The journey of man begins in this world and terminates in the Home of the Hereafter. This is the sunnah of Allaah for all His creatures.
Death! Death a distress! It is a cup from which everyone must drink. No doubt, every soul will taste it sooner or later as the Quraan states:
"Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. "(Q3[Aal Imran]: 185)
"Where soever you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in fortresses built up strong and high!" (Q4[Nisaa]: 78)
"Say (to them): "Verily, the death from which you flee will surely meet you, then you will be sent back to (Allaah), the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen, and He will tell you what you used to do." (Q62[Jumah]: 8)
Abu Hurayrah (RA) reported that the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Remember much the destroyer of pleasure (i.e. death)." (Tirmidhi)
Death is one of the signs of Allaah, one of His numerous miracles. Nothing on the surface of the earth can stand in the face of death. It does not spare anyone nor does it fear anyone for most certainly every human being will taste death, just as the prophets, kings, rich, poor, young, old, and nations of the past experienced. By His grace, Allaah has provided a complete set of instructions for the dying individual, those who are present at the time of death, aswell as those responsible for burying the deceased. These regulations and exhortations should be common knowledge among Muslims, since death often occurs when it is least expected. This edition attempts to provide the readers with a concise compilation of rules and regulations regarding funeral rites in accordance with authentic Islaamic teachings. The Pangs of Death The severity of the pangs of death cannot be known in its reality except by one who tastes it.
The one who has not tasted it can only imagine it. Amr ibn ai-As (RA) once said:
"I wonder how one will describe it when death arrives." When death finally approached him (Amr) , his son reminded him of his words and he said: "My son,death is an affliction that beats all descriptions but I will describe to you (how I feel). It is like mount Radwan (name of a mountain in Madeenah) is placed on my neck and my inside is filled with thorns and I feel like my soul is passing through a needle." (Siyar Aalam Nubalaa)
When the end nears, the dying persons breath quickens,the knees become so weak that they cannot move, the eyeballs recede and the temples becomes sunken. By these signs understand that the person is nearing the end. Words at the Time of Dying At this time, relatives who are present should encourage the dying person to say the shahaadah.
The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Prompt your dying ones (to say): laa ilaaha iIIa allaah."(Muslim)
and he added in another narration by Ibn Hibban:
"... whoevers last words before dying are: laa ilaaha iIIallaah,will enter Paradise one day,even if he is afflicted before that by punishment."
This statement does not simply mean that we should mention the shahaadah, but the dying person should be instructed to say it. Good Words People present may pray aloud for the one who is dying letting the person hear words of concern and sympathy. Negative words should be avoided as this will only increase the difficulties the sick and, dying are facing. Good words and positive thoughts will make the process of dying easier and recovery from illness more bearable if Allaah decrees that he will survive the illness. The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"If you are in the presence of a sick or dying person, you should say good things, for verily the angels say "Ameen" to whatever you say."
When Umm Salamah asked the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa salam) what should she say, he replied:
"Say: Allaahumma-ghfir Ii wa lahu wa aqibni minhuuqbaa hasanah [Oh Allaah forgive him and me, and grant me a good substitute after him.]"(Muslim)
The practice of reciting Surat Yaasin in the presence of the dying person or dead person is based on weak prophetic reports, having no basis in the authentic Sunnah. Neither the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) nor his Companions did it, or recommended that it be done. Those who observe the practice of reciting Yasin over the dead do so in light of the hadith: "Yasin is the heart of the Quran. Whoever recites it Seeking the pleasure of Allaah and the hereafter will receive Allaahs forgiveness. So recite it to your dead."
Concerning this hadith, Ad-Daraqutni is reported to have said: "In the chain of narrators of this hadith there is confusion. Its text is obscure and is not correct." Another practice which has no foundation in the practice of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and his Companions, is turning the body of one who is dying so that he or she faces the qiblah (i.e. the Kabah in Makkah). Turning the body became a custom after the time of the Prophets companions, but was objected to by leading scholars of that time. Action Steps After Death Once the person expires (passes away), the relatives and those present are obliged to perform particular servicesfor him or her.
