Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ حَدَّثَنَا عَطَاءُ بْنُ السَّائِبِ قَالَ كَانَ أَوَّلُ يَوْمٍ عَرَفْتُ فِيهِ عَبْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنَ أَبِي لَيْلَى رَأَيْتُ شَيْخًا أَبْيَضَ الرَّأْسِ وَاللِّحْيَةِ عَلَى حِمَارٍ وَهُوَ يَتْبَعُ جِنَازَةً فَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ حَدَّثَنِي فُلَانُ بْنُ فُلَانٍ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ مَنْ أَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ وَمَنْ كَرِهَ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ كَرِهَ اللَّهُ لِقَاءَهُ قَالَ فَأَكَبَّ الْقَوْمُ يَبْكُونَ فَقَالَ مَا يُبْكِيكُمْ فَقَالُوا إِنَّا نَكْرَهُ الْمَوْتَ قَالَ لَيْسَ ذَلِكَ وَلَكِنَّهُ إِذَا حَضَرَ { فَأَمَّا إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ فَرَوْحٌ وَرَيْحَانٌ وَجَنَّةُ نَعِيمٍ } فَإِذَا بُشِّرَ بِذَلِكَ أَحَبَّ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ لِلِقَائِهِ أَحَبُّ { وَأَمَّا إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ الضَّالِّينَ فَنُزُلٌ مِنْ حَمِيمٍ } قَالَ عَطَاءٌ وَفِي قِرَاءَةِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ ثُمَّ تَصْلِيَةُ جَحِيمٍ فَإِذَا بُشِّرَ بِذَلِكَ يَكْرَهُ لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ لِلِقَائِهِ أَكْرَهُ.
English Translation
Affan narrated to us: Hammam narrated to us: Ata' ibn al-Sa'ib narrated to us, who said: The first day I came to know Abdur-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, I saw an old man with white head and beard riding a donkey, following a funeral procession. I heard him say: So-and-so, son of so-and-so, narrated to me that he heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him, and whoever dislikes to meet Allah, Allah dislikes to meet him. He said: The people bowed down weeping, so he said: What makes you weep? They said: We dislike death. He said: That is not it, but rather when death is present {as for one who is among those brought near, then for him is rest and fragrance and a garden of bliss} - so when he is given that good news, he loves to meet Allah, and Allah loves to meet him more. {But as for one who is among the deniers, the astray, then his lodging is boiling water} - Ata' said: and in the recitation of Ibn Mas'ud: then a roasting in Hellfire - so when he is given that news, he dislikes to meet Allah, and Allah dislikes to meet him more.