It is known that the one killed by a stomach ailment is a martyr; is he to be washed or not?

The questioner : 9: We know that the one killed by a stomach ailment is a martyr, and a martyr is not washed; is the one killed by a stomach ailment to be washed or not?

The Shaykh : Yes, he must be washed. The martyr who is not washed—allowing for a loose expression here, yes—is the martyr of the battlefield. As for those who are martyrs by ruling—meaning they are in the position of a battlefield martyr in terms of virtue—they are not equated with the battlefield martyr in the rulings that pertain to him. I said that the battlefield martyr is not washed, allowing for a loose expression, because such an expression implies that washing him is not prescribed. But, excuse me, I made a mistake; the matter of washing and prayer confused me. The martyr is not prayed over; he is not washed and not prayed over, but he is sometimes prayed over, and it is not the case that he is never prayed over, as is commonly believed. As for washing, the battlefield martyr is not washed. However, the one killed by a stomach ailment and everyone who is called a martyr in the authentic hadiths that I mentioned in my book "Rulings on Funerals"—these martyrs are not in the position of the battlefield martyr in any of the rulings that came regarding that martyr. All of these martyrs are washed and prayed over. It is specific to the battlefield martyr that he is not washed, but sometimes he is prayed over and sometimes he is not. It is very clear that when a battle is ongoing, it is not easy to establish the prayer over these martyrs. Therefore, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) made it easy for His fighting servants by commanding that they be buried in their blood and their clothes, without being prayed over. But if an opportunity arises and the army or the commander of the army prays over the martyr, that is permissible and prescribed.