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Fatwa CenterInterpreting the meaning of how a person dies
Question
My question is related to death and is as follow: If a Muslim person dies a horrible death is that in anyway a punishment? For example; someone dies in a car accident or a bombing and his/her body becomes completely mutated; is this kind of death a punishment to that person?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
Death by fire or by the other ways you mentioned in the question is not evidence that it is a punishment of Allaah. Death of every living being is predetermined, as Allaah says (which means): {Every soul will taste death.}[Quran 3:185].
The way of everyone's death has already been written. Sometimes a believer dies in a car accident and a non-believer dies while resting on his couch; the fate of a believer is
The Prophet 
said that the death of a believer through a fire or under falling debris is martyrdom. Once he enquired, "Who do you consider to be a martyr?" They said: "O Allaah's Prophet, he who is killed fighting for the cause of Allaah." The Prophet said: "Martyrs are seven". Then he mentioned among the seven categories the one who dies in fire and the one who dies under falling debris (in a disaster)." [Al Bukhari and Muslim]
No doubt, the one who dies in a fire becomes disfigured and the ribs are broken of the one who dies under falling debris and his limbs scatter even though they are considered among the martyrs. Sometimes, a person who is in Jihaad dies due to an explosion and the like; in spite of that, he is a martyr.
In short, what is being asked in the question is not evidence of the punishment of Allaah, rather it might be a supernatural event and martyrdom. We beg Allaah, The Exalted, to bestow upon us a good end of our lives.
Allaah knows best.
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