Chapter: Clarifying a group who are martyrs with respect to the reward of the Hereafter—people who are washed and for whom the funeral prayer is offered, unlike the one slain while fighting the unbelievers.

1353 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Martyrs are five: the one who dies of plague, the one who dies of an intestinal illness, the drowning victim, the person crushed by a collapsing structure, and the one killed in the path of Allah.” Agreed upon.

1354 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) also reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “How do you regard martyrs among you?” They replied, “O Messenger of Allah, whoever is killed in the path of Allah is a martyr.” He said, “If that were the case, the martyrs in my community would be few indeed.” They asked, “Then who are they, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “Whoever is killed in the path of Allah is a martyr; whoever dies while striving in the path of Allah is a martyr; whoever dies of plague is a martyr; whoever dies of an abdominal illness is a martyr; and the one who drowns is a martyr.” Muslim narrated it.

[Explanation]

The author—may Allah have mercy on him—states in Riyad al-Salihin, “Chapter clarifying some of the martyrs,” meaning those other than the person slain in the path of Allah. The latter is the highest category of martyrdom, whereas the remaining types, as the author indicates, are martyrs only with respect to the Hereafter’s rulings, not the rulings of this world. This becomes clear because the martyr