Hadiths on Having Good Expectations of Allah
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has conveyed numerous hadiths encouraging Muslims to maintain a positive expectation of Allah (Glorified and Exalted). Below are some notable examples:
- Narrated by Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: ‘Two men will emerge from the Fire and will be presented before Allah. They will be ordered to return to the Fire. One of them will look back and say: ‘O my Lord, this was not my expectation.’ Allah will ask: ‘What was your expectation?’ The man will respond: ‘My expectation was that when You brought me out of it, You would not return me again.’ Allah, in His mercy, will allow him to enter Paradise.”
- Also narrated by Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) reported a saying from his Lord (Exalted be He) in a sacred hadith: ‘O son of Adam! As long as you call upon Me and have hope in Me, I will forgive you for what you have done, and I do not care. O son of Adam! If your sins were to reach the heavens and then you sought My forgiveness, I would forgive you, and I do not care. O son of Adam! If you come to Me with sins as vast as the earth and meet Me without associating anything with Me, I would come to you with forgiveness as vast as it.'”
- Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) visited a young man who was on his deathbed. He asked him, ‘How do you find yourself?’ The young man replied, ‘By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I hope in Allah and I fear my sins.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: ‘These two feelings do not coexist in a believer’s heart at this moment without Allah granting him what he hopes for and ensuring him from what he fears.'”
- Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “If the believer knew what punishments are with Allah, no one would be arrogant about their paradise. And if the disbeliever knew what mercy is with Allah, no one would despair of His paradise.”
Hadith on Having Good Expectations of Allah at Death
The Prophet (peace be upon him) addressed the importance of maintaining a positive expectation of Allah at the time of death. Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said three days prior to his death: “Let none of you die except while thinking well of Allah, the Exalted.”
Hadith on Having Good Expectations of Allah in the Afterlife
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) informed us about having good expectations of Allah regarding the Day of Judgment. Salman Al-Farsi (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, has one hundred mercies; He has sent down one of them for the creation to show compassion to one another, and He has reserved ninety-nine mercies for the Day of Resurrection.”