Shaheed

Shaheed is the Arabic word for Martyr. It is used to denote a martyr in Islam and also Sikhism. The word Shahid is used in the Quran many times to denote a Muslim martyr. Shaheed is given to the name of Muslim martyrs but also martyrs in Sikh history e.g Shaheed Baba Ajit Singh Ji, Shaheed Baba Jujhar Singh Ji, Shaheed Baba Zorawar Singh Ji, Baba Fateh Singh Ji etc. In Sikh history using the word Shaheed is commonly used for sacrifice for a good cause similar to martyr for example the 9th Guru, Guru Tahegbahadur Ji gave his head for the Kashmiri Hindus after the Muslim Mughal ruler Aurangzeb forced the Pandits to convert to Islam. So Sikhs often notice this and call him Shaheed too. Shaheed can also be Shaheedi in correlation to Shaheedi Gurpurab (Gurpurab is like anniversary but more honoured.) It entered Sikhism through the Islamic culture which was prevalent in Punjab since the times of the Ghaznavids prior to the growth of the Sikh religion.