The Prophet ﷺ came to visit Abdullah bin Thabit and found that he had been overcome by his illness. He called out to him, but he did not respond. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "We belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return," and added, "We have lost you, Abu Rabi."The women cried out and wept, and Ibn Atik began trying to silence them.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Leave them be. But once it has befallen, let no mourner weep."They asked, "What is it that befalls, Messenger of Allah?"He replied, "Death."His daughter said, "I had hoped you would be a martyr, for you had completed your preparations."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Allah has granted him his reward according to his intention. What do you consider martyrdom to be?"They said, "Being killed in the path of Allah
."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "There are seven kinds of martyrdom besides being killed in the path of Allah
. The one who dies of plague is a martyr, the one who dies of an abdominal illness is a martyr, the one who drowns is a martyr, the one who dies under a collapsed building is a martyr, the one who dies of pleurisy is a martyr, the one who dies by fire is a martyr, and the woman who dies in childbirth is a martyr."
أخبرنا عتبة بن عبد الله بن عتبة قال قرأت على مالك عن عبد الله بن عبد الله بن جابر بن عتيك أن عتيك بن الحارث وهو جد عبد الله بن عبد الله أبو أمه أخبره أن
أن النبي ﷺ جاء يعود عبد الله بن ثابت فوجده قد غلب عليه فصاح به فلم يجبه فاسترجع رسول الله ﷺ وقال قد غلبنا عليك أبا الربيع فصحن النساء وبكين فجعل ابن عتيك يسكتهن فقال رسول الله ﷺ دعهن فإذا وجب فلا تبكين باكية قالوا وما الوجوب يا رسول الله قال الموت قالت ابنته إن كنت لأرجو أن تكون شهيدا قد كنت قضيت جهازك قال رسول الله ﷺ فإن الله عز وجل قد أوقع أجره عليه على قدر نيته وما تعدون الشهادة قالوا القتل في سبيل الله عز وجل قال رسول الله ﷺ الشهادة سبع سوى القتل في سبيل الله عز وجل المطعون شهيد والمبطون شهيد والغريق شهيد وصاحب الهدم شهيد وصاحب ذات الجنب شهيد وصاحب الحرق شهيد والمرأة تموت بجمع شهيدة
Its isnad is sahih. Abu Dawud narrated it in the Book of Funerals, in the chapter on the merit of one who dies of plague, hadith no. 3111, from the hadith of Malik through this route. It is also found in the Muwatta (Yahya's recension) 1/233, 234, and in Sunan al-Kubra, hadith no. 1973. Ibn Hibban graded it sahih, hadith no. 1616, as did Hakim, 1/352, 353, and Dhahabi agreed with him. Nawawi said it is sahih by agreement, even though the two sheikhs did not narrate it.