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Wishing for death ?

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
Whoever thinks that a person who has committed sin and then repents will be lacking is making a great mistake, for the condemnation and punishment that may befall the sinner do not affect the one who repents from sin at all. If he hastens to repent from sin then nothing will affect him, but if he delays repentance then he may be affected by some condemnation and punishment during the period between committing sin and repenting.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 10/309.
And he said:
But a person may do something haraam and then repent, and that is good for him if he repents from it, and by repenting he may become humble and soft-hearted, and more devoted to Allaah. Sins may serve an interest if one repents from them, because if a person does not commit sin he may become arrogant, filled with self-admiration and hard-hearted, but if he commits sin, that humbles him and softens his heart because of his repentance.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 14/474
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best of people is the one who lives long and does good.” Narrated by Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi, 110; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Glad tidings to the one who lives long and does good.” Narrated by al-Tabaraani and Abu Na’eem, classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3928.
Ahmad (8195) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Two men became Muslim with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). One of them was martyred, and the other remained for another year. Talhah ibn ‘Ubayd-Allaah said: I was shown Paradise (in a dream), and in it I saw that the one who was delayed was admitted before the martyr. I was surprised by that, so the next morning I told the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about that. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Did he not fast Ramadaan after he was gone, and pray six thousand rak’ahs, or such and such a number of rak’ahs, the prayers of one year?” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 2591. al-‘Ajlooni said in Kashf al-Khafa’: its isnaad is hasan.
A man said: “O Messenger of Allaah, which of the people is best?” He said: “The one who lives long and does good.” He said: “Which of the people is worst?” He said: “The one who lives long and does evil.” Narrated by Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi, 2330; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
Al-Teebi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Time is like the capital of a businessman, and it should be invested in such a way as to make a profit. The greater the capital, the greater the profit. Whoever benefits from his life by doing good deeds will succeed and prosper, but whoever wastes his capital and does not prosper will evidently lose out.
End quote.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one of you should wish for death or pray for it before it comes, for when one of you dies, his good deeds come to an end and for the believer a long life will not increase him in anything but good.” Narrated by Muslim, 2682
A version narrated by al-Bukhaari says: “No one of you should wish for death. Either he is a doer of good and will do more, or he is a doer of evil but perhaps he may stop.”
Al-Nawawi said: This hadeeth clearly indicates that it is makrooh to wish for death because of some harm that has befallen one, such as loss or distress caused by an enemy, or other such hardships of this world. But if a person fears harm or fitnah with regard to his religious commitment, it is not makrooh to wish for death, according to this hadeeth, and several of the salaf did that.
It was narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not wish for death, for the terror that follows death is immense. It is a sign of blessing to live long and be guided by Allaah to repent.” Narrated by Ahmad; classed as da’eef by al-Albaani in Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Da’eefah, 885.
Ibn ‘Umar heard a man wishing for death and he said: “Do not wish for death, for you are going to die. Ask Allaah to keep you safe and sound, for the dying person is exposed to great terror.”
Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Many righteous men have wished for death when they were healthy, then when it came they hated it because it is so difficult, such as Abu’l-Darda’ and Sufyaan al-Thawri, so what do you think about people other than them?
It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one of you should wish for death because of some harm that has befallen him, but if he must do that then let him say: ‘O Allaah, keep me alive so long as life is good for me, and cause me to die when death is good for me.’” Agreed upon.
What is meant by “some harm that has befallen him” is worldly harms such as sickness, loss of wealth and children, and the like. But if he fears harm to his religious commitment, such as fitnah, then there is nothing wrong with wishing for death in that case, as we shall see below.
It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: It was said: “O Messenger of Allaah, So and so has died, and has found relief.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) got angry and said: “Only the one who is forgiven finds relief.” Narrated by Ahmad, 24192; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1710.
Secondly: There are some cases in which it is prescribed to wish for death, such as the following:
1 – One who fears for his religious commitment because of fitnah
Undoubtedly death which takes a person away from fitnah (tribulation, temptation that takes one away from religious commitment), even if his righteous deeds are few, is better for him than being subjected to tribulations with regard to his religious commitment. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.
