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Al-Haithami stated that the chain of Ahmad, Abu Yala and one chain of al-Bazzaar contains narrators of the two Sahihs of al-Bukhari and Muslim, save for Ali ibn Ali al­ Rifaai who is, though, a trustworthy narrator. Al-Haakim called the hadith sahih and al-Dhahabi approved of his conclusion. See al-Banna, vol. 14, p. 266. 2 Al-Shaukaani, Qatr, p. 482. 1 1 70 Hadith #38: "Whoever Shows Enmity to . . . " What is the Benefit of Asking Allah Al-Shaukaani poses the following question: What is the point of actually asking Allah for something or seeking refuge in Him when He already knows what is in the soul of the person and He can fulfill those needs without the person resorting to such asking, especially those who are His auliyaa and who have a special relationship with Him? Al-Shaukaani offers the following points in response to this question: First, when Allah gives after the person has asked, the person realizes that it is Allah who has responded to his supplication. This realization and lofty experience-- that Allah has responded to his prayers--- brings him a greater joy than the joy that came from what Allah gave him. This encourages him to do even more good deeds as he now realizes how Allah responds to him when he gets closer to Allah. Second, supplication is one of the greatest forms of worship, as was discussed earlier in this work. Hence, all the benefits of such prayers would be lost to the person if Allah would give him before he even supplicates to Allah. Third, the wali will be freeing himself from the arrogance of not praying to Allah. Allah has said in the Quran, :ঙ?'; r :ƻƼ 0ò . ࣖ;ࣗ:; Q,ࣕ ¾ ..,:.:JT 01 u .. ,,.. ,,.. '-..>,,,. ,,. / ...__,; .. / ; "Verily, those who scorn My worship will surely enter Hell in humiliation" ( Ghaafir 60). According to the scholars of Quranic interpretation, "My worship" here is in reference to supplicating to Allah. Fourth, supplications are one of the "causes" that lead to certain effects in this world. If the person does not follow such a cause, he will not be granted the desired result. 1 "And I do not hesitate to do anything as I hesitate to take the soul of the believer, for he hates death and I hate to harm him." Allah has decreed death for every individual. Allah says in the Quran, & k } Qj.:JT єTS u--1-f ࣔ ,,.. ,,.. ,:' "Every soul shall taste death" (ali-Imraan 185). Death is when the soul actually leaves the body. According to ibn Raj ab, "This only occurs with greatly intense pain. It is the greatest pain that afflicts the slave in this world."2 This hadith demonstrates that a person may be one of Allah's auliyaa yet, at the same time, he still hates and fears death. This hatred of death, in itself, does not remove him from being a wali. 1 Cf., al-Shaukaani, Qatr, pp. 480-481 . 2 Ibn Rajab, Jaami, vol. 2 , p. 356. 1 171 Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi Note that this is the real death of a human, where the soul is taken by the angels from the physical body of the person. This is not to be confused with the near-death experiences that many people talk about today. Such people who supposedly have "come back from the dead" were not dead at all. And, most likely, the visions that they saw in their "death" statesthat of the white light at the end of a tunnel, the feeling of tranquillityare nothing but tricks from Satan to convince the person that he is living a good life and that he has nothing to fear when death actually comes to him. Some members of the early generations of Muslims preferred to strive their best at the time of death. Umar ibn Abdul Aziz said, "I do not wish for the harshness of death to be made easy for me. It is the last act for the believer by which [sins] may be obliterated."1 Others feared that final test and they prayed to Allah to make it easy for them. And if Allah wills for death to be easy for a slave, He makes it so. Al-Shaukaani points out that the hatred for death could be for a number of reasons and none of the reasons must necessarily be excluded from the implication of this hadith. One may hate death due to the hardships that usually precede death. One may also hate death because it implies parting from one's beloved, family, wealth and friends whom one loves for the sake of Allah.2 The hatred for death alluded to in this hadith may also refer to the fear that every believer should have toward Allah. He should fear that he did not please Allah in this world and that Allah will hold him accountable for even the smallest sins that he committed in this world.