Arabic (Original)
قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا شَرِيكُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ زَاذَانَ أَبِي عُمَرَ عَنْ عُلَيْمٍ قَالَ كُنَّا جُلُوسًا عَلَى سَطْحٍ مَعَنَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ يَزِيدُ لَا أَعْلَمُهُ إِلَّا عَبْسًا الْغِفَارِيَّ وَالنَّاسُ يَخُوضُونَ فِي الطَّاعُونِ فَقَالَ عَبَسٌ يَا طَاعُونُ خُذْنِي ثَلَاثًا يَقُولُهَا فَقَالَ لَهُ عُلَيْمٌ لِمَ تَقُولُ هَذَا أَلَمْ يَقُلْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا يَتَمَنَّى أَحَدُكُمْ الْمَوْتَ فَإِنَّهُ عِنْدَ انْقِطَاعِ عَمَلِهِ لَا يُرَدُّ فَيُسْتَعْتَبَ فَقَالَ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ بَادِرُوا بِالْمَوْتِ سِتًّا إِمْرَةَ السُّفَهَاءِ وَكَثْرَةَ الشَّرْطِ وَبَيْعَ الْحُكْمِ وَاسْتِخْفَافًا بِالدَّمِ وَقَطِيعَةَ الرَّحِمِ وَنَشْئًا يَتَّخِذُونَ الْقُرْآنَ مَزَامِيرَ يُقَدِّمُونَهُ يُغَنِّيهِمْ وَإِنْ كَانَ أَقَلَّ مِنْهُمْ فِقْهًا.
English Translation
Yazid b. Harun narrated to us: Sharik b. Abdullah narrated to us, from Uthman b. Umayr, from Zadhan Abu Umar, from Ulaym, who said: We were sitting on a rooftop, with us a man among the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him — Yazid said: I only know him to be Abs al-Ghifari — and the people were discussing the plague. Abs said, "O plague, take me," three times, saying it. Ulaym said to him, "Why do you say this? Did not the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: 'None of you should wish for death, for when his work comes to an end he cannot be brought back to make amends'?" He said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: 'Hasten before six things: the rule of fools, the abundance of officials, the selling of judicial rulings, contempt for shedding blood, severing of family ties, and a generation who take the Qur'an as musical pipes, putting forward as prayer-leader one who entertains them with it though he has less understanding than they do.'"