When Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, intends to show mercy to an Umma from amongst His servants He calls back His Apostle to his eternal home and makes him a harbinger and recompense in the world to come; and when He intends to cause destruction to an Umma, He punishes it while its Apostle is alive and He destroys it as he (the Apostle) witnesses it and he cools his eyes by destruction as they had belied him and disobeyed his command. (Using translation from Muslim 2288)
"إِن الله إِذا أَراد رحمة أَمة من عبادهِ قبض نبيَّها قبْلها، فجعله لها فرَطًا وَسَلفًا بين يديها، وإذَا أراد هلاكها عذبها ونبيُّها حَى فأهلكها وهو ينظر فأَقر عَينه بهلكتِها حين كذبوه وعصَوْا أمْره".