The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said: ‘Whom do you count to be a martyr among you?’ They said: O Messenger of Allah, whoever is killed in the way of Allah is a martyr. He said: ‘In that case the martyrs of my community will be very few! He who is killed in the way of Allah is a martyr, he who dies a natural death in the way of Allah is a martyr, he who dies in the plague in the way of Allah is a martyr, he who dies of cholera in the way of Allah is a martyr.’
The different stages of the martyrs are described in the hadith, the one who dies of plague, the drowned one, one who dies of stomach disease, the one who dies fighting in the way of Allah. The Muslims are blessed with the martyrdom on every step. Allah tests a human being by providing difficulties in life. “Diseases and hardships are tests of Allah” “Whoever sincerely desires the rank of martyrdom gets the rank of martyrdom even if he is not killed”. The Muslims can observe certain stages of martyrdom which provide them high respect and honour.
Whoever sought martyrdom with sincerity will be ranked by Allah among the martyrs even if he died on his bed [Muslim]
<aside> 💡 This Hadith broadens the concept of martyrdom, that not just those who die fighting in the way of God on the battlefield will be martyrs, but also all Muslims who die in the way of God practicing some form of jihad. The Prophet (saw) said "Whoever sought martyrdom with sincerity will be ranked by Allah among the martyrs even if he died on his bed" [Muslim]. The core teaching is that God loves His creation and is willing to reward those who are obedient to Him, and so the hadith lays stress on the importance of living righteous lives so that whenever death comes to a believer he/she will attain the status of a martyr.
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Markscheme Answers:
There are many ways in which the teaching of this Hadith could be acted upon in daily life. By worshipping God, a person may strive in God’s way with his person, by spending his wealth and resources he/she may strive in God’s way. Examples could further develop the points made e.g. building mosques, carrying out welfare projects etc.
In this part of the answer candidates need to focus on how a Muslim should lead his/her life in order to earn God’s pleasure. Striving and doing one’s best to achieve a worthy objective in the way of God should be an essential focus in a Muslim’s life.
The teaching of this Hadith can be practised by a Muslim always living his/her life as recommended by the Prophet (pbuh). Following the sunna of the Prophet (pbuh), being punctual in fulfilling one’s obligations to God and humanity are ways to live righteously with the intent that when death comes to a Muslim he is ready to meet his Creator. Answers could say that if a Muslim is active in the way of God than it does not matter how he/she dies.
Candidates could say how the teachings of the given hadith can be put into practice by saying that if Muslims want to attain the status of martyrs than they should be engaged in acts that please God. Examples from everyday life can be given to show how a Muslim can resist the temptations of satan and fight his nafs to be righteous or how a Muslim can be charitable with his/her wealth to earn God’s pleasure. How a Muslim dies does not matter however he/she should be active in the way of God.
A Muslim should desire for martyrdom, certain stages as drowning, calamites, epidemics and diseases with which a Muslim dies, would be considered a martyr. A Muslim should be sincere in every aspect. Allah usually tries his patience to see if he has firm belief in Him or not. The honour of a martyr is therefore given to him. Holy Prophet(s) has described that if only the one who is killed in the way of Allah is considered a martyr. Then, there will be less martyrs in his Ummah. The people who were the believers, true to Allah died during earthquake in 2005 are martyrs.
<aside> 💡 Striving and doing one’s best to achieve a worthy objective in the way of God should be an essential focus in a Muslim’s life in order to achieve the lofty status of a Martyr. How a Muslim dies does not matter however he/she should be active in the way of God. Examples of striving in the path of God is by following the sunna of the Prophet (pbuh), being punctual in fulfilling one’s obligations to God and humanity, building mosques and carrying out welfare projects.
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