The Use Of Word ‘Martyr’ – Burning Issues – Free PDF Download

Important !

• I and entire StudyIQ team have the utmost respect for the brave soldiers of our nation.
• The ones who have made the ultimate sacrifice while defending the security of our country have built the foundation of India.
• The purpose of this video is to raise awareness about an issue that crops up every time a soldier is ‘killed/martyred/sacrifices’ his life.

History and Etymology of the terms

• Shaheed and martyr are religious terms.
• Both words have very specific meanings in Islamic and Christian history.

‘Martyr’

• The term “martyr” comes from a dialect of ancient Greek.
• It literally means “witness” and was first used for the Apostles, in the sense that they had witnessed Jesus Christ’s life and resurrection.
• Then in the early years Christianity, as Christians were persecuted for adopting the new religion, the term was also applied to them, eventually being restricted to a person who had died for his belief in Christ.

‘Shaheed’

• The word shahid(plural shahada) has the meaning of “martyr”
• It means both a witness and a martyr (i.e., a person who suffers or dies deliberately for the sake of affirming the truth of a belief system).
• Although shahidin the first sense occurs frequently in the Quran, in the latter sense only once is it attested (3:141).
• Martyrdom in Sunni Islam has been closely associated with death in battle.

Shia Islam

• ‘Shaheed’ term- Violent and tragic deaths of many of the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad during the first three centuries of Islam
• Especially to the martyrdoms of the fourth caliph Ali and his younger son Husayn.
• The martyrdom of Husayn near the Iraqi town of Karbala is the single most dramatic martyrdom in Islam.

Modern Usage

• Contemporary ‘martyrdom’ is closely associated with nationalistic resistance movements in the Muslim world and most especially with that of the Palestinians (1948–present).
• In Hindi, the use of ‘Shaheed’ is widespread and almost mandatory when describing members of the Indian military killed in battle.
• Simply using the literal word for death might even be considered not respectful enough

• Alternatives –
• Veergati
• Balidan
• Hutatama

What’s the official  stance of Army and Ministry of Defence?

• There is no term as ‘martyr’ or ‘Shaheed’in the Army or the police.
• A soldier killed in action is called a ‘battle casualty’
• A policeman killed in action is called ‘operations casualty’.

• Religious history
• Constitutional values
• A soldier is not ‘martyred’ or achieves ‘shahadat’ for a religious cause, but makes the ‘ultimate sacrifice’ for India.

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