Thabit Banani says: Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said to a woman from his household: Do you know such-and-such woman? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by her while she was weeping at a grave, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: Fear Allah and be patient. She replied: Go away from me, what concern do you have with my calamity? In fact, this woman did not recognize him (peace and blessings be upon him). Later, she was informed that it was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Upon hearing this, she was overtaken by the anxiety of death and she reached the door of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and found no doorkeeper there. Then she said to him (peace and blessings be upon him): O Messenger of Allah! I did not recognize you. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Indeed, patience is only at the first shock of the calamity.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When any Muslim man or woman is afflicted with a calamity, and then later remembers it and again recites "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un," even if a long time has passed since that distress, Allah Almighty renews for him the reward and grants him as much reward as was given on the day of the calamity.

The wife of the Messenger, Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), says: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whoever is afflicted by a calamity and recites this supplication: "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un. Allahumma 'indaka ahtasibu musibati, fa'jurni fiha wakhluf li khayran minha." (Surely we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. O Allah! I seek reward for my calamity with You, so grant me reward in it and grant me a better substitute for it), then Allah Almighty grants him reward in his calamity and gives him a better substitute.

It happened that when my husband, Sayyiduna Abu Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him), passed away, I said: Who could be better than Abu Salamah, who was a companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? Nevertheless, Allah Almighty gave me strength and I continued to recite this supplication: "Allahumma ajurni fi musibati wakhluf li khayran minha." (O Allah! Grant me reward in this calamity and grant me a better substitute for it.) So (as a result of this), I married the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

Sayyiduna Usamah bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that a daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a message to him that her son or daughter was near death, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) should come to them. But he (peace and blessings be upon him) sent greetings to them and (to console her) said: Surely, to Allah belongs what He takes and to Him belongs what He gives, and with Him everything has an appointed time, so (my daughter) she should be patient and hope for reward for it.