1. Articles
  2. How He treated them?
  3. The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, prohibited the one afflicted with a calamity to wish death on themselves due to the harm that has befallen on them

The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, prohibited the one afflicted with a calamity to wish death on themselves due to the harm that has befallen on them

Auther : Muhammad Saalih Al-Munajjid
Under category : How He treated them?
288 2023/09/10 2024/10/12
Article translated to : العربية

Anas ibn Maalik said:

“The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Let none of you wish for death due to a harm that befalls him. If one must say something, then let them say: ‘O Allah, keep me alive as long as being alive is better for me, and take my life if death is better for me.’”

An-Nawawi said

“This narration explicitly mentions the disliked nature of the act of wishing for death due to a harm that befalls an individual, such as poverty, being tested with an enemy, and other such tests of this life. As for if a person fears harm or a trial in their religion, then there is no such disliked nature, due to the implied meaning of this narration.”

In fact, some of pious predecessors did that, such as `Umar ibn Al-Khattaab who said towards the end of his life, “O Allah, I have become old and have grown weak, and my subjects have spread all around, so take my life to you while I have not lost or been negligent in what You have ordered me to do.”

Abu Salamah ibn `Abdur-Rahmaan (a Companion) said: “I visited Abu Hurayrah when he was on his death bed, held him  to my chest and said: ‘O Allah, cure Abu Hurayrah.’

He (Abu Hurayrah) said

‘O Allah, do not return it (my soul to this life),’ then said: ‘O Abu Salamah, if you are able to die then do so.’ I said: ‘O Abu Hurayrah, we love life.’ He said: ‘By Him in Whose hand is Abu Hurayrah’s soul, the scholars will face a time wherein death is more beloved to them than gold; one of you will approach the grave of his brother and will say, ‘I wish I was in his place.’”

An explicit narration that shows this is that of Ibn `Abbaas where the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, supplicated:

“If You wish to test Your slaves (with regards to religion), they take my soul back to You without subjecting me to that trial.”

Previous article Next article

Articles in the same category

Supporting Prophet Muhammad websiteIt's a beautiful day