• Shaheeds: Calling martyr or shaheed
A man was killed because he was a Muslim. He was not fighting for Islam. Does he receive any reward from Allah. Do we call him a martyr or shaheed?
It is up to Allah to decide whether he rewards such a person or not. He alone knows why that person was in that particular area at that particular time. What we can say is that if he was killed unjustly, then he stands to receive reward from Allah for what happened to him. We know that Allah is most generous and that He is absolutely just. He will give to every human being what that human being deserves. To those who continue to believe in Him throughout their lives, and associate no partners with Him at any time, He will give generous reward. Therefore, we should not feel disheartened at the loss of some dear relatives in any circumstance if we know them to have been good believers. We should remember that death takes them to a better place than this world, where they live with people who are better than their own families.
Whether we call such a person a martyr or not is not particularly important. From the Islamic point of view, we should not attach the term martyr or shaheed at will. We should use this title very sparingly because, after all, we do not know their intentions when they fought. How can we tell that they were sincere and determined to serve the cause of Allah when they fought? How can we suggest that a man caught up in the middle of disturbances was serving Allah's cause? As I said, it should be left to Allah to determine.
• Shaheeds: They are those killed in Allah's causeIn the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficent.
Do not say of those who are killed in Allah's cause, "They are dead." They are alive indeed, although you do not perceive that. (The Cow, "Al-Baqarah": 2:154) Commentary by Sayyid Qutb — Translation by Adil Salahi & Ashur Shamis
As the Muslim community in Madinah was about to start its long campaign of jihad, with the aim of establishing the divine way of life, and to fulfill its appointed role raising the banner of Allah, the Qur'an begins to mobilize the community spiritually and to formulate its correct concept of what jihad involves in terms of suffering and sacrifice. It provides the Muslim community with the correct standard with which to evaluate properly whatever may happen in this long campaign.
It is inevitable that fighters may fall as they take part in the battle of truth. They are martyrs killed in Allah's cause. They are honorable and beloved. For those who campaign for Allah's cause, risking their own lives in order to see the truth triumph are normally the most honorable and blessed of people. They have the most generous of hearts and the purest souls. If they are killed fighting for Allah's cause they are not dead. They continue to be alive. Hence, it is not proper to feel that they are dead or to say so. Since we have Allah's statement that they remain alive, the case must be so.
To all appearances, they are killed. But the truth about life and death is not determined by a superficial glance. The basic aspects of life are activity, growth and continuity. Death is conversely distinguished by inactivity, lack of growth and discontinuity. Those who are killed as they fight for Allah's cause continue to leave a vital effect in promoting the cause of the truth for which they have sacrificed their lives. The ideal for which they have fought and were killed is brought to life with their blood. Those who follow them continue to be influenced by their sacrifice. Hence, martyrs continue to act as a decisive factor in shaping life and directing it. This is a most essential feature of life. Hence, they continue to be alive from this practical point of view.
Moreover, they are alive with their Lord, whether in this sense or in a different sense which we cannot comprehend. It is sufficient for us that Allah Himself states that they are alive indeed, although you do not perceive that. The true nature of this life is beyond our limited comprehension.
Since they are alive, they are not washed as the dead are washed before burial. They are wrapped in their own clothes which they were wearing at the time of their death. The body of a dead person is washed in order to remove impurity, but martyrs are pure because they are alive. This is also the reason for which they remain in their ordinary clothes.
Since they are alive, the sense of losing them must not be very painful for their relatives and friends. They continue to have a part in the lives of their relatives and friends. Their loss is not felt very acutely. Their sacrifice is not considered too great. Moreover, they are honored by Allah, and they receive the most generous of rewards. We read in the authentic compilation of the Prophet's traditions made by Muslim the following Hadith attributed to the Prophet, peace be upon him: "The spirits of martyrs are placed in the bodies of green birds which fly wherever they wish in Heaven and come back to rest on lamps hanging below Allah's Throne. Your Lord looks at them and says: What do you wish for? They answer: Our Lord, what can we wish for when You have given us what You have not given to any of Your creation? He repeats the same question. When they realize that they must put their request, they say: We wish to be returned to life so that we fight for your cause and we are killed again in your cause. This they say after they have known what great reward awaits martyrs. Allah, infinite in His majesty, says: My word has passed that they (i.e. human beings) shall never return to their world."
