THE DEATH OF THE STRANGER
16. Abdullah ibn (Amr reports that, A. man who was born in Madinah, died there. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prayed the [funeral] prayer for him and then said, “If only he had died in a place other than the place of his birth.” A man asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, why?’ He said, “When a man dies in a place other than the place of his birth, a place in Paradise is prepared for him equivalent to the distance between his place of birth and place of death.’” (Sindi said,`It seems clear that he (pbuh) did not mean that he should have died in a city other than Madinah, instead he wished that he had died as a stranger in Madinah after migrating to it, this so as not to contradict the hadith concerning the virtue of dying in Madinah.)
17. Abdullah ibn Amr reports that, ‘The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stood by the grave of a person in Madinah and said, “If only he had died as a stranger.” It was asked of him, ‘Why should he die as a stranger in a land other than his land?’ He replied, “There is no stranger who dies in a land other than his land except that a place in Paradise is prepared for him equivalent to the distance between his place of birth and place of death.’”
18. Abdullah ibn Abbas reports that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “The death of the stranger is martyrdom.”
19. Abu Hurayrah reports that the Messenger of Allah(pbuh) said, “The death of the stranger is martyrdom.”
20. (Abdullah ibn (Amr reports that, We were with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) at a time when the sun was rising.He said, “People of my nation will come on the Day of Judgment, their light like the light of the sun.” We asked, “Who will they be?’ He said, “The poor migrants, those through whom difficulty is averted, those who die with their needs still concealed in their breasts. They will be resurrected from the ends of the earth.”’
21. `Aishah reports that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Whoever dies in this road, be he one performing Hajj or ‘Umrah, will not be made to endure the Standing or the Judgement, instead it will be said to him,‘Enter Paradise!’”
Abu Zayd, from Bahrain, informed me that he washed a dead person in Bahrain and found inscribed in his flesh, `Tuba is for you O stranger!’
If someone were to ask,‘Does this now mean that anyone who dies as a stranger dies the death of a martyr?’ It would be said in reply:
There are two types of strangers: one whose strangeness came about by his obeying Allah, Mighty and Magnificent, such strangers are of varying degrees and all these degrees are praiseworthy, these are the strangers who would die the death of a martyr; and one whose strangeness comes about by his disobedience to Allah, Mighty and Magnificent, such strangers are of varying degrees and all of these degrees are blameworthy,the obligation upon them is to repent from this strangeness.
If someone were to now ask, ‘Describe to us the first type of stranger so that we not fall into the second type,’ it would be said in reply:
Whoever goes out to perform Hajj, ‘Umrah, orJihad, and dies in his journey there or on his return will die as a martyr. Whoever goes out in search of knowledge, desiring thereby the Face of Allah, and dies in that path, dies as a martyr. Whoever goes out to visit one of his brothers in faith, or to visit one of his relations in order to preserve and maintain the ties of kinship, and dies in that path, dies as a martyr. Whoever is in a land submerged in trial and tribulation, and fearing for his religion, wealth, and family, flees to another land and dies, dies as a martyr. Whoever is unable to acquire a lawful means of living in one land and therefore moves to another in order to do so and dies, dies as a martyr. If one slave runs away, and he leaves in search of him or her and dies in that path, he dies as a martyr.
Conversely, whoever carries out highway robbery, or aids the Khawarij, or leaves to spread corruption in the land, or leaves to undertake unlawful business, such a person and those like him are those whose strangeness comes about by disobeying Allah, Mighty and Magnificent. They must repent and abandon their deeds.
Zakariyyah ibn Abu Khalid narrated to us that a young boy left in pursuit of fortune, after repeatedly failing he wrote to his mother,
I’ll acquire my fortune or I’ll show my mother
A grave in the earth carrying my figure.
No grief is left that would cause me misery
For none I love remains in my locality.
Hence, my grave will be seen by a stranger.
There will come a time when the grave
of a stranger being thought strange.
The letter was delivered but his mother had already passed away, so his aunt wrote back,
You mentioned affairs and have taken heed
You have agitated troubles, that is strange.
If you are missing us then we
Can quench your thirst, the beloved is beloved.
So grace a mother who is concerned for you … (The words are missing from the manuscript)
You are a stranger.
The One who will give you provision
Would give it you even while the living
are close to you.
