KHUTAB III - 35. MARTYR AND MARTYRDOM

35.  MARTYR AND MARTYRDOM

          The term martyr in Arabic is shahīd(شَهِيْد)  is the emphatic form (صِيْغَة (مُبَالَغَة  of the term shāhid  (شَاهِد) which basically means “a witness”. It is like the term ‘alīm (عَلِيْم) meaning “the Omniscient” (one of the attributes of Allah), and ‘ālim (عَالِم), meaning “knowledgeable person, a scholar”. A person who dies in the path of Allah is called shahīd (martyr), because the angels of mercy witness him and the way of his death.

          According to mufassirīn (commentators of the Qur’ān) the term shahīd in the Qur’ān has seven wujūh (homonyms, or better, contextual meanings), as follows:

1.    النَّبِيُّ الْمُبَلِّغُ (the prophet who conveys the message of Islam to his people),        as  in the following verse:  وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أُولَئِكَ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ وَيَقُولُ الْأَشْهَادُ هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ كَذَبُوا عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ ... (هود : ١٨)   “Who does more wrong than he who invents a lie against Allah. Such will be brought before their Lord, and the witnesses will say, ‘These are the ones who lied against their Lord…’” (Q. 11:18). These witnesses are the prophets who will be called upon in the Judgment day to testify for or against the communities to whom they were sent.

2. اْلمَلِكُ اْلحَافِظُ  (the angel who keeps the record of man’s deeds), as in the verse,   وَجَاءَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَعَهَا سَائِقٌ وَشَهِيدٌ (ق : ٢١) “And every soul will come, with a driver and a witness.” (Q. 50:21). The term سَائِقٌ  (a driver) is “an angel who drives the soul to Allah’s Judgment”; the term َشَهِيدٌ (a witness), is “an angel who records and testifies its deeds.”

3. أُمَّةُ مُحَمَّدٍ ص.م.   (the ummah of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.), as in the verse: رَبَّنَا آَمَنَّا بِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ وَاتَّبَعْنَا الرَّسُولَ فَاكْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّاهِدِينَ (آل عمران : ٥٣)  “Our Lord, we have believed in what You revealed and have followed the Messenger; so write us down among those who bear witness (to the truth)” (Q. 3:53). Here the termالشَّاهِدِينَ  (lit. “the witnesses to the truth”) are the followers of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. This is the meaning if we cite it separately from its previous verses, especially  if we cite it as a du‘ā’ (supplication), that Allah may include us among the Prophet’s followers. But if the verse is considered to be the continuation of its previous verse dealing with Prophet ‘Īsā (Jesus) a.s. and his disciples, theحَوَارِيِّيْن  (lit. “the helpers”), then the verse is their du‘ā’ to be included among the followers of Prophet ‘Īsá (Jesus), a.s.

4. الشَّاهِدُ بِالْحَقِّ عَلىَ اْلمَشْهُوْدِ عَلَيْهِ   (“the witness of the truth over the one given the witness”), as in the verse dealing with Allah’s direction to bring two witnesses and to write down in making a contract for a debt for a fixed period. It is the longest verse in the Qur’ān, where it is mentioned   وَاسْتَشْهِدُوا شَهِيدَيْنِ مِنْ رِجَالِكُمْ ... وَلَا يُضَارَّ كَاتِبٌ وَلَا شَهِيدٌ (البقرة:٢٨٢)   “And get two witnesses out of your men … and let neither scribe nor witness suffer any harm” (Q.2:282)

5. الشَّرِيْكُ وَهُوَ الصَّنَم  (“the partner, i.e., the idol associated with Allah”), as in the verse,  وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَى عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُوا بِسُورَةٍ مِنْ مِثْلِهِ وَادْعُوا شُهَدَاءَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ (البقرة : ٢٣)  “And if you are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down [i.e., the Qur’ān] to our slave (Muhammad), then bring a surah (a chapter) of the like thereof and call your witnesses (i.e. supporters) other than Allah, if you should be truthful” (Q. 2:23). The verse means that as the Qur’ān was revealed by Allah to the Prophet, but they denied it, then let the idolaters call their deities to support them to produce a scripture like the Qur’ān.

