Portents of Good End

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) informed us of some of the good end portents which if the person's death was with one of them then it will be a good omen and a glad tidings. Some of these portents are:

(1) - To utter the testification of faith [i.e. “La ilaha-illa Allah” - None has the right to be worshipped but Allah] at the time of death. Al-Hakim narrated that Mu`ath Ibn Jabal W said: The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

"He whose last words (in life) were ' La ilaha-illa Allah', None has the right to be worshipped but Allah shall enter Paradise.” [Reported by Abu Dawud narration (3116), Al-Hakim (1/351) and regarded it authentic hadith and At-Thahabi agreed with him].

(2) - To  die  as  a  martyr  while  striving  to  Allah's  word  (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) superior.  Allah said:

“Think not of those who are killed In the way of Allah as dead. Nay they are alive, with their Rabb and they have provision. They rejoice in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His Bounty, rejoicing for the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind [not yet martyred] that on them no fear shall come, nor shall they grieve. They rejoice in a Grace and a Bounty from Allah, and that Allah will not waste the reward of the believers”. [Qur’an, Surah Al-‘Imran, 3:169-171]

(3) - To die while preparing for a battle in Allah's Cause, or while performing Hajj (pilgrimage). The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

"Whoever is killed in Allah's Cause he is (regarded as) a martyr (he will gain the reward of that of a martyr) and whoever dies in Allah's Cause, he is a martyr." [Muslim and Ahmad narrated this hadith.]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said - about the man who was performing Hajj and fell down from his she-camel and died:

"Wash him with water and (the leaves of) the lotte tree, and shroud him with two sheets and do not cover his head for he will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection saying the "talbia " (devotional calls recited when one performs Hajj or Umra; they are as follows: Labbaika Allahumma Labbaik...O Allah, here I am responding, here I am worshipping You”.

(4)  -  To  die  exactly  after  performing  an  obedience  to  Allah  (i.e.  this obedience be the last thing one did). Abu Huthifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“He who says ‘La ilaha-illa Allah’ [i.e. no one has the right to be worshipped but Allah] seeking Allah's Countenance (and pleasure) and is the last thing he does (in his life) will enter Paradise. And he who fasts a day seeking Allah's Countenance (and pleasure) and happened to be the last day in his life, will enter Paradise. And he who gives money as a charity seeking Allah's Countenance (and pleasure) and this was his last thing he did, will enter Paradise.” (Reported by Ahmad, 5/391).

(5) - To die while striving to defend the five things that the Islamic law preserved (for Muslims, i.e. none should transgress to deprive a Muslim from them) and they are: religion, soul, wealth, honour and mind. Said Ibn Zaid W narrated that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“He who dies while defending his wealth (from the one who wants to take it away from him by force) is a martyr, he who dies while defending his household (from those who want to cause harm for them) is a martyr, he who dies while defending his religion (i.e. fighting the disbelieving transgressors) is a martyr, and he who dies while defending his soul (from the one who wants to kill him) is a martyr.” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud)

(6) - To die because of one of the epidemic diseases. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) informed us of some of them; they are:

A - Plague: Anas Ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“Plague is a cause of martyrdom for every Muslim (who dies because of it).”  [Reported by Abu Dawud (4772), and At-Tirmidhi no. (1418 and 1421)].

B - Tuberculosis: Rashid Ibn Hubaish said that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“Dying during fighting in Allah's Cause is (the cause of) martyrdom, Plague is (a cause of) martyrdom (for every Muslim who dies because of it), dying because of delivery is (the cause of) martyrdom (for any Muslim woman) and tuberculosis is (the cause of) martyrdom (for a Muslim who dies because of it).” (Reported by Ahmad, 3/289)

C - Abdominal diseases: Narrated Abu Hurairah W that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“He (a Muslim) who dies because of an abdominal disease is a martyr.” [Reported by Muslim no.1915]

D - Pleurisy: Jabir Ibn Atik narrated that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“The one who dies because of pleurisy is a martyr.” (i.e. he will be given a reward equals to that of a fight martyr) This hadith will later be narrated fully.

(7) - The dying of a (Muslim) woman because of delivery or in her after-birth state: Ubadah Ibn As-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“And the woman who dies because of her son, after her delivery, her son will drag her with his umbilical cord to Paradise.” [Reported by Ahmad (4/201) and (5/323).

(8) - Dying because of drowning, being underneath debris, and bums: Abu Hurairah W narrated that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“Martyrs are (of) five (kinds): The one who dies because of plague, abdominal diseases, drowning, and the one who dies underneath debris.” [Reported by At-Tirmidhi  (1063)  and  Muslim  no. (1915) the like of it].

Jabir Ibn Atik said that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“The martyrs other than being killed in Allah's Cause are, (of) seven (kinds): the one who dies because of plague is a martyr, the drowned (Muslim) is (regarded as) a martyr, the one who dies because of pleurisy is a martyr, the one who dies because of abdominal diseases is a martyr, the one who dies because of burns is a martyr, the one who dies because of being underneath debris is a martyr, and the (Muslim) woman who dies because of delivery is a martyr.” This hadith was narrated  by  Ahmad,  Abu  Dawud,  An-Nisai,  and Al-Hakim who classified it as an authentic hadith and Ath-Thahabi agreed with him.” [Reported by Ahmad (5/446), Abu Dawud (3111), An-Nisai (4/13-14) and Al-Hakim (1/352)].

(9) - To die on the Thursday night or on the daytime of Friday: Abdullah Ibn Amru W said that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“No Muslim dies on Friday or on the night of Thursday but Allah will deliver him from the trials of the grave.” [Reported by Ahmad (2/176) and At-Tirmidhi (1080) and he said “This is a strange hadith that has no connected chain of narrators”]

 (10) - Sweat on the Forehead: Narrated Buraidah from Al-Husaib (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“A believer dies with sweat on his forehead.” [Reported by At-Tirmidhi no.  (982),  An-Nisai  (4/6)  and  this  hadith  has  a  good  chain  of narrators]