Are the Rulings for Every Martyr the Same? — The 3 Types of Martyrs

Taken from: Fatawa Ameenpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri

✿ Question:​

Are the rulings for every martyr the same?

✿ Answer:​

Martyrs (Shuhadā) have different ranks, and their worldly rulings also vary depending on the type of martyrdom.

❀ Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Nawawī رحمه الله (d. 676 AH), the renowned commentator of​

“Know that there are three categories of martyrs.”

❖ The Three Types of Martyrs:​

① True Martyr in Battle (Shaheed of Combat – شهيد القتال)​

• One who is killed during battle while fighting disbelievers.
• Such a person is granted the full reward of martyrdom in the Hereafter.
• Worldly rulings also apply:
  
  • No ghusl (ritual washing).
  • No kafan (shroud) beyond the battle clothes.
  • Buried as-is without washing or shrouding.

② Legal (Rulings-Based) Martyr (Shaheed Hukmi – شهيد حكمي)​

• One who dies from causes mentioned in authentic Hadiths, such as:
  
  • Abdominal disease
  • Plague
  • Death by collapse
  • Death while defending wealth
  • Etc.
• Such a person receives martyrdom reward in the Hereafter.
• Worldly rulings do NOT apply:
  
  • They will be given ghusl.
  • Their funeral prayer will be offered.
• Though rewarded in the Hereafter, it is not necessary that their reward will be equal to that of a combat martyr.

③ Incomplete Martyr (Shaheed Naqis – شهيد ناقص)​

• A person who dies in battle but:
  
  • Committed betrayal (e.g., treachery with war spoils), or
  • Other actions that nullify the full status of martyrdom.
• Hadiths have negated the title of "martyr" for such individuals.
• Worldly rulings apply:
  
  • Ghusl and janāzah will be performed.
• In the Hereafter, this individual is deprived of the full reward of a true martyr.

(Reference: Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2/163)

✔ Conclusion:​

Not all martyrs are treated the same — neither in terms of reward nor in worldly rites.
True martyrs, legal martyrs, and incomplete martyrs each have distinct rulings and different statuses both in this world and the next.