37/13. Chapter:
Sunan Ibn Majah 4163 — Patience in Sickness and Spending
Construction and Demolition
Hadith About Not Wishing for Death During Hardship
Sunan Ibn Majah : 4163
Sunan Ibn MajahHadith Number 4163
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ مُوسَى، حَدَّثَنَا شَرِيكٌ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ حَارِثَةَ بْنِ مُضَرِّبٍ، قَالَ أَتَيْنَا خَبَّابًا نَعُودُهُ فَقَالَ لَقَدْ طَالَ سُقْمِي وَلَوْلاَ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ " لاَ تَتَمَنَّوُا الْمَوْتَ " . لَتَمَنَّيْتُهُ وَقَالَ " إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيُؤْجَرُ فِي نَفَقَتِهِ كُلِّهَا إِلاَّ فِي التُّرَابِ " . أَوْ قَالَ " فِي الْبِنَاءِ " .
Harithah bin Mudarrib Narrated from:
We came to Khabbab to visit him (when he was sick), and he said: ‘I have been sick for a long time, and were it not that I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “Do not wish for death,” I would have wished for it.’ And he said: “A person will be rewarded for all his spending, except for (what he spends) on dust,” or he said, “on building.”
Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 4163In-book reference : Book 37, Hadith 64English translation : Vol. 5, Book 37, Hadith 4163
Summary of Sunan Ibn Majah Hadith 4163
This hadith about not wishing for death comes through Khabbab during a long sickness. He said that if he had not heard the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم say, “Do not wish for death,” he would have wished for it. That shows how heavy his illness felt, but it also shows how firmly he held to the Prophet’s instruction. The report also mentions that a person is rewarded for all spending except what is spent on dust, or building. The wording keeps the focus on patience during suffering and care with spending. It does not say that every building is forbidden. It warns against spending that becomes mere dust or unnecessary building, while reminding the sick heart not to ask for death.
What we learn from this hadith
- Severe sickness can be hard, but the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم taught not to wish for death.
- A believer may feel pain while still holding to prophetic guidance.
- Spending should be checked so it does not become empty building or dust.
- Not all spending carries the same value in reward.
