Who Was The First Shaheed in Islam You Should Know?
What is the meaning and importance of shaheed in Islam?
Shaheed is an Arabic word meaning ‘witness’. The concept of shaheed in Islam is a person who willingly sacrifices his life in the path of Allah. The person who is about to become shaheed in Islam receives glad tidings from the angels. That is from where the term shaheed comes.
Shahadat is a great privilege in Islam. Allah has reminded us in Quran that every soul shall taste death. Therefore, a person who dies on the Path of Allah receives an elevated status. Shahadat is such a blessing that the shaheed does not die. With every drop of blood, Allah forgives all his past sins. At the time of shahadat, Allah shows him his place in heaven. The transition from this world to the next becomes so comforting for the shaheed in Islam that he does not feel the pain of death at all.
There are different levels of martyrdom: –
- The one who dies fighting for the cause of Allah. This could be on the battlefield, on the way to the battlefield, or any other way.
- The one who dies in the plague
- The one who drowns
- The one who dies because of pleurisy
- The one who dies because of abdominal disease
- The one who dies because of a burning injury
- The one who dies in an accident whereby something crushes him
- The woman dies while giving birth or in a state of pregnancy.
Who was the first shaheed in Islam?
When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) received the first revelation, he began preaching Islam secretly since the Quraish of Makkah were very powerful and would not tolerate a new religion. In the beginning, he had a few oppressed, weak, and poor followers with him, who saw a ray of hope in Islam, in face of the cruel Makkans. Amongst these followers were the family members of Hazrat Ammar (RA). Hazrat Ammar (RA) was amongst those ten companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who received the glad tidings of Heaven during their lifetime.
When the pagans of Makkah came to know that Hazrat Ammar and his parents have become Muslims, they inflicted torture upon them. Under the blazing sun, they tied them to trees, made them lie on hot rocks, and beat them. They hurled verbal abuses and insulted them. However, they remained steadfast in their faith.
Hazrat Ammar’s mother, Hazrat Summaiya was very old and physically weak. However, she had the courage of a mountain. She smiled patiently at all times, which angered her oppressors. She continued to recite Kalma-e-Shahadat and refused to curse the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Out of desperation, Abu Jahl taunted her upon which she spits on his face. Enraged Abu Jahl took a spear and stabbed Hazrat Summaiya to death. Thus she became the first shaheed in Islam. Her husband, Hazrat Yasir (RA) became the first male martyr in Islam.
The names of male martyrs in Islam: –
Muslims have always been fond of drinking the sorbet of martyrdom. They never feared sacrificing their lives for Allah. In the Battle of Badr, 14 companions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) were martyred. Hazrat Umair Ibn Abi Waqas, Safwan Ibn Wahab, Mihja ibn Saleh, Yazid ibn Haris, and Ubaidah ibn al-Haris (RA) were some of the shaheed in Islam in the Battle of Badr.
In the Battle of Uhud, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) lost his beloved uncle Hazrat Hamza (RA). Hazrat Osman, one of the companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the third caliph is also a shaheed in Islam. A rebellious mob of people martyred him while he was reciting the Holy Quran. Hazrat Ali (RA) was martyred on21st Ramadan 40 AH. Hazrat Omer (RA) was martyred on 27th Zilhaj, 644 while he was offering prayer. Even today when people go to perform Umrah, they ask the Umrah guide to make them visit the graves of these valiant leaders of Islam.
The biggest example of shaheed in Islam is the historic incident of Karbala whereby Hazrat Imam Hussain’s (RA) whole family became martyrs. They were brutally killed by Yazeed and his men.
The names of female martyrs in Islam: –
The females of Hazrat Imam Hussain’s family did not stay back in sacrificing their lives, belongings, and above all, their sons for the cause of Allah. They played a vital role not just on the battlefield, but also indirectly through their speeches, patience, and upbringing. They stood firmly on the path of Truth and did not bow in front of falsehood, hence adding their names to the female shaheed in Islam. Hazrat Fatima Zehra, Hazrat Zainab, Um Ayman, and Umm Kulsum (RA) are some of the brave women in Islam.
Conclusion: –
These inspiring personalities are real heroes who run toward martyrdom without even blinking an eye. May Allah grant every Muslim a death as prestigious as shahadat.