565 — Al-Firyābī informed us, saying: Uthmān ibn Abī Shaybah informed us, saying: Jarīr ibn Abd al-Hamīd narrated to us, from al-Amash, from Khaythamah, from Abū Atiyyah, who said:

Masrūq and I entered upon Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her—and mentioned to her the statement of Abd Allāh ibn Masūd ⦗968⦘: “Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him; and whoever dislikes meeting Allah, Allah dislikes meeting him.”

Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her—said, “May Allah have mercy on Abū Abd al-Rahmān. He related to you the beginning of the hadith, but you did not ask him about its ending. I shall tell you about it. When Allah Most High wills good for a servant, He appoints an angel for him before his death who guides him aright and gives him glad tidings, until he dies in the best state of his life. The people then say, ‘So-and-so died in the best state of his life.’ When death comes to him and he sees his reward in Paradise, he begins trying to heave his soul out, wishing that it would depart. That is when he loves to meet Allah, and Allah loves to meet him.

“But when Allah wills evil for a servant, He appoints a devil for him one year before his death, who continues to tempt him and lead him astray until he dies in the worst state of his life. The people then say, ‘So-and-so died in the worst state of his life.’ When death comes to him and he sees his place in the Fire, he begins swallowing his soul back down to keep it from departing. That is when he dislikes meeting Allah, and Allah dislikes meeting him.”