Sunan an-Nasa'i 1821

Chapter: Wishing For Death

Authentic 3 scholars’ grades Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan an-Nasa'i 1821

أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ ابْنُ عُلَيَّةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ، ح وَأَنْبَأَنَا عِمْرَانُ بْنُ مُوسَى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏

"‏ أَلاَ لاَ يَتَمَنَّى أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَوْتَ لِضُرٍّ نَزَلَ بِهِ فَإِنْ كَانَ لاَ بُدَّ مُتَمَنِّيًا الْمَوْتَ فَلْيَقُلِ اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي ‏"

It was narrated that Anas said:

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'None of you should wish for death because of some harm that befalls him. If he must wish for death, let him say: Allahumma ahini ma kanatil-hayatu khairantli wa tawaffani idha kanatil-wafatu khairanli (O Allah, keep me alive so long as life is good for me, and cause me to die when death is good for me)"

Reported by An-Nasa’i (No. 1821, 1820, 1822), Al-Bukhari (No. 5671, 6351), Muslim (No. 2680a), Abu Dawud (No. 3108), At-Tirmidhi (No. 971), Ibn Majah (No. 4265) and Ahmad (No. 11541, 11577, 12203, 12294, 12550, 12689, 13090, 13483).

Classical commentary

Al-Sindi — Hashiyat al-Sindi on Sunan al-Nasa'i

قَوْله ( أَحْيِنِي ) مِنْ الْإِحْيَاءِ أَيْ أَبْقِنِي عَلَى الْحَيَاة قَالَ الْعِرَاقِيُّ لَمَّا كَانَتْ الْحَيَاةُ حَاصِلَةً وَهُوَ مُتَّصِفٌ بِهَا حَسُنَ الْإِتْيَانُ بِمَا أَيْ مَا دَامَتْ الْحَيَاة مُتَّصِفَةً بِهَذَا الْوَصْف وَلَمَّا كَانَتْ الْوَفَاة مَعْدُومَة فِي حَال التَّمَنِّي لَمْ يَحْسُنْ أَنْ يَقُولَ مَا كَانَتْ بَلْ أَتَى بِإِذَا الشَّرْطِيَّةِ فَقَالَ إِذَا كَانَتْ أَيْ إِذَا آلَ الْحَال إِلَى أَنْ تَكُون الْوَفَاة بِهَذَا الْوَصْف قَوْله ( أَلَا لَا يَتَمَنَّى ) خَبَرٌ بِمَعْنَى النَّهْيِ ( فَإِنْ كَانَ لَا بُدَّ مُتَمَنِّيًا الْمَوْتَ فَلْيَقُلْ ) أَيْ فَلَا يَتَمَنَّ صَرِيحًا بَلْ يَعْدِل عَنْهُ إِلَى التَّعْلِيق بِوُجُودِ الْخَيْر فِيهِ.…

Scholar	Grade	Applies to	Work
Al-Albanid. 1420 AH	AuthenticSahih	The hadith	No. 1821
Zubair Ali Zaid. 1435 AH	AuthenticSahih - Agreed Upon	The hadith	No. 1821
Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddahd. 1417 AH	AuthenticSahih	The hadith	No. 1821

Other versions

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 5671

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "None of you should wish for death because of a calamity befalling him; but if he has to wish for death, he should say: "O Allah! Keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and let me die if death is better for me.' "

اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي، وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي ‏"

Narrated by Anas ibn Mālik

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 6351

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said," None of you should long for death because of a calamity that had befallen him, and if he cannot, but long for death, then he should say, 'O Allah! Let me live as long as life is better for me, and take my life if death is better for me.' "

لاَ يَتَمَنَّيَنَّ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمُ الْمَوْتَ لِضُرٍّ نَزَلَ بِهِ، فَإِنْ كَانَ لاَ بُدَّ مُتَمَنِّيًا لِلْمَوْتِ فَلْيَقُلِ اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي، وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ…

Narrated by Anas ibn Mālik

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih Muslim 2680a

O Allah, keep me alive as long as there is goodness in life for me and bring death to me when there is goodness in death for me.

لاَ يَتَمَنَّيَنَّ أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَوْتَ لِضُرٍّ نَزَلَ بِهِ فَإِنْ كَانَ لاَ بُدَّ مُتَمَنِّيًا فَلْيَقُلِ اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي ‏"

Narrated by Anas ibn Mālik

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan Abu Dawud 3108

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: No one of you should wish for death for any calamity that befalls him, but he should say: O Allah! cause me to live so long as my life is better for me ; and cause me to die where death is better for me.

لاَ يَدْعُوَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ بِالْمَوْتِ لِضُرٍّ نَزَلَ بِهِ وَلَكِنْ لِيَقُلِ اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي ‏"

Narrated by Anas ibn Mālik

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Jami' at-Tirmidhi 971

The Prophet said that (a Hadith similar to no. 970).

حَدَّثَنَا بِذَلِكَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ صُهَيْبٍ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِذَلِكَ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى…

Narrated by Anas ibn Mālik

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan an-Nasa'i 1820

"None of you should wish for death because of some harm that befalls him, rather he should say: 'Allahumma ahini ma kanatil-hayatu khairanli wa tawaffani idha kanatil-wafatu khairanli (O Allah, keep me alive so alive so long as life is good for me, and cause me to die when death is good for me.)"'

"‏ لاَ يَتَمَنَّيَنَّ أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَوْتَ لِضُرٍّ نَزَلَ بِهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَلَكِنْ لِيَقُلِ اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي ‏"

Narrated by Anas ibn Mālik

See all 20 versions

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan an-Nasa'i 1822

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'Do not pray for death or wish for it. Whoever insists on praying for it let him say: Allahumma ahini ma kanatil-hayatu khairanli wa tawaffani idha kanatil-wafatu khairanli (O Allah, keep me alive so long as life is good for me, and cause me to die when death is good…

"‏ لاَ تَدْعُوا بِالْمَوْتِ وَلاَ تَتَمَنَّوْهُ فَمَنْ كَانَ دَاعِيًا لاَ بُدَّ فَلْيَقُلِ اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي ‏"

Narrated by Anas ibn Mālik

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan Ibn Majah 4265

“None of you should wish for death because of some harm that befalls him. If he must wish for death, let him say: ‘O Allah, keep me alive so long as living is good for me and cause me to die when death is good for me.’”

‏ ‏"‏ لاَ يَتَمَنَّى أَحَدُكُمُ الْمَوْتَ لِضُرٍّ نَزَلَ بِهِ فَإِنْ كَانَ لاَ بُدَّ مُتَمَنِّيًا الْمَوْتَ فَلْيَقُلِ ‏:‏ اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مَا كَانَتِ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتِ الْوَفَاةُ…

Narrated by Anas ibn Mālik

Not graded Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Musnad Ahmad 11541