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What is the meaning of "Al-Mabṭūn" (one who dies from an internal disease), and what is the ruling regarding someone who dies while giving birth, or in a car accident, or from an illness, or from a heart attack? Is it a condition that they must have been fulfilling their religious obligations?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Martyrs are of five types: the plague-stricken, the one who dies of an internal disease, the drowned, the one who dies under a collapsed building, and the martyr in the way of Allah. There are seven types of martyrs besides those killed in the way of Allah: the plague-stricken, the drowned, the one who dies of pleurisy, the one who dies of an internal disease, the burned, the one who dies under a collapsed building, and the woman who dies during childbirth (or while pregnant). More than twenty types of martyrdom have been gathered from reliable sources. The reason these deaths are considered martyrdom is due to Allah Almighty's favor, owing to their severity and great pain, and because they are an expiation for their sins and an increase in their rewards.

Martyrs are of two categories: the martyr of this world and the Hereafter, who is one killed in a war against disbelievers with sincerity, and the martyr of the Hereafter, who are those mentioned previously. This means they are given the reward of martyrs but are not subject to their rulings in this world. And whoever dies due to an illness or a car accident, or similar deaths involving severity and pain, it is hoped that they will be among the martyrs.

To attain the reward of martyrdom, there are conditions: patience and seeking reward from Allah, and the absence of impediments such as embezzlement, debt, usurpation of people's rights, and not dying due to an act of disobedience. However, whoever dies these deaths while being a monotheist, it is hoped that they will receive the reward of martyrdom, even if they were negligent in some duties or committed some prohibitions.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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