slain in Allah’s cause is a martyr both in this world and in the Hereafter. World-wise, once he is struck down and dies he is not to be washed, nor wrapped in a fresh shroud, nor is the funeral prayer performed for him; he is simply buried, and the two angels who normally question the deceased about his Lord, his religion, and his Prophet do not visit him. He is left unwashed so that the traces of the blood he shed for Allah’s sake remain upon him, and on the Day of Resurrection his wound will flow with blood—its color that of blood, yet its scent like musk. For this reason the scholars have stated that it is forbidden to wash him or to cleanse his blood; he is to remain exactly as he is.

Nor is he dressed in a special shroud; rather, he is buried in the very clothes in which he was killed, so that he may rise on the Day of Judgment wearing those garments. The funeral prayer is not offered for him, because that prayer is, in essence, an act of intercession. The Prophet ﷺ said regarding the funeral prayer: “Whenever a Muslim dies and forty men who do not associate anything with Allah stand and pray over him, Allah grants them intercession on his behalf.” The one killed in Allah’s cause has no need of anyone’s intercession, for the very fact that he exposed his neck to the enemies of Allah in order to exalt Allah’s word serves as his intercession.

For this reason the Prophet ﷺ explained why he is not tested in his grave, saying, “The flash of swords above his head was trial enough,” and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ spoke the truth.

Thus he is buried in his own clothes so that he will appear in them on the Day of Resurrection, and no funeral prayer is held for him. A comparable case, in certain respects, is the man who dies while in the state of iḥrām (pilgrim sanctity): he is washed with water and lotus leaves, but no embalming substance or perfume is applied to him, his head is not covered, and he is not shrouded in any garment other than his iḥrām attire which