578 — “The Hour will not come until a man passes by another man’s grave and says, ‘Would that I were in his place’—not out of love for meeting Allah.”

Aḥmad (2/530) recorded it: ʿAlī narrated to us; Warqāʾ informed us, from Abū al-Zinād, from al-Aʿraj, from Abū Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said this.

I say: This is an authentic chain according to Muslim’s criteria, and Muslim also recorded it, as will follow. ʿAlī in this chain is Ibn Ḥafṣ al-Madāʾinī, Abū al-Ḥasan al-Baghdādī, who was trustworthy. The hadith was also recorded by Mālik in al-Muwaṭṭaʾ (1/239), and from him by al-Bukhārī (13/63), Muslim (8/182), and Aḥmad (2/236), through Abū al-Zinād with this chain, but without the words: “not out of love for meeting Allah.” It is because of this addition that I have included it here.

It is supported by what Abū Ḥāzim narrated from Abū Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said something similar, with the wording: “Would that I were in the place of the occupant of this grave—not out of religious devotion, but solely because of affliction.” Muslim and Ibn Mājah (2/494) recorded it.

The meaning of the hadith is that he does not wish for death out of religious devotion, seeking nearness to Allah, or love of meeting Him; rather, he does so because of the afflictions and trials that have befallen him in his worldly affairs. Thus, it indicates that wishing for death out of religious devotion is permissible. This does not conflict with his statement, peace and blessings be upon him: “None of you should wish for death because of harm that has befallen him ...,” for this specifically concerns wishing for death because of a worldly matter, as is apparent.

Al-Ḥāfiẓ said: “This is further supported by the established reports that a number of the early generations wished for death when religious affairs became corrupt.” Al-Nawawī said: “There is no disapproval in this; rather, multitudes among the early generations did it, including ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and ...”