وَعَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ قَالَ: إِنَّ رَجُلًا جَاءَهُ الْمَوْتُ فِي زَمَنِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ رجل: هيئا لَهُ مَاتَ وَلَمْ يُبْتَلَ بِمَرَضٍ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «وَيْحَكَ وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَوْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ ابْتَلَاهُ بِمَرَضٍ فَكَفَّرَ عَنهُ من سيئاته» . رَوَاهُ مَالك مُرْسلا
Yahya b. Sa'id said that when a certain man died in the time of God’s messenger another said, “Congratulations to him! He has died without being afflicted by illness.” God’s messenger then said, “I’m sorry for you. What do you know about it? (literally, ‘What makes you know?’ After this one understands some such words as, ‘that lack of illness is a mark of honour.’) Would that God had afflicted him with illness, and it had atoned for his evil deeds!” Malik transmitted it in mursal form.
Cited in Mishkat al-Masabih (No. 1578).