II.
A Brief History of Martyrdom in Christianity and Islam

In both Islam and Christianity, the words used for martyr originally meant 'witness' or 'testify to' as in a court of law, and the words quickly became extended to those who by their deaths testified to, or witnessed to, their belief in their respective faiths.

A. Christianity

The Christian view starts with Jesus Christ Himself. He is the prototype for all martyrs in Christianity. Though by all the evidence He could have fled or avoided death, even perhaps led a mass movement against the Romans, He allowed Himself to be arrested, tried illegally, and killed by them by crucifixion. Why did He voluntarily surrender? The testimony of the Gospels and the rest of the Bible was so that, as the Messiah and unique Servant of God, He could die to pay for the sins of mankind. The prophet Isaiah, 700 years before Jesus, was given the prediction concerning the Messiah's mission:

"We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all….For he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors."

From the earliest Christian martyr, Stephen, mentioned in the NT book of Acts to ones being killed in various countries today, Christian martyrs are dying for the same truths Jesus died for- that He is the Messiah and only Savior of mankind. They see themselves, not as accomplishing the same thing in their deaths- dying to pay for the sins of others- but instead as witnesses to their belief that Jesus died for them, and that they are willing to bear unjust treatment from men just like Jesus did. You could say it is a passive view of martyrdom- a willingness to receive unjust violent treatment and persecution for the sake of a supreme truth; for them the truth of the Gospel message about Jesus.

This was the earliest view of Christian martyrdom and is the one found in the Bible. Within three centuries, however, the belief had grown in the church that martyrs received complete forgiveness for their sins, that they had automatic entry into heaven or paradise, and that they could be prayed to for intercession before God. Some parts of Christendom still believe this. But some parts don't, particularly those who base their beliefs more on the Bible than church tradition. For instance, the Bible teaches that anyone can have their sins forgiven and have the assurance of paradise by simply trusting that Jesus died for their sins on the cross. They don't have to be a martyr. Jesus said,

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Martyrs originally had no special spiritual privileges but were simply examples of faithfulness to Christ. Also, according to the Bible, only Jesus is to be approached for intercession on the basis of His unique death and resurrection from the dead which was just celebrated at Easter.

B. Islam

Islam came into being in a situation where there were Jews and Christians with established views on martyrdom. The Christian views were the ones I have just mentioned as being based on tradition rather than just the Bible. In the early part of his career as a prophet in Mecca, Muhammad seems to have been a figure of courage who was willing to die for the message he was preaching. Later, the opportunity to go to Medina presented itself and while there, a new view of martyrdom emerged.

While in Medina, Islam took on the nature of both a religious and a political movement. Muhammad turned to using force of arms to extend the political power of this movement. During this period, the view clearly emerged that those who died in battle for Islam should be considered martyrs, not just those who were killed for refusing to give up their faith in Islam. Surah 61:11-12 says in translation,

That you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you strive hard and fight in the cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives, that will be better for you, if you but know! (If you do so) He will forgive you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow, and pleasant dwelling in Gardens of Eternity, that is indeed the great success.

Note that this is very similar to the view that had developed in Christianity, except that the benefits of forgiveness and paradise were now extended to those who died fighting for Islam. This can be called a more active view of martyrdom, and it is one that, except for a brief time during the Crusades, never became a lasting part of the Christian view. Also, with it the view is taught in the Traditions of Islam, the Hadith, that martyrs can intercede before Allah for up to 70 of their family members.

Two early Muslims, Hamza, Muhammad's father-in-law and Husayn, Muhammad's grandson, are held to be the greatest examples of Islamic martyrs by two different major groups in Islam. Hamza was killed in one of the early battles, and Husayn was killed in battle against insurmountable odds.

In later Islamic theology and teaching, after the time of the initial conquests, the status of martyr was greatly extended and included those who died from more ordinary violent or painful deaths- like from plague or drowning or women who died in childbirth. It was also extended to Muslims who were exceptionally faithful for life in the practices of fasting, prayer, and reciting the Qur'an. This kind of extension has only occurred in parts of Christianity concerning monasticism, where becoming a celibate monk or a nun is considered to be a form of martyrdom.