50/4. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 2757a — Fear of Allah and Mercy
The Vastaess Of Allah's Mercy, Which Prevails Over His Wrath
Hadith About Fear of Allah and His Mercy
Sahih Muslim : 2757a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 2757a
حَدَّثَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ الْعَنْبَرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، سَمِعَ عُقْبَةَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْغَافِرِ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيَّ، يُحَدِّثُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَنَّ رَجُلاً فِيمَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ رَاشَهُ اللَّهُ مَالاً وَوَلَدًا فَقَالَ لِوَلَدِهِ لَتَفْعَلُنَّ مَا آمُرُكُمْ بِهِ أَوْ لأُوَلِّيَنَّ مِيرَاثِي غَيْرَكُمْ إِذَا أَنَا مُتُّ فَأَحْرِقُونِي - وَأَكْثَرُ عِلْمِي أَنَّهُ قَالَ - ثُمَّ اسْحَقُونِي وَاذْرُونِي فِي الرِّيحِ فَإِنِّي لَمْ أَبْتَهِرْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ خَيْرًا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَقْدِرُ عَلَىَّ أَنْ يُعَذِّبَنِي - قَالَ - فَأَخَذَ مِنْهُمْ مِيثَاقًا فَفَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ بِهِ وَرَبِّي فَقَالَ اللَّهُ مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى مَا فَعَلْتَ فَقَالَ مَخَافَتُكَ . قَالَ فَمَا تَلاَفَاهُ غَيْرُهَا " .
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri Narrated from:
A person amongst the earlier nations before you was conferred property and children by Allah, He said to his children: 'You must do as I command you to do, otherwise I will make others besides you as my inheritors. As I die, burn my body and blow my ashes in the wind as I do not find any merit of mine which would please Allah, and if Allah were to take hold of me, He would punish me. He took a pledge from them and they did as he commanded them to do. Allah said: What prompted you to do this? He said: My Lord. Thine fear, and Allah did not punish him at all.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 2757aIn-book reference : Book 50, Hadith 31USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 37, Hadith 6640
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 2757a
This fear of Allah hadith tells of a man from earlier nations who had wealth and children. Near death, he told his children to burn his body, crush it, and scatter the ashes in the wind. His reason was not pride. He said he did not find any good deed of his that would please Allah, and he feared that if Allah took hold of him, He would punish him. When Allah asked what made him do this, the man answered, “Your fear.” The core message is simple: fear of Allah can be a deep sign of a heart that knows its Lord. The hadith about repentance also shows that Allah knew what was inside him and did not punish him.
What we learn from this hadith
- Fear of Allah should make a person humble about his deeds.
- A person should not feel safe from accountability only because he had wealth or children.
- Allah knows the real reason behind a person’s action.
- The man’s answer shows that honest fear of Allah mattered in his case.
