"Nothing is easier than to denounce the evil-doer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him."
– Fyodor Dostoyevsky
An Islamic martyr (shahid) is a Muslim who died fi sabil Allah (in the cause of Allah). Martyrs are imbued with special status and reverence among Muslims. Islamic elites have (re)constructed martyrdom in response to their political ambitions and prevailing situational factors.
Broadly speaking, there are three types of Islamic martyrdom: battlefield martyrdom, non-violent (spiritual) martyrdom and contemporary martyrdom operations. Contemporary martyrdom operations are the most contentious form.
Radical Islamists believe that Islam sanctions the use of martyrdom operations under certain circumstances. While these claims can be rebutted, the question of why these radical messages resonate with some Muslim communities, such as the Palestinians, must be examined.
The Qur'an sanctions the use of violence against enemy combatants, and under conditions of oppression and injustice. It is beyond the scope of this piece to examine the Islamic doctrine of war and peace, suffice to say that the conditions under which violence can be used are strictly sanctioned by Islamic jurisprudence.
Martyrs are revered and rewarded in the physical world and in the afterlife. The veracity of the benefits bestowed upon a martyr of course cannot be proven. Nonetheless, these benefits are promoted by Islamic elites (scholars and activists) through a constructed culture of martyrdom, whereby the martyr gains presence and reverence in the community.
The martyr’s deeds are ritualised in performances and processions that recall and re-enact the struggle for the cause of Allah. Islamic martyrdom has been bestowed for diverse acts and, importantly, constructed by Islamic elites to legitimise their advocacy of diverse political and religious "causes of Allah".
In the Qur'an, the term shahid means to "witness" and not "martyr". Some early Islamic scholars had likely broadened the meaning of shahid to martyrdom, not because of Islamic jurisprudence or belief, rather the Christian connection of witnessing and martyrdom reflected in antique Christian linguistic usage.
The Qur'an places less emphasis on what constitutes a martyr, and more on the rewards for martyrs in Paradise: “Do not say of those slain in Allah’s way that they are dead; they are living, only you do not perceive” (Q. 2:154). Thus, what constitutes a "martyr" is constructed and contested by Islamic elites.
Despite the expansion of the types of martyrdom, only those who fought with the proper intention may qualify for the reward of "martyr".