What do Siddiq, Salih and Shahid mean?

A Siddiq is someone who is truthful through and through, and always. Salih is the first stage of righteousness, and Shahid means witness, someone whose faith is as certain as if they could see the truth before them.

Siddiq comes from the Arabic word for truth. Someone who tells the truth is truthful. Siddiq means more than that. It describes a person who is always truthful, constantly and down to the finest detail. Such a person is inwardly exactly as they appear outwardly, and their deeds match their words. Only Allah is perfectly true. Among human beings, however, Siddiq is the strongest word for truthfulness, which is why the Holy Qur’an uses it of Prophets as well.

Salih is the first stage of righteousness. A person recognises a good cause, accepts it sincerely and with good intentions, and begins to act on it. The goodness that grows in them as a result makes them Salih. Yet they do not stay there but move forward step by step.

Shahid literally means witness. It refers to someone whose faith is so certain that it is as if they could see the truth with their own eyes. In this sense even Prophets are called witnesses, because they perceive Allah more clearly than anyone. So the word extends from ordinary believers up to the highest ranks.

Why, then, are martyrs called Shahid? Most people would rather hold on to what is in their hand than give it up for a promise. Whoever gives their life for Allah does the opposite. With their life they bear witness that the life after death is more certain to them than the life here. For them it is not a loss but a good exchange. The third verse above says that such people are alive with their Lord.