Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Qais bin ‘Abad narrates that Hazrat ‘Ammar led the prayer, and it seemed as if the people disliked his prayer. Then he was asked about this matter, and he replied: “Should I not perform the bowing and prostration completely?” The people said: “Why not! Certainly, you should perform them.” He said: “Indeed, I supplicated to Allah with a prayer that I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): ‘O Allah! By Your knowledge of the unseen and Your power over the creation, keep me alive as long as You know that life is better for me, and give me death when You know that death is better for me. O Allah! I ask You for sincerity in speech in anger and in pleasure, and for moderation in wealth and in poverty, and for fear of You in open and in secret. And I ask You for contentment with destiny, and I ask You for a blessing that does not end, and for the coolness of the eye that does not cease, and for a pleasant life after death, and for the delight of looking at Your noble Face, and for the longing to meet You. And I seek refuge in You from the harm of harmful things and from the trials that lead astray. O Allah! Adorn us with the beauty of faith, and make us guides and rightly guided.’”

Hazrat Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: None of you should wish for death because of any calamity that befalls him in the world. But he should pray like this: O Allah! Keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and give me death when death is better for me.

Hazrat Malik bin Harith narrates that Hazrat Ammar used to supplicate as follows: O Allah! I ask You by Your knowledge of the unseen, and by Your power over the creation, that You keep me alive as long as You know that life is better for me, and cause me to die when You know that death is better for me. O Allah! I ask You for Your fear in open and in secret, and I ask You for moderation in wealth and poverty, and I ask You for balance in anger and in pleasure. O Allah! Make the longing for Your meeting beloved to me, and also the desire for Your meeting, which is neither in a misguiding trial nor in a harmful hardship.