This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Hafiz Mubashir Hussain Lahori's book Signs of the Day of Judgment in the Light of Authentic Hadiths.
Sign of the Day of Judgment: The Desire for Death Will Arise
عن أبى هريرة رضى الله عنه عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : لا تقوم الساعة حتى يمر الرجل بقبر الرجل فيقول : يا ليتني كنت مكانه
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Huraira (RA) that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: The Day of Judgment will not come until a man passes by the grave of another and says: I wish I were in his place in the grave.
Reference: Bukhari: Book of Tribulations: Chapter "The Hour will not be established until the people of the graves envy each other" (7115) Muslim (7301) Ahmad (311/2) Al-Muwatta (53) Abdul Razzaq (378/11)
وعن أبى هريرة رضى الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : والذي نفسي بيده ! لا تذهب الدنيا حتى يمر الرجل على القبر فيتمرغ عليه ويقول : يا ليتنى كنت مكان صاحب هذا القبر وليس به الدين إلا البلاء
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Huraira (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: By the One in Whose hand is my soul! The world will not end until a man passes by a grave and lies down on it, saying: I wish I were in this grave. And at that time, he will say this not because of religion but because of trials.
Reference: Muslim: Book of Tribulations: Chapter "The Hour will not be established until a man passes by the grave of the traveler and wishes to be in the place of the deceased to escape the trials" (157) Ahmad (702/2) Abdul Razzaq (378/11)
In one narration, these words are mentioned:
فيقول : يا ليتني مكانه ما به حب لقاء الله عز و جل
A man will say: I wish I were in the place of this grave because he will have a strong love for meeting Allah Almighty.
Reference: Ahmad (702/2)
Hazrat Hudhaifa (RA) says: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: A time will come upon the people when they will long for the emergence of the Dajjal. I said: O Messenger of Allah! May my parents be sacrificed for you, why is that? He said: Because at that time they will face severe hardships and pains. (Therefore, they will wish for the Dajjal to appear so that then Jesus (AS) will come and kill him and deliver them from the trials)
Reference: Majma' al-Zawaid (5/7) - 284) Its chain is authentic
Benefits:
➊ Wishing for death is a sign of the Day of Judgment.
➋ The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) forbade wishing for death. The prophetic hadith is:
لا يتمنى أحدكم الموت إما محسنا فلعله أن يزداد خيرا...
"None of you should wish for death, for if he is good, he may do better deeds, and if he is bad, he may repent."
Reference: Bukhari: Book of the Sick: Chapter on the Patient Wishing for Death (5673)
In one narration:
لا يتمنى احدكم الموت ولا يدع به من قبل أن ياتيه
None of you should wish for death before it comes, nor should he pray for death.
Reference: Muslim: Book of Remembrance and Supplication: Chapter on Disliking Wishing for Death Due to Harm (2682)
In another narration:
If any of you is afflicted with some hardship, he should never wish for death; if he is compelled to do so, he should say:
اللهم أحيني ما كانت الحياة خيرا لي وتوفني إذا كانت الوفاة خيرا لي
O Allah! Keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and cause me to die if death is better for me.
Reference: Bukhari: Book of the Sick (5671) Muslim (2680)
➌ Suicide is forbidden. Allah the Exalted says:
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ
Do not kill yourselves.
Reference: Surah An-Nisa: 29
➍ In the present era, countless people are seen who intentionally or unintentionally wish for death and pray for it. In the light of the ahadith, wishing for death is prohibited, but before the Day of Judgment, people will seriously wish for death. One clear meaning is that just as lying, murder, immorality, and other evils are forbidden but will become widespread before the Day of Judgment, similarly wishing and desiring death is forbidden but inevitably will become common near the time of the Day of Judgment. Another meaning is that trials will attack so rapidly that there will be no way to escape except through death.
➎ The supplication for martyrdom or praying for death to be saved from a trial in religion and faith is exempted from this.
اللهم ارزقنا شهادة فى سبيلك
O Allah! Grant us martyrdom in Your cause. آمين
