Dying for God? – The Meaning of Martyrdom

Abstract

“Martyr” has its origin in the Greek word martus, which means witness. In the New Testament, martyr means giving witness to an event. The Arabic shahīd derives from the root shahāda and primarily means legal witness, eyewitness and to testify in its qurʾanic understanding. Nevertheless, in modern-day usage, shahīd became the common Arabic word for martyr, hereby describing someone who was willing to suffer or to give his life for the commitment to a cause.