Can a person be considered as a shaheed if he dies whilst on a business trip by sea?
Question

                Can a person be considered as a shaheed (martyr) if he dies whilst on a business trip by sea?
Praise be to Allah. 
          Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on 
          him) was asked about a man who traveled by sea for the purpose of trade, 
          and he was drowned – did he die as a shaheed? 
 
          He replied, yes, he died as a shaheed, so long as he 
          was not travelling for sinful purposes. For it was narrated in a saheeh 
          report that the Prophet 
          
          (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one who drowns 
          is a shaheed, the one who dies of a stomach disease is a shaheed, the 
          one who is burnt to death is a shaheed, the one who dies of the plague 
          is a shaheed, the woman who dies giving birth is a shaheed, and the 
          one who is crushed by a collapsing building is a shaheed.” And people 
          killed in other ways were also mentioned. 
 
          Travelling by sea for the purpose of trade is permissible, 
          if one thinks it is most likely to be safe. If it is not safe then he 
          should not travel for the purpose of trade; if he did that [i.e., traveled 
          when it was not safe to do so], then he has contributed to his own death, 
          and in such a case we cannot say that he was a shaheed. And Allaah knows 
          best.