بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم
"And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allah. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly."
"Then what do you think about the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns, and all that exists)?"
The greatest blessing Allah bestowed upon us is that He made us Muslims. We didn't even ask Allah for it, and He granted it to us. It's such a great favour, because Islam gives every individual his rights from the moment he is born until his death.
Man has a beginning and an end. Allah didn't create us in vain, rather He created us for a purpose. In [51:56]:
"And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans except they should worship Me (Alone)."
So we began in the womb of our mothers, and we are on a journey to our graves. In between this, we live in the abode of trials. We are tested by Allah continuously until we die.
In [2:281]:
Allah opened the gates of performing good deeds. And He created times in which our deeds - whether good or bad - are raised and presented to Him (on Mondays and Thursdays, in the Middle of Sha'ban, etc.)
This means that during our lives, we need to engage in performing good deeds. And while we are doing that, we need to have the hereafter in front of our eyes. This isn't so we live distressed lived, but so that we remember that we're going to meet Allah one day. And this will reform your heart and life. You wouldn't fight or compete with people. As soon as you become heedless, you'll start to have problems in your heart, life, and dealings with the people. But if you always remember that you're going to die one day, you would prepare yourself for that day. We have no time to waste. And we want Allah to be pleased with us when we meet Him.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
أَكْثِرُوا ذِكْرَ هَاذِمِ اللَّذَّاتِ فَمَا ذَكَرَهُ عَبْدٌ قَطُّ وَهُوَ فِي ضِيقٍ إِلا وَسَعَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلا ذَكَرُهُ وَهُوَ فِي سَعَةٍ إِلا ضَيِّقَهُ عَلَيْهِ
"Remember often the destroyer of pleasures. Never does a servant remember it during hardship except that it will become easier for him, and never does he not remember it during ease except that it will become harder for him.” [Ibn Hibban #3069]
We all have worldly desires. What will diminish these desires? Remembrance of Death
While we are alive in the Dunya, we are of different ranks. Some may be high, some low, some rich, some poor. But all of us will have the same abode. The grave of the poor will not be different from the grave of the rich. Where will the difference be? With Allah on the Day of Judgement. People will differ in ranks in Jannah according to their piety and good deeds.
Whenever we hear that someone passed away, we tend to ask if he was sick or old. But this isn't a condition for the death of a person. However, if a person is sick, he should:
1) Be pleased and accept the Qadar of Allah
2) Think Good of Allah.
In [37:87]:
Every time you think good of Allah, Allah will give you what you expect of Him.
3) He should have both fear and hope in his heart
(Fear from sins and hope in the mercy and forgiveness of Allah)
أَنَسٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ دَخَلَ عَلَى شَابٍّ وَهُوَ فِي الْمَوْتِ فَقَالَ كَيْفَ تَجِدُكَ قَالَ وَاللَّهِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَنِّي أَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَإِنِّي أَخَافُ ذُنُوبِي فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا يَجْتَمِعَانِ فِي قَلْبِ عَبْدٍ فِي مِثْلِ هَذَا الْمَوْطِنِ إِلَّا أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ مَا يَرْجُو وَآمَنَهُ مِمَّا يَخَافُ
Anas ibn Malik reported: The Prophet ﷺ entered upon a young man in the throes of death. The Prophet ﷺ said, “How do you feel?” The man said, “By Allah, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, I hope in Allah and I fear for my sins.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “These two feelings are not combined in the heart of a servant in this situation except that Allah will give him what he hopes and save him from what he fears.” [Tirmithi #983]
4) He should have his will (الوصية) written
This is obligatory, especially if you have rights of people and trusts that need to be paid back. If you have it at that time, give it. If you don't, then write the will.
You should order your family after you to fear Allah.
5) He should not wish for death because of an affliction or trial.
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا يَتَمَنَّيَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ الْمَوْتَ مِنْ ضُرٍّ أَصَابَهُ فَإِنْ كَانَ لَا بُدَّ فَاعِلًا فَلْيَقُلْ اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيِنِي مَا كَانَتْ الْحَيَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا كَانَتْ الْوَفَاةُ خَيْرًا لِي
Anas ibn Malik reported: The Prophet ﷺ said, “None of you should wish for death because of a calamity that has afflicted him, but if he must do something he should say: O Allah, keep me alive so long as life is good for me and cause me to die if death is better for me.” [Bukhari]
If it was permissible to wish for death, the Prophet ﷺ would advise us with that.
