REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- No one knows when angel of death pick us up. Therefore, every Muslim should fill second after second of life with various good and wise charities. He did righteous deeds, and when death came to pick him up, he died in good condition.
However, what if a person dies while on the way to repentance? This person signifies that he had intended to perform the sin, and died in disobedience.
Narrated from Nufail bin Al Harits Al-Tsaqofi RA, he says that the Prophet Muhammad said, “If two Muslims meet with swords, the one who kills and who is killed goes to hell.”
Then Nufail said, “O Messenger of Allah, who kills (deserves to go to hell), but what about those who are killed (why go to hell too)?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Because he also wants to kill his friend.” (H.R. Bukhari and Muslim)
Ibn Hajar al-Asqolani, in the Shahih Bukhari book Fath al-Baari, explains that the hadith indicates that the murdered person will be punished according to his degree of propriety and not subject to the penalty of murder.
Whoever has had the desire to commit sin, will then be recorded as a bad deed. And if he does, then the next sin will be recorded.
Allah (swt) said: “Those who want the news of such an abominable deed to be spread among the believers will suffer a painful punishment in the world and in the Hereafter. And God knows, but you do not know.” (An-Nur verse 19)
Meanwhile, Ibn al-Jauzi explains that if a person in his heart has a mind to perform a maxim (Al-Hamm), then he is not held accountable. But when the person concerned already has a determination or has made a decision in his heart (Al-'Azm) to do something bad, then it includes acts of the heart.
Linguistically, Al-Hamm means desire or intent, and its level has not yet been established. Al-'Azm means that you have decided, decided, or planned.
Ibn Jawzi further explained the difference between al-Hamm and al-'Azm, by likening the difference to the person performing the prayer. If a person in his prayer comes to the thought of stopping the prayer, then the prayer does not stop. But if he has decreed or has decided in his heart to stop it, then the prayer is void.