8. Children's Death
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ لاَ يَمُوتُ لأَحَدٍ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ثَلاَثَةٌ مِنَ الْوَلَدِ فَتَمَسَّهُ النَّارُ إِلاَّ تَحِلَّةَ الْقَسَمِ
✧ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “If any Muslim has three children die, the Fire will not touch him except to fulfill the oath.”
أَنَّ امْرَأَةً أَتَتِ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ بِصَبِيٍّ فَقَالَتِ ادْعُ لَهُ فَقَدْ دَفَنْتُ ثَلاَثَةً فَقَالَ احْتَظَرْتِ بِحِظَارٍ شَدِيدٍ مِنَ النَّارِ
✧ A woman came to the Prophet ﷺ with a child and said, “Supplicate for him, for I have buried three.” He said, “You have protected yourself with a strong barrier from the Fire.”
مَاتَ ابْنٌ لِي فَوَجَدْتُ عَلَيْهِ وَجَدَا شَدِيدًا فَقُلْتُ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ مَا سَمِعْتَ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ شَيْئًا تُسَخِّي بِهِ أَنْفُسَنَا عَنْ مَوْتَانَا؟ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ يَقُولُ صِغَارُكُمْ دَعَامِيصُ الْجَنَّةِ
Khalid al-'Absi said, "A son of mine died and I felt intense grief over his loss. I said, 'Abu Hurayra, have you heard anything from the Prophet ﷺ to cheer us regarding our dead?' He replied, 'I heard the Prophet ﷺ say, "Your children are roaming freely in the Garden."'"
سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَنْ مَاتَ لَهُ ثَلاَثَةٌ مِنَ الْوَلَدِ فَاحْتَسَبَهُمْ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ وَاثْنَانِ؟ قَالَ وَاثْنَانِ قُلْتُ لِجَابِرٍ وَاللَّهِ أَرَى لَوْ قُلْتُمْ وَاحِدٌ لَقَالَ قَالَ وَأَنَا أَظُنُّهُ وَاللَّهِ
✧ I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “Whoever has three children die and seeks their reward will enter the Garden.” We said, “O Messenger of Allah, and two?” He said, “And two.” I said to Jābir, “By Allah, I think that if you had said ‘one,’ he would have said it.” He said, “I also think so, by Allah.”
أَنَّ امْرَأَةً أَتَتِ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ بِصَبِيٍّ فَقَالَتِ ادْعُ اللَّهَ لَهُ فَقَدْ دَفَنْتُ ثَلاَثَةً فَقَالَ احْتَظَرْتِ بِحِظَارٍ شَدِيدٍ مِنَ النَّارِ
Abu Hurayra reported that a woman came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with a child. She said, "Make supplication for him. I have buried three children." He said, "You have built a strong barrier against the Fire."
جَاءَتِ امْرَأَةٌ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَتْ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنَّا لاَ نَقْدِرُ عَلَيْكَ فِي مَجْلِسِكَ فَوَاعِدْنَا يَوْمًا نَأْتِكَ فِيهِ فَقَالَ مَوْعِدُكُنَّ بَيْتُ فُلاَنٍ فَجَاءَهُنَّ لِذَلِكَ الْوَعْدِ وَكَانَ فِيمَا حَدَّثَهُنَّ مَا مِنْكُنَّ امْرَأَةٌ يَمُوتُ لَهَا ثَلاَثٌ مِنَ الْوَلَدِ فَتَحْتَسِبَهُمْ إِلاَّ دَخَلَتِ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَالَتِ امْرَأَةٌ أَوِ اثْنَانِ؟ قَالَ أَوَِ اثْنَانِ كَانَ سُهَيْلٌ يَتَشَدَّدُ فِي الْحَدِيثِ وَيَحْفَظُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ أَحَدٌ يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَكْتُبَ عِنْدَهُ
Abu Hurayra reported, "A woman came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, 'Messenger of Allah! We cannot come to sit with you, so set aside a day when we can come.' He said, 'Your appointed place is the house of so-and-so.' He came to the women at that time. Part of what he said to them was, 'There is no woman among you who has three children die, resigning them to Allah, who will not enter the Garden.' A woman said, 'And if it is two?' He replied, 'And if it is two.'"
