The Book of Virtues — Hadith 5992

Arabic Text

وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ، وَعَبْدُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ، قَالَ عَبْدٌ أَخْبَرَنَا وَقَالَ ابْنُ رَافِعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ طَاوُسٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ أُرْسِلَ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ إِلَى مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ صَكَّهُ فَفَقَأَ عَيْنَهُ فَرَجَعَ إِلَى رَبِّهِ فَقَالَ أَرْسَلْتَنِي إِلَى عَبْدٍ لاَ يُرِيدُ الْمَوْتَ - قَالَ - فَرَدَّ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ عَيْنَهُ وَقَالَ ارْجِعْ إِلَيْهِ فَقُلْ لَهُ يَضَعُ يَدَهُ عَلَى مَتْنِ ثَوْرٍ فَلَهُ بِمَا غَطَّتْ يَدُهُ بِكُلِّ شَعْرَةٍ سَنَةٌ قَالَ أَىْ رَبِّ ثُمَّ مَهْ قَالَ ثُمَّ الْمَوْتُ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَالآنَ فَسَأَلَ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُدْنِيَهُ مِنَ الأَرْضِ الْمُقَدَّسَةِ رَمْيَةً بِحَجَرٍ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ فَلَوْ كُنْتُ ثَمَّ لأَرَيْتُكُمْ قَبْرَهُ إِلَى جَانِبِ الطَّرِيقِ تَحْتَ الْكَثِيبِ الأَحْمَرِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

English Translation

Abu Huraira reported that the Angel of Death was sent to Moses (peace be upon him) to inform of his Lord's summons. When he came, he (Moses) boxed him and his eye was knocked out. He (the Angel of Death) came back to the Lord and said: You sent me to a servant. who did not want to die. Allah restored his eye to its proper place (and revived his eyesight), and then said: Go back to him and tell him that if he wants life he must place his hand on the back of an ox, and he would be granted as many years of life as the number of hair covered by his hand. He (Moses) said: My Lord what would happen then He said: Then you must court death. He said: Let it be now. And he supplicated Allah to bring him close to the sacred land. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: If I were there, I would have shown you his grave beside the road at the red mound.