"Allaah will put in Paradise any Muslim for whom four have testified to his goodness."

‏حدثنا ‏ ‏عبد الله بن يزيد ‏ ‏حدثنا ‏ ‏داود يعني ابن أبي الفرات ‏ ‏حدثني ‏ ‏عبد الله بن بريدة ‏ ‏عن ‏ ‏أبي الأسود الديلي ‏ ‏قال ‏ ‏أتيت ‏ ‏المدينة ‏ ‏وقد وقع بها مرض فهم يموتون موتا ذريعا فجلست إلى ‏ ‏عمر بن الخطاب ‏ ‏رضي الله عنه ‏ ‏فمرت به جنازة فأثني على صاحبها خير فقال ‏ ‏عمر ‏ ‏رضي الله عنه ‏ ‏وجبت ثم مر بأخرى فأثني على صاحبها خير فقال وجبت ثم مر بالثالثة فأثني على صاحبها شر فقال ‏ ‏عمر ‏ ‏رضي الله عنه ‏ ‏وجبت فقلت وما وجبت يا أمير المؤمنين قال قلت كما قال رسول الله ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏أيما مسلم شهد له أربعة بخير أدخله الله الجنة قال قلنا أو ثلاثة قال أو ثلاثة فقلنا أو اثنان قال أو اثنان ثم لم نسأله عن الواحد ‏

 Abul-Aswad narrated that he came to Madeenah during the time of an epidemic and he sat next to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab. When a bier passed by, the people praised the person and ‘Umar said, “It has been affirmed.” Another bier passed by and the people praised the person and again ‘Umar said, “It has been affirmed.” When a third bier passed by, the people spoke badly of the deceased and ‘Umar said, “It has been affirmed.” Abul-Aswad asked him what was affirmed and he replied, “I said what the Prophet (saws) said: “Allaah will put in Paradise any Muslim for whom four have testified to his goodness.” We asked, even if three? He replied, even if three. We asked, even if two [testify to his goodness]? He replied, even if two. Then we did not ask about one person.

[Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol.2, pp. 253-54, no. 449, Mishkat Al-Masabih, vol.1, p350.]

(حديث قدسي) حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عُمَرَ الْوَكِيعِيُّ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا مُؤَمَّلُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ ، عَنْ ثَابِتٍ ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : ” مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يَمُوتُ ، فَيَشْهَدُ لَهُ أَرْبَعَةُ أَهْلِ أَبْيَاتٍ مِنْ جِيرَانِهِ الأَدْنَيْنَ أَنَّهُمْ لا يَعْلَمُونَ إِلا خَيْرًا ، إِلا قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : قَدْ قَبِلْتُ عِلْمَكُمْ فِيهِ ، وَغَفَرْتُ لَهُ مَا لا تَعْلَمُونَ ” . 

Anas quoted the Prophet (saws) as saying, “For any Muslim who dies and four of his close neighbours testify that they have known him to be good, Allaah-the Blessed, the Highest- will say, ‘I have accepted your testimony and forgiven him for what you do not know about.’

[Collected by Ahmad and authenticated in Ahkaamul-Janaa'iz, pp. 45-46]

(page 54. Bilal Philips – Funeral Rites in Islam)

"O Abu ad-Darda’! Your house has been burned down!"

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Allahumma inni ‘a’udhubika minal hammi walhuzni, Wal’ajzi walkasali, walbukhli waljubni, Wa dal’id-daiyni wa ghalabatir-rajal

‘O Allaah, I take refuge in You from anxiety and sorrow, weakness and laziness, miserliness and cowardice, the burden of debts and from being over powered by men.’

Sahih al-Bukhari, 7/158

Once, they came to Abu ad-Darda’ while he was in the mosque, saying to him: “O Abu ad-Darda’! Your house has been burned down!” He replied: “By Allah, it has not been burned down.” They said: “It has been burned down!” He replied: “By Allah, it has not been burned down.” They went to see that the fire had consumed everything in the area, and had stopped right at Abu ad-Darda”s house, and he did not even get up to go see for himself. They came back and asked him: “What drove you to insist that it had not been burned down?” He replied: “The Messenger of Allah had taught me some words that, if I say them, I will not be stricken with any harm,” – he is secure! – “‘O Allah, I seek refuge with You from sadness and grief, and I seek refuge with You from inability and laziness, and I seek refuge with You from cowardliness and stinginess, and I seek refuge with You from being overpowered by debts and men,’ so, I made this supplication.”

In regards to this same supplication, Abu Umamah narrated: “I was sitting in the mosque, when the Messenger of Allah asked me: “What is wrong, Abu Umamah?” I replied: “I am in distress because of a debt that I owe.” The Prophet then told me: “Supplicate with these words (‘O Allah, I seek refuge with You from sadness and grief…’).” So, I supplicated with these words, and Allah removed my distress, and paid off my debt.

Abdullah Azzam – ['at-Tarbiyah al-Jihadiyyah wal-Bina''; 5/28-31]

http://forums.islamicawakening.com/f20/how-to-deal-with-allah-17608/