Everything has an introduction; a beginning. The introduction of the Qur'an is سورة الفاتحة. And death has an introduction - سكرات الموت (The Agonies of Death).
In the Qur'an it's mentioned in singular form, and in the Hadith it's mentioned in plural.
Allah said in [50:19]:
"And the stupor of death will come in truth: "This is what you have been avoiding!"
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ : " أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ : رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ بِالمَوْتِ ، وَعِنْدَهُ قَدَحٌ فِيهِ مَاءٌ ، وَهُوَ يُدْخِلُ يَدَهُ فِي القَدَحِ ، ثُمَّ يَمْسَحُ وَجْهَهُ بِالمَاءِ ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ : (اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى غَمَرَاتِ المَوْتِ أَوْ سَكَرَاتِ المَوْتِ)
Aaishah رضي الله عنها narrated: I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as he was dying. There was a vessel of water next to him, and he would put his hand in the vessel then wipe his face with the water, then he said: “O Allah, help me to bear the agonies of death.” [Tirmithi #978]
The Angel who takes the Soul is called ملك الموت (The Angel of Death), not Izraeel. And he has assistants.
When the person dies, the Angel of Death takes the soul starting from his feet. He pulls the soul from every cell and vein, up until it reaches his throat. At that moment the dying person makes a gargling sound. It's at this point repentance will not be accepted.
The Prophet ﷺ said, "إِنَّ اللهَ يَقْبَلُ تَوْبَةَ الْعَبْدِمَالَمْ يُغَرْغِر"
"Allah accepts the repentance of the servant as long as the soul does not reach the throat." [Tirmithi]
The gate of repentance is open for every slave until the soul reaches his throat. So we should live our lives upon Tawbah. We should be perpetually repenting, whether we're walking, eating, sitting. We don't know when we are going to die.
And there's specific and general Tawbah. The specific is the aforementioned, and is open for every individual until his soul reaches his throat. As for the general, it ends when the sun rises from the West. After that, no repentance or good deeds will be accepted. Even if a disbeliever wants to become a Muslim, it'll be rejected. And the sun rising from the West is one of the Major Signs of the establishment of the Day of Judgement.
What makes the agonies of death so severe?
We may see a dying person in front of us but don't feel what he's going through. He's going through a very severe situation due to two things:
1) The pain of the soul being pulled out of his body.
2) Seeing the face of the Angel of Death with his own two eyes. And no one can see him except the dying person. If the person is a believer, the angel of death and his assistants will come in a good form, with white faces, a shroud from paradise, and perfume from Paradise. At that moment the Angels will give him the glad tidings, because he was good in his life, to not be sad for what he is going to leave behind, nor be afraid for what he's going to face in the future. They'll comfort his heart at that moment.
Everyone will go through these severities, but the Angels giving him the glad tidings that Allah is pleased with him and telling him not to grieve over his family or property, will ease his pain.
The Signs of Death
1) The dying persons face will be pale, as if there's no blood there, although the soul is still in his body. When a person is sick, his face becomes pale and yellow. The same thing happens to the dying person, because of the severity of what he is suffering.
2) The feet of the dying person gets cold, although his forehead might still be hot.
3) If he's a good person, his forehead will start to sweat. And this is a sign of a good death.
The Prophet ﷺ said, "The believer dies with sweat on his forehead" [Ahmed #22513]
4) Due to the severity of the pulling of the soul, and because he sees the Angels, the dying person might start talking gibberish and say meaningless words.
What should I do if I'm present?
You should remind the person to say لا اله الا الله.
After seeing the signs of death on the person, you should start to remind the person to say لا اله الا الله.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
" مَنْ قَالَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ اللَّهِ خُتِمَ لَهُ بِهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ"
"Whoever declares there is no God but Allah seeking the countenance of Allah as his last deed, he will enter Paradise" [Musnad Ahmed #22813]
And when you tell someone to say لا اله الا الله, you have to be very gentle and merciful. If he doesn't respond, repeat it again gently.
If the person doesn't respond after many times, don't leave him; use indirect speech with him. Talk to other people in the room about the virtues of saying لا اله الا الله.
E.g.
