- The Angel of Death came to Moses, peace be upon him—or, in one chain: “The Angel of Death used to come to people openly, until he came to Moses, peace be upon him”—and said to him, “Respond to your Lord.” Moses, peace be upon him, struck the Angel of Death in the eye and gouged it out. The angel returned to Allah Most High and said, “My Lord, You sent me to a servant of Yours who does not wish to die, and he has gouged out my eye. Were it not for the honour he holds with You, I would have dealt harshly with him.”
Allah restored his eye and said, “Return to My servant and say to him: ‘Do you desire life? If you do, place your hand on the back of a bull; for every hair your hand covers, you shall live one year.’” He said, “My Lord, then what?” He said, “Then you will die.” He said, “Then let it be now, my Lord. Cause me to die a stone’s throw from the Holy Land!”
He said: “Then he smelled him once and took his soul. After that, he came to people secretly.”
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“By Allah, if I were there, I would show you his grave beside the road, at—or, in one chain: beneath—the red sandhill.”
I say: This hadith is one of the well-known authentic hadiths reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim through several chains from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him. The Muslim community has received it with acceptance. I have gathered its various wordings and the additions found in them, presenting them to you as one continuous account, as you see, so that you may grasp the whole story with all the various points of benefit scattered throughout its sources. This helps you understand it correctly, without any difficulty or doubt, and thus submit fully to the words of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.