Do I have to prepare for Hell if I pass 40 and my sins outweigh my good deeds?

Question:

Is this Hadith authentic?

‎ومن جاوز الاربعين ولم يغلب عليه خيره شره ، فليتجهز إلى النار

Answer:

This is a statement by Al Ghazali which he attributed to the Prophet ﷺ.

Abu Hamid Al Ghazali [d.505AH] is weak & unreliable in Hadith as he says so himself.

He says in his Qanun Al Ta’weel:

‎واعلم أن بضاعتي في علم الحديث مزجاة

“Know that my merchandise in the science of Hadith is worthless”

Ibn Taymiyyah says about Abu Hamid:

‎وأبو حامد ليس له من الخبرة بالآثار النبوية والسلفية ما لأهل المعرفة بذلك، الذين يميزون بين صحيحه وسقيمه، ولهذا يذكر في كتبه من الأحاديث والآثار الموضوعة والمكذوبة ما لو علم أنها موضوعة لم يذكرها

“As for Abu Hamid, then he does not have expertise with the Prophetic Hadith the way those who know have, ie those who are able to differentiate between what’s sound and what’s defective. That’s why he mentions in his works fabricated Ahadith and Aathaar that if he knew it was fabricated, he would not have mentioned it”

Al Dhahabi says about Abu Hamid:

‎ولم يكن له علم بالآثار ولا خبرة بالسنن النبوية

“He did not have knowledge or experience with the Prophetic Sunan”

Ibn Al Jawzi says about Abu Hamid:

‎ملأه بالأحاديث الباطلة ولم يعلم بطلانها

“He filled his work [Al Ihya’] with invalid/rejected Hadith and he didn’t know of its invalidity.”

Abu Bakr Al Turtushi says about Abu Hamid:

‎شحن أبو حامد الإحياء بالكذب على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم. فلا أعلم كتابا على بسيط الأرض أكثر كذب

“Abu Hamid filled his Ihya’ with lies against the Prophet ﷺ and I don’t know a book on this Earth [that contains] more lies than it”

Muhammad Al Turtushi says about Abu Hamid:

‎فلما عمل الإحياء، عمد يتكلم في علوم الأحوال ومرامز الصوفية أنيس بها ولا خبير بمعرفتها. فسقط على أم رأسه. وشحن كتابه بالموضوعات

“And he filled his work with fabrications”

These quotes are sufficient to make the intent clear.

And so when you read Al Ghazali’s works, don’t take any Hadith that he cites to be authentic at face value but check them yourself.

Also, don’t trust many of these modern editors today who explain and verify his works (especially the modern Ash’aris) as they are, just like Al Ghazali, mostly worthless when it comes to Hadith study & verification.

As for the specific quote in question, then it’s taken from Abu Hamid’s book “أيها الولد: where he says:

من جملة ما نصح به رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أمته صلى الله عليه وسلم قوله: “علامة إعراض الله تعالى عن العبد اشتغاله بما لا يعنيه، وإن امرأ ذهبت ساعة من عمره في غير ما خلق له لجدير أن تطول عليه حسرته، ومن جاوز الأربعين ولم يغلب خيره شره فليتجهز الى النار”

Focusing on the specific part cited in the question, then this statement is a fabrication and is inauthentic to the Prophet ﷺ. Ibn Al Jawzi dedicates a sub chapter to it and then relays it in his Al Mawdoo’aat (a collection intended to gather those fabricated narrations)

باب تحذير من بلغ أربعين ولم يغلب خيره أنبأنا محمد بن ناصر قال أنبأنا المبارك بن عبد الجبار قال أنبأنا عبد الباقي ابن أحمد الواعظ قال أنبأنا محمد بن جعفر بن علان قال أنبأنا أبو الفتح محمد بن الحسين الأزدي قال حدثنا محمد بن بشران بن عبد الملك قال أنبأنا بارح بن أحمد قال حدثنا عبد الله بن مالك الهروي قال حدثنا سفيان عن جويبر عن الضحاك عن ابن عباس قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ” من أتى عليه أربعون سنة فلم يغلب خيره شره فليتجهز إلى النار “.

He then comments:

‎هذا حديث لا يصح عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم. ‎أما الضحاك فكان شعبة لا يحدث عنه وينكر أن يكون لقي ابن عباس. ‎قال يحيى بن سعيد هو عندنا ضعيف. ‎وأما جويبر فأجمعوا على تركه. ‎قال أحمد لا يشتغل بحديثه. ‎وأما رباح فقال الأزدي ضعيف جدا.

He provides a number of defects in the report after categorically stating that it’s not authentic to the Prophet ﷺ .

Al Dhahhaak b. Muzaahim never met or took from Ibn ‘Abbas as Shu’bah mentioned

Al Dhahhaak himself is weak as Yahya’ b. Sa’eed Al Qatraan mentioned

Note that Al Dhahhaak b. Muzaahim has been declared reliable by other Hadith critics such as Ahmad, Yahya b. Ma’een, Abu Zur’ah Al Razi.

So the defect is specifically in the chain of جويبر عن الضحاك عن ابن عباس which is an extremely weak and problematic chain.

Juwaybir b. Sa’eed (who took this report from Al Dhahhaak in the chain) is also weak and the Hadith critics agreed on leaving his reports as Ahmad said:

“Care/Attention should not be given to his Hadith”

Baarih b. Ahmad, who is also in the chain, is extremely weak as Al Azdi mentions Al Khatib Al Baghdadi saying:

علامة الوضع لائحة عليه

“The signs of Fabrications are apparent on it”

As for the meaning of this report, then one should always be vigilant of Allah and prepare for the eternal life to come. And no doubt as one gets older and edges closer to the end of his test in this world, one should increase in his vigilance and preparation.

And Allah knows best!