Anyone in an area afflicted with plague who stays therein patiently hoping for Allah's reward and believing that nothing will befall him except what Allah has foreordained for him will get a reward similar to that of a martyr

‘Ā'ishah asked the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) about the plague, and he informed her that the plague was a torment that Allah, the Exalted, sends upon those He willed of His slaves. Whether it is plague itself or any similar epidemic, such as cholera, this plague is a torment that Allah sends down.

However, the plague is mercy for the believer if it broke out where he resides and he stayed there, patiently seeking Allah’s reward and knowing that nothing would harm him except what Allah had decreed for him. If he does so, Allah gives him the reward of a martyr.

Therefore, in a Sahīh Hadīth reported by ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn ‘Awf (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If you know that a plague is in a land, do not go there; and if it occurs in a land where you are, do not run from it." So if the plague occurs in a place, one must not go to that place, because going there means exposing oneself to destruction.

However, if the plague occurs in a place where one is already in, then he must not leave the place. Escaping will not save a person from his destiny; there is no escape from the decree of Allah except to the decree of Allah. Why the martyr's reward? It is because life is so precious, and the outbreak of a plague urges a person to run for his life.

So, if he stays with patience, seeking reward from Allah, and believing that nothing will befall him except what Allah had decreed for him, and then he dies of the plague, he will get the same reward of a martyr as a favor from Allah in return for his patience and good expectation of Allah.