If you know a man for his righteousness, having associated with him and known him well, and he then fought in the path of Allah and was killed, should I call him a martyr?

The questioner : If you know a man for his righteousness and good intention, and you have associated with him so you know him well, and he went to fight in the path of Allah and was killed, Shaykh, is this what is said?

The Shaykh : Do not say anything. Say, "I think he is a martyr" or "I believe he is a martyr." As for being certain about his martyrdom, that is difficult. Have you seen the man who was with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in a battle and was the admiration of the people? He did not leave any matter, great or small, without advancing to it and excelling in it. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said one day: ... Be patient. He said, He has not fought out of tribal pride up to now. He said: This was a great shock to the Companions. How is it that this fighting, brave, courageous man, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) says he is in the Fire? So one of the people said, "By Allah, I will keep close to him, meaning I will follow him, until I see what the end is." So he followed him. This man was hit by an arrow, he panicked, he put his sword in his chest and leaned on it until it came out of his back, it came out of his back, refuge with Allah, so he killed himself. Then the man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah." He said: He said such and such. So look at this man's outcome? His outcome now is that he killed himself. And the Prophet did not say that the man fought out of tribal pride or out of courage. Allah knows their intentions. Allah knows who fights in His path. In any case, you should say, "I hope he is a martyr." And if you say "I hope," then if he is a martyr, that does not lower his status with Allah. And if he is not a martyr, you are not sinful because you hope for him, because his apparent deed is a good, righteous deed. But if you are certain, you will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection. Perhaps this person, may we seek safety from Allah, in his last breath in life, something happened to him.

The questioner : ...؟

The Shaykh : In any case, the hadith in al-Bukhari, the one I told you about, and we say, do not say to anyone now that he is a martyr, ever. Say, "I hope he is a martyr," "I think he is a martyr." Okay.

The questioner : Even if we know of miracles...?

The Shaykh : Never. And what are you now? Why do you say "martyr"? What is the benefit? As long as you now have a good opinion of him, a righteous martyr, that is enough. So if you now do not assert that he is a martyr, and he is a martyr with Allah, does his rank decrease? Never. And if you say he is a martyr, and he is not a martyr with Allah, he did not rise or become a martyr. If you are the one who exposed yourself to danger, now you are the one who exposed yourself to danger, for you testified for a person that he is a martyr, and your testimony entails testimony to Paradise, because all the martyrs with their Lord have their reward and their light. And this is also not permissible, and praise be to Allah. This is what harms, O brothers. Then there is another prohibition in that if you say so-and-so is a martyr, you are applying it to a man who may be worthy of martyrdom. Then another person comes and kills another person in a pre-Islamic age fight, a tribal fight, and it is said he is a martyr. And this is not a martyr if there is no intention in his heart that is not known. So he is not a martyr, because the one who kills out of tribal pride is not in the path of Allah. And the apparent state of the one who fights for tribalism is that it is tribal pride, not in the path of Allah. So we do not say he is a martyr. So if you say that this righteous man is a martyr, another says about a man whose state Allah knows best, that he is a martyr. And I say this issue because I have found that people now have made this word cheap, and it has become sold to every cheap and low person. Every person is described as a martyr. This is a problem. And the person, Allah the Exalted said: Every word you say, whether a declarative sentence or a performative sentence, you will be held accountable for it. And I am not the one who determines the fate of the world, so that it is said to me, "You determined that this is a martyr." The one who determines the fate is the All-Knowing, to Him is their destination, Mighty and Majestic. So I have no right to speak about this thing except for the one the Prophet testified to as such. And on my eyes and head. And it is also obligatory that for the one the Prophet testified to as such, I must testify to him as such, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said when he climbed Mount Uhud and it shook, and upon it were the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and 'Uthman, he said: This is what we now testify to, that Abu Bakr is the sincere friend, the highest rank after prophethood, and that 'Umar and 'Uthman are two martyrs. We must testify to this in verification of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Be patient. The four are complete. It is complete.