I went to support this man, and Abu Bakrah met me and said: Where are you going? I said, To help this man. He said: Go back, for I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: "If two Muslims meet each other with their swords, then both the killer and the one killed are in the Fire." I said: O Messenger of Allah, this is ˹for˺ the killer, so what about the ˹end of the˺ one killed? He said, “He was eager to kill his companion.”

ذَهَبْتُ لأَنْصُرَ هَذَا الرَّجُلَ فَلَقِيَنِي أَبُو بَكْرَةَ، فَقَالَ: أَيْنَ تُرِيدُ؟ قُلْتُ: أَنْصُرُ هَذَا الرَّجُلَ۔ قَالَ: ارْجِعْ، فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ: «إِذَا الْتَقَى الْمُسْلِمَانِ بِسَيْفَيْهِمَا فَالْقَاتِلُ وَالْمَقْتُولُ فِي النَّارِ۔» فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، هَذَا الْقَاتِلُ، فَمَا بَالُ الْمَقْتُولِ؟ قَالَ: «إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَرِيصًا عَلَى قَتْلِ صَاحِبِهِ».

A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "A man fights for pride and haughtiness another fights for bravery, and another fights for showing off; which of these (cases) is in Allah's Cause?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "The one who fights that Allah's Word (Islam) should be superior, fights in Allah's Cause."

جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ: الرَّجُلُ يُقَاتِلُ حَمِيَّةً وَيُقَاتِلُ شَجَاعَةً وَيُقَاتِلُ رِيَاءً، فَأَىُّ ذَلِكَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: «مَنْ قَاتَلَ لِتَكُونَ كَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا فَهْوَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ».

I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the plague. He told me that: "It is a Punishment sent by Allah on whom he wills, and Allah made it a source of mercy for the believers, for if one in the time of an epidemic plague stays in his country patiently hoping for Allah's Reward and believing that nothing will befall him except what Allah has written for him, he will get the reward of a martyr."

سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنِ الطَّاعُونِ فَأَخْبَرَنِي: «أَنَّهُ عَذَابٌ يَبْعَثُهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ، وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ جَعَلَهُ رَحْمَةً لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ: لَيْسَ مِنْ أَحَدٍ يَقَعُ الطَّاعُونُ فَيَمْكُثُ فِي بَلَدِهِ صَابِرًا مُحْتَسِبًا، يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ لاَ يُصِيبُهُ إِلاَّ مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَهُ، إِلاَّ كَانَ لَهُ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ شَهِيدٍ».

The Prophet of Allah ﷺ said: “Among those who came before you there was a man who killed ninety-nine people. He asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth, and he was directed to a monk. He went to him and said that he had killed ninety-nine people—was there any repentance for him? He said, ‘No,’ so he killed him, thereby completing one hundred. Then he asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth, and he was directed to a learned man. He said that he had killed one hundred people—was there any repentance for him? He said, ‘Yes—and who could stand between him and repentance? Go to such-and-such a land, for there are people there who worship Allah; worship Allah with them, and do not return to your land, for it is an evil land.’"

“So he set out, and when he had reached halfway along the road, death came to him. The angels of mercy and the angels of punishment disputed concerning him. The angels of mercy said, ‘He came repentant, turning with his heart toward Allah.’ The angels of punishment said, ‘He has never done any good at all.’ Then an angel came to them in the form of a human being, and they made him judge between them. He said, ‘Measure the distance between the two lands; whichever of them he is closer to, he belongs to it.’ So they measured, and found him closer to the land he had intended, and the angels of mercy took him.”

أَنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: «كَانَ فِيمَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ رَجُلٌ قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا۔ فَسَأَلَ عَنْ أَعْلَمِ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ، فَدُلَّ عَلَى رَاهِبٍ۔ فَأَتَاهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ قَتَلَ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ نَفْسًا فَهَلْ لَهُ مِنَ تَوْبَةٍ۔ فَقَالَ لاَ، فَقَتَلَهُ فَكَمَّلَ بِهِ مِائَةً۔ ثُمَّ سَأَلَ عَنْ أَعْلَمِ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ، فَدُلَّ عَلَى رَجُلٍ عَالِمٍ۔ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ قَتَلَ مِائَةَ نَفْسٍ فَهَلْ لَهُ مِنْ تَوْبَةٍ۔ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ وَمَنْ يَحُولُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ التَّوْبَةِ؟ انْطَلِقْ إِلَى أَرْضِ كَذَا وَكَذَا فَإِنَّ بِهَا أُنَاسًا يَعْبُدُونَ اللَّهَ، فَاعْبُدِ اللَّهَ مَعَهُمْ وَلاَ تَرْجِعْ إِلَى أَرْضِكَ فَإِنَّهَا أَرْضُ سَوْءٍ»،

«فَانْطَلَقَ حَتَّى إِذَا نَصَفَ الطَّرِيقَ أَتَاهُ الْمَوْتُ، فَاخْتَصَمَتْ فِيهِ مَلاَئِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ وَمَلاَئِكَةُ الْعَذَابِ۔ فَقَالَتْ مَلاَئِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ: جَاءَ تَائِبًا مُقْبِلاً بِقَلْبِهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ۔ وَقَالَتْ مَلاَئِكَةُ الْعَذَابِ: إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَعْمَلْ خَيْرًا قَطُّ۔ فَأَتَاهُمْ مَلَكٌ فِي صُورَةِ آدَمِيٍّ فَجَعَلُوهُ بَيْنَهُمْ۔ فَقَالَ: قِيسُوا مَا بَيْنَ الأَرْضَيْنِ فَإِلَى أَيَّتِهِمَا كَانَ أَدْنَى فَهُوَ لَهُ۔ فَقَاسُوهُ فَوَجَدُوهُ أَدْنَى إِلَى الأَرْضِ الَّتِي أَرَادَ، فَقَبَضَتْهُ مَلاَئِكَةُ الرَّحْمَةِ».

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “When Allah intends good for His servant, He hastens punishment for him in this world; and when He intends evil for His servant, He withholds it from him for his sin until he is made to fully meet it on the Day of Resurrection.”

With this chain of narration, from the Prophet ﷺ he said: “Indeed, the greatness of the reward comes with the greatness of the trial. And indeed, when Allah loves a people, He tests them: whoever is satisfied will have satisfaction, and whoever is displeased will have displeasure.”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «إِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِعَبْدِهِ الْخَيْرَ عَجَّلَ لَهُ الْعُقُوبَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِعَبْدِهِ الشَّرَّ أَمْسَكَ عَنْهُ بِذَنْبِهِ حَتَّى يُوَفَّى بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ»،

وَبِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ: «إِنَّ عِظَمَ الْجَزَاءِ مَعَ عِظَمِ الْبَلاَءِ، وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ إِذَا أَحَبَّ قَوْمًا ابْتَلاَهُمْ، فَمَنْ رَضِيَ فَلَهُ الرِّضَا، وَمَنْ سَخِطَ فَلَهُ السَّخَطُ».