shahīd

Islām

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

The term "shahada" refers to the Muslim profession of faith, which states, "There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Prophet of God." It is the first of the Five Pillars of Islam and must be recited by every Muslim with full understanding and sincere belief.1

The Arabic word shahid translates to "witness" and is equivalent to the concept of a martyr in Judaism and Christianity. While the Quran does not explicitly detail martyrdom as "witness unto death," this concept is elaborated upon in subsequent Hadith literature, which states that martyrs are held in high esteem by God. In Islam, shahid typically refers to those killed in a holy war (jihad) or those killed unjustly. The term can also be used informally to honor anyone who dies in a pitiable manner, such as in childbirth or while away from home.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

martyr
Islam
The Islāmic designation shahīd (Arabic: “witness”) is equivalent to and in a sense derivative of the Judaeo-Christian concept of martyr. The full sense of “witness unto death” does not appear in the Qurʾān but receives explicit treatment in the subsequent Ḥadīth literature, in which it is stated that…
Read More
The Islāmic designation shahīd (Arabic: “witness”) is equivalent to and in a sense derivative of the Judaeo-Christian concept of martyr. The full sense of “witness unto death” does not appear in the Qurʾān but receives explicit treatment in the subsequent Ḥadīth literature, in which it is stated that…
Read More