37. Asceticism
٣٧۔ كتاب الزهد
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Frequently remember the destroyer of pleasures,’ meaning death.”
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَكْثِرُوا ذِكْرَ هَاذِمِ اللَّذَّاتِ يَعْنِي الْمَوْتَ
“I was with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and a man from among the Ansar came to him and greeted the Prophet ﷺ with Salam. Then he said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, which of the believers is best?’ He said: ‘He who has the best manners among them.’ He said: ‘Which of them is wisest?’ He said: ‘The one who remembers death the most and is best in preparing for it. Those are the wisest.’”
أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُنْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَجَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَىُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ أَحْسَنُهُمْ خُلُقًا قَالَ فَأَىُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَكْيَسُ قَالَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لِلْمَوْتِ ذِكْرًا وَأَحْسَنُهُمْ لِمَا بَعْدَهُ اسْتِعْدَادًا أُولَئِكَ الأَكْيَاسُ
“The wise man is the one who takes account of himself and strives for that which is after death. And the helpless man is the one who follows his own whims then indulges in wishful thinking about Allah.”
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الْكَيِّسُ مَنْ دَانَ نَفْسَهُ وَعَمِلَ لِمَا بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَالْعَاجِزُ مَنْ أَتْبَعَ نَفْسَهُ هَوَاهَا ثُمَّ تَمَنَّى عَلَى اللَّهِ
“How do you feel?” He said: “I have hope in Allah, O Messenger of Allah, but I fear my sins.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “These two things (hope and fear) do not coexist in the heart of a person in a situation like this, but Allah will give him that which he hopes for and keep him safe from that which he fears.”
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ دَخَلَ عَلَى شَابٍّ وَهُوَ فِي الْمَوْتِ فَقَالَ كَيْفَ تَجِدُكَ قَالَ أَرْجُو اللَّهَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَأَخَافُ ذُنُوبِي فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لاَ يَجْتَمِعَانِ فِي قَلْبِ عَبْدٍ فِي مِثْلِ هَذَا الْمَوْطِنِ إِلاَّ أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ مَا يَرْجُو وَآمَنَهُ مِمَّا يَخَافُ
“Angels come to the dying person, and if the man was righteous, they say: ‘Come out, O good soul that was in a good body, come out praiseworthy and receive glad tidings of mercy and fragrance and a Lord Who is not angry.’ And this is repeated until it comes out, then it is taken up to heaven, and it is opened for it, and it is asked: ‘Who is this?’ They say: ‘So-and-so.’ It is said: ‘Welcome to the good soul that was in a good body. Enter praiseworthy and receive the glad tidings of mercy and fragrance and a Lord Who is not angry.’ And this is repeated until it is brought to the heaven above which is Allah. But if the man was evil, they say: ‘Come out O evil soul that was in an evil body. Come out blameworthy, and receive the tidings of boiling water and the discharge of dirty wounds,’ and other torments of similar kind, all together. And this is repeated until it comes out, then it is taken up to heaven and it is not opened for it. And it is asked: ‘Who is this?’ It is said: ‘So-and-so.’ And it is said: ‘No welcome to the evil soul that was in an evil body. Go back blameworthy, for the gates of heaven will not be opened to you.’ So it is sent back down from heaven, then it goes to the grave.”
