We said that we do not call every mujahid who is killed in battle a shahid (martyr), and there is a hadith in which Mu'adh said about a man that he was a martyr, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved him.
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The questioner : We do not say that every person who is killed with the mujahideen is a shahid (martyr). As for the hadith of Mu'adh with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he asked him what he had done... Mu'adh said, "He told the truth; he was a martyr."
The Shaykh : Which hadith is this?
The questioner : The hadith of the Bedouin who prayed behind Mu'adh.
The Shaykh : Verify the hadith first, then bring it to us. Its answer is easy, O Shaker. Yes, the Messenger approved him as a martyr. Yes, because the Messenger knew that he was a martyr.
The questioner : But Mu'adh did not know. How is that?
The Shaykh : Yes, he did not know, but when the Messenger approved him, we know that he was a martyr and that Mu'adh's statement was true. But when I say "this is a martyr" and there is no infallible person before me to approve me of this, it is not permissible for me. Verify the hadith. Do not come tomorrow, if Allah wills, unless you bring us its chain of narration and the ruling on it.
The Shaykh : Which hadith is this?
The questioner : The hadith of the Bedouin who prayed behind Mu'adh.
The Shaykh : Verify the hadith first, then bring it to us. Its answer is easy, O Shaker. Yes, the Messenger approved him as a martyr. Yes, because the Messenger knew that he was a martyr.
The questioner : But Mu'adh did not know. How is that?
The Shaykh : Yes, he did not know, but when the Messenger approved him, we know that he was a martyr and that Mu'adh's statement was true. But when I say "this is a martyr" and there is no infallible person before me to approve me of this, it is not permissible for me. Verify the hadith. Do not come tomorrow, if Allah wills, unless you bring us its chain of narration and the ruling on it.