Riyadh Saliheen
Part | 8

The Gardens of the Righteous”, is a compilation of verses from the Qur’an and hadith,
By: Imam Abu Zakaria Mohiuddin Yahya An-Nawawi

Contents of the Chapters

Chapter 141: On the making it clear that the Sunna is that when the one from whom one asks permission to enter says, “Who is it?” he should name himself in the manner by which he is known by and not say “I”.
Chapter 142: On the recommendation to bless someone who sneezes when he praises Allah and dislike of doing it if he has not praised Allah; clarification of the adab of blessing the sneezer, sneezing, and yawning.
Chapter 143: On the recommendation to shake hands when meeting and having a cheerful face, and kissing the hand of a righteous man and kissing one’s child out of compassion, embracing the one who arrives from a journey and the dislike of bowing.
Chapter 144: On visiting the sick, escorting the dead and praying over him and attending his burial and remaining at his grave after his burial.
Chapter 145: On supplication for the person who is ill.
Chapter 146: On the recommendation to ask the family of a sick person about how he is.
Chapter 147: On what is said by one who despairs of life.
Chapter 148: Instructing the Patient’s family to be kind to him – Consoling the Patients and showing kindness to one Facing Death Sentence.
Chapter 149: Permissibility of expressing feelings of agony in Serious Illness.
Chapter 150: On instructing the dying to say “There is no god but Allah”.
Chapter 151: On what is said when the dying person’s eyes become fixed.
Chapter 152: On what is said in the presence of a dead person.
Chapter 153: On the permission to weep for someone who has died without wailing.
Chapter 154: On refraining from mentioning anything disliked in the corpse.
Chapter 155: The prayer over the dead, escorting him and being present at his burial, and the dislike for women to follow funeral.
Chapter 156: On the recommendation for many people to pray the funeral prayer and to make their rows three or more.
Chapter 157: What is recited in the funeral prayer.
Chapter 158: On carrying the bier quickly.
Chapter 159: On First settling the debts of the deceased and making haste to prepare him for burial unless he died suddenly, in which case he is left until one is sure of death.
Chapter 160: On admonition at the grave.

Chapter 141

On the making it clear that the Sunna is that when the one from whom one asks permission to enter says, “Who is it?” he should name himself in the manner by which he is known by and not say “I”

874. Anas said in his famous hadith about the Night Journey:

That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Then Jibril took me up to the nearest heaven and asked for it to be opened. It was said, ‘Who is this?’ He said, ‘This is Jibril.’ It was said, ‘Who is with you?’ He said, ‘Muhammad.’ Then he went to the second, third, fourth and the rest of the heavens and it was said at the gate of every heaven, ‘Who is this?’ and he replied, ‘Jibril.” [Agreed upon]

875. Abu Dharr said,

“I went out one night and there was the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, walking alone. I began to walk in the shadow out of the moonlight but he turned and saw me and said, ‘Who is that?’ I answered, ‘Abu Dharr.'” [Agreed upon]

876. Umm Hani’ said,

“I went to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and found him washing with Fatima screening him. He asked, ‘Who is it?’ I replied, ‘It is Umm Hani.'” [Agreed upon]

877. Jabir said,

“I came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and knocked at the door. He said, ‘Who is it?’ I said, ‘I.’ He said, ‘I, I?’ as if he disliked it.” [Agreed upon]

Chapter 142

On the recommendation to bless someone who sneezes when he praises Allah and dislike of doing it if he has not praised Allah; clarification of the adab of blessing the sneezer, sneezing, and yawning.

878. Abu Hurayra reported:

That the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Allah loves sneezing and hates yawning. When one of you sneezes and praises Allah Almighty, it is a duty for every Muslim who hears him to say to him, ‘May Allah have mercy on you.’ Yawning comes from Shaytan. When one of you yawns, he should control it as much as possible. When one of you yawns, Shaytan laughs at him.” [al-Bukhari]

879. Abu Hurayra reported:

That the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When one of you sneezes, he should say, ‘Praise be to Allah,’ and his brother or companion should say to him, ‘May Allah have mercy on you.’ Then he should say, ‘May Allah guide you and put your affairs in order.'” [al-Bukhari]

880. Abu Musa said,

“I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, ‘When one of you sneezes, he should praise Allah and you should wish him mercy. If he does not praise Allah, do not wish him mercy.” [Muslim]

