Allah, the Exalted, said:
رياض الصالحينAbū Zakariyyā Muḥyī al-Dīn Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī٦٥ - باب ذكر الموت وقصر الأمل
٦٥ - باب ذكر الموت وقصر الأمل
Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.
And He, the Exalted, said:
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥ عِلْمُ ٱلسَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ ٱلْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلْأَرْحَامِ ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِى نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِى نَفْسٌۢ بِأَىِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌۢ
Indeed, Allāh [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs.1 And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing and Aware.
وقال تَعَالَى:
And He, the Exalted, said:
وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّاسَ بِظُلْمِهِم مَّا تَرَكَ عَلَيْهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ وَلَـٰكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ
And if Allāh were to impose blame on the people for their wrongdoing, He would not have left upon it [i.e., the earth] any creature, but He defers them for a specified term. And when their term has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it].
وقال تَعَالَى:
And He, the Exalted, said:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَٰلُكُمْ وَلَآ أَوْلَـٰدُكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرُونَ
O you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from the remembrance of Allāh. And whoever does that - then those are the losers.
وقال تَعَالَى:
And He, the Exalted, said:
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ٱرْجِعُونِ
[For such is the state of the disbelievers] until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord, send me back
إِلَى قَوْله تَعَالَى:
Up to His saying, the Exalted:
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ قَالَ رَبِّ ٱرْجِعُونِ
[For such is the state of the disbelievers] until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "My Lord, send me back
وقال تَعَالَى:
And He, the Exalted, said:
۞ أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ ٱلْحَقِّ وَلَا يَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ مِن قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْأَمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۖ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَـٰسِقُونَ
Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allāh and what has come down of the truth? And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened; and many of them are defiantly disobedient.
وَالآيات في الباب كَثيرةٌ معلومة.
The verses on this theme are many and well known.
وعن ابن عمر ﵄، قَالَ: أخذ رسول الله - ﷺ - بِمِنْكَبي، فَقَالَ: «كُنْ في الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ». وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ ﵄، يقول: إِذَا أمْسَيْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الصَّبَاحَ، وَإِذَا أصْبَحتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ المَسَاءَ، وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِكَ لِمَرَضِكَ، وَمِنْ حَيَاتِكَ لِمَوْتِكَ. رواه البخاري.
Narrated from Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took hold of my shoulder and said, "Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer." And Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to say: When you reach the evening, do not wait for the morning, and when you reach the morning, do not wait for the evening. Take from your health for your illness, and from your life for your death. Narrated by al-Bukhārī.
وعنه: أنَّ رسول الله - ﷺ - قَالَ: «مَا حَقُّ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ، لَهُ شَيْءٌ يُوصِي فِيهِ، يَبيتُ لَيْلَتَيْنِ إِلاَّ وَوَصِيَّتُهُ مَكْتُوبَةٌ عِنْدَهُ». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ، هَذَا لفظ البخاري. وفي روايةٍ لمسلمٍ: «يَبِيتُ ثَلاَثَ لَيَالٍ» قَالَ ابن عمر: مَا مَرَّتْ عَلَيَّ لَيْلَةٌ مُنْذُ سَمِعْتُ رسولَ الله - ﷺ - قَالَ ذَلِكَ إِلاَّ وَعِنْدِي وَصِيَّتِي.
Narrated also from him: that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "It is not right for a Muslim man who has something to bequeath to let two nights pass without his will being written down with him." Agreed upon; this is the wording of al-Bukhārī. And in a narration of Muslim: "to let three nights pass." Ibn ʿUmar said: Not a single night has passed over me, since I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say that, except that my will was with me.
وعن أنس - ﵁ - قَالَ: خَطَّ النَّبيُّ - ﷺ - خُطُوطًا، فَقَالَ: «هَذَا الإنْسَانُ، وَهَذَا أجَلُهُ، فَبَيْنَمَا هُوَ كَذَلِكَ إذْ جَاءَ الخَطُّ الأَقْرَبُ». رواه البخاري.
Narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Prophet ﷺ drew some lines and said, "This is the human being, and this is his appointed term; and while he is thus, suddenly the nearer line comes upon him." Narrated by al-Bukhārī.
