Delineating the Conceptual Scope of the Martyr in Islamic Traditions: An Analysis of the Distinction between Virtuous Martyrs and Those Killed in Battle

Shafaghnia, Mohamad Hosein; Ashayeri Monfared, Mohammad

doi:10.22034/hsr.2026.52401.1155

Delineating the Conceptual Scope of the Martyr in Islamic Traditions: An Analysis of the Distinction between Virtuous Martyrs and Those Killed in Battle

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Level Four of the Advanced Studies Program in Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh) and Principles of Jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh), Qom Seminary (Ḥawzah 'Ilmiyyah) ,Qom, Iran.

² Associate Professor of Translation Department, Language, Literature and Philology Complex, Al-Mustafa Al-Alamiya Community, Qom, Iran.

10.22034/hsr.2026.52401.1155

Abstract

In Islamic religious literature, the concept of the martyr is typically associated with Muslims killed in legitimate battle. However, analysis of the verses and traditions reveals that the term’s scope extends beyond this conventional application to include individuals who die outside the battlefield. The present study examines the traditional and hadith-based foundations for the semantic expansion of martyr, aiming to delineate its limits and categories. It specifically investigates whether the legal rulings and spiritual virtues of martyrdom are exclusive to those killed in battle or also apply to other cases identified in the traditions. Previous scholarship has not sufficiently clarified the range of individuals to whom the title martyr applies or the criteria for its attribution within Islamic textual tradition. Utilizing a descriptive-analytical methodology based on library research, this study analyzes relevant narrations and demonstrates that, while exclusive legal rulings for those killed in battle do not extend to other cases, the hadith corpus applies the designation martyr to a broader spectrum of individuals whose deaths are marked by spiritual merit and virtue. Simultaneously, Qur’anic evidence suggests that those killed in the path of God possess a higher spiritual rank, as the Qur’an consistently employs derivatives of the root (q-t-l) in this context rather than the term martyr.

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