سنن ابن ماجه
Ibn Majah
كتاب الزهدChapters on Zuhd
بَابُ : التَّوَكُّلِ وَالْيَقِينِChapter: Reliance and certain faith
Hadith 4167
اُردوEn
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ طَرِيفٍ , حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ , عَنْ الْأَعْمَشِ , عَنْ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ , عَنْ جَابِرٍ , قَالَ : سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ , يَقُولُ : " لَا يَمُوتَنَّ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ إِلَّا وَهُوَ يُحْسِنُ الظَّنَّ بِاللَّهِ " .
´It was narrated that Jabir said:` “I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘No one of you should die except thinking positively of Allah.’”
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Ataullah Sajid
Benefits and Issues:
➊
A person needs both hope in Allah’s mercy and fear of His displeasure.
Hope encourages him towards good deeds, and fear restrains him from sin.
➋
In life, fear should dominate over hope, but at the time of death, the aspect of hope should prevail.
➌
Having a good opinion (husn al-dhann) of Allah means to hope that, by His enabling grace (tawfiq), the good deeds performed in life will be accepted by Allah Ta’ala, and shortcomings will be forgiven.
➍
Hope does not mean that one becomes accustomed to disobeying Allah Ta’ala in life and has no inclination towards good deeds.
When admonished, he says:
“Allah is very merciful.”
This is an incorrect understanding of hope.
➊
A person needs both hope in Allah’s mercy and fear of His displeasure.
Hope encourages him towards good deeds, and fear restrains him from sin.
➋
In life, fear should dominate over hope, but at the time of death, the aspect of hope should prevail.
➌
Having a good opinion (husn al-dhann) of Allah means to hope that, by His enabling grace (tawfiq), the good deeds performed in life will be accepted by Allah Ta’ala, and shortcomings will be forgiven.
➍
Hope does not mean that one becomes accustomed to disobeying Allah Ta’ala in life and has no inclination towards good deeds.
When admonished, he says:
“Allah is very merciful.”
This is an incorrect understanding of hope.
Source: Commentary on Sunan Ibn Mājah by Mawlānā ‘Atā’ullāh Sājid, Page: 4167
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
It is evident that only one who has lived a life of faith and righteousness can truly have good expectations (of Allah). The good opinion of someone who has led a non-believing and unrighteous life is just like sowing colocynth (bitter apple) seeds and hoping for sweet and delicious fruits. Therefore, the real issue is that a person should always maintain excellent and the best expectations with his Allah—that He will deal with him kindly in all apparent and hidden matters, in this world and the Hereafter. However, the condition is that there must be a real foundation for this according to the requirements of the Shari‘ah, i.e., it should be adorned with faith (iman), piety (taqwa), and righteous deeds (amal salih). To turn away from this or to adopt an attitude of stubbornness and then to tie hopes upon Allah is sheer deception. Yet, Allah is the Lord of all the worlds. He has His own decisions. It is not permissible to say anything definitive about anyone apart from what is established in the Qur’an and Sunnah. In any case, a believer should live his life keeping both hope and fear in view. During days of health and well-being, the aspect of fear should somewhat prevail, but at the time of departure (death), the aspect of hope should be predominant—that He, al-Rahman al-Rahim, will deal with him with His special grace, forgiveness, and concealment.
It is evident that only one who has lived a life of faith and righteousness can truly have good expectations (of Allah). The good opinion of someone who has led a non-believing and unrighteous life is just like sowing colocynth (bitter apple) seeds and hoping for sweet and delicious fruits. Therefore, the real issue is that a person should always maintain excellent and the best expectations with his Allah—that He will deal with him kindly in all apparent and hidden matters, in this world and the Hereafter. However, the condition is that there must be a real foundation for this according to the requirements of the Shari‘ah, i.e., it should be adorned with faith (iman), piety (taqwa), and righteous deeds (amal salih). To turn away from this or to adopt an attitude of stubbornness and then to tie hopes upon Allah is sheer deception. Yet, Allah is the Lord of all the worlds. He has His own decisions. It is not permissible to say anything definitive about anyone apart from what is established in the Qur’an and Sunnah. In any case, a believer should live his life keeping both hope and fear in view. During days of health and well-being, the aspect of fear should somewhat prevail, but at the time of departure (death), the aspect of hope should be predominant—that He, al-Rahman al-Rahim, will deal with him with His special grace, forgiveness, and concealment.
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 3113
