ONE HADITH A DAY
Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim · Authentic hadith
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه : أن رسولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قالَ: "لا يَتَمَنَّ أحَدُكَم الموتَ، إما مُحسِناً فلعلَّه يَزْدَادُ، وإما مُسِيئاً فلعلَّه يَسْتَعْتِبُ". وفي رواية قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : "لا يَتَمَنَّ أحَدُكُم الموتَ، ولا يَدْعُ به من قبلِ أنَ يَأتيَه؛ إنه إذا ماتَ انقطعَ عملُهُ، وإنه لا يَزيدُ المؤمنَ عُمُرُهُ إلا خيراً".
“Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "None of you should wish for death. Either he is a doer of good, so he may do more good; or he is an evildoer, so he may give up evil deeds." In a narration, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "None of you should wish for death, nor ask for it before it comes to him; for when any of you dies, his deeds stop, and the believer's life span only adds good to him."”
In the Prophet's statement "None of you should wish for death", the prohibition here indicates unlawfulness, because in wishing for death there is a kind of displeasure with the decree of Allah, and the believer must be patient when a calamity befalls him. When he is patient during hardships, he will achieve two important things: 1. Expiation of sins- because no worry, grief or annoyance befalls a person except that Allah expiates his sins for it - even the prick of a thorn expiates his sins; 2. If he succeeds in anticipating reward from Allah, and is patient for the sake of Allah, then he will be rewarded. Regarding his wish for death, this is an indication of lack of patience and content with what Allah, Exalted and Glorified, has decreed. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) explained that if he is of the doers of good, he will increase in good deeds while still alive, since the believer may still increase in good deeds as long as he is living, even if he is afflicted with a calamity. On the other hand, if he is an evildoer who committed sins, he may give up his evil ways, i.e. seek the pleasure and pardon of Allah, so then he will die after having repented of his sins. So do not wish for death, because the matter in its entirety is decreed. So one should be patient and anticipate reward from Allah, because nothing lasts forever. In the Hadīth, there is also an indication that the meaning behind the prohibition of wishing for death is that death is the end of deeds. Life is the time of performing deeds, and deeds achieve an increase in re…