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سنن ابن ماجه
Ibn Majah
كتاب الزهدChapters on Zuhd
بَابُ : ذِكْرِ الْمَوْتِ وَالاِسْتِعْدَادِ لَهُChapter: Death and preparing for it
Hadith 4258
اُردوEn
حَدَّثَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلَانَ , حَدَّثَنَا الْفَضْلُ بْنُ مُوسَى , عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو , عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ , عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ , قَال : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " أَكْثِرُوا ذِكْرَ هَاذِمِ اللَّذَّاتِ " يَعْنِي : الْمَوْتَ .
´It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:` “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Frequently remember the destroyer of pleasures,’ meaning death.”
Related hadith on this topic
Brief Explanation
1؎: As soon as the remembrance of death establishes the transience of the world in the mind, the thought of the Hereafter arises; this is also the benefit of visiting graves. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam called death the destroyer of pleasures, meaning that the remembrance of death distances a person’s heart and mind from the pleasures of the world, or that as soon as death arrives, a person’s connection to the pleasures and blessings of the world automatically ends. Imam Qurtubi, in his commentary on this hadith, states that this is a very concise statement, which is eloquent and comprehensive in admonition and advice, because whoever truly remembers death, for him the pleasures of the world become distasteful, and the chain of longing and desire for the future comes to an end, and there is a great decrease in the blessings he used to think about. However, heedless hearts and stagnant temperaments are in need of lengthy sermons and elaborate speech, otherwise the hadith of the Messenger: “Remember frequently the destroyer of pleasures, i.e., death,” and the noble verse: «كل نفس ذائقة الموت» “Every soul shall taste death” (Surah Al-Anbiya: 35) are sufficient for the listener, and are enough to occupy the observer. He also says: As a result of remembering death, a sense and awareness of disinterest in this perishing abode arises, and at every moment attention is directed towards the everlasting Hereafter. Thus, a person finds himself surrounded by two states: one of hardship and ease, and the other of blessing and trial. In the case of hardship and trial, the remembrance of death makes this situation easier for him, as this state is not everlasting, rather, death is even more severe than this. And in the state of blessing and ease, the remembrance of death prevents him from being deceived by worldly blessings and comforts, and from finding tranquility in them, and death distances a person from these things. Death has no known age, nor is its time known, nor is its illness known, so a person should always be prepared for it. See: Al-Tadhkirah bi-Ahwal al-Mawta wa-Umur al-Akhirah (al-Fariwai).
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
Explanation:
1:
The remembrance of death and its contemplation distance a person from worldly occupations and restrain him from committing sins. Therefore, one should remember death frequently and should not remain heedless of the matters that will occur upon its arrival.
1:
The remembrance of death and its contemplation distance a person from worldly occupations and restrain him from committing sins. Therefore, one should remember death frequently and should not remain heedless of the matters that will occur upon its arrival.
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 2307
Shaykh Safi ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri
Lexical Explanation:
«كِتَابُ الجَنَائِز» has a fatha (a) on the letter “jeem” and that is all. “Jana’iz” is the plural of “janazah.” For “janazah,” both fatha and kasrah (i or a) on the letter “jeem” are permissible, but kasrah is more eloquent, and it refers to the deceased placed on the bier.
According to one opinion, with a fatha on the “jeem,” it means the deceased, and with a kasrah (below), it refers to the bier upon which the deceased is placed.
And there is also an opposite opinion: that with a fatha it means the bier with the deceased, and with a kasrah it means the deceased. The purpose of placing the Book of Funerals (Kitab al-Jana’iz) immediately after the Book of Prayer (Kitab al-Salat) is that among all the matters and actions related to the preparation and shrouding of the deceased, the funeral prayer (salat al-janazah) is the most important. Due to the close connection and relevance between the two, the Book of Funerals is placed after the Book of Prayer.
According to one opinion, the legislation of the funeral prayer occurred in the first year after the Hijrah.
«اَكثِرُو» «إكثَار» is in the imperative form. Increase (do more).
«هَاذِمِ» is in the genitive case because it is an annexed noun (mudaf ilayh), and it is annexed to «اَلَّلَّذَات». «هَاذِمِ», when it is with “dhal,” means “the one that cuts off, the one that breaks.” Death is called «هَاذِمِ الَّلَّذات», meaning “the breaker of pleasures,” because when the remembrance of death comes, all pleasures and delights come to an end, and its remembrance makes a person disinclined toward worldly pleasures. Or, the reason for this name is that when death befalls someone, it leaves nothing of worldly pleasures; all are finished.
