In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master Muhammad, and upon his pure household, and may God curse all their enemies
Umm ul-Fadhl quotes the Holy Prophet (sawas) as saying: “The Holy Prophet (greetings be upon him and his household) went to visit a man in his house. The man was suffering from a disease, wishing that he would die. The Holy Prophet said to him, ‘Do not wish for death because if you are a righteous man, you will have the chance to add to your good deeds and if you are a sinner, you will have the chance to repent for your sins. Therefore, do not wish for death.’”
The Holy Prophet (greetings be upon him and his household) went to visit a man in his house. The man was suffering from a disease, wishing that he would die.
The Holy Prophet went to pay a visit to a Muslim who was sick and who was complaining. He was probably suffering from a serious condition. The man said to the Holy Prophet, ‘I wish that I would die as soon as possible.’
The Holy Prophet said to him, ‘Do not wish for death because if you are a righteous man, you will have the chance to add to your good deeds.”
The Holy Prophet said to him that he should not wish for death and that he should not pray for death. Assuming that you are a good person, if you live a few more years, if your children live 60, 70 more years after, you will naturally add to your good deeds and you will add weight to the scales of your good deeds. If life involves certain difficulties and dangers, it also has the benefit that you can add to the scales of good deeds provided that you are a pious person.
“And if you are a sinner, you will have the chance to repent for your sins. Therefore, do not wish for death”
And assuming that you are a sinner and that you are not a [true] Muslim at the time of your death, your death is being delayed in order that you can repent. The Arabic word “tusta’tab” has the same meaning as apologizing and asking for forgiveness, as manifested in our prayers. So, you can live longer and have the chance to apologize. Therefore, the opportunity to live is a good opportunity and one should not wish for death.