SHAH ALAM - The death of Muslim victims in the tragedy of two helicopters colliding before crashing at the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Lumut Base is regarded martyrs because they were killed while in service to the nation.
Penang Mufti Datuk Seri Dr Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor said that the death they attained was classified as martyrdom in the hereafter, one of Islam's three categories of martyrdom.
"Abu Hurairah RA narrated that the Prophet Muhammad SAW said (to the effect): The dead are martyrs in five categories, namely those who die due to plague, die due to stomach illness, drown, are crushed by a falling object and are martyrs fighting in the way of Allah SWT.
"Even though they perished during training, the incident occurred while all the victims were on duty.
"We categorise them as martyrs in the hereafter if they are Muslims because they were killed while serving the country; Insha-Allah, they will attain martyrdom in the hereafter," he told Sinar on Wednesday.
He explained that bodies of the deceased victims categorised as martyrs still needed to be treated as usual.
He said that unlike martyrs of the world and the hereafter who were buried without being bathed, this involved someone who died during war to uphold and defend the religion of Allah.
"Another category is martyrs of the world, meaning anyone who is killed for worldly purposes, meaning they fight for war spoils, fame or pride," he said.
The tragedy on Tuesday resulted in 10 casualties, involving seven crew members of the Maritime Operations Helicopter (HOM-AW139) and three crew members of the RMN Fennec.
They were undergoing a parade rehearsal as part of the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the RMN, which was supposed to take place from May 3 to 5, but was cancelled due to the incident.
Meanwhile, Kelantan Mufti Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamad reminded the public not to spread gruesome images and videos of accident victims, as it is prohibited in Islam.
Shukri said such actions could humiliate the deceased and hurt or distress their families and heirs, thus inviting sin.
"Especially if the condition of the deceased is somewhat imperfect, such as having exposed private parts or detached body parts, because Islam prohibits its followers from exposing private parts and can tarnish the dignity of the deceased.
"Islam prioritises respect for the deceased just as during their lifetime. If it's not permissible to disgrace them during life, then it's also impermissible after death.
"It's considered forbidden, so don't spread their pictures or videos," he told reporters at an event in Lundang, Kota Bharu, on Wednesday.