Can Helping Widows and the Poor Lead to the Reward or Status of a Martyr?
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
Does a person who consistently helps widows and the poor attain the status of a martyr if they die, or can they hope for martyrdom based on the hadiths?
Answer
The person who consistently helps widows and the poor is described in hadiths with great virtue, reward, and similitude to those who fight for Allah’s cause.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “The one who looks after a widow or a poor person is like a warrior who fights for Allah’s cause, or like him who performs prayers all the night and fasts all the day” (Bukhari).
While this does not explicitly confer the status of a martyr (shahid) upon them, their actions are highly rewarded and honored in Islam. As for the hope for martyrdom, one may pray for and hope for such a rank if their sincerity and good deeds align with the lofty status mentioned in Islamic teachings.
Kindly check this answer: Is Asking for Martyrdom From Allah Most High Permissible?
The status of martyrdom, as explicitly described, is granted to those who die in specific conditions, such as in defense of their faith, life, or property, or other cases outlined by hadiths. However, the vast mercy of Allah (Most High) allows one to aspire to and hope for such a reward if they live a life of service and dedication to His path.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Five are martyrs: One who dies of plague, one who dies of an Abdominal disease, one who dies of drowning, one who is buried alive (and) dies and one who is killed in Allah’s cause.” [Agreed upon]
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Mohammad Abu Bakr Badhib
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.
