Editing Shahada (section)

'''Shahada''' is used to denote martyrdom and Shahid (Arabic: “witness”) is equivalent to the concept of martyr. In [[Hadith]] literature it is stated that martyrs stand nearest the throne of God in heaven.

While details of the status accorded by martyrdom (e.g., whether or not a martyr is exempt from certain rituals of burial) have been debated, it is generally agreed that the rank of shahid comprises two groups of the faithful: those killed in [[jihad]], or holy war, and those killed unjustly. The term is used informally to venerate anyone who dies in a pitiable manner (e.g., in childbirth; in a strange land). Among the Shiʿite branch, the martyr par excellence is [[Hussain ibn Ali|Hussain ibn ʿAli]] (c.629–680), whose death at the hands of the [[Umayyad]] ruler, [[Yazid]], is commemorated every year during the first 10 days of the month of [[Muharram]].