In Surah al-Burooj, verse 3, Allah states,
وَشَاهِدٍۢ وَمَشْهُودٍۢ And [by] the witness and what is witnessed,
Later, in verse 9, Allah proclaims,
وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ شَهِيدٌ And Allah is a Witness over all things.
Both verses refers to witnesses, but two different words have been used: شاهِد in one, and شهيد in the other.
The reason for this, is that in the Qur’an, the word شاهِد refers to a witness whose testimony is grounded in experience and knowledge, Conversely, the word شَهِيدٌ refers to a witness whose testimony is based on firsthand hearing and sight. As Allah is omnipresent in His knowledge, hearing, and sight, He never refers to Himself as a شاهِد in the Qur’an, but only ever as a شَهِيدٌ.
Sometimes the word شَهِيدٌ is used with another, special meaning, as Allah says in Surah al-Hadid, verse 19,
وَٱلشُّهَدَآءُ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ وَنُورُهُمْ ۖ 'And the martyrs, with their Lord, will have their reward and their light.'
The word that has been translated as ‘martyr’, in Arabic, is shuhadaa’, the plural of shaheed. There are several interpretations of why martyrs are referred to as 'shaheed' some of which say it could be because the angels witness the soul's journey to paradise, or because the martyr himself sees his place in Paradise as his soul departs from his body.
And If we refer to the phenomenon of al-ishtiqaaq al-kabeer, where even permutations of roots share similar meanings, we find that the root د ه ش can be formed. This root primarily signifies astonishment, amazement, and surprise - all emotions that a shaheed might experience when witnessing the unfathomable rewards bestowed upon them by Allah.
May Allaah unite us all with our loved ones in His Highest Firdaws, after what seems like only a day, or part of a day. Ameen.
4 Comments
Jazaak Allah khair what a beautiful reflection!