah the Exalted to use them. In that is a lesson for those who take heed and a reminder for those who remember.