ABSTRACT
Martyrdom is a contested term, difficult to define. Martyrs were commended as the ideal type of believer, who when confronted by powerful adversaries, or the apparatus of a hostile State, choose to lay down their lives rather than compromise their faith. One might easily conclude from early Christian writings that the nascent Church faced intense and sustained persecution from both Synagogue and State, often resulting in the martyrdom of believers. Martyrdom was a key identifier of Christian identity in early Christianity, with readiness to embrace death a significant criterion for distinguishing between true and false Christians. Early Islamic martyr theology developed significantly in light of the foundational Sunni/Shi'a intra-community dispute between followers of Hussein and Yazid that would reach its climax at the battle of Karbala. The way a death is remembered, or the manner in which a death-story is told is, in the end, the only criterion that determines whether or not one joins the rank of the martyrs.
