Assalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh

Thursday, October 8, 2020

217. Shaheed

By Asma Bint Shameem

In our Deen, “shaheed” are of two types.

1. The one who fights in the path of Allaah. He’s the “best” shaheed and the “true” shaheed. 

2. The second kind of shaheed is the one who gets the “rewards” of a shaheed according to the hadeeth of the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam.

He Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
“The martyrs are five: the one who dies of the plague, the one who dies of a stomach disease, the one who drowns, the one who is crushed beneath a falling wall, and the martyr who is killed for the sake of Allaah.”  (al-Bukhaari, Muslim) 

And the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam asked the Sahaabah:
“Who is counted as a shaheed among you?” 
They said,
“The one who fights and is killed for the sake of Allaah.” 

The Messenger Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said: 
“Then the shaheeds among my ummah would be few. The one who is killed for the sake of Allaah is a shaheed; the one who dies of plague is a shaheed; the one who dies of a stomach disease is a shaheed; the woman who dies with a child in her womb is a shaheed.” (Ahmad, 5/315; saheeh isnad)

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said to ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit when he was sick: 
“Do you know who is a shaheed (martyr) in my ummah?”
The people remained silent, then ‘Ubaadah radhi Allaahu anhu said, “Help me to sit up.” 
They helped him to sit up, then he said, 
“O Messenger of Allaah, (is it) the patient one who seeks reward from Allaah for his patience?” 
The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said, 
“Then the martyrs among my ummah would be very few. Being killed for the sake of Allaah is martyrdom, the plague is martyrdom, drowning is martyrdom, stomach disease is martyrdom, and if a woman dies during the post-partum period, her child will drag her to Paradise by his umbilical cord.”[al-Musnad, 3/489; saheeh isnaad]

But *this* kind of shaheed is NOT of the same level as the Shaheed that loses his life in battle for the sake of Allaah. That’s the highest level of shaheed. 

Shaikh Ibn Baaz said:
“It is proven in a number of hadeeths that the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said that the one who dies by drowning, or because of the plague or a stomach disease (diarrhoea) is a martyr. So the one who dies of the plague is a martyr, 
the one who dies of a stomach disease is a martyr, 
the one who drowns is a martyr, 
the one who is crushed by a falling wall is a martyr,
the one who is killed for the sake of Allah is a martyr, the one who dies for the sake of Allah is a martyr, and there are a number of others who are martyrs. 

This is by the grace of Allaah, so that this ummah will have an advantage in terms of great reward, but the best of them are those who are martyred for the sake of Allah, who are killed for the sake of Allah. 

They are the best, and they are not to be washed (ghusl), and the funeral prayer is not to be offered for them, for they are alive with their Lord and given provision. 

Martyrs other than those who were martyred for the sake of Allah, such as those who died of a stomach disease or the plague, or those who were killed by falling walls or drowned, are to be washed and the funeral prayer is to be offered for them.

Included with them are those who die in vehicle rollovers and car crashes; they are likened to the one who is crushed beneath a falling wall, and there is the hope that they will have the status of martyrdom, but they are to be washed and the funeral prayer is to offered for them, as is done for those who die of stomach diseases or drowning.”(Fataawa Noor ‘ala al-Darb, 3/1426)

So if the person is a Muslim, he’s patient and dies due to any of the above reasons, he will be counted as a shaheed out of the Mercy of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala. 

The scholars at AMJA said:
“In Shaa’ Allaah whoever dies from the COVID-19 coronavirus will receive the reward of a martyr in the Hereafter. 

This is based on two considerations. 
The first is their inclusion in the Prophet’s statement, “the plague-stricken is a martyr,” based on the declaration of those scholars who said that the reward of the plague includes all fatal epidemics. 

The second is their inclusion in the Prophet’s statement Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam: 
“The one who dies due to pleurisy is a martyr,” based on the declaration of those scholars who said that anyone who dies with pain in their lungs is included in the category of death due to pleurisy. 

Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, in Zād al-Ma’ād, stated, 
“It has been said that its intent is everyone who has pain in their side or their lung.”(AMJA Fatwa #87743)

And Allaah knows best

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