I need some clarification what an imam said during the Friday prayer 2 weeks ago

Question

Well first and foremost salamu haleikum

I heard him saying:"A person will get taken out of this world if this person does everything right according to Quran." I think this is rubbish because it might pursue others to do more bad things than they already do. It even persuaded me for a moment to do more bad things according to Quran but then I thought what is this for nonsense. Look at people like sheikh Sudais or other important muslims. Why didn't get they taken out of this world?

Can you please clarify this for me? Because my reasoning could have some improvement.

Answer 1

The death time of each and every soul is already decreed in al-lawh al-mahfudh (the preserved panel, Arabic: اللوح المحفوظ) long before the creation, and this time is only known to and decreed by Allah:

وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَن تَمُوتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ كِتَابًا مُّؤَجَّلًا

And it is not [possible] for one to die except by permission of Allah at a decree determined.

_{— Surat Al 'Imran 3:145}

In the following hadith in Jami' at-Tirmidhi, the Prophet ﷺ said that the best among us is one who lives long and does good deeds, and the worst among us is one who lives long and does bad deeds:

عن عبد الرحمن بن أبي بكرة، عن أبيه، أن رجلا قال: يا رسول الله أى الناس خير؟ قال: مَنْ طَالَ عُمُرُهُ وَحَسُنَ عَمَلُهُ. قال: فأى الناس شر؟ قال: مَنْ طَالَ عُمُرُهُ وَسَاءَ عَمَلُهُ

'Abdur-Rahman bin Abi-Bakrah narrated from his father that a man said: "O Messenger of Allah! Which of the people is the best?" He said: "He whose life is long and his deeds are good." He said: "Then which of the people is the worst?" He said: "He whose life is long and his deeds are bad."

_{— Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Book 36, Hadith 27}

The hadith shows that doing good deeds does not necessarily shorten one's life if one has been decreed by Allah ﷻ to live long. So one should always hope for a long life full of good deeds. The Qur'an confirms this, too:

وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِن مُّعَمَّرٍ وَلَا يُنقَصُ مِنْ عُمُرِهِ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ ۚ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ

And no aged person is granted [additional] life nor is his lifespan lessened but that it is in a register. Indeed, that for Allah is easy.

_{— Surat Fatir 35:11}

This does not mean that death does not abide by Allah's cause-and-effect laws that He set in this world. Death can be the result of accidents, terminal illnesses, wars, etc., but all will be as decreed in al-lawh al-mahfudh.

As for using Shiekh Abdur-Rahmān as-Sudais as an example of one who has good deeds and did not "get taken out of this world", this is inappropriate as one should not attest to the piety of any person except those that Allah ﷻ has attested thus either through a verse in the Qur'an (e.g., Nūh ﷺ who had lived for 950 years and did the best of deeds) or through a hadith (e.g., the Prophet's good tiding to Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman that they were among the dwellers of Paradise as in Sahih Muslim 44/42). Other than ones who have been decreed to us by the Prophet ﷺ as being pious, one should refrain from doing so:

حدثنا أبو اليمان، أخبرنا شعيب، عن الزهري، قال حدثني خارجة بن زيد الأنصاري، أن أم العلاء، امرأة من نسائهم قد بايعت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أخبرته أن عثمان بن مظعون طار له سهمه في السكنى حين أقرعت الأنصار سكنى المهاجرين. قالت أم العلاء فسكن عندنا عثمان بن مظعون، فاشتكى، فمرضناه حتى إذا توفي وجعلناه في ثيابه دخل علينا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقلت رحمة الله عليك أبا السائب، فشهادتي عليك لقد أكرمك الله. فقال لي النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: وَمَا يُدْرِيكِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَكْرَمَهُ؟ فقلت: لا أدري بأبي أنت وأمي يا رسول الله. فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: أَمَّا عُثْمَانُ فَقَدْ جَاءَهُ وَاللَّهِ الْيَقِينُ وَإِنِّي لأَرْجُو لَهُ الْخَيْرَ، وَاللَّهِ مَا أَدْرِي وَأَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ مَا يُفْعَلُ بِي قالت فوالله لا أزكي أحدا بعده أبدا، وأحزنني ذلك قالت فنمت فأريت لعثمان عينا تجري، فجئت إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فأخبرته فقال: ذَلِكَ عَمَلُهُ

Narrated Um Al-Ala: That when the Ansar drew lots as to which of the emigrants should dwell with which of the Ansar, the name of 'Uthman bin Mazun came out (to be in their lot). Um Al-Ala further said, "Uthman stayed with us, and we nursed him when he got sick, but he died. We shrouded him in his clothes, and Allah's Apostle came to our house and I said, (addressing the dead 'Uthman), 'O Abu As-Sa'ib! May Allah be merciful to you. I testify that Allah has blessed you.' The Prophet (ﷺ) said to me, "How do you know that Allah has blessed him?" I replied, 'I do not know O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! May my parents be sacrificed for you.' Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'As regards 'Uthman, by Allah, he has died and I really wish him every good, yet, by Allah, although I am Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), I do not know what will be done to him.' Um Al-Ala added, 'By Allah, I shall never attest the piety of anybody after him. And what Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)s said made me sad." Um Al-Ala further said, "Once I slept and saw in a dream, a flowing stream for 'Uthman. So I went to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and told him about it, he said, 'That is (the symbol of) his deeds."

_{— Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 52, Hadith 48}