The Ruling on Wishing for Death
The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said:
لَا یَتَمَنَّیَنَّ اَحَدٌ مِّنْکُمُ الْمَوْتَ اِمَّا مُحْسِنًا فَلَعَلَّہٗ اَنْ یَّزْدَادَ خَیْرًا وَاِمَّا مُسِیْئًا فَلَعَلَّہٗ اَنْ یَّسْتَعْتِبَ
Meaning: "None of you should ever wish for death, for either he is a doer of good, and perhaps he may increase in goodness, or he is an evildoer, and perhaps he may seek to make amends [through repentance]."[1]
For a believer, worldly life is among the supreme blessings of Allah Almighty, as it is in this world that one can perform deeds to please his Lord and improve their Hereafter. Furthermore, if one has committed sins, this life provides the opportunity for repentance. Therefore, one should not wish for death.
The exegete of the noble Quran, Ḥakīm al-Ummah Mufti Aḥmad Yār Khān NaꜤīmī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه states: "The life of a believer is good in any case because it is the period wherein actions can be performed." He further notes: "The period of life is the season for sowing seeds; whatever one sows now, one shall reap in the Hereafter. If a transgressor is to repent, it will be in this life; if a righteous person is to increase his virtues, it will be in this life."[2]
For a believer, attaining a long life and performing righteous deeds therein is a source of felicity. Accordingly, it is mentioned in a Hadith in Musnad Aḥmad:
وَاِنَّ مِنَ السَّعَادَةِ اَنْ يَطُوْلَ عُمْرُ الْعَبْدِ وَيَرْزُقَہُ اللہُ الْاِنَابَةَ
Meaning: "Indeed, from among [the signs of] felicity is that the servant’s life is long and Allah Almighty grants him the station of returning (Inābah) [towards Him]."[3]
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar al-Ḥaytamī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه states:
This means being granted the ability to turn towards Allah Almighty through fulfilling His commands, abstaining from His prohibitions, and doing so with sincere repentance and devotion. [Furthermore, wishing for death is forbidden because] man was created to worship his Lord and to attain success in the Hereafter; his life is his capital (Ra's al-Māl) [through which he achieves this]. Thus, the termination of this life entails the cessation of this benefit, which constitutes a profound loss.[4]
Keep in mind that wishing for death is prohibited and impermissible when motivated by worldly afflictions. However, if this wish arises out of yearning for Divine Union (Wasl-e-Ilāhī), the longing to behold and meet our master and beloved صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, or the desire to meet the righteous and saintly elders, or when one’s religion is in peril, then wishing for death is permissible.
As the master of dialecticians, ꜤAllāmah Mawlānā Naqī ꜤAlī Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه states: "This supplication [for death] is correct if driven by the longing for Divine Union and the desire to meet the righteous. Similarly, when one witnesses trials in religion, praying for death is permissible."[5]
The Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Aḥmad Razā Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه states: "In summary, wishing for death to escape worldly harms is impermissible, whereas doing so out of fear for religious harm is permissible, as recorded in Al-Durr al-Mukhtār, Al-Khulāṣah, and other works."[6]
وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ تعالٰی علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم
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