Every Muslim hopes to die in a good condition or husnul khatimah.
Husnul khatimah is a condition where a person before dying is given taufik to stay away from immorality and obey Allah.
The signs of husnul khatimah can be felt by people who experience death, as mentioned in the Al-Quran, Surah Al-Fussilat verse 30.
“Indeed, those who say: ‘Our Lord is Allah’ then they remain istiqamah, then an angel will descend to them (saying): ‘Do not be afraid and do not be sad; and be happy with (obtaining) paradise which has been promised to you.'” (Al-Fussilat verse 30)
According to a hadith, the sign of a person who has a good ending is that his face is shining, sweat is on his forehead and he looks like he is in deep sleep.
“He told us [Muhammad bin Ma’mar] he said; he told us [Kahmas] from [Ibn Buraidah] from [his father] he said. “I heard Rasulullah sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam say: ‘A believer dies with sweat on his forehead.” (HR. Sunan an-Nasa’i)
In another hadith, it is stated that people who die due to five reasons are considered as martyrs, namely people who die due to leprosy, people who die due to stomach ache, people who die due to drowning, people who die under falling rubble and people who die in the way of Allah.
No one knows when death will come, therefore a Muslim is advised to pray to die in a state of husnul khatimah.
In the book Collection of Daily Prayers published by the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenag) in 2013, the prayer for a good ending is mentioned.
Prayer for a good ending
God willing God willing God bless you God
willing رُسُلِكَ وَلَا God willing الْمِيعَادَ
Rabbanaa innanā sami’nā munaadiyan yunaadii lil-iimaani an aaminoo birabbikum fa-aamannaa. Rabbanaa faghfir lanaa dzunuubanaa wa kaffir ‘annaa sayyi-aatinaa wa tawaffanaa ma’al-abraar.
Rabbanaa wa aatinaa maa wa’adtanaa ‘alaaa rulasika wa laa tukhzinaa yaumal-qiyaamah; innaka laa tukhliful mii’aad.
Meaning: “O Lord, indeed we have heard a call calling to faith: “Be faithful to your Lord, then we will believe. O Lord, forgive our sins and erase our mistakes, and kill us along with those who do a lot of good deeds. O Lord, give us what You have promised us through Your messengers, and do not humiliate us on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, you will never break your promise at all.” (QS. Âli Imrân: 193-294).
Hadith about Husnul Khatimah
In the hadith narrated by Bukhari, it is stated that there are five groups of people who are considered martyrs or husnul khatimah.
These hadiths are explained in a journal entitled Husnul Khaatimah in the Thematic Study of Hadith and Relevance to Social Phenomena by Putri Regina Patricia, Lukman Nul Hakim and Almunadi at Raden Fatah State Islamic University Palembang in 2019.
“It has been narrated to kamir [Qutaibah] from [Malik] from [Sumayya] a former slave of Abu Bakr bin ‘Abdurrahman, from [Abu Salih As Saman] from [Abu Hurairrah], that the Prophet Muhammad Rasulullah sallallaahu ‘alaihi wasallam said: “When a man walks along a road and finds a thorny branch and throws it away, Allah praises him and forgives his sins.” Then he said: “People There were five who were martyred; people who died of leprosy, people who died of stomach ailments, people who died of drowning, people who died of falling debris and people who were killed in the way of Allah.” He continued his words: “If people knew that (goodness) contained in the call to prayer and the first verse, then they could not achieve it except by drawing lots, of course they would draw lots. And if they knew what was involved in rushing to prayer, they would certainly compete. And if they knew that (goodness) contained in the ‘Atamah prayer (‘Isha’ prayer) and Fajr prayer, they would certainly come to it even if they had to crawl.” (HR. Bukhari)
A woman who dies in childbirth is also considered a martyr.
In the hadith of Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, it is explained that a woman who dies during childbirth is declared a martyr, which signifies the great struggle and sacrifice she went through.
“It has been narrated to us that Affan said: He has told us that Syu’bah said: Abu Bakr bin Hafsh said: he has informed me, he said: I heard Abu Mushabbih or Ibnu Mushabbih -Abu Bakar was doubtful- from Ibn As Simth from Ubadah bin Shamit, that the Messenger of Allah once visited Abdullah bin Rawahah. Ubadah said: “But he did not move an inch from his bed. Then the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “Do you know who the Shuhada` (martyrdom of) my Ummah are?” the companions answered, “The killing of a Muslim is a martyrdom.” He said: “Then the people who die as martyrs from my Ummah are very few! The killing of a Muslim is a martyr, the person who dies from the disease ta’un is a martyr, and a woman who dies while giving birth to her child is also a martyr.” (HR Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal).”
Another important hadith related to husnul khatimah is that the Prophet Muhammad ordered his followers to always think positively of Allah.
“It has been narrated to me [Abu Dawud Sulaiman bin Ma’bad] has told us [Abu An Nu’man Arim] has told us [Mahdi bin Maimun] has told us [Washil] from [Abu Az Zubair] from [Jabir bin Abdullah Al Ansari] said: I heard the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Salam say three days before he died: “Let not one of you die unless he is good think in Allah ‘azza wajalla.” (HR. Sahih Muslim)