A man who lives in disobedience to Allah, then drowns; is he considered a martyr or not?

The questioner : The questioner:The questioner : He says: A man who lives in disobedience to Allah, then drowns; is he considered a martyr or not?

The Shaykh : As for the one who drowns while he is a sinner, this is a matter in which we cannot give a definitive ruling. His case is left to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Much of what comes regarding the ruling of martyrdom for some people is followed by certain exceptions in some hadiths, as came in "Sahih Muslim": . So Jibril (peace be upon him) said to him: "Except for debt." He said: . It is possible that in the various hadiths of martyrdom, of which I mentioned a good portion in my book "Rulings on Funerals and Their Innovations," there may be exceptions that we do not know. So the one who drowns while a sinner, his case is left to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Especially since this issue—that is, the ruling of martyrdom for the drowned and those like him—is a judicial martyrdom, such that no legal rulings are established for him, like the martyr of the battlefield. The martyr of the battlefield, for example—as you all know, if Allah wills—is not shrouded and is not washed, but is buried as he is. As for the one who is a martyr by ruling and not in reality, none of the rulings are established for him. So this question remains left to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), because nothing is established for us as a legal ruling that we must know: did he die a martyr and was he forgiven, or not? We say: his case is left to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He).