عن أبي سعيد الخدري عن رسول الله قال: ((قال موسى: يا رب علمني شيئاً أذكرك به وأدعوك به،
قال: يا موسى قل لا إله إلا الله،
قال: يا رب كل عبادك يقول هذا.
قال: قل لا إله إلا الله.
قال: إنما أريد شيئاً تخصني به.
قال: يا موسى لو أن السموات السبع [وعامِرَهن غيري] والأرضين السبع في كفة ولا إله إلا الله في كفة مالت بهن لا إله إلا الله))
Musa asked Allah, "O Allah teach me a Dua I can remember you with"
Allah said, "O Musa, say لا اله الا الله"
He said, "Ya Rabb, all your slaves say لا اله الا الله". He wanted something special for him.
Allah said, "O Musa, if the seven heavens and the earth and all that exists in it were put in one pan of the scale, and لا اله الا الله on the other, لا اله الا الله would be heavier"
And if the person dies upon لا اله الا الله, thank Allah.
What should I do after the person dies?
Allah created man in the best stature. We have many bones and our flesh and jaws are all tied together. When the soul is removed, these ties won't be strong to hold the body. So immediately, the lower jaw will fall open, the eyes will stare openly. They look at the soul when it's being taken out of the body, whether it goes directly up, to the right, or left. The sight follows the soul.
When we sleep our feet are straight. But the dead persons feet will fall down. This is a sign that the person isn't sleeping, he's dead.
1) Close his eyes. If you don't do so immediately, it'll remain open, and if you try to close it after a while, it won't close.
2) Tie the Jaws shut with something. If you keep it open, the bone will become stiff, and it'll be difficult to deal with him when you're washing him.
3) Massage all his joints. This is also in order that it doesn't become stiff and it'll be easy for you to change and turn him when you're washing him.
4) Pray for the deceased. At that moment the Angels will fill the place until where your sight reaches. So pray to Allah for him, and the Angels will say, "Ameen, and the same for you."
وَعَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ رَضِيَ اَللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: { دَخَلَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم -عَلَى أَبِي سَلَمَةَ - رضى الله عنه - وَقَدْ شُقَّ بَصَرُهُ فَأَغْمَضَهُ, ثُمَّ قَالَ: "إِنَّ اَلرُّوحَ إِذَا قُبِضَ, اتَّبَعَهُ الْبَصَرُ" فَضَجَّ نَاسٌ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ, فَقَالَ: "لَا تَدْعُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا بِخَيْرٍ. فَإِنَّ اَلْمَلَائِكَةَ تُؤَمِّنُ عَلَى مَا تَقُولُونَ". ثُمَّ قَالَ: "اَللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِأَبِي سَلَمَةَ, وَارْفَعْ دَرَجَتَهُ فِي اَلْمَهْدِيِّينَ, وَافْسِحْ لَهُ فِي قَبْرِهِ, وَنَوِّرْ لَهُ فِيهِ, وَاخْلُفْهُ فِي عَقِبِهِ }
Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها narrated, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to see Abu Salamah when his sight had become fixed (with his eyes open, as he had already passed away). So the Prophet ﷺ closed his eyes and said, “When the soul is seized and leaves the body, the sight follows it.’
Some of Abu Salamah's family wept and wailed, whereupon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to them, ‘Do not supplicate to Allah anything except that which is good for you (i.e. do not say anything which goes against you at that moment), because the angels (who are present at the time of death), say “Amin" (asking Allah to accept your invocation) to whatever you say.”
Then he ﷺ said, "O Allah! Forgive Abu Salamah, raise his status among (Your) rightly guided servants, make his grave spacious, and fill it with light for him, and be his successor in taking good care of his descendants whom he has left behind, (and make them pious).” [Muslim]
عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ مَنْ أَصَابَتْهُ مُصِيبَةٌ فَقَالَ كَمَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ (إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ) اللَّهُمَّ أْجُرْنِي فِي مُصِيبَتِي وَأَعْقِبْنِي خَيْرًا مِنْهَا إِلَّا فَعَلَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ بِهِ قَالَتْ أُمُّ سَلَمَةَ فَلَمَّا تُوُفِّيَ أَبُو سَلَمَةَ قُلْتُ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ قُلْتُ وَمَنْ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ فَأَعْقَبَهَا اللَّهُ رَسُولَهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَتَزَوَّجَهَا
From Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "If a misfortune befalls some one and he says, as Allah has ordered, 'We belong to Allah and to Him we are returning. O Allah, reward me in my misfortune and give me better than it afterwards,' Allah will do that for him"
Umm Salama said, "When Abu Salama died I said that, and then I said, 'Who is better than Abu Salama?' " And then Allah left her the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and he married her.
