Irtithath (the wounded man carried from the battle still alive, and his rulings for washing, prayer and the rank of martyr)

ارتثاث

In law, irtithath is a wounded man carried from the battle while still faintly alive; such a man is the mutarrath. The jurists require that his life have settled: he spoke, ate, drank, slept, bought or sold, or survived for a customary time, and then died. The mutarrath is washed and prayed over, does not have the rulings of a martyr in this world, but is a martyr in reward by agreement when he dies after the battle with unbelievers; the case of a rebel carried away is disputed. ¹

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At a glance

Era: The Prophetic Era
Region: Global / Diaspora
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Law and courts

Meaning

In the lexicon irtithath is for a wounded man to be carried from the battle, weak and overcome by his wounds; one says he was 'carried out' (ruththa) meaning carried from the battle with a little life left. ¹ The jurists add conditions: the mutarrath is one carried from the battle whose life has settled, by speaking, eating, drinking, sleeping, buying or selling, or by surviving for a customary time, and then dying. ¹

General ruling

The mutarrath is washed and prayed over, since he is not a martyr in the rulings of this world and the rulings of martyrs do not apply to him. ¹ He is a martyr in reward and gains the reward of martyrs; this is agreed for one who dies after the battle with unbelievers. ¹ The case of a rebel carried away, or of one of the just side in a battle between Muslims, is disputed as to washing and prayer. ¹

Where it is discussed

The jurists treat the rulings on the mutarrath in the chapter on funerals and in the chapter on rebels. ¹

People and things also explored

Ahliyya (legal capacity: to have rights and duties, and to act; its stages from the womb to full maturity, and what impairs it)· Democracy and the Sharia — compatibility and conflict· Fatwa on the satellite channels — its benefit and harm· Secularism and Islam — conflict or concord· Stoning (rajm) as a penalty for zina· Allusion to a proposal during the waiting period· Aman (safe-conduct granted to enemies in war)· Amana (trust, deposit and what is entrusted)

Sources

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.2090

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Irtithath (the wounded man carried from the battle still alive, and his rulings for washing, prayer and the rank of martyr)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/irtithath-fiqh/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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People

Prophets, companions, scholars, rulers, scientists, poets, travelers: women and men who shaped the story. Related

Ahliyya (legal capacity: to have rights and duties, and to act; its stages from the womb to full maturity, and what impairs it)

Ahliyya is lexically suitability, and it is of two kinds: capacity to have rights and duties, the capacity of liability; and capacity to act, that is to perform acts recognised by the law. Its bearer passes through the stages of the foetus, childhood, discernment, puberty and maturity. Liability is complete from birth and incomplete for the foetus; the capacity to act is partial at discernment and full with puberty and reason. It is affected by heavenly impediments such as madness, imbecility, sleep, fainting, illness, slavery, menstruation, childbirth and death, and by acquired ones such as ignorance, drunkenness, jest, folly, travel, error and coercion.