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Thursday 13 July 2023

Why Prophet Muhammad ﷺ forbade people from Longing for Death

Anything created by the Lord of the Universe is borrowed time, for everything present in this universe has to come to an end. Death is more applicable to all living beings including man, who will one day become a thing of the past. 

But before we talk of the end of our lives, let us ponder for a while as to why we have been created. Although a very simple question, yet very difficult to answer for it is on Allah Almighty Who knows the why of our creation and time period allowed for our existence. So, one should not long for death, rather one must cash on what days one is left with and make up for the lost opportunities to earn favours of Allah.

The Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ being shared today is based on the same theme, which is mentioned in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī  (Book 94 - Wishes /  كتاب  التمنى / Chapter 6: What kind of wishing is disliked / باب مَا يُكْرَهُ مِنَ التَّمَنِّي ) as Hadith 7235, given herein under:

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدٍ ـ اسْمُهُ سَعْدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ مَوْلَى عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَزْهَرَ ـ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ لاَ يَتَمَنَّى أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَوْتَ إِمَّا مُحْسِنًا فَلَعَلَّهُ يَزْدَادُ، وَإِمَّا مُسِيئًا فَلَعَلَّهُ يَسْتَعْتِبُ ‏"‏‏.

Narrated by Sa`d bin Ubaid: (the Maula of `Abdur-Rahman bin Azhar) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "None of you should long for death, for if he is a good man, he may increase his good deeds, and if he is an evil-doer, he may stop the evil deeds and repent."

So, instead of longing for death, increase your good deeds as much as possible. And one has been following evil all along one's life, should make amends, repent and seek forgiveness of Allah, for one never knows when the clock stops.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Please refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about sunnah of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

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