Is a person who dies while protecting something entrusted to him regarded as a martyr? Or, should he surrender the thing entrusted to him to the person or people that threaten to kill him?

If somebody entrusts something to me and if some people threaten to kill me in order to take it from me and if they kill me, am I regarded a martyr in the eye of Allah? Or, should I surrender the thing entrusted to me to the person or people that threaten to kill me?

Dear Brother / Sister,

A person who is forced to do something that he does not want to do or he regards as ugly is called mukrah. Ikrah means to force a person to do something that he does not have to do legally by threatening him. The person who forces and threatens is called "mukrih".

If such a person does what he is forced to do, he will not be a sinner. That is, a person who knows that he will definitely be killed or wounded will not be held responsible if he delivers the thing that he was entrusted to the person who threatens him.

Trust/amanah (something that is entrusted) is a material and spiritual right that is entrusted to someone to keep. It is something that is given to someone by relying on him. One of the attributes of prophets is "trust". The Quran, the Sunnah and the relics of the Messenger of Allah are also called "trust".

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) returned the things entrusted to him to their owners before the Migration. For the unbelievers entrusted their possessions to him knowing that he was "the trustable one".

The Prophet (pbuh) said, "Betraying what is entrusted is one of the signs of munafiqs." (Bukhari, Iman, 64; Muslim, Iman, 106). Amanah is also an attribute of believers. (al-Mu'minun, 23/8) The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stated in Farewell Hajj that women are entrusted to men. (Abu Dawud, Manasik, 56)

Accordingly, it is a religious duty to protect something entrusted to a person as if it is his own possession. A person who dies while fulfilling such a duty is regarded as a martyr.

Questions on Islam