كُنْتُ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ يَا أُمَّ سُلَيْمٍ مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمَيْنِ يَمُوتُ لَهُمَا ثَلاَثَةُ أَوْلاَدٍ إِلاَّ أَدْخَلَهُمَا اللَّهُ الْجَنَّةَ بِفَضْلِ رَحْمَتِهِ إِيَّاهُمْ قُلْتُ وَاثْنَانِ؟ قَالَ وَاثْنَانِ
Umm Salim said, "While I was with the Prophet ﷺ he said, 'Umm Salim! There is no Muslim couple who have three of their children die without Allah admitting them to the Garden by virtue of His mercy to them.' I said, 'And if there are two?' He said, 'And if there are two.'"
أَنَّهُ لَقِيَ أَبَا ذَرٍّ مُتَوَشِّحًا قِرْبَةً قَالَ مَا لَكَ مِنَ الْوَلَدِ يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ قَالَ أَلاَ أُحَدِّثُكَ؟ قُلْتُ بَلَى قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يَمُوتُ لَهُ ثَلاَثَةٌ مِنَ الْوَلَدِ لَمْ يَبْلُغُوا الْحِنْثَ إِلاَّ أَدْخَلَهُ اللَّهُ الْجَنَّةَ بِفَضْلِ رَحْمَتِهِ إِيَّاهُمْ وَمَا مِنْ رَجُلٍ أَعْتَقَ مُسْلِمًا إِلاَّ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ كُلَّ عُضْوٍ مِنْهُ فِكَاكَهُ لِكُلِّ عُضْوٍ مِنْهُ
Al-Hasan reported that Sa'sa'a ibn Mu'awiya told him that he met Abu Dharr finding him alone without any relatives and asked, "Don't you have any children, Abu Dharr?" He said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'There is no Muslim who has three of his children die before they reach puberty without Allah admitting him to the Garden by virtue of His mercy to them. There is no man who frees a Muslim with Allah Almighty making each of the limbs of the one who is freed a ransom for each of the emancipator's limbs.'"
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ مَاتَ لَهُ ثَلاَثَةٌ لَمْ يَبْلُغُوا الْحِنْثَ أَدْخَلَهُ اللَّهُ وَإِيَّاهُمْ بِفَضْلِ رَحْمَتِهِ الْجَنَّةَ
✧ The Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever has three children who die before reaching the age of accountability, Allah will admit him and them by the bounty of His mercy into the Garden.”
وَكَانَ لاَ يُولَدُ لَهُ فَقَالَ لأَنْ يُولَدَ لِي فِي الإِسْلاَمِ وَلَدٌ سَقْطٌ فَأَحْتَسِبَهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ يكُونَ لِيَ الدُّنْيَا جَمِيعًا وَمَا فِيهَا وَكَانَ ابْنُ الْحَنْظَلِيَّةِ مِمَّنْ بَايَعَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ
Sahl ibn al-Hanzala, who had no children, said, "I would prefer to have a miscarried child while I am a Muslim and resign that child to Allah than to have the entire world and what it contains."
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَيُّكُمْ مَالُ وَارِثِهِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ مَالِهِ؟ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ مَا مِنَّا مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلاَّ مَالُهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ مَالِ وَارِثِهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ اعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْكُمْ أَحَدٌ إِلاَّ مَالُ وَارِثِهِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ مَالِهِ مَالُكَ مَا قَدَّمْتَ وَمَالُ وَارِثِكَ مَا أَخَّرْتَ
'Abdullah reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Which of you prefers the money of heirs to his own money?" "Messenger of Allah," they replied, "there is none of us who does not prefer his own wealth to that of his heirs." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Know that there is not one of you who does not prefer his heirs' money to his own. Your wealth is what you have spent (for Allah) and the wealth of your heirs is what you leave."
وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مَا تَعُدُّونَ فِيكُمُ الرَّقُوبَ؟ قَالُوا الرَّقُوبُ الَّذِي لاَ يُولَدُ لَهُ قَالَ لاَ وَلَكِنَّ الرَّقُوبَ الَّذِي لَمْ يُقَدِّمْ مِنْ وَلَدِهِ شَيْئًا
He said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Who do you reckon to be the childless among you?" They said, "They are those who do not have any children." No," he said, "The childless are those who have not sent any of their children ahead (i.e. none of their children have died)."
وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مَا تَعُدُّونَ فِيكُمُ الصُّرَعَةَ؟ قَالُوا هُوَ الَّذِي لاَ تَصْرَعُهُ الرِّجَالُ فَقَالَ لاَ وَلَكِنَّ الصُّرَعَةَ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ
He reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Who do you reckon to be the one who most often throws people down (in a fight)?" They replied, "The one whom men do not throw down." He said, "No the one who throws people down is the person who controls himself when he is angry."