6. الحَاضِرُ   (“the person who is present”), as in the verse,    أَمْ كُنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءَ إِذْ حَضَرَ يَعْقُوبَ الْمَوْتُ إِذْ قَالَ لِبَنِيهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ بَعْدِي قَالُوا نَعْبُدُ إِلَهَكَ وَإِلَهَ آَبَائِكَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِلَهًا وَاحِدًا وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ (البقرة : ١٣٣)   “Or were you witnesses (namely, present) when death approached Jacob, when he said to his sons: ‘What will you worship after me?’ They said, ‘We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham and Ishamael and Isaac – one God, and we are Muslims (in submission) to Him.” Q. 2:133).

7. القَتِيْلُ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ الله  (“the martyr”), as in  وَالَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الصِّدِّيقُونَ وَالشُّهَدَاءُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ وَنُورُهُمْ ... (الحديد : ١٩)  “And those who believe in Allah and His Messengers – they are [in the rank of] the supporters of the truth and the martyrs, with their Lord. They shall have their reward and their light.” Q. 57:19).

   There is blessing in martyrdom. When ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Āmir fell martyr in the battle of Uh.ud that took place on Saturday 23 March 625, the Prophet called his (Abdullah’s) son Jābir to comfort him. He said:

“O Jābir, would you like to hear good news?”

“Certainly, O Messenger of Allah,” said Jābir enthusiastically, “a person like you will not give news except the good one.”

“O Jābir,” said the Prophet, “verily, Allah would never have any dialogue with anyone except behind a veil. But He had talked to your father without a veil. Allah said, ‘O Abdullah, ask Me anything and I will give you anything you want.’ Your father said, ‘O my Lord, I wish You bring me back to the world alive, so that I could tell my (Muslim) brothers of the bliss I am enjoying here now, then I wish to die again for Your sake (as martyr).’ But Allah replied, ‘O Abdullah, I have promised Myself that a dead person will never be brought back to life in this world.’ Abdullah said again, ‘O my Lord if it is so, who then will tell my companions about the blessing I am receiving here?’ Allah answered, ‘I shall tell them, O Abdullah.’ Then He revealed  

  وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ. فَرِحِينَ بِمَا آَتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَيَسْتَبْشِرُونَ بِالَّذِينَ لَمْ يَلْحَقُوا بِهِمْ مِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ أَلَّا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

   (آل عمران  : ١٦٩-١٧٠).

 Think not of those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision. They rejoice in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty and rejoice for the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind (not yet martyred) that on them no fear shall come, nor shall they grieve.  (Q. 3:169-170).

In another verse it is also stated that the martyrs are alive after their death, as follows:

وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَنْ يُقْتَلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتٌ بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ وَلَكِنْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ  (البقرة : ١٥٤).

And say not of those who are killed in the way of Allah, ‘They are dead.’ Nay, they are living, but you perceive (it) not.  (Q. 2:154).

In another occasion the Prophet said,

 By Allah, in Whose hand is my soul, if it were not because of people who are not happy to be left behind, and as I am not able to take them with me, I would definitely like to join the fight for Allah’s sake. By Allah in Whose hand is my soul, I wish I could fight for His sake, then be martyred then be revived again, then fight then be martyred then be revived again, then fight then be martyred then be revived again, then fight then by martyred.  (Reported by Bukhārī on the authority of Abū Hurayrah).

In another hadīth the Prophet said,

مَنْ سَأَلَ اللَّهَ الشَّهَادَةَ بِصِدْقٍ بَلَّغَهُ اللَّهُ مَنَازِلَ الشُّهَدَاءِ وَإِنْ مَاتَ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ

(رواه مسلم والنسائي و ابن ماجه)

Whoever asks Allah martyrdom sincerely Allah will make him

reach the level of martyrdom, although he dies in his bed.

(Reported by Muslim, al-Nasā'ī and Ibn Mājah)

‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb was reported to have said,

“O Allah, bless me with martyrdom in Medinah.”

“Will that happen, O father?,” asked  his daughter H.afs.ah.

“If Allah wills, it will happen,” answered ‘Umar.

It did really happen when he was stabbed by the Magian Abū Lu’lu’ah who pretended to be a Muslim, on his way to the mosque for fajr prayer.

          Another companion of the Prophet who was also his general, Khālid ibn al-Walīd, also wished to be martyred in the battlefield, but died in his bed. Yet, based on the Prophet’s statement mentioned above, Allah would elevate him to the level of martyrdom. More than eighty scars from arrows, swords and lances were found in his body.

          The commonly known meaning word shahīd is “a martyr”, but basically it is the emphatic form ofشَاهِد  (shāhid) means “a witness”; however, it has many other meanings based on its context as we  have seen above.