وعن ابن مسعود - ﵁ - قَالَ: خَطَّ النَّبيُّ - ﷺ - خَطًّا مُرَبَّعًا، وَخَطَّ خَطًّا في الوَسَطِ خَارِجًا مِنْهُ، وَخَطَّ خُطَطًا صِغَارًا إِلَى هَذَا الَّذِي في الْوَسَطِ مِنْ جَانِبهِ الَّذِي في الوَسَط، فَقَالَ: «هَذَا الإنْسَانُ، وَهذَا أجَلُهُ مُحيطًا بِهِ - أَوْ قَدْ أحَاطَ بِهِ - وَهذَا الَّذِي هُوَ خَارِجٌ أمَلُهُ، وَهذِهِ الْخُطَطُ الصِّغَارُ الأَعْرَاضُ، فَإنْ أخْطَأَهُ هَذَا، نَهَشَهُ هَذَا، وَإنْ أخْطَأَهُ هَذَا، نَهَشَهُ هَذَا». رواه البخاري . وَهذِهِ صُورَتُهُ: ||
Narrated from Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Prophet ﷺ drew a square, drew a line in the middle extending out beyond it, and drew small lines reaching to this one in the middle, from the side that is in the middle. Then he said, "This is the human being, and this—encompassing him—is his appointed term (or: it has already encompassed him); and this one which extends outside is his hope; and these small lines are the misfortunes. If this one misses him, that one strikes him; and if that one misses him, this one strikes him." Narrated by al-Bukhārī. And this is its diagram: [review: source figure rendered only as a placeholder marker (||)]
وعن أَبي هريرة - ﵁: أنَّ رسول الله - ﷺ - قَالَ: «بَادِرُوا بِالأعْمَالِ سَبْعًا، هَلْ تَنْتَظِرُونَ إِلاَّ فَقْرًا مُنْسِيًا، أَوْ غِنَىً مُطْغِيًا، أَوْ مَرَضًا مُفْسدًا، أَوْ هَرَمًا مُفَنِّدًا، أَوْ مَوْتًا مُجْهِزًا، أَوْ الدَّجّالَ، فَشَرُّ غَائِبٍ يُنْتَظَرُ، أَوْ السَّاعَةَ وَالسَّاعَةُ أدْهَى وَأمَرُّ؟!». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديث حسن».
On the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Hasten to do good deeds before [the onset of] seven things. Are you waiting for anything but a poverty that makes you forget, or a wealth that makes you transgress, or a sickness that ruins, or a decrepit old age that brings on senility, or a swift death, or the Dajjāl — and he is the worst awaited one to await — or the Hour? And the Hour is more calamitous and more bitter." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: a good (ḥasan) hadith.
وعنه، قَالَ: قَالَ رسول الله - ﷺ: «أكْثِرُوا ذِكْرَ هَاذِمِ اللَّذَّاتِ» يَعْنِي: المَوْتَ. رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديث حسن».
And on his authority, he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Frequently remember the destroyer of pleasures" — meaning death. Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: a good (ḥasan) hadith.
وعن أُبَيِّ بن كعبٍ - ﵁: كَانَ رسول الله - ﷺ - إِذَا ذَهَبَ ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ قَامَ، فَقَالَ: «يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، اذْكُرُوا اللهَ، جَاءتِ الرَّاجِفَةُ، تَتْبَعُهَا الرَّادِفَةُ، جَاءَ المَوْتُ بِمَا فِيهِ، جَاءَ المَوْتُ بِمَا فِيهِ» قُلْتُ: يَا رسول الله، إنِّي أُكْثِرُ الصَّلاَةَ عَلَيْكَ، فَكَمْ أجْعَلُ لَكَ مِنْ صَلاَتِي؟ فَقَالَ: «مَا شِئْتَ» قُلْتُ: الرُّبُع، قَالَ: «مَا شِئْتَ، فَإنْ زِدْتَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكَ» قُلْتُ: فَالنِّصْف؟ قَالَ: «مَا شِئْتَ، فَإنْ زِدْتَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكَ» قُلْتُ: فالثُّلُثَيْنِ؟ قَالَ: «مَا شِئْتَ، فَإنْ زِدْتَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكَ» قُلْتُ: أجعَلُ لَكَ صَلاَتِي كُلَّهَا؟ قَالَ: «إذًا تُكْفى هَمَّكَ، وَيُغْفَر لَكَ ذَنْبكَ». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديث حسن».
On the authority of Ubayy ibn Kaʿb (may Allah be pleased with him): When a third of the night had passed, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would rise and say, "O people, remember Allah! The Quaking Blast has come, followed by the Second Blast; death has come with all that it brings, death has come with all that it brings." I said, "O Messenger of Allah, I send blessings upon you abundantly; how much of my supplication should I devote to you?" He said, "As much as you wish." I said, "A quarter?" He said, "As much as you wish, but if you increase it, that is better for you." I said, "Then a half?" He said, "As much as you wish, but if you increase it, that is better for you." I said, "Then two-thirds?" He said, "As much as you wish, but if you increase it, that is better for you." I said, "Shall I devote all of my supplication to you?" He said, "Then your concern will be taken care of, and your sin will be forgiven." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: a good (ḥasan) hadith.