When you say this Dua with certainty you'll see the impact of that.
5) Cover him completely.
There is an exception: We don't cover the head of a person who died while performing Hajj or Umrah.
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهم ـ قَالَ بَيْنَمَا رَجُلٌ وَاقِفٌ بِعَرَفَةَ إِذْ وَقَعَ عَنْ رَاحِلَتِهِ فَوَقَصَتْهُ ـ أَوْ قَالَ فَأَوْقَصَتْهُ ـ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " اغْسِلُوهُ بِمَاءٍ وَسِدْرٍ، وَكَفِّنُوهُ فِي ثَوْبَيْنِ، وَلاَ تُحَنِّطُوهُ وَلاَ تُخَمِّرُوا رَأْسَهُ، فَإِنَّهُ يُبْعَثُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مُلَبِّيًا
Narrated by Ibn Abbas: While a man was riding (his Mount) in `Arafat, he fell down from it (his Mount) and broke his neck (and died). The Prophet ﷺ said, "Wash him with water and Sidr and shroud him in two pieces of cloth, and neither perfume him, nor cover his head, for he will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection saying, 'Labbaik,' (i.e. like a pilgrim)." [Bukhari #1265]
6) Put something heavy on his stomach. This is because the food in the dead persons stomach will decompose and his stomach might inflate. Remove it from the stomach later.
7) Tie his feet. This is because you have to move him to the place you need to wash him.
8 Hasten towards washing and shrouding him
9) Hurrying in repaying his debts. A person is delayed by his debts. And that is the first thing that should be done with his debts. Pay his loan from his money. This is why it's important to write the وصية, and it should be executed at that moment, before burial.
From his money they should buy the shroud and make arrangements for the funeral procession. If he doesn't have money, someone else can donate on his behalf.
The Description of the Person who washes the Dead
He should be:
1) Trustworthy
This is because he may see good or bad things while washing. He should conceal and hide whatever he sees and not talk about it to the people after.
2) He should know the Rulings of the Shari'ah for the dead people and the manners of washing the dead.
3) He should do this action seeking the pleasure of Allah, not out of custom or habit or seeking money. This is an عبادة, so it should be performed sincerely for Allah's sake.
Procedure of Washing the Dead Body
You have to have about two assistants.
The dead person is brought wrapped with his feet closed. You have to wear gloves, because you shouldn't directly touch the body of the dead person. And this is not because he is impure.
You're not allowed to look at the Awrah of the dead person. You have to cover his private parts.
When the dead person is brought he might be wearing clothes. You need to cut his clothes off with scissors, by slitting down the middle and the sleeves from either side. But before removing his clothes, cover his Awrah.
If you are washing the dead person in the house, you can't wash him in the bathroom, because there could be Angels attending, and you can't make Dua or say بِسْم الله in the bathroom. It should be in another room, like in the kitchen or in the yard, but surrounded with a covering. You need a lot of water to be there.
How do I wash the dead body?
1) First intend to remove the state of impurity (حدث). This is the same as what we do for ourselves after our period, after Nifas (Post Natal Bleeding), and for Janabah. We don't have to utter the intention out loud.
2) First we wash the private parts, make wudhoo, then Ghusl (wash the whole body.)
Washing the Private Parts
-> Raise the head of the dead person and press on his stomach, such that anything inside comes out.
-> Then wear gloves, turn the body, put your hand under the garment, and without looking, clean the anus. Then throw the cloth, take another wet cloth, clean it again, and keep doing this until the last clot comes completely clean without any impurities.
Making Wudhoo
Then you make Wudhoo for him.
-> Put his two hands together, pour water on it, making the water go between the fingers.
-> Clean his mouth and nose. Be careful not to put water in his mouth, because his stomach will be filled again. Just take a piece of cloth, wet it, and clean his mouth. Then clean his nose from the outside, also being careful not to let water enter the stomach through it.
-> Wash his face, and don't water go into his mouth.
-> Wash his arms, the right first then the left
-> Wipe his head and ears
-> You can either wash the feet now, or delay it for later.