1. Close the eyes and make duaa (supplication): The eyes of the dead person should be closed and some prayers should be made for him, based on the following hadeeth of the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam):
"Verily when the soul is snatched, the eyes follow it." When Abu Salamah died some people from his family began to scream, so the Prophet said, "Only pray for good for yourselves, for verily the angels say Aamln [So-be-it] to whatever you say," He then prayed,saying: Allaahummagh-fir Ii Abi Salamah warfa darajatahu filmahdiyin, [O Allaah, forgive Abu Salamah and raise his level among the rightly guided], wakhlufhu fi aqibihi filghaabirin [and let his remaining offspring be like him] waghfir lanaa walahu yaa Rabbal-Aalameen [Forgive us and forgive him. Oh Lord of all the worlds] wafsah lahu fi qabrihi wa nawwir lahu fihi. [and expand his grave and illuminate it for him.] (Muslim)
2. Cover the body: A sheet of cloth large enough to cover the whole body of the deceased should be drawn over the whole body.
3. Hasten the burial: It is not permissible for Muslims to delay the burial in order for the maximum number of relatives to see the deceased, as is common practice among many Muslims. Once death is evident, the body should be prepared and taken out of the house for prayer and burial as soon as possible. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Hasten the funeral rites." (Bukhaari)
4. Locate the burial in the same area of death: The dead should be buried in the same area where they died. Transporting the body to another town or another country is not permissible if it will unnecessarily delay the burial or cause financial or other hardship.
5. Pay Off the Debts of the Deceased: All outstanding debts of the dead person should be repaid from the wealth that he or she left behind, even if it consumes all of the inheritance. If the dead person is without wealth or the inheritance was not sufficient to cover all of his or her debts, then other people may be called upon to help with the debt.
What is Required of the Deceased Relatives
Al-lstirjaa: When the news of death in the family reaches the relatives and friends, the first thing that they should say is the following verse in the Quran
(Q2[Baqarah]: 156): "Inna lil-Iaahi wa innaa ilayhi raajiun [Truly! To Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return]."
This duaa is known in Arabic as al-Istirjaa.In the case of the husband or wife, they should add
"Allaahumma ajirni fi museebatee wakh-Iuf lee khayran minhaa (or minhu if it is the wife saying it)." [Oh Allaah grant me refuge in my affliction and replace her (or him) with someone better]
Crying is Allowed: It is permissible to shed tears as a result of the pain of the loss. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) shed tears, but he did not cry out in a loud voice or wailed as is often done by many people. He regarded tears shed at the loss of a dear one as mercy. He also said:
"The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, and we will not say except what pleases our Lord. Oh Ibraahim!Indeed we are grieved by your separation." (Bukhari)
Patience: Relatives of the deceased are obliged to be patient, practice self restraint, and gracefully accept Allaahs decree. This is because Allaah has already promised mankind that He would test them:
"Verily I will test you with fear and hunger, and loss of wealth, life, and the fruit (of your labour), so give glad tidings to the patient ones." (Q2 [Baqarah]: 155)
Among the glad tidings for those who are patient when loved ones are lost is that a home is prepared for them in Paradise. Allaah's Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"If a child of [Allaahs] slave dies. Allaah will say to His angels: You took my slaves child. they will reply: Yes. He will then say: You took the love of his life. and they will reply: Yes. He will then ask: What did My slave say? And they will reply: He praised you and said, surely, we belong to Allaah and to Him we will return. Allaah will then say: Build a house in Paradise for My slave and call it the House of Praise." (Saheeh Sunan at-Tirmidhi)
The real test of patience for which Allaah promises reward is that at the first stroke of the calamity. Being patient after the initial shock and reaction have worn off is not considered real patience. Mourning Those present and the relatives of the deceased are allowed to mourn for a maximum period of three (3) days. Three days after the death of Jafar, the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Do not cry for my brother after today." (Daawud) The only exception is that of a woman who has lost a husband. She is required to avoid all forms of beautification as a sign of mourning for her husband.
Umm Ateeyah (RA) said,
"We were forbidden to mourn for more than three days for a dead person, except for a husband, in which case a woman should mourn for four months and-ten days [during this period]. We were not allowed to wear khol on our eyes, nor perfume ourselves, nor wear coloured clothes, except asab cloth. It was permissible for us at the time of bathing at the end of menses to use a small amount of incense."(Bukhari)
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited