585/1 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “None of you should wish for death. Either he is a doer of good, so he may do more good; or he is an evildoer, so he may give up evil deeds.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim; this is the wording narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
In another version narrated by Muslim: Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Let none of you wish for death, and let him not supplicate for death before it comes to him. If he dies, his work will cease, and the life of a believer only increases him in goodness.”
586/2 - Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Let none of you wish for death due to a harm that afflicted him. If he cannot help but do so, let him say: O Allah, keep me alive as long as life is better for me and cause me to die as long as death is better for me.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) Wishing for death is in some way a sign of discontentment with Allah’s decrees.
2) The life of a believer is better for him, for in it he either increases his good deeds or repents from his sins.
587/3 - Qays ibn Abi Hāzim reported: “We visited Khabbab ibn al-Aratt (may Allah be pleased with him) when he was ill and he had been cauterized seven times. He said to us: ‘Our companions who died before us left (this world) without having their rewards reduced due to enjoying the pleasures of this life, but we have (so much) wealth that we find no place for it except in the dust. Had the Prophet not forbidden us to pray for death, I would have prayed for it.’ When we visited him for a second time, he was building himself a wall, and he said: “A Muslim is rewarded for whatever he spends, except for what he invests in this dust.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim; this is the wording narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
That we find no place for it except in the dust: to protect it from theft.
Invests in this dust: in construction.
1) “Do not wish for death;” this is the Prophet’s instruction to his Ummah, so the Muslim should heed this instruction, adhere to patience, and teach this to his family both by words and example.
2) It shows the merit of the Companion Khabbāb ibn al-Aratt (may Allah be pleased with him) and his self-censure and self-accountability even in permissible things.