Short answer
A martyr killed in battle, or killed unjustly in the Hanafi sense, is not washed. They are buried in their own clothes and blood. In the Hanafi school the janazah prayer is still prayed over them. The Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools hold that the battle martyr is neither washed nor prayed over.
A shahid in the legal sense is an adult, sane Muslim, not in a state of janabah, killed by enemy fighters, rebels or robbers, or killed unjustly by a weapon where retaliation rather than blood money is due, who died without receiving treatment, eating, sleeping or a full prayer time passing while conscious. He is not washed, is shrouded in his clothes (with non-cloth items removed), and the janazah is prayed over him.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- The martyr of the battlefield is not washed and no janazah is prayed over him; other murder victims are washed and prayed over.
- Maliki
- The martyr of the battlefield is not washed and not prayed over.
- Hanbali
- The martyr of the battlefield is not washed; the janazah is not prayed over him in the relied-upon view, though one report allows it.
Explanation
Allah honours those killed in His cause: they are alive with their Lord. The sharia also gives their bodies a special ruling. At Uhud the Prophet ﷺ said, "Bury them in their blood," and they were not washed. Their blood is a witness for them on the Day of Judgement.
Who counts, in the Hanafi school. The rule of not washing applies to the shahid in this world's rulings: an adult, sane Muslim killed in battle, or killed unjustly with a weapon by someone where the law calls for retaliation, not blood money. If the person was taken to hospital and lived long enough to be treated, eat, drink or sleep, or a whole prayer time passed while they were conscious, they are washed like anyone else, though we still hope they are a martyr in reward.
The janazah. Here the schools differ. Jabir reported that the martyrs of Uhud were not prayed over, and the other three schools follow this. Hanafi scholars rely on the report in al-Bukhari that the Prophet ﷺ later went out and prayed over the people of Uhud as he prayed over the dead, together with other reports, and hold that the prayer is a dua the martyr also benefits from.
- Bloodied clothes are kept; armour, weapons, fur and shoes are removed.
- Cloth may be added or removed to make up the sunnah kafan.
- The body is buried in the usual way.
Cases today, such as victims of a terror attack or a murder, depend on details like hospital treatment and the legal outcome. Ask a mufti before deciding not to wash a body. For people who die by drowning, disease or accident, see martyrs in reward only.
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Aal-i-Imraan 3:169
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ أَمْوَٰتًۢا ۚ بَلْ أَحْيَآءٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ ﴿١٦٩﴾
And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision,
Martyrs have a special honour with Allah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1346
Sahih... ادفنوهم في دمائهم ...
"Bury them in their blood."
The martyrs of Uhud were buried unwashed.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1344
Sahih... فصلى على أهل أحد صلاته على الميت ...
"He prayed over the people of Uhud as he prayed over the dead."
A basis for the Hanafi view that the janazah is prayed over martyrs.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1343
Sahih... ولم يغسلوا ولم يصل عليهم ...
"They were not washed and were not prayed over."
The report the other three schools rely on.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, Bab al-Shahid. Who is a shahid, that he is not washed, and that the janazah is prayed over him.
- Bada'i al-Sana'i, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the martyr. The conditions, including dying without treatment (irtithath).
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Jana'iz, washing and praying over the martyr. The Shafi'i position.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.