Shahid ( pronounced as /ar/, Arabic: شهيدة pronounced as /ar/, Arabic: شُهَدَاء pronounced as /ar/) denotes a martyr in Islam.[1] The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); the latter sense acquires wider usage in the hadith.[2] [3] The first martyr for Islam was a woman; a Divine, unparalleled, universal and eternal honor. The term's usage is also borrowed by non-Muslim communities where persianate Islamic empires held cultural influence, such as amongst Hindus and Sikhs in India.
The term is commonly and wrongfully used as a posthumous title for those who are considered to have accepted or even consciously sought out their own death in order to bear witness to their beliefs.[4] Like the English-language word martyr, in the 20th century, the word shahid came to have both religious and non-religious connotations, and has often been used to describe those who died for non-religious ideological causes.[5] [6]
In Arabic, the word shahid means "witness". Its development closely parallels that of the Greek word martys (μάρτυς|label=none, ; also "martyr" in the New Testament), the origin of the term martyr.
A shahid is considered one whose place in Paradise is promised according to these verses in the Quran:
The Quranic passage that follows is the source of the concept of Muslim martyrs being promised Paradise:
The importance of faith is highlighted in the following hadith:
It is thus not the outcome that determines the placement in Heaven but rather the intention.
Nonetheless, Paradise for a shahid is a popular concept in the Islamic tradition according to Hadith, and the attainment of this title is honorific.
Muhammad is reported to have said these words about martyrdom:
Several hadith also indicate the nature of a shahid's life in Paradise. Shahids attain the highest level of Paradise, the Paradise of al-Firdous.
Furthermore, Samura narrated:
There are at least five different kinds of martyrs according to hadith.
One who dies protecting his property is also considered a martyr according to Hadith:
While the Qur'an does not indicate much about martyrs' death and funeral, the hadith provides some information on this topic. For example, martyrs are to be buried two in one grave in their blood, without being washed or having a funeral prayer held for them. The following Hadith highlight this:
See also: Martyrdom in Sikhism. The word shahid (Panjabi; Punjabi: ਸ਼ਹੀਦ) is also found in Sikhism, a religion founded by Guru Nanak in the northwest part of the Indian subcontinent (now Pakistan and India). It means a martyr.[7] [8] [9]
The term was borrowed from the Islamic culture in Punjab when Sikhism was founded, and before the start of the British Raj it referred to the Sikh people who met death at the hands of oppressors. Another related term is shahid-ganj, which means a "place of martyrdom".[10]
The most discussed shahid in Sikhism have been two of their Gurus, namely Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur for defying Islamic rulers and refusing to convert to Islam. Guru Arjan was arrested under the orders of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and asked to convert to Islam.[11] [12] He refused, was tortured and executed in 1606 CE.[13] Historical records and the Sikh tradition are unclear whether Guru Arjan was executed by drowning or died during torture.[14] His martyrdom, that is becoming a shahid, is considered a watershed event in the history of Sikhism.[15]
Guru Tegh Bahadur's martyrdom resulted from refusing to convert and for resisting the forced conversions of Hindus in Kashmir to Islam because he believed in freedom of conscience and human rights.[16] He was publicly beheaded in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi.[17] [18] Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib in Delhi marks the shahid-ganj, or place of execution of the Guru.[19]
The Sikh have other major pilgrimage sites, such as the shahid-ganj in Sirhind, where two sons of Guru Gobind Singh were bricked alive[20] by the Mughal Army in retaliation of their father's resistance. In Muktsar, near a lake is a shahid-ganj dedicated to forty men who died defending Guru Gobind Singh.
In the course of the eighteenth century, there were several wars of independence within the colonial territories of the Muslim World. Many of the soldiers who died during these conflicts were given the title shahid upon their burial.[21]
A Muslim who is killed defending his or her property is considered a martyr.
Bosnians who died during the Bosnian War and the Bosnian genocide are considered martyrs by many due to them being killed for being Muslim.
The Muslim General Ma Fuxiang stated on how Chinese Muslims were willing to die to accomplish tasks assigned to them.[22] Imams sponsored by the Kuomintang called for Muslims to go on Jihad to become martyrs in battle, where Muslims believe they will go automatically to heaven. Becoming a shaheed in the Jihad for the country was encouraged by the Kuomintang, which was called "glorious death for the state" and a hadith promoting nationalism was spread.[23] A song written by Xue Wenbo at the Muslim Chengda school, which was controlled by the Kuomintang, called for martyrdom in battle for China against Japan.[24] The Muslim General Bai Chongxi himself was a member of a Dare to Die corps in the Xinhai revolution.
Some Uyghur activists have referred to victims of the Persecution of Uyghurs in China that died, martyrs.
See also: Martyrdom in Palestinian society. In modern political usage, various Palestinian groups consider all Palestinians killed in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict to be martyrs for the cause, whether they be civilians or fighters.[25] Groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad consider martyrdom as the highest form of sacrifice for the Palestinian cause.[26] [27] This ethos is widespread in educational materials, visual media, community events and ceremonies.
A woman is considered "shahida" (Arabic: شَهِيدَة ) if she dies during the fulfillment of a religious commandment. A woman can also be considered a martyr if she dies during childbirth.[28] There are examples of women fighting in war such as Nusaybah bint Ka'ab. The first martyr (male or female) in Islam was Sumayyah bint Khayyat, who was executed for her conversion to Islam. She died after Abu Jahl, an anti-Muslim leader of the Quraysh, stabbed her in the abdomen.[29] Though her name is not common in the modern Muslim dialogue, ancient Islamic literature makes note of the events at the end of her life.[30]
Over a period of time, the word "shahid" began to be used by non-Muslims such as Arab Christians to denote their own martyrs. So the word is still used by Christians in Arab-speaking countries, including the names of churches. Examples are the Forty Martyrs Cathedral (Arabic: كنيسة الأربعين شهيد) in Aleppo, Syria and the Saint George the Martyr Cathedral (Arabic: كنيسة القدّيس الشهيد مار جرجس)[31] in Damascus.
In South Asia, Hindus adopted the word "shahid" as a synonym to the Sanskrit word "hutātmā" (हुतात्मा in Devanagari and হুতাত্মা in Bengali; हुत् and হুত্ hut = sacrificing, आत्मा and আত্মা ātmā = soul, thus hutātmā = sacrificing soul / martyr), to denote Hindu martyrs.