Whoever loves passionately, remains chaste, and dies (in that state), is a martyr. (Hadith attributed to Prophet peace be upon him)
Many classical scholars rejected this hadith for example, Ibn Jawzi, Ibn Qayyim and others see
Talkhīs al-Ḥabīr by Ibn Hajr 2/283, Silsila Ahadeeth al Daifa no. 409 but there are other scholars who authenticated.
1. Hafiz Alauddin Mughlatai said:
هذا حديث إسناده صحيح
This hadith has a sound chain of transmission. “Al-Wāḍiḥ al-Mubīn” (pp. 18–19)
Ibn Abī Ḥajalah said:
قال الشيخ الإمام العلامة الحافظ علاء الدين أبو عبد الله مغلطاي في كتابه الواضح المبين هذا حديث اسناده صحيح وإن كان جماعة من العلماء أعلوه بما ليس بعلة يرد بها يعني قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم من عشق فكتم الحديث. ونقل في كتابه المذكور أيضاً أن هذا الحديث سنده كالشمس لا مرية في صحته ولا لبس
The eminent scholar, the erudite hafiz (Hadith memorizer), ‘Ala al-Din Abu ‘Abd Allah Mughaltai stated in his book “Al-Wadih al-Mubin” (The Clear and Evident):
“This hadith has an authentic chain of transmission, even though a group of scholars have criticized it with objections that do not actually constitute valid criticism – referring to the Prophet’s saying (peace be upon him): ‘Whoever loves passionately….’ [the rest of the hadith].
Furthermore, he also mentioned in his aforementioned book that: ‘The chain of transmission of this hadith is as clear as the sun – there is absolutely no doubt about its authenticity, nor any ambiguity.'” [Diwān al-Ṣabābah” Ibn Abī Ḥajalah page 92]
2. Al-Zarkashī said:
“هذا الحديث أنكره يحيى بن معين وغيره على سويد بن سعيد، لكن لم يتفرد به، فقد رواه الزبير بن بكّار فقال: حدثنا عبد الملك بن عبد العزيز بن الماجشون عن عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ أَبِي حَازِمٍ عن ابن أبي نجيح عن مجاهد عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فذكره، وهو إسناد صحيح
“This hadith was rejected by Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn and others due to Suwayd ibn Saʿīd, but he was not alone in narrating it. It was also transmitted by al-Zubayr ibn Bakkār, who said: ‘ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn al-Mājishūn narrated to us from ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Abī Ḥāzim from Ibn Abī Najīḥ from Mujāhid from Ibn ʿAbbās from the Prophet ﷺ,’ and this chain is authentic.”
al-Laʾālī al-Manthūrah (no. 166)
3. Abu Wali al Baji:
Ibn Hajr al asqalani said, this narration is rejected by various, after that he said:
وقد قوى بعضهم هذا الخبر ، حتى يقال : إن أبا الوليد الباجي نظم في ذلك :
إذا مات المحب جوى وعشقا فتلك شهادة يا صاح حقا رواه لنا ثقات عن ثقات
إلى الحبر ابن عباس ترقا
Some scholars strengthened the report to the extent that Abū al-Walīd al-Bājī composed a poem about it:
If the lover dies from longing and passion,
That is martyrdom, O friend, indeed.
It was narrated to us by trustworthy men,
Going all the way back to Ibn ‘Abbās, the learned.
[“Talkhīs al-Ḥabīr” 2/283]4. And al-Sakhāwī said in al-Maqāṣid al-Ḥasanah about one of the chains of narration of this ḥadīth: “This is a sound (ṣaḥīḥ) chain of narration.”
5. Ibn Hazm said:
وقد جاء في الآثار: ” من عشق فعف فمات فهو شهيد “.
وفي ذلك أقول قطعة منها: [من الوافر] فإن أهلك هوى اهلك شهيداً … وإن تمنن بقيت قرير عين روى هذا لنا قوم ثقات … نأوا بالصدق عن جرح ومين
It has been related in athaar: *”Whoever fell into Ishq, remained chaste and died, he died as a martyr*
Concerning this, I composed these verses [in al Wāfir]:
*If love’s passion should destroy you, you’ll perish a martyr true,*
*But if granted life, you’ll live with eyes content and view.*
This was told to us by people of trustworthy fame, Who kept to truth and shunned all falsehood and blame
Kitāb Ṭawq al-Ḥamāmah li-Ibn Ḥazm page 257
6. Ibn Kathir used this hadith for Abu Bakr bin abi Dawud al Zahiri:
قلت: فدخل في الحديث المروي عن ابن عباس موقوفا عليه ومرفوعا عنه: من عشق فكتم فعف فمات مات شهيدا.
وقد قيل عنه: إنه كان يبيح العشق بشرط العفاف.
I say: He is included in the hadith narrated from ibn Abbas which is Moquf and Marfu from Prophet peace be upon him that:
“Whoever fell into Ishq, remained chaste and died, he died as a martyr”
It is said about him (Ibn Abi Dawud al Zahiri) that he would allow to do Ishq with the stipulation of remaining Chaste.
(al Bidaya wal Nihaya under the year 297h)
This is an indication that he considers it reliable. Allahu Alam.
