Chapter 8 - Children Dying

Hadith 143

Abu Hurayra   reported that the Messenger of Allah,   , said,

"No Muslim who has had three of his children die young will enter the Fire, except to expiate an unfulfilled oath."



Hadith 144

Abu Hurayra   reported that a woman came to the Messenger of Allah,   , 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."



Hadith 145

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,    , to cheer us regarding our dead?' He   replied, 'I heard the Prophet, , say,

"Your children are roaming freely in the Garden."'"

Hadith 146

Jabir ibn 'Abdullah said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah,    say,

'If anyone has three of his children die young and resigns them to Allah, he will enter the Garden.'

We said, 'Messenger of Allah, what about two?'

'And two,' he  said."

Mahmud ibn Labid said to Jabir, "By Allah, I think that if you had asked, 'And one?' he would have given a similar answer."

He said, "By Allah, I think so too."



Hadith 147

Same as 144, different isnad.

Hadith 148

Abu Hurayra reported, "A woman came to the Messenger of Allah,   , 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.'"




Hadith 149

Umm Salim  said, "While I was with the Prophet,   , 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.'"




Hadith 150

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,    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.'"



Hadith 151

Anas ibn Malik   reported that the Prophet,   , said,

"If someone has three children die before they reach puberty, Allah will admit him and them to the Garden by virtue of His mercy."

Hadith 152

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."


Hadith 153

'Abdullah reported that the Messenger of Allah,    , 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, 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."

Hadith 154

He said that the Messenger of Allah,    , 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)."



Hadith 155

He reported that the Messenger of Allah,  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."