‘Umar ibn Ja‘far al-Tabari quoted the following ode from one of the sages,
People in the east and west believe
That the stranger, even if noble, is mean
They say, ‘The stranger is in ignominy’
I say, ‘Be not hasty! In Allah’s help lies sufficiency.’
When he dies on a strange shore,’ they surmise
‘None is there to mourn his demise!’
I say, ‘Sufficient is his Lord’s mercy,
The benefit of mourning him is paltry!’
One of our Egyptian friends quoted the following ode from one of the sages,
I left my family, becoming outcast;
Wandering from land to land, downcast.
My neighbours, my brothers, my kin, I bid farewell
They grieve and mourn but I bode well:
I have a home – if only the earth had its semblance!
However it is the decree that is in Governance.
In our times, the Strangers are those who adhere to the Sunnah and are steadfast upon it, those who steadfastly avoid innovations, those who follow the narrations of the past Imams, and those who know the reality of the time they live in and the extent of the corruption found therein. They devote themselves to self-purification, safeguarding their limbs from disobedience, leaving alone anything that does not concern them, and striving in correcting their own faults. What they seek of this world is that which would suffice them, and they leave anything surplus lest it serve to misguide them. They are fully aware of the people around them and are affable with them, but do not bring them close, and they are patient and steadfast in this. Those who are close to them or brothers and family are few, but this does not affect them.
If someone were to ask, ‘Differentiate affability from dissimulation for us,’ (Ibn Hajr, vol. 10, p. 528, quotes ibn Battal saying, ‘Affability is one of the characteristics of the believers, it is to lower ones wing in mercy to the people, to speak gently with them and to abandon coarseness; this is one of the greatest means towards achieving unity and mutual respect. Some people think that affability is the same as dissimulation but this is incorrect. Dissimulation is to show one thing in a certain way outwardly yet conceal its reality,some of the scholars explained it to be interacting with the open sinner while outwardly showing contentment at what he is doing without rejecting it. Affability on the other hand is to be gentle with the ignorant when teaching him and to prohibit the sinner from his sin, but to do this without coarseness, such that he publicises that sin, and to show rejection with kindness in speech and deed.’ ) it is said in reply:
The intelligent person is rewarded for affability and is, by virtue of it, considered praiseworthy by Allah, Mighty and Magnificent. Such a person is one who interacts with those people he must interact with in an affable manner, he does not care how much of his worldly lot is lost, or social status lowered, so long as his religion is safe. Such a person is truly noble, a stranger in his time. Dissimulation is the quality of a person who does not care how much of his religion he loses so long as he meets his worldly objective. Losing his religion has become something inconsequential as has losing his honour, his only care is for this world. Such a person is deluded and when the intelligent person confronts him, saying, ‘What you are doing is not permissible!’He replies by saying, “I am merely being affable!’ Hence he calls dissimulation, affability and this is a great error so be aware of this!
22. The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Being affable with people is a type of charity.”
al-Hasan said, `The believer is affable and does not quarrel or dispute. His goal is to spread the wisdom of Allah. If it is accepted, he praises Allah; if it is not, he praises Allah. ‘ (Ibn al-Mubarak #30 with a da‘if isnad.)
Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah said, `The wise person is not one who refrains from interacting with those he has to interact with in a good manner, until Allah shows him a way out. ‘ (Bukhari, Adab al-Mufrad #889 with a sahih isnad.)
Whoever has these qualities is a stranger: Tuba be for him! Tuba be for him!
Conclusion
Yahya ibn Mu’adh al-Razisaid,‘Son of Adam: you seek the world as if your very life depended on it and you seek the Hereafter as if you have no need of it!You will acquire what you need from this world even if you do not run after it, but you will only attain the Hereafter if you run after it. So be aware of your true condition!’
Yahya ibn Adam said, ‘Paradise was surrounded by difficulties, and you dislike it, and Hellfire was surrounded by desires, and you run after it. You are like one who is afflicted by a serious illness, if you are able to patiently endure the pain of the cure, you will be healed, if not, the illness will only increase in severity.’
All praise and thanks are due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the Messengers, and upon his family, his Companions and all those who follow them in good until the Day of Judgement. Allah suffices for us and what an excellent disposer of our affairs is He.
By Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali & Imam Al-Ajurri
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