It was narrated from Mahmoud ibn Labeed (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are two things that the son of Adam dislikes: death, although death is better for a believer than fitnah; and he dislikes having little wealth, but less wealth means less reckoning.” Narrated by Ahmad; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 813.
The fact that wishing for death in this situation is also prescribed is indicated by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in his du’aa’: “If You should decree fitnah for Your slaves, then take my soul (in death) before I am put to trial.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3233; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’.
Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This is permissible according to the majority of scholars.
Based on this, the reports of the salaf wishing for death are to be understood as meaning that they wished for death for fear of fitnah.
Maalik narrated that Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyab said: When ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab came from Mina, he made his camel kneel at al-Abtah, and then he gathered a pile of small stones and cast his cloak over them and dropped to the ground. Then he raised his hands to the sky and said, ‘O Allaah! I have become old and my strength has weakened. My flock is scattered. Take me to You with nothing missed out and without having neglected anything.’
Sa’eed said: Dhu’l-Hijjah did not end before ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) was murdered.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Whoever sees death offered for sale, let him buy it for me!
Al-Thabaat ‘inda al-Mamaat, by Ibn al-Jawzi, p. 45
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Were it not that it would be too hard for my ummah, I would not have stayed behind from any campaign. Would that I could be killed for the sake of Allaah, then brought back to life then killed, then brought back to life then killed.” Agreed upon.
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wished to be killed for the sake of Allaah, and that was only because of the great virtue of martyrdom.
Muslim (1909) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever asks Allaah sincerely for martyrdom, Allaah will cause him to attain the status of the martyr, even if he dies in his bed.”
Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, concerning the liar Musaylimah, when he claimed to be a prophet: “By Allaah, I will fight him with people who love death as they love life.”
Khaalid ibn al-Waleed (may Allaah be pleased with him) wrote to the people of Persia saying: “By the One besides Whom there is no other god, I shall send against you people who love death as you love life.”
It was narrated that Salmaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Standing on guard at the border for one day and one night is better than fasting and praying qiyaam for a month, and if he dies, will be given the reward for the good deeds that he used to do, and he will be given provision, and he will be kept safe from al-fattaan
[i.e., Munkar and Nakeer, the two angels who question the deceased in the grave].”
Muslim, 1913.

 

When the Salaf Would Wish For Death…

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1 – Prophet Yusuf said:
{“…cause me to die as a Muslim, and join me with the righteous.”} [Yusuf; 101] Qatadah said, commenting on this verse:
“When his possessions were many, and his eye had been cooled, and he was engulfed in the worldly pleasures and delights, he longed to be joined with the righteous people before him.”[at-Tabari’s ‘Jami’ al-Bayan’; 13/48] 2 – The magicians of Fir’awn said, after Fir’awn threatened to kill them:
{“And you take vengeance on us only because we believed in the signs of our Lord when they reached us! Our Lord! Pour out on us patience, and cause us to die as Muslims.”} [al-A’raf; 126] 3 – Mu’adh bin Jabal said:
“One day, the Messenger of Allah did not show up for the morning prayer, to the point that we noticed the Sun was about to rise. We then saw him coming out quickly, and he called for the prayer, and quickly prayed. When he made taslim, he said to us: “Remain in your places.”
He then turned to us and said: “I will speak to you about what prevented me from showing up earlier. I got up at night, performed ablution, and prayed as much as I could. I then felt sleepiness to the extent that I was overtaken by it, so, I slept. Suddenly, I awoke to find myself in front of my Lord – the Mighty and Exalted – in the best image possible. He Said: “O Muhammad! Do you know what those of the highest ranks are busy quarrelling over?”
I said: “I do not know, my Lord.” [The Prophet repeated this three times, then said] I then saw Him laying His Palm between my shoulders until I could feel the coolness of His Fingers in my chest, and then everything was revealed to me, and I knew it. Then, He Said: “O Muhammad! Do you know what those of the highest ranks are busy quarrelling over?”