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ الْمَيِّتُ تَحْضُرُهُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ فَإِذَا كَانَ الرَّجُلُ صَالِحًا قَالُوا اخْرُجِي أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الطَّيِّبَةُ كَانَتْ فِي الْجَسَدِ الطَّيِّبِ اخْرُجِي حَمِيدَةً وَأَبْشِرِي بِرَوْحٍ وَرَيْحَانٍ وَرَبٍّ غَيْرِ غَضْبَانَ فَلاَ يَزَالُ يُقَالُ لَهَا ذَلِكَ حَتَّى تَخْرُجَ ثُمَّ يُعْرَجُ بِهَا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَيُفْتَحُ لَهَا فَيُقَالُ مَنْ هَذَا فَيَقُولُونَ فُلاَنٌ فَيُقَالُ مَرْحَبًا بِالنَّفْسِ الطَّيِّبَةِ كَانَتْ فِي الْجَسَدِ الطَّيِّبِ ادْخُلِي حَمِيدَةً وَأَبْشِرِي بِرَوْحٍ وَرَيْحَانٍ وَرَبٍّ غَيْرِ غَضْبَانَ فَلاَ يَزَالُ يُقَالُ لَهَا ذَلِكَ حَتَّى يُنْتَهَى بِهَا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الَّتِي فِيهَا اللَّهُ ﷻ وَإِذَا كَانَ الرَّجُلُ السُّوءُ قَالَ اخْرُجِي أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْخَبِيثَةُ كَانَتْ فِي الْجَسَدِ الْخَبِيثِ اخْرُجِي ذَمِيمَةً وَأَبْشِرِي بِحَمِيمٍ وَغَسَّاقٍ وَآخَرَ مِنْ شَكْلِهِ أَزْوَاجٌ فَلاَ يَزَالُ يُقَالُ لَهَا ذَلِكَ حَتَّى تَخْرُجَ ثُمَّ يُعْرَجُ بِهَا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَلاَ يُفْتَحُ لَهَا فَيُقَالُ مَنْ هَذَا فَيُقَالُ فُلاَنٌ فَيُقَالُ لاَ مَرْحَبًا بِالنَّفْسِ الْخَبِيثَةِ كَانَتْ فِي الْجَسَدِ الْخَبِيثِ ارْجِعِي ذَمِيمَةً فَإِنَّهَا لاَ تُفْتَحُ لَكِ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ فَيُرْسَلُ بِهَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ تَصِيرُ إِلَى الْقَبْرِ
“If the appointed time of death of anyone of you is in a certain land, some need will cause him to go there, then when he reaches the furthest point that it is decreed he will reach, Allah takes (his soul). And on the Day of Resurrection the earth will say: ‘My Lord, this is what You entrusted to me.’”
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ إِذَا كَانَ أَجَلُ أَحَدِكُمْ بِأَرْضٍ أَوْثَبَتْهُ إِلَيْهَا الْحَاجَةُ فَإِذَا بَلَغَ أَقْصَى أَثَرِهِ قَبَضَهُ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ فَتَقُولُ الأَرْضُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ رَبِّ هَذَا مَا اسْتَوْدَعْتَنِي
“Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him, and whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah hates to meet him.” It was said to him: “O Messenger of Allah, does hating to meet Allah mean hating to meet death? For all of us hate death.” He said: “No. Rather that is only at the moment of death. But if he is given the glad tidings of the mercy and forgiveness of Allah, he loves to meet Allah and Allah loves to meet him; and if he is given the tidings of the punishment of Allah, he hates to meet Allah and Allah hates to meet him.”
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ أَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ وَمَنْ كَرِهَ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ كَرِهَ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كَرَاهِيَةُ لِقَاءِ اللَّهِ فِي كَرَاهِيَةِ لِقَاءِ الْمَوْتِ فَكُلُّنَا يَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ قَالَ لاَ إِنَّمَا ذَاكَ عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ إِذَا بُشِّرَ بِرَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ وَمَغْفِرَتِهِ أَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ فَأَحَبَّ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ وَإِذَا بُشِّرَ بِعَذَابِ اللَّهِ كَرِهَ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ وَكَرِهَ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ
“None of you should wish for death because of some harm that befalls him. If he must wish for death, let him say: ‘O Allah, keep me alive so long as living is good for me and cause me to die when death is good for me.’”
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لاَ يَتَمَنَّى أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَوْتَ لِضُرٍّ نَزَلَ بِهِ فَإِنْ كَانَ لاَ بُدَّ مُتَمَنِّيًا الْمَوْتَ فَلْيَقُلِ اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي