Riyad al-Salihin - Al-Nawawi - (1/266)

Riyad al-SalihinAl-Nawawi

67 – Chapter: The disapproval of wishing for death on account of an affliction, while permitting it when one fears a temptation in his religion

590 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “None of you should wish for death. If he is righteous, he may yet increase in goodness; and if he is sinful, he may yet repent.” (1) Agreed upon; this is al-Bukhari’s wording.

In another narration recorded by Muslim, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “None of you should wish for death or supplicate for it before it comes to him, for when he dies his deeds come to an end, and a believer’s lifespan only increases him in goodness.”

591 – Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Let none of you wish for death because of a calamity that has befallen him. (2) If he must do so, let him say: ‘O Allah, keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and cause me to die when death is better for me.’” Agreed upon.

592 – Qays ibn Abi Ḥāzim said: We visited Khabbāb ibn al-Aratt (may Allah be pleased with him) while he had been cauterised seven times. He said, “Our companions who preceded us have gone on, and the world did not diminish them, whereas we have acquired wealth for which we find no place except the earth. (3) Were it not that the Prophet ﷺ forbade us to pray for death, I would have done so.” We visited him again when he was building a wall for himself, and he said, “A Muslim is rewarded for everything he spends, except for what he sets in this earth.” (4) Agreed upon; this is al-Bukhari’s wording.

(1) In other words, he renounces his offense and seeks reconciliation, as stated in al-Nihaya. (2) That is, in his worldly life. (3) That is, they passed away. (4) Meaning: he buried it there out of fear of theft. Al-Tirmidhi’s version adds: “I recall being with the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—while I did not possess a single dirham, and now beside my house there are forty thousand dirhams.”

٦٧ - باب كراهة تمنّي الموت بسبب ضُرّ نزل به ولا بأس به لخوف الفتنة في الدين ٥٩٠ - عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه ، أن رسول الله ﷺ قال : « لَا يَتَمَنَّ أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَوْتَ ، إِمَّا مُحْسِنًا ، فَلَعَلَّهُ يَزْدَادُ ، وَإِمَّا مُسِيئًا فَلَعَلَّهُ يَسْتَعْتِبُ » (١) متفق عليه وهذا لفظ البخاري . وفي رواية لمسلم عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه عن رسول الله ﷺ قال : « لَا يَتَمَنَّ أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَوْتَ ، وَلَا يَدْعُ بِهِ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُ ؛ إِنَّهُ إِذَا مَاتَ انْقَطَعَ عَمَلُهُ ، وَإِنَّهُ لَا يَزِيدُ الْمُؤْمِنَ عُمُرُهُ إِلَّا خَيْرًا » . ٥٩١ - وعن أنس رضي الله عنه قال : قال رسول الله ﷺ : « لَا يَتَمَنَّيَنَّ أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَوْتَ لِضُرٍّ أَصَابَهُ (٢) فَإِنْ كَانَ لَا بُدَّ فَاعِلًا ، فَلْيَقُلْ : اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي ، وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي » متفق عليه . ٥٩٢ - وعن قيس بن أبي حازم قال : دَخَلْنَا عَلَى خَبَّابِ بْنِ الْأَرَتِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ نَعُودُهُ وَقَدْ اكْتَوَى سَبْعَ كَيَاتٍ فَقَالَ : إِنَّ أَصْحَابَنَا الَّذِينَ سَلَفُوا (٣) مَضَوْا ، وَلَمْ تَنْقُصْهُمُ الدُّنْيَا ، وَإِنَّا أَصَبْنَا مَا لَا نَجِدُ لَهُ مَوْضِعًا إِلَّا التُّرَابَ (٤) وَلَوْلَا أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ نَهَانَا أَنْ نَدْعُوَ بِالْمَوْتِ لَدَعَوْتُ بِهِ . ثُمَّ أَتَيْنَاهُ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى وَهُوَ يَبْنِي حَائِطًا لَهُ ، فَقَالَ : إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمَ لَيُؤْجَرُ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ يُنْفِقُهُ إِلَّا فِي شَيْءٍ يَجْعَلُهُ فِي هَذَا التُّرَابِ . متفق عليه . وهذا لفظ رواية البخاري .

(١) أي : يرجع عن الإساءة ، ويطلب الرضى ، كما في « النهاية » . (٢) أي : في دنياه . (٣) أي : ماتوا . (٤) أي : يدفن فيه خوف السرقة . وفي رواية الترمذي : « لقد أريتني مع رسول الله ﷺ لا أملك درهماً وأن في جانب بيتي الآن أربعين ألف درهم » .