The Status of a Martyr in the Rear Lines

Question

A question regarding whether the obligation of washing and shrouding applies to a martyr who was killed by enemy fire and was not reached by Muslims while still having some life left, but whose martyrdom occurred in the rear lines, not on the front lines of direct combat. [AR_ID:5249]

Answer 1

Peace be upon you.

Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Khamenei (may Allah protect him):

The obligation of washing and shrouding does not apply to the martyr, and the term 'martyr' here refers to one who is killed in the battlefield. Therefore, if the areas along the borders are considered a battlefield between the rightful group and the oppressive faction, those who are killed from the rightful group there are regarded as martyrs. However, those who are killed outside the battlefield, while they may receive the reward of a martyr, do not have the specific rulings that apply to martyrs.

Details are as follows:

A - It is not permissible to wash, embalm, or shroud a martyr if the following two conditions are met:

1. Their struggle is with the infallible Imam (peace be upon him), or his special representative, or his general representative (i.e., the jurist leader), whether the fighting is against the enemy or in confronting the oppressive faction, or for the protection of Islam.

2. Their soul departs in the battlefield during the outbreak of war. If their soul leaves in the battlefield and during the war, they have the status of a martyr, whether Muslims reached them alive or not, even if their death was due to injuries on the way to the hospital, as long as they were still in the battlefield.

B - If they are injured during the war but their soul departs outside the battlefield, there are two scenarios:

1. If their soul departs before any Muslims reach them alive, they have the status of a martyr.

2. If a Muslim reaches them while they still have some life left, they do not have the status of a martyr, but they do receive the reward of a martyr.

C - A fighter working in communications or military media, if killed in the battlefield during the outbreak of war, has the status of a martyr.

D - A worker in the field of propagation, if their work is considered part of the fighting and they are part of the workforce on the front lines, has the status of a martyr if killed there.

E - Individuals present in the battlefield to deliver aid and supplies, or to repair communication lines, or to engage in construction and similar activities that fall within the scope of the workforce on the front lines, if killed there, have the status of a martyr.

F - Fighters who work away from the front lines, if killed as a result of enemy shelling or similar actions, if their work in those areas is considered part of the workforce in the battle—such as those working with artillery or anti-aircraft units—they have the status of a martyr.

G - If a fighter is in a designated resting area and is killed as a result of enemy shelling, if that area is part of the battlefield, they have the status of a martyr.

H - A fighter who is injured during battles in the battlefield, then is transported to a hospital or similar, and dies on the way or in the hospital, if the road or hospital is within the battlefield, they have the status of a martyr. Otherwise, they do not have the status of a martyr, but they will receive the reward of a martyr, God willing.

Source: Educational Message, Rulings on the Deceased + Fiqh of the Guardian: Rulings on Martyrs

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Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sistani (may Allah protect him):

The washing obligation is lifted from a martyr killed in battle with the Imam or his special representative, or in defense of Islam, provided that they do not have any remaining life when Muslims reach them. If Muslims reach them while they still have some life, washing is obligatory.

Source: Minhaj al-Salihin, Vol. 1, Issue 282

May you be successful in all good.