37/31. Chapter:
Sunan Ibn Majah 4263 — Death in a Decreed Land
Death and preparing for it
Hadith About Death in a Decreed Land and Allah’s Plan
Sunan Ibn Majah : 4263
Sunan Ibn MajahHadith Number 4263
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ الْجَحْدَرِيُّ، وَعُمَرُ بْنُ شَبَّةَ بْنِ عَبِيدَةَ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، أَخْبَرَنِي إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ أَبِي خَالِدٍ، عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ : " إِذَا كَانَ أَجَلُ أَحَدِكُمْ بِأَرْضٍ أَوْثَبَتْهُ إِلَيْهَا الْحَاجَةُ فَإِذَا بَلَغَ أَقْصَى أَثَرِهِ قَبَضَهُ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ فَتَقُولُ الأَرْضُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ : رَبِّ هَذَا مَا اسْتَوْدَعْتَنِي " .
'Abdullah bin Mas'ud Narrated from:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “If the appointed time of death of anyone of you is in a certain land, some need will cause him to go there, then when he reaches the furthest point that it is decreed he will reach, Allah takes (his soul). And on the Day of Resurrection the earth will say: ‘My Lord, this is what You entrusted to me.’”
Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 4263In-book reference : Book 37, Hadith 164English translation : Vol. 5, Book 37, Hadith 4263
Summary of Sunan Ibn Majah Hadith 4263
This hadith about death in a decreed land teaches that a person’s final place is not random. The Prophet said that when someone’s appointed time of death is in a certain land, a need will cause him to go there. When he reaches the furthest point decreed for him, Allah takes his soul. The hadith also says that on the Day of Resurrection, the earth will speak and say that this person was entrusted to it. The meaning is simple and serious: life moves under Allah’s decree. People make journeys for needs, but the final point belongs to Allah’s knowledge and command. This should bring humility, not carelessness.
What we learn from this hadith
- The time and place of death are under Allah’s decree.
- A normal need may lead a person to the place appointed for his death.
- The earth is described as holding what Allah entrusted to it until Resurrection.
