The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2205 page)

(call to prayer) and is pronounced during the
al
t
, as part of the tashahhud, which, however, contains extra phrases.

 
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Sha
arit
.

The Jewish daily morning service. Traditionally believed to have been instituted by
Abraham
(Genesis 19. 27), it replaces the
Temple
morning
sacrifice
(
B.Ber.
26b).

 
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see
SHAH
D
.

 
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(Arab., ‘a witness’). In the
Qur’
n
, one who bears witness, as God bears witness to human deeds. Its subsequent use for one who bears witness to God by dying in his cause—i.e. as a
martyr
—is based on the Qur’
n (e.g. 3. 156, 166; 4. 69; 47. 4–6), although the word is not found in the Qur’
n. In
ad
th
, the martyr who dies in battle against the kafirun (infidels) is promised great rewards: he passes through the
barzakh
, is exempted from the examination in the grave by
Munkar and Nak
r
, and goes to the highest rank in
paradise
, nearest to the throne of God. Because they are already pure, they alone are not washed before burial, and may be buried in their bloodstained clothes—though those last points have been disputed. The shah
d eventually makes effective intercession (
shaf
‘a
).
The concept was subsequently extended to include those who die during the performance of a godly action (e.g. during al-
ajj
, or while building a mosque), or while fulfilling one's God-given obligation (e.g. during childbirth). It could also include violent death (e.g. in a shipwreck or a storm) when accompanied by
islam
or trust in God.
Martyrdom is of particular importance in
Sh
‘a
Islam.
al-
usain
is
sh
hi shuhad
, king of the martyrs. Ritual participation in his sufferings includes self-flagellation, often of a severe kind, and also the performance of