881. Anas said,

“Two men sneezed in the presence of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he wished one of them mercy, but did not wish the other one mercy. The one who had not been wished mercy said, ‘So-and-so sneezed and you wished him mercy, but I sneezed and you did not wish me mercy!’ He said, ‘This one praised Allah and you did not praise Allah.'” [Agreed upon]

882. Abu Hurayra said,

“When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sneezed, he would put his hand or his garment over his mouth and lower – or muffle – the noise. (The transmitter was unsure.)” [Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi]

883. Abu Musa said,

“The Jews used to make themselves sneeze in the presence of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, hoping that he would say to them, ‘May Allah have mercy on you.’ But he would say, ‘May Allah guide you and put you right.'” [Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi]

884. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported:
That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When one of you yawns, he should put his hand over his mouth. For Shaytan might enter it.” [Muslim]

Chapter 143:

On the recommendation to shake hands when meeting and having a cheerful face, and kissing the hand of a righteous man and kissing one’s child out of compassion, embracing the one who arrives from a journey and the dislike of bowing.

885. Abu’l-Khattab Qatada said,
“I said to Anas, ‘Did the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, shake hands?’ He replied, ‘Yes.'” [al-Bukhari]

886. Anas said,
“When the people of the Yemen came, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘The people of the Yemen have come. They were the first people to employ the handshake.'” [Abu Dawud]

887. Al-Bara’ reported:
That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “No two Muslims meet and shake hands without being forgiven before they part.” [Abu Dawud]

888. Anas said,
“A man said, ‘Messenger of Allah, when one of us meets his brother or his friend, should he bow to him?’ He said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Should he embrace him and kiss him?’ He said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Should he take his hand and shake it?’ He replied, ‘Yes.'” [at-Tirmidhi]

889. Safwan ibn ‘Assal said,
“A Jew said to his companion, ‘Let us go to this Prophet.’ So they went to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and asked him about nine clear signs,” and he mentioned the hadith to its end. “They kissed his hand and feet and said, ‘We testify that you are a Prophet.'” [at-Tirmidhi]

890. Ibn ‘Umar said,
“We approached the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and kissed his hand.” [Abu Dawud]

891. ‘A’isha said,
“Zayd ibn Haritha arrived in Madina when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was in my room. He came to him and knocked on the door. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went to him dragging his garment and embraced and kissed him.” [at-Tirmidhi]

892. Abu Dharr said,
“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to me, ‘Do not think little of anything which is right, even meeting your brother with a cheerful face.'” [Muslim]

893. Abu Hurayra said,
“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, kissed al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali. Al-Aqra’ ibn Habis said, ‘I have ten children and I have not kissed any of them.’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Someone who does not show mercy will not be shown mercy.'” [Agreed upon]

Chapter 144:

On visiting the sick, escorting the dead and praying over him and attending his burial and remaining at his grave after his burial .

894. Al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib said,

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commanded us to visit the sick, follow funeral processions, bless those who sneeze, fulfil our vows, help the wronged, accept invitations and make the greeting common practice.” [Agreed upon]

895. Abu Hurayra reported:
That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “A Muslim has five rights over another Muslim are five: returning the greeting, visiting the sick, joining funeral processions, accepting invitations and blessing those who sneeze.” [Agreed upon]

896. Abu Hurayra said,

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, will say on the Day of Rising, ‘Son of Adam, I was ill and you did not visit Me.’ The man will say, ‘O Lord, how could I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds?’ He will say, ‘Do you not know that My slave so-and-so was ill and you did not visit him? Do you not know that if you had visited him, you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you did not feed Me?’ He will say, ‘O Lord, how could I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds?’ He will say, ‘Do you not know that My slave so-and-so asked you for food and you did not feed him? Do you not know that if you had fed him, you would have found that with Me.

O son of Adam, I asked you for water and you did not give it to Me.’ He will say, ‘O Lord, how could I give You water when You are the Lord of the worlds?’ He will say, ‘My slave so-and-so asked you for water and you did not give it to him. Do you not know that if you had given him water, you would have found that with Me?'” [Muslim]

897. Abu Musa reported:
That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Visit the sick, feed the hungry and set captives free.” [al-Bukhari]

898. Thawban reported:
That the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When a Muslim visits his brother Muslim, he is among the khurfa of the Garden until he returns.” They said, “Messenger of Allah, what are the khurfa of the Garden?” He said, “Its gathered fruits.” [Muslim]

899. ‘Ali said,

“I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, ‘No Muslim visits a Muslim in the morning without a thousand angels praying blessing on him until evening, or visits him in the evening without a thousand angels praying blessing on him until morning and he will have fruits in the Garden.'” [at-Tirmidhi]

900. Anas said,

“A Jewish boy used to serve the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and then became ill. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went to visit him and sat at his head and said to him, ‘Become Muslim.’ He looked at his father who was with him. He said to him, ‘Obey Abu’l-Qasim.’ So he became Muslim. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, left saying, ‘Praise be to Allah who has saved him from the Fire.'” [al-Bukhari]

Chapter 145:

On supplication for the person who is ill.

