It is narrated from Sayyiduna Bara’ bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), when suddenly he saw some people gathered at a place and asked: Why are these people gathered and for what? Someone said: They are gathered at a grave, they are digging it. Upon hearing this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) became distressed and hurried ahead of his companions, quickly reaching the grave and sat down on his knees beside it. I came in front of him to see what he (peace and blessings be upon him) was doing. He (peace and blessings be upon him) wept so much that the ground became wet with his tears. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned towards us and said: My brothers! Prepare for this day.

Ata bin Saib says: The first day on which I became acquainted with Abdur Rahman bin Abi Laila happened like this: I saw an elderly man riding a donkey, his head and beard hair were white, and he was walking behind a funeral procession and narrating: So-and-so son of so-and-so companion narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah also loves to meet him. Upon hearing this, the people began to weep. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, asked: Why are you weeping? The people said: We all dislike death (which means we do not like to meet Allah). The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: It is not like that. When someone's death approaches, if he is among the close servants of Allah, then for him there is comfort, fragrance, and a garden of blessings. So when he is given glad tidings of these things, he begins to love meeting Allah, and Allah desires his meeting even more. But if that person is among the deniers and the misguided, then his hospitality is scalding water, and then he is to enter the blazing fire. So when he is given the news of these things, he begins to dislike meeting Allah, and Allah also greatly dislikes meeting him.

Shuraih bin Hani says: I was in the mosque of Madinah when Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated this hadith there, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever likes to meet Allah, Allah also likes to meet him; and whoever dislikes to meet Allah, Allah also dislikes to meet him. After hearing this hadith, I went to Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and said: If the matter is as Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) has stated, then it means we are all doomed. She said: According to the statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), whoever is doomed, is indeed doomed. But what is the matter? I said: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever likes to meet Allah, Allah also likes to meet him; and whoever dislikes to meet Allah, Allah also dislikes to meet him. Upon hearing this, Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I also bear witness that I have also heard this hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Do you know why this will be so? When the sound of breath constricting will be heard from the chest, the eyes will remain open, the hair will stand on end, and the fingers will stiffen, at that moment, whoever likes to meet Allah, Allah also likes to meet him; and whoever does not like to meet Allah, Allah also does not like to meet him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says: When My servant likes to meet Me, I also like to meet him, and when My servant dislikes to meet Me, I also dislike to meet him. Someone said to Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him): Each one of us dislikes death and fears it? He said: When the time of death approaches, everything becomes clear.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever desires to meet Allah, Allah also desires to meet him; and whoever dislikes to meet Allah, Allah also dislikes to meet him. We said: O Messenger of Allah! All of us dislike death. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (What you are thinking of) this is not disliking death. The matter is that when the time of a believer’s death approaches, an angel comes from Allah with glad tidings and informs him of his good end; at that time, meeting Allah becomes dearest to him, so Allah also desires to meet him. But when the time of a wicked or disbeliever’s death approaches, the one who comes to him informs him of his evil end, so he begins to dislike meeting Allah, and Allah does not desire to meet him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ubadah bin Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever likes to meet Allah Almighty, Allah Almighty likes to meet him; and whoever does not like to meet Allah Almighty, Allah Almighty does not like to meet him.

Similar ahadith of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are narrated from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), with these additional words: And as for the matter of death, it is before the issue of meeting Allah Almighty.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mu’adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If you wish, I will tell you what Allah Almighty will say first to the people of faith on the Day of Resurrection and what they will say to Him. We said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah! You (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah Almighty will say to the believers: Did you desire to meet Me? They will say: Yes, O our Lord! Allah Almighty will ask: Why? They will say: We hoped for Your pardon and forgiveness. Then He will say: My forgiveness has become obligatory for you.

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say, three days before his passing: Beware! Whoever among you dies, let him die in such a state that he has good expectations from Allah Almighty.

(Second Chain) The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Whoever among you faces death, let him do so while having good expectations of Allah Almighty. A people were destroyed because of their bad assumptions about Allah Almighty. The statement of the Exalted Lord is: "This evil assumption that you held about your Lord has destroyed you, and thus you became among the losers." (Surah Ha Mim Sajdah: 23)