Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
Whoever dies from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will receive the reward of a martyr in the Hereafter.
Answering your question, the Resident Fatwa Committee (RFC) of AMJA (Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America states:
Martyrs are of two types. The first is the martyr of this life and the next, i.e., one who is killed in battle and is not washed or prayed over, and is buried in their clothing (not shrouded).
The second is the martyr of the next life, i.e., one who is not treated the same as the martyr of this life when it comes the rulings of washing, shrouding, and prayer, but who has the reward of the martyr in the next life.
God willing, whoever dies from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will receive the reward of a martyr in the Hereafter. This is based on two considerations. The first is their inclusion in the Prophet’s statement (peace be upon him), “the plague-stricken is a martyr,” based on the declaration of those scholars who said that the reward of the plague includes all fatal epidemics.
The second is their inclusion in the Prophet’s statement, “The one who dies due to pleurisy is a martyr,” based on the declaration of those scholars who said that anyone who dies with pain in their lungs is included in the category of death due to pleurisy.
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim stated in his book Zad al-Ma`ad: “It has been said that its intent is everyone who has pain in their side or their lung.”
Almighty Allah knows best.
Source: https://www.amjaonline.org/