7. Ibn Abi Hajala quoted this hadith and said:
قلت ولهذا عد جماعة من الفقهاء ميت العشق من الشهداء أخذا بهذا الحديث منهم الرافعي وغيره فبعضم اشترط الشروط المذكورة وبعضهم أطلق كالشيخ محيي الدين النووي فإنه أطلق ولم يشترط شيئاً فقال والميت عشقاً والميتة طلقاً يعني من الشهداء هذا مع شدته في الدين وعدم مساهلته في هذه الأشياء وما أحسن قول ابن الأثير دمع العاشق ودم القتيل متساويان في التشبيه والتمثيل إلا أن بينهما بوناً لأنهما يختلفان لوناً وقال الإمام
I say, and because of this, a group of jurists considered the one who dies of love as among the martyrs, based on this hadith. Among them are Al-Rafi’i and others. Some stipulated the mentioned conditions, while others did not impose any, such as Shaykh Muhiyy al-Din al-Nawawi, who stated it unconditionally, saying: “The one who dies of love and woman who dies due to childbirth are among the martyrs.” This is despite his strictness in religion and his lack of leniency in such matters.
How beautiful are the words of Ibn al-Athir: “The tears of the lover and the blood of the slain are equal in simile and analogy, except that there is a distance between them, for they differ in color.”
[Diwān al-Ṣabābah” Ibn Abī Ḥajalah page 92]8. Shaykh ul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said:
روفي حديث أبى يحيى القتات عن مجاهد عن ابن عباس مرفوعا ( من عشق فعف و كتم و صبر ثم مات فهو شهيد ( و أبو يحيى فى حديثه نظر لكن المعنى الذي ذكر فيه دل عليه الكتاب و السنة فان الله أمره بالتقوى و الصبر فمن التقوى أن يعف عن كل ما حرم الله من نظر بعين و من لفظ بلسان و من حركة بيد و رجل و الصبر أن يصبر عن شكوى به إلى غير الله فان هذا هو الصبر الجميل .
وأما الكتمان فيراد به شيئان .
( أحدهما ( أن يكتم بثه و ألمه و لا يشكو الى غير الله فمتى شكى الى غير الله نقص صبره و هذا أعلى الكتمانين لكن هذا لا يصبر عليه كل أحد بل كثير من الناس يشكو ما به و هذا على و جهين فان شكى ذلك الى طبيب يعرف طب النفوس ليعالج نفسه بعلاج الايمان فهو بمنزلة المستفتى و هذا حسن و ان شكى الى من يعينه على المحرم فهذا حرام و ان شكا الى غيره لما فى الشكوى من الراحة كما أن المصاب يشكي مصيبته إلى الناس من غير ان يقصد تعلم ما ينفعه و لا الاستعانة على معصية فهذا ينقص صبره لكن لا يأثم مطلقا الا إذا اقترن به ما يحرم كالمصاب الذي يتسخط .
و ( الثاني ( ان يكتم ذلك فلا يتحدث به مع الناس لما فى ذلك
من إظهار السوء و الفاحشة فإن النفوس إذا سمعت مثل هذا تحركت و تشهت و تمنت و تتيمت و الانسان متى رأى أو سمع أو تخيل من يفعل ما يشتهيه كان ذلك داعيا له الى الفعل
The hadith reported by Abu Yahya al-Qattat from Mujahid from Ibn Abbas, attributed to the Prophet (peace be upon him):
“Whoever falls in love, remains chaste, conceals it, and is patient, then dies – he is a martyr.”
Abu Yahya’s narration has some criticism, but the meaning it conveys is supported by the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Indeed, Allah has commanded taqwa (God-consciousness) and patience.
Taqwa includes abstaining from all that Allah has forbidden – such as looking with the eyes, speaking with the tongue, or acting with the hands and feet in sinful ways.
And patience means to bear the burden without complaining to anyone other than Allah – this is what is called beautiful patience (ṣabr jamīl).
As for concealment (kitmān), it has two intended meanings:
The first is to conceal one’s pain and grief, and not complain to anyone other than Allah.
If one complains to anyone else, it reduces the level of his patience.
This is the higher level of concealment – but not everyone can bear it.
Many people do complain about what they suffer, and this happens in two ways:
If he complains to a spiritual doctor – someone who understands the healing of the soul – to treat himself through the remedies of faith, then this is like seeking a fatwa, and it is good.
But if he complains to someone who will help him commit something forbidden, then this is haram (forbidden).
And if he complains just to feel some relief, as the afflicted often do when they speak about their suffering without seeking benefit or help in obeying Allah, then this reduces his patience – but he is not sinful unless the complaint includes something prohibited, like expressing anger at Allah’s decree.
The second is to keep the matter hidden and not talk about it with people, because speaking about it “From exposing indecency and immoral acts – for when souls hear such things, they are stirred, aroused, begin to desire, and may become passionately attached. Whenever a person sees, hears, or imagines someone doing what he desires, it becomes a motivation for him to do the same.”
(Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā li Ibn Taymiyyah, Kitāb: ʿIlm al-Sulūk, Jild 10, Ṣafḥah No. 133)
Whether the hadith is authentic or not, it is true that whoever controls his desires will receive the reward of Paradise, as mentioned in the Quran.
Allah says:
79 : 40 for anyone who feared the meeting with his Lord and restrained himself from base desires,
79 : 41 Paradise will be home. (79 : 40-41)
And as per this hadith Martyrdom applies not to one who merely experiences passion, but to one who maintains chastity until death, i.e. he does jihad with his/her nafs.
It was narrated by at-Tirmidhi (1621) that Prophet peave be upon him said:
المُجَاهِدُ مَنْ جَاهَدَ نَفْسَهُ
“The mujahid is the one who strives against his nafs.”
[It was classed as authentic by at-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim; it was also classed as authentic by al-Albani in As-Sahihah, 549.]