Ubayd bin Khalid al-Sulami, one of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, reported. Once he said, "From the Prophet ﷺ," and another time he said, "From Ubayd," who said, "Sudden death is a seizure of wrath."
عن عبيد بن خالد السلمي رجل من أصحاب النبي ﷺ قال مرة: عن النبي ﷺ، ثم قال مرة: عن عبيد قال: موت الفجأة أخذة أسف.
Abu Dawud (3110) narrated it from Musaddad, who said, Yahya narrated to us, from Shuba, from Mansur, from Tamim bin Salama or Saad bin Ubayda, from Ubayd bin Khalid Sulami, and related it. Bayhaqi (3/378) narrated it by way of Abu Dawud, and said, "Rawh bin Ubada narrated it, from Shuba, from Mansur, from Tamim bin Salama, from Ubayd, without any doubt, and he attributed it to the Prophet. Shuba said, 'This is how he narrated it to me, then he narrated it to me another time without attributing it to the Prophet.' Muhammad bin Bashar said, Muhammad bin Jafar narrated to us, Shuba narrated this to us as a stopped narration."I say, Imam Ahmad (15497) likewise narrated it from Muhammad bin Jafar, that is, Ghundar, from Shuba, as a stopped narration, just as he had narrated it earlier from Yahya bin Saeed, from Shuba, also as a stopped narration, and said that he had narrated it on another occasion attributed to the Prophet ﷺ.The ruling on this text belongs to whoever attributed it to the Prophet, because with him there is additional knowledge. Ibn Hajar's statement in Fath al-Bari (3/254), "There is some criticism in its chain, because its narrator attributed it to the Prophet once and stopped it another time," calls for reconsideration, for there is a narrator who related it without any doubt at all. Munziri did well when he said in Mukhtasar Abu Dawud, "The men of its chain are trustworthy, and its being stopped does not harm it, for a matter like this could not have come from mere personal opinion, especially since the narrator did trace it once to the Prophet. And Allah knows best."His saying "asaf" (with a fatha on the sin) means anger, matching the word "ghadab" in both pattern and meaning. It has also been transmitted with the pattern "faail," that is "aasif," meaning wrathful. What is meant is that it reflects a trace of Allah's anger, exalted is He, in that He did not leave the person time to repent and prepare provisions for the Hereafter. It has been reported from Ahmad and some of the Shafiis that sudden death is disliked.Nawawi reported from some of the early scholars that a number of prophets and righteous people died in this way. Nawawi said, "This is beloved to those who are ever watchful of Allah." End of his words. Ibn Hajar said, "By this the two views are reconciled." See Fath al-Bari (3/255).As for what is reported from Abu Hurairah, from the Prophet ﷺ, "I dislike a death by sudden mishap," it is very daif. Imam Ahmad (8666) and Abu Yaala (6612) both narrated it by way of Israil bin Yunus, from Ibrahim bin Ishaq, from Saeed bin Abu Saeed Maqburi, from Abu Hurairah, that the Prophet ﷺ passed by a wall, or a leaning wall, and quickened his pace. When he was asked about it, he said, "I dislike a death by sudden mishap." Ibrahim bin Ishaq is the one called Ibrahim bin Fadl Makhzumi Madani. Bukhari said of him, "He narrates denounced hadith." Daraqutni said, "His narrations are abandoned." And more than one of the imams have weakened him.Likewise, what is reported from him, that he said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from dying of grief or sorrow, from drowning, from Satan afflicting me with confusion at the time of death, and from dying of a sting," does not hold up either. Imam Ahmad (8667) narrated it, and it too contains Ibrahim bin Ishaq, that is, Ibn Fadl Makhzumi.Seeking refuge from sudden death has also been reported from Amr bin As, his son Abdullah, Ibn Umar, and Abu Umama, and others, but there is criticism in all of them.Likewise, what is reported from Ayesha does not hold up, that she said, "I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about sudden death, and he said, 'It is a relief for the believer, and for the wicked a seizing of wrath.'" Imam Ahmad (25042) narrated it from Waki, who said, Ubaydullah bin Walid narrated to us, from Abdullah bin Ubayd bin Umayr, from Ayesha, and related it. Ubaydullah bin Walid, that is, Wassafi, is very daif, and Abdullah bin Ubayd bin Umayr did not hear from Ayesha. It has other routes even weaker than this one.Likewise, what is reported from Musa bin Talha does not hold up, that he said, it reached Ayesha that Ibn Umar was saying that sudden death is a punishment upon the believers, so she said, "May Allah forgive Ibn Umar. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ only said, 'Sudden death is a lightening of burden for the believers, and a seizing of wrath upon the disbelievers.'" Tabarani narrated it in al-Awsat (3153), from Bakr, who said, Saeed bin Mansur narrated to us, who said, Salih bin Musa Talhi narrated to us, from Abdul-Malik bin Umayr, from Musa bin Talha, and he related it. Tabarani said, "No one narrated it from Abdul-Malik except Salih." I say, Salih bin Musa is Ibn Ishaq bin Talha Taymi. Ibn Main said of him, "He is worthless." Abu Hatim said, "daif." Ibn Hibban said, "He used to narrate from trustworthy narrators things that do not resemble the hadith of reliable narrators."Likewise, what is reported from Abdullah bin Masud as attributed to the Prophet does not hold up, "The soul of the believer departs as a light sweat, and I do not love any death more than the death of a donkey." It was asked, "And what is the death of a donkey?" He said, "Sudden death." Tirmidhi (980) narrated it from Ahmad bin Hasan, who said, Muslim bin Ibrahim narrated to us, who said, Husam bin Misakk narrated to us, who said, Abu Mashar narrated to us, from Ibrahim, from Alqama, who said, I heard Abdullah, and he related it. Husam bin Misakk, with a kasra on the meem, a fatha on the unpointed letter, followed by a doubled kaf, Azdi, Abu Sahl Basri, was weakened by most scholars of knowledge, to the point that Daraqutni said, "His hadith are abandoned." And in Taqrib, "daif, on the verge of being abandoned."