“We hoped that when he died it would be as a martyr in the cause of Allah.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “In that case the martyrs of my nation would be few. Being killed in the cause of Allah is martyrdom; dying of the plague is martyrdom; when a pregnant woman dies in childbirth that is martyrdom; and dying of drowning, or burning, or of pleurisy, is martyrdom.”  

أَنَّهُ مَرِضَ فَأَتَاهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَعُودُهُ فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ إِنْ كُنَّا لَنَرْجُو أَنْ تَكُونَ وَفَاتُهُ قَتْلَ شَهَادَةٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّ شُهَدَاءَ أُمَّتِي إِذًا لَقَلِيلٌ الْقَتْلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ شَهَادَةٌ وَالْمَطْعُونُ شَهَادَةٌ وَالْمَرْأَةُ تَمُوتُ بِجُمْعٍ شَهَادَةٌ يَعْنِي الْحَامِلَ وَالْغَرِقُ وَالْحَرِقُ وَالْمَجْنُوبُ يَعْنِي ذَاتَ الْجَنْبِ شَهَادَةٌ  

“What do you say among yourselves about the martyr?” They said: “The one who is killed in the cause of Allah.” He said: “In that case the martyrs among my nation would be few. Whoever is killed in the cause of Allah is a martyr; whoever dies in the cause of Allah is a martyr; whoever dies of a stomach disease is a martyr; and whoever dies of the plague is a martyr.” Another chain narrates with the addition of "and the drowned is a martyr."  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَا تَقُولُونَ فِي الشَّهِيدِ فِيكُمْ قَالُوا الْقَتْلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ قَالَ إِنَّ شُهَدَاءَ أُمَّتِي إِذًا لَقَلِيلٌ مَنْ قُتِلَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ وَمَنْ مَاتَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ وَالْمَبْطُونُ شَهِيدٌ وَالْمَطْعُونُ شَهِيدٌ قَالَ سُهَيْلٌ وَأَخْبَرَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مِقْسَمٍ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ وَزَادَ فِيهِ وَالْغَرِقُ شَهِيدٌ