37/40. Chapter:
Jami at-Tirmidhi 2483 — Illness and Spending
All Expenditures Are in Allah's Cause, Except for Buildings
Hadith About Wishing for Death and Spending
Jami at-Tirmidhi : 2483
Jami at-TirmidhiHadith Number 2483
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا شَرِيكٌ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ حَارِثَةَ بْنِ مُضَرِّبٍ، قَالَ أَتَيْنَا خَبَّابًا نَعُودُهُ وَقَدِ اكْتَوَى سَبْعَ كَيَّاتٍ فَقَالَ لَقَدْ تَطَاوَلَ مَرَضِي وَلَوْلاَ أَنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " لاَ تَمَنَّوُا الْمَوْتَ " . لَتَمَنَّيْتُ وَقَالَ " يُؤْجَرُ الرَّجُلُ فِي نَفَقَتِهِ كُلِّهَا إِلاَّ التُّرَابَ أَوْ قَالَ فِي الْبِنَاءِ " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ .
Harithah bin Mudarrib Narrated from:
We Went To Visit Khabbab Who Had Himself Cauterized In Seven Places On His Body. He Said: 'I Have Been Ill For So Long, And If It Was Not That I Heard The Messenger Of Allah (S.A.W) Saying: "None Of You Should Wish For Death" Then I Would Have Wished For It, And He Said: "A Man Is Rewarded For [All Of] His Spending Except For The Dust" - Or He Said - "In The Building."
Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2483In-book reference : Book 37, Hadith 69English translation : Vol. 4, Book 11, Hadith 2483
Summary of Jami at-Tirmidhi Hadith 2483
This hadith about wishing for death and spending brings together two lessons from Khabbab’s words. He was visited while ill and had been cauterized in seven places. Even with long illness, he said he would have wished for death if he had not heard the Prophet saying, “None of you should wish for death.” This keeps the explanation tied to the text: the hadith does not deny pain, but it stops a person from asking for death because of suffering. The second part says a man is rewarded for his spending except for dust, or in building. The wording again points to caution about spending on building when it has no rewarded purpose.
What we learn from this hadith
- A Muslim should not wish for death, even during long illness.
- Suffering is real, but the Prophet’s instruction guides the response.
- Spending can carry reward, but the narration warns about building.