I said: “Regarding those deeds that wipe out sins.”
He Asked: “What are they?”
I replied: “Walking to the congregational prayer, remaining in the mosque after the prayer, and making your ablution lengthy and perfect in times of hardship.”
He then Asked: “And what are those deeds that increase one’s ranks?”
I replied: “Providing food to the people, speaking gently, and praying at night while the people are asleep.”
He then Said: “Ask!”
I said: “O Allah, I ask You to grant me the ability to perform good deeds and abandon the bad ones, the love of the poor, and that You Forgive me and have Mercy on me, and that if You want to test a group of people, I ask You to allow me to die without having experienced any fitnah, and I ask for Your Love and the love of those who love You, and the love of a deed that brings me closer to Your Love.”
The Prophet then said: “It is true. So, study it and learn it.””[Reported by Ahmad (5/243) and at-Tirmidhi (3235), and it is authentic] 4 – The Messenger of Allah said:
“None of you should wish for death because of a calamity that has befallen him. But if he has to wish for death, he should say: ‘O Allah! Keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and let me die if death is better for me.'”[Reported by al-Bukhari (5671) and Muslim (2680)] Ibn Hajar said, commenting on this hadith:
“The Prophet’s saying “because of a calamity that has befallen him” is intepreted by a group of the Salaf to mean a calamity in his worldly affairs. So, if he is stricken with a calamity in the affairs of the Hereafter by way of him fearing a fitnah in regards to his religion, this does not fall under the Prophet’s prohibition…and this indicates the permissibility of longing for death if one fears fitnah in regards to his religion, and Allah Knows best.”[‘Fath al-Bari’; 10/128] an-Nawawi said what is similar to the above in his ‘Sharh Sahih Muslim’ (9/8).
5 – The Messenger of Allah said:
“There are two things that the son of Adam hates: death – and death is better for the believer than fitnah – and a lack of wealth – and a lack wealth makes the Account lighter.”[Reported by Ahmad in his ‘Musnad’ (5/427), and it is authentic] 6 – The Messenger of Allah said:
“The Hour will not be established until a man passes by the grave of another man and says: ‘If only I were in his place.'”[Reported by al-Bukhari (7115)] Ibn Hajar said, commenting on this hadith:
“Ibn Battal said: “The inhabitants of the graves being envied and death being longed for at the time of the emergence of fitnah will be out of fear of the weakening of religious practice with the increase in falsehood and its people, and the emergence of disobedience and sin.” [Ibn Hajar continued] and this longing is not something general for all people. Rather, it is specific to the people of righteousness. As for the rest, then they might long for death because of a calamity that has befallen them in their health, family, and worldly affairs, without any of these things having affected his religious practice…
…and many of the Salaf did this, such as ‘Umar bin al-Khattab, ‘Isa al-Ghifari, ‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, and other than them. al-Qurtubi said: “It is as if this hadith is indicating that overwhelming trials and hardships will descend until the importance of and concern with religion becomes minimal, and there will remain for nobody except the concern with the worldly affairs and connected matters. As a result, the value of worship in the times of fitnah has been magnified greatly, as Muslim reported, from the hadith of Mu’aqqal bin Yasar: “Worship in the times of trials and tribulations is like a migration to me.””
…and al-Hakim reported that Abu Salamah said: “I visited Abu Hurayrah and said: “O Allah! Return Abu Hurayrah’s health to him.” So, Abu Hurayrah said: “O Allah! Do not return it to me. O Abu Salamah, if you are able to die, then do so. By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, there will come a time upon the scholars in which death is more beloved to them than red gold, and one of them will pass by the grave of his brother and say: ‘If only I were in his place.'””
And ‘Abdullah bin as-Samit reported that Abu Dharr said: “There will come a time when a funeral procession will pass through the marketplace in front of a group of people, and a man will see it and shake his head, saying: ‘If only I were in this person’s place.'” So, ‘Abdullah said: “O Abu Dharr! This must be because of something overwhelming!” Abu Dharr replied: “Yes, it certainly is.””[‘Fath al-Bari’; 13/81]  
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