Anas, a companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, quotes the Prophet, peace be upon him, as saying: "No one who is admitted to Heaven wishes to return to this life even if he would have everything on the face of the earth, with the exception of a martyr. He wishes to return to life and to be killed ten times for Allah's cause because of the honor he is given." (Related by Malik, Al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
But who are those living martyrs? They are those who are killed in Allah's cause. That must be their only cause which must not be associated with any distinctive feature, objective or aim other than Allah. They are those who fight for the cause of the truth revealed by Allah and to establish the constitution He has decreed. They fight and they are killed for the sake of this religion which Allah has chosen for man. That is their only cause. They can have no banner or objective other than that of Islam. The Qur'an and the Hadith stress this fact and reiterate it until the hearts of the believers are absolutely purged of any thing which may be falsely associated with it.
Abu Moosa, a companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, reports that Allah's messenger was questioned about those who fight out of bravery, or in defense of their people or to impart a false impression: which of them fights for Allah's cause? The Prophet, peace be upon him, answered: "He who fights so that Allah's word may be supreme fights for Allah's cause." (Related by Malik, Al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
Abu Hurairah, a companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, reports that a man questioned Allah's messenger about the case of a man who wanted to fight for Allah's cause but also wished to have some worldly gain. The Prophet, peace be upon him, answered: "He can have no reward." The questioner repeated his question three times, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, repeated the same answer: "He can have no reward." (Related by Abu Dawood)
Abu Hurairah also quotes the Prophet, peace be upon him, making clear Allah's guarantee [in a Qudsi Hadith] to anyone who leaves home in order to fight for Allah's cause. "If he goes out of his home motivated only by his desire to fight for My cause, his faith in Me and his belief in My messenger, he has My guarantee that I will admit him into Heaven or return him to his place from which he set off with whatever reward or gain he has made." By Him who holds Muhammad's soul in his hand, whatever wound he suffers in Allah's cause would be on the Day of Judgment exactly in the same shape as when it was suffered. Its color will be that of blood but its smell would be the smell of musk. By him who holds Muhammad's soul in his hand, if it was not for my fear that I would be placing a very heavy burden on Muslims I would have joined every single expedition going out on a mission to serve Allah's cause. I, however, do not have enough resources to provide them with transport, and they do not have the means to follow me while they would find it very hard to stay behind. By Him who holds Muhammad's soul in his hand, I would love to fight for Allah's cause and to be killed, then to fight for Allah's cause and to be killed." (Related by Malik, Al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
Such are the martyrs, they are those who join a campaign of jihad for Allah's cause, motivated only by the desire to join such a campaign and by their faith in Allah and their belief in His messengers.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, expressed his disapproval when he heard a Persian youth expressing pride in his nationality during a campaign of jihad. Abdur Rahman ibn Abu Uqbah quotes his father, who was a slave from Persia, as saying: "I took part with the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the battle of Uhud. I smote a man of the polytheists and said: Take it from me, a Persian young man. The Prophet, peace be upon him, turned toward me and said: "It would have been better for you to say: ‘an Ansari young man.’ The nephew of any people belongs to them and the slave of any people belongs to them." (Related by Abu Dawood). From this report we see that the Prophet, peace be upon him, disapproved of that young man seeking pride in anything other than the fact that he was a supporter of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and to fight under any banner other than that of this religion of Islam. That is a true jihad, and in such a jihad only martyrdom is earned. Such martyrs alone are the ones who remain alive.
Is it true that the Prophet never shook hands with a woman?
It is true, according to authentic reports, that the Prophet never shook hands with any woman who was not his wife or a close relative. I should add that I have not seen any Hadith which describes shaking hand with women as forbidden. Hence, the Prophet's example should be the one for us to follow. One is highly encouraged to avoid shaking hands with members of the opposite sex.