No man or woman is allowed to wash another of the opposite sex even if it's their own mother or son, except if they are husband and wife.
Washing the Whole Body
You have to prepare three kinds of water:
1) Plain water x3
2) Water mixed with sidr (Lote tree) x3
3) Water mixed with Camphour (كافور) x3
You wash the dead three times with each water.
How? By washing the head, then the right side of the body, then the left. Your assistants are helping you, and the body is covered.
Don't make the solution thick. Sidr and Camphour doesn't dissolve in the water, so make sure it's watery. And after you do the Sidr, use plain water once to remove the effect of the Sidr.
And be careful, Camphour burns the eyes. Don't let it come near the dead persons eyes. Take care of his body just like you take care of your own. It's his right.
Don't use too cold or boiling water. In winter time use warmer water, in summer use colder.
Why do we use Camphour? So the germs and insects won't come near the person for a long time.
Sometimes the dead person has instruments on his body from the hospital. Keep these instruments, because if you remove it, blood might gush forth. If you see blood still coming out, put Musk powder on that place, because musk prevents the flow of blood.
If a woman died in post birth bleeding, take a piece of cotton with musk and put in the opening of the vagina, and it'll prevent the blood from coming out.
Now you have to dry the dead person. And his Awrah still has to be covered.
If after you wash something still comes out you wash again, and repeat this up to 7 times. If after 7 times there are more impurities, leave him how he is. And If anything comes out after shrouding the body, you don't repeat.
How do I shroud the body?
Lay the body and put a smaller piece of cloth, under which is a tie and over which is a piece of cotton on top of the Izar.
Lay 3, 5, or 7 ties.
(3 for children, and 5 for adults, and you can use 7 if the person is tall.)
The wrap should be longer than the body, extending about half a meter above and below. Put powdered musk on the first wrap, and then put the second wrap on top of it. Men have an Izar + Two wraps.
For a woman, you need to put the musk on the second wrap as well. On top of that she has a dress, which is slit on both sides and has an opening at the neck. Put musk on that as well. Then hold her hands together like in prayer and put the dress on top of her. If her hands are stiff keep it on her sides.
Get a wet piece of cloth with musk and put it on the places of the prostration, and behind the ears, knees and toes. You are preparing the woman like a bride.
We're not supposed to wear perfume, even after death. The perfume is only for men. And the color might affect the shroud.
Then make three braids on the womans hair. Don't use a brush or comb. Just with your hands. On on the right, one in the middle, one on the left, and you join them at the back. Then put her Khimar on. The person who didn't wear hijab in the Dunya has to wear it now, and she won't be rewarded for it.
The you wrap her, from the right first then the left.
The knots should be on the left, because you'll put the body to the right in the grave.
And tie the top
After shrouding it's okay if the family and Mahrams want to see the face of the dead person.
The Funeral Prayer
Then you have to pray صلاة الجنازة on the dead person. And remember, every action you do has a reward from Allah. The shrouding has reward. The washing has reward. The funeral prayer has as a reward.
If you are all women, pray in one row like you pray in Jama'ah with the dead in front of you. You can pray at home before the men take the dead body.
If the dying person is a woman, the Imam should stand at her chest.
If he's a man, the Imam should stand at his head.
If there are many dead people, you put the man first in the row, then the child, then the woman.
The Funeral Prayer
Salaat AlJanaza has 4 Takbirs.
After the first Takbir you immediately recite AlFatihah (no opening supplication)
After the second you say اللهم صل....
After the third you pray for the dead person and yourself and the Muslims
After the fourth you don't say anything, just do the Tasleem on the right.
The men carry the dead person to the grave. Women don't do this procedure. And it's not a condition that it's the persons relative, it could be any man. But the man who was burying her shouldn't have had sexual relations with his wife the previous night. He has to be pure.
Two men go into the grave, and will receive her with her feet. And the grave is a hole, with another opening in the side. Like a drawer.
You put the body on the right side and remove the ties. So make sure when you tied the knots, you tied them loosely. Then bring blocks of cement and block the hole. Then pour the sand back in the grave. We put the blocks so that the dust doesn't go back to the dead person. After the grave is closed, we put pebbles in order that the sand does not get scattered after some time. And the grave needs to be a little high, in order so we know it's a grave.
Putting marble with the name or flowers or water and plants are all innovations.
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