❖ Question:
If a person is killed by thieves, will he be considered a martyr or not?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
✿ Answer:
The person who is killed while protecting his life or wealth is regarded as a legal martyr (ḥukmī shahīd).
Sayyidunā Saʿīd bin Zayd رضي الله عنه reports that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من قتل دون ماله فهو شهيد، ومن قتل دون أهله فهو شهيد، ومن قتل دون دينه فهو شهيد، ومن قتل دون دمه فهو شهيد
“The one who is killed defending his wealth is a martyr; the one who is killed defending his family is a martyr; the one who is killed defending his religion is a martyr; and the one who is killed protecting his life is also a martyr.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 4772; Sunan al-Nasā’ī: 4095; Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 1421; Sunan Ibn Mājah: 2580 – and its chain is ḥasan)
Imām al-Tirmidhī رحمه الله declared this hadith ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ, and Imām Ibn Ḥibbān رحمه الله (3194) graded it ṣaḥīḥ.
Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh bin ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من قتل دون ماله فهو شهيد
“The one who is killed while defending his wealth is a martyr.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 2480; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 141)
Conclusion:If thieves kill a person while he is defending his wealth, life, or family, he will be considered a martyr (shahīd) in the sight of Allah.