In one narration, «هَادِمِ» (with a “dal” muhmala) is also transmitted, which is derived from the idiom «هَدَمَ الْبِنَاءَ وَالَّجدَارّ». This idiom is used when someone demolishes a building or a wall. In this, the perishable and transient world is likened to a demolished, ruined, and destroyed building; thus, its meaning would be: “Remember often the death which demolishes the structure of worldly pleasures.” When death arrives, the well-built structure of worldly delights collapses to the ground.
«اَلْمَوْتِ», in the case of kasrah (genitive), will be an explanatory apposition (atf bayan), and in the nominative case, it is the predicate of an omitted subject (mubtada mahzuf), and in the accusative case, one must consider «أعني» as implied, and this is an explanation and clarification of «هاذم».
Benefit:
Death is such a thing that from the beginning of creation until the Day of Eternity, no one denies it. It is something witnessed by humans, for every day, before one’s eyes, someone among one’s relatives, loved ones, or companions drinks the cup of death, and all are helpless at that moment. On such occasions, naturally, hearts become soft, there is fear, self-accountability, and a person becomes inclined toward righteous deeds. For this reason, it is commanded to always remember death.
«كِتَابُ الجَنَائِز» has a fatha (a) on the letter “jeem” and that is all. “Jana’iz” is the plural of “janazah.” For “janazah,” both fatha and kasrah (i or a) on the letter “jeem” are permissible, but kasrah is more eloquent, and it refers to the deceased placed on the bier.
According to one opinion, with a fatha on the “jeem,” it means the deceased, and with a kasrah (below), it refers to the bier upon which the deceased is placed.
And there is also an opposite opinion: that with a fatha it means the bier with the deceased, and with a kasrah it means the deceased. The purpose of placing the Book of Funerals (Kitab al-Jana’iz) immediately after the Book of Prayer (Kitab al-Salat) is that among all the matters and actions related to the preparation and shrouding of the deceased, the funeral prayer (salat al-janazah) is the most important. Due to the close connection and relevance between the two, the Book of Funerals is placed after the Book of Prayer.
According to one opinion, the legislation of the funeral prayer occurred in the first year after the Hijrah.
«اَكثِرُو» «إكثَار» is in the imperative form. Increase (do more).
«هَاذِمِ» is in the genitive case because it is an annexed noun (mudaf ilayh), and it is annexed to «اَلَّلَّذَات». «هَاذِمِ», when it is with “dhal,” means “the one that cuts off, the one that breaks.” Death is called «هَاذِمِ الَّلَّذات», meaning “the breaker of pleasures,” because when the remembrance of death comes, all pleasures and delights come to an end, and its remembrance makes a person disinclined toward worldly pleasures. Or, the reason for this name is that when death befalls someone, it leaves nothing of worldly pleasures; all are finished.
In one narration, «هَادِمِ» (with a “dal” muhmala) is also transmitted, which is derived from the idiom «هَدَمَ الْبِنَاءَ وَالَّجدَارّ». This idiom is used when someone demolishes a building or a wall. In this, the perishable and transient world is likened to a demolished, ruined, and destroyed building; thus, its meaning would be: “Remember often the death which demolishes the structure of worldly pleasures.” When death arrives, the well-built structure of worldly delights collapses to the ground.
«اَلْمَوْتِ», in the case of kasrah (genitive), will be an explanatory apposition (atf bayan), and in the nominative case, it is the predicate of an omitted subject (mubtada mahzuf), and in the accusative case, one must consider «أعني» as implied, and this is an explanation and clarification of «هاذم».
Benefit:
Death is such a thing that from the beginning of creation until the Day of Eternity, no one denies it. It is something witnessed by humans, for every day, before one’s eyes, someone among one’s relatives, loved ones, or companions drinks the cup of death, and all are helpless at that moment. On such occasions, naturally, hearts become soft, there is fear, self-accountability, and a person becomes inclined toward righteous deeds. For this reason, it is commanded to always remember death.
Source: Bulugh al-Maram: Commentary by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Page: 425
