74 – ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us. Abū ʿAbd al-Malik al-Madani ibn Abī Maʿshar reported, from Abū Maʿshar, from Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb, who said:

Talḥah ibn al-Barāʾ, a man of Banū Unayf, came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, “I pledge my allegiance to you on the condition that I will kill my father.” The Prophet held back his hand. He came again and said, “I pledge my allegiance to you that I will kill my father,” and the Prophet withheld his hand. He came a third time with the same words, so the Prophet accepted his pledge but instructed him not to kill his father.

Later Talḥah fell ill with an illness that brought him close to death. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ visited him, and when he saw that death was imminent he said to some of those present, “When death descends upon him, inform me so that I may be present and pray over him.”

Death overtook him during the night. Some of those beside him ⦗32⦘ said, “Notify the Messenger of Allah.” Talḥah replied, “Do not.” They asked, “Why, O Talḥah, when people seek the intercession of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when death approaches them?” He said, “I fear that some mishap might befall him, or that a scorpion might sting him, or a snake might bite him, and then I would meet Allah bearing that responsibility.”

So they left him until morning. When he died they informed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said, “Did I not tell you: when death approaches him, inform me?” They replied, “We wanted to, O Messenger of Allah, but he forbade us, saying: ‘I fear a calamity might befall him, or a scorpion might sting him, or a snake might bite him, and then I would meet Allah bearing that.’”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said, “O Allah, receive Talḥah ibn al-Barāʾ while You are smiling at him and he is smiling toward You.”