Funerals (Kitab Al-Jana'iz) - Sunan Abi Dawud 3111

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to visit Abdullah ibn Thabit who was ill. He found that he was dominated (by the divine decree). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called him loudly, but he did not respond.

He uttered the Qur'anic verse "We belong to Allah and to Him do we return" and he said: We have been dominated against you, AburRabi'. Then the women cried and wept, and Ibn Atik began to silence them. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Leave them, when the divine decree is made, no woman should weep.

They (the people) asked: What is necessary happening, Messenger of Allah? He replied: Death. His daughter said: I hope you will be a martyr, for you have completed your preparations for jihad. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Allah Most High gave him a reward according to his intentions. What do you consider martyrdom?

They said: Being killed in the cause of Allah.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: There are seven types of martyrdom in addition to being killed in Allah's cause: one who dies of plague is a martyr; one who is drowned is a martyr; one who dies of pleurisy is a martyr; one who dies of an internal complaint is a martyr; one who is burnt to death is a martyr; who one is killed by a building falling on him is a martyr; and a woman who dies while pregnant is a martyr.

Commentary on the Hadith

This profound hadith from Sunan Abi Dawud contains multiple essential teachings regarding death, divine decree, and the expansive understanding of martyrdom in Islam.

When the Prophet (ﷺ) found Abdullah ibn Thabit unconscious at death's door, he recited "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un" - affirming the Islamic belief that we belong to Allah and return to Him. This teaches Muslims to remember Allah's ownership during trials.

The Prophet's instruction to let women weep initially, but not after the soul has departed, shows the balance between natural human emotion and Islamic etiquette. Excessive wailing after death is prohibited as it demonstrates dissatisfaction with Allah's decree.

Most significantly, this hadith expands the concept of martyrdom beyond battlefield death. The seven additional types of martyrs demonstrate Allah's immense mercy - granting martyr status to those who die from various calamities while maintaining faith. This includes plague victims (highly relevant in pandemics), drowning, pleurisy, abdominal diseases, burning, building collapse, and women dying in childbirth.

The Prophet's statement that Allah rewards according to intention shows that sincere purpose matters more than outward circumstances. Abdullah ibn Thabit, though dying of illness, received martyr's reward due to his preparation for jihad and pure intention.

Scholarly Insights

Classical scholars explain that these "non-combat" martyrs receive the spiritual reward of martyrs in the Hereafter but are treated as ordinary deceased in worldly matters like washing the body and funeral prayers.

Imam Nawawi comments that this hadith demonstrates the vastness of Allah's mercy and the comprehensive nature of Islamic teachings that account for various human conditions and circumstances of death.

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani notes that the inclusion of pregnant women who die during childbirth as martyrs honors the immense sacrifice and struggle women endure in fulfilling their natural roles.

This teaching provides immense comfort to believers, knowing that various forms of suffering and sudden death can become means of elevated spiritual status if endured with patience and faith.