Source: Fatāwā Amn Pūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amn Pūrī
What is Shahādat Ḥukmiyyah?
Shahādat (martyrdom) is an honor granted by Allah ﷻ to His chosen servants. In Islam, the rank of shahīd belongs to those pure souls who sacrifice their lives for the cause of Islam. A true shahīd is the one who is killed while fighting in the path of Allah. All the rewards and honors mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah under the title of shahīd are specific to such a person.
However, some other people have also been referred to as shahīd in the texts; they are called Ḥukmī Shuhadā (martyrs by ruling, not in reality). They are only given the title of shahīd but do not share in the full reward of the shahīd fī sabīlillāh.
Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من رأيتم الشهيد؟
"Whom do you consider to be a martyr?"
The Companions (رضي الله عنهم) replied:
"O Messenger of Allah! The one who is killed in the battlefield."
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إن شهداء أمتي إذا لقليل
"Then the martyrs of my Ummah will be very few!"
The Companions asked:
"Then who are they, O Messenger of Allah?"
The Prophet ﷺ said:
المقتول في سبيل الله شهيد، والموت في سبيل الله شهيد، والمبطون شهيد، والغريق شهيد، والمطعون شهيد
"The one killed in the path of Allah is a martyr, the one who dies in the path of Allah is a martyr, the one who dies of a stomach illness is a martyr, the one who drowns is a martyr, and the one who dies in a plague is also a martyr."
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1915)
❀ The one killed in the battlefield is the true shahīd (shahīd ḥaqīqī).
❀ All others mentioned in the aḥādīth who are also given the title of shahīd are ḥukmī shuhadā (martyrs by ruling), and they do not receive the full reward of the one martyred in battle.
❖ The Question
What is Shahādat Ḥukmiyyah?
❖ The Answer
Shahādat (martyrdom) is an honor granted by Allah ﷻ to His chosen servants. In Islam, the rank of shahīd belongs to those pure souls who sacrifice their lives for the cause of Islam. A true shahīd is the one who is killed while fighting in the path of Allah. All the rewards and honors mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah under the title of shahīd are specific to such a person.
However, some other people have also been referred to as shahīd in the texts; they are called Ḥukmī Shuhadā (martyrs by ruling, not in reality). They are only given the title of shahīd but do not share in the full reward of the shahīd fī sabīlillāh.
Evidence from Ḥadīth
Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
من رأيتم الشهيد؟
"Whom do you consider to be a martyr?"
The Companions (رضي الله عنهم) replied:
"O Messenger of Allah! The one who is killed in the battlefield."
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إن شهداء أمتي إذا لقليل
"Then the martyrs of my Ummah will be very few!"
The Companions asked:
"Then who are they, O Messenger of Allah?"
The Prophet ﷺ said:
المقتول في سبيل الله شهيد، والموت في سبيل الله شهيد، والمبطون شهيد، والغريق شهيد، والمطعون شهيد
"The one killed in the path of Allah is a martyr, the one who dies in the path of Allah is a martyr, the one who dies of a stomach illness is a martyr, the one who drowns is a martyr, and the one who dies in a plague is also a martyr."
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1915)
Clarification
❀ The one killed in the battlefield is the true shahīd (shahīd ḥaqīqī).
❀ All others mentioned in the aḥādīth who are also given the title of shahīd are ḥukmī shuhadā (martyrs by ruling), and they do not receive the full reward of the one martyred in battle.
