Thābit al-Bunānī reported:

ʿAmr was governor of Egypt. When his illness became severe he said to his chief of police, “Bring in the leading men among your officers.” When they entered, he looked at them and said, “See, I have reached this condition—turn it back from me!” They replied, “Would a man like you, O commander, say such a thing? This is Allah’s decree; it can never be repelled.” He said, “I know that, but I wanted you to take admonition. There is no god but Allah.” He kept repeating it until he died (1).

Rawḥ narrated to us: ʿAwf (2) related from al-Ḥasan, who said:

“It reached me that ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ summoned his guards when death approached and said, ‘Keep death away from me.’ They answered, ‘We never imagined you would say that.’ He replied, ‘I have said it, though I know full well (that you cannot). Had I never appointed even one of you to ward death off me, it would be dearer to me than such-and-such. Alas for Ibn Abī Ṭālib when he said, “A man’s appointed term is his true guard.”’ He then supplicated: ‘O Allah, I am neither innocent that I might plead, nor mighty that I might prevail; and if Your mercy does not reach me, I will surely be among the doomed’ (3).”

Isrāʾīl transmitted from ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mukhtār, from Muʿāwiyah ibn Qurrah, who said: Abū Ḥarb ibn Abī al-Aswad told me, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr:

“My father instructed me: ‘When I die, wash me once with water and dry me in a cloth; wash me a second time with pure water, then dry me; wash me a third time with water mixed with camphor, then dry me. Dress me, fasten my garments around me, for I will be called to account.

When you place me on the bier, walk with me at a pace between fast and slow, and stay behind the funeral-bier, for its front is for the angels and its rear for the children of Adam. When you lower me into the grave, spread the earth gently over me (4).’

He then said: ‘O Allah, You commanded us but we neglected, and You forbade us but we overstepped; I am not innocent that I might excuse myself, nor—”