Q594 :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?
A594 : 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.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )