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To what extent is the hadith sound: "Whoever dies in a land of estrangement, Allah will send two angels to him, one in the form of his mother and the other in the form of his father, while he is on his deathbed"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

After research, no hadith with the meaning "the death of a stranger is martyrdom" has been found. However, hadiths regarding the virtue of dying as a stranger have been reported, such as: "The death of a stranger is martyrdom," which scholars of hadith have deemed weak. Another hadith states: "The death of a stranger, when he is on his deathbed..." This one is fabricated (mawdu'). It is narrated in An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said about a man who died in Madinah: "Oh, if only he had died away from his birthplace!" He was asked: "And why, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied: "Indeed, when a man dies away from his birthplace, his measure (of reward) is extended in Paradise from his birthplace to the furthest reach of his footsteps." Al-Albani graded it hasan (good). Al-Sindi said that the intention was to wish for the death of an emigrant in Madinah, so that the hadith would align with the virtue of dying there.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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