901. ‘A’isha said:
That when a person complained to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, of some illness or had a wound or an injury, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would say, doing this with his forefinger, (and Sufyan ibn ‘Uyayna the transmitter would place his finger on the earth and then raise it and say), ‘In the name of Allah, the dust of our earth combined with the saliva of some of us by which our sick are healed by the permission of our Lord.'” [Agreed upon]

902. ‘A’isha said:
That when the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to visit one of his family who was ill, he would wipe them with his right hand and say, ‘O Allah, Lord of mankind, remove harm and heal. You are the Healer and there is no healing but Your healing, a healing which does not leave behind any illness at all.'” [Agreed upon]

903. Anas reported:
That he said to Thabit, “May Allah have mercy on you, shall I give you the talisman of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?” He said, “Yes.” He said, “O Allah, Lord of people, remover of hardship, heal – for you are the Healer other than whom there is no healer – with a healing that does not leave illness behind.” [al-Bukhari]

904. Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas said,

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, visited me when I was ill and said, ‘O Allah, heal Sa’d! O Allah, heal Sa’d! O Allah, heal Sa’d!'” [Muslim]

905. Abu ‘Abdullah ‘Uthman ibn Abi Abi’l-‘As reported:
That he complained to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, of a pain he felt in his body. The Messenger of Allah said to him, “Place your hand on the part of your body which is hurting you and say, ‘In the name of Allah’ three times and say seven times, ‘I seek refuge with the might of Allah and His power from the evil of what I find and that I might be on my guard.'” [Muslim]

906. Ibn ‘Abbas reported:
That Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Anyone who visits a sick person whose time has not yet come and says seven times in his presence, ‘I ask Allah the Immense, the Lord of the Immense Throne, to heal you,’ Allah will heal him of that illness.” [Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi]

907. Ibn ‘Abbas reported:
That the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went to visit a bedouin. When he visited him, he said, “No harm. It is purification if Allah wills.” [al-Bukhari]

908. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported:
That Jibril came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, “Muhammad, are you in pain?” He said, “Yes.” He said, “In the name of Allah, I remove from you everything that might harm you, the evil of every envious self or eye. May Allah heal you. In the name of Allah, I remove it from you.” [Muslim]

909. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri and Abu Hurayra testified:
That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Anyone who says, ‘There is no god but Allah and Allah is greater,’ his Lord confirms it and says, ‘There is no god but Me and I am greater.’ When he says, ‘There is no god but Allah alone with no partner,’ He says, ‘There is no god but Me alone and I have no partner.’ When he says, ‘There is no god but Allah.

To Him belongs the kingdom and to Him belongs the praise,’ He says, ‘There is no god but Me. To Me belongs the kingdom and to Me belongs the praise.’ When he says, There is no god but Allah. There is no strength and no power except by Allah,’ He says, ‘There is no god but Me. There is no strength and no power except by Me.’ He used to say, ‘Anyone who says it when he is ill and then dies, the Fire will not consume him.'” [at-Tirmidhi]

Chapter 146:

On the recommendation to ask the family of a sick person about how he is.

910. Ibn ‘Abbas reported:
That ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib left the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in his final illness and people said, “O Abu’l-Hasan! How is the Messenger of Allah this morning?” He said, “Praise be to Allah, he is better this morning.” [al-Bukhari]

Chapter 147:

On what is said by one who despairs of life.

911. ‘A’isha said,
“I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say while he was resting against me, ‘O Allah, forgive me and have mercy on me and join me to the Highest Friend.'” [Agreed upon]

912. ‘A’isha said,
“I saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when he was dying and he had a cup with some water in it. He would put his hand in the cup and then wipe his face with the water. Then he said, ‘O Allah, help me in the throes of death and the agonies of death.'” [at-Tirmidhi]

Chapter 148 :

On the recommendation to advise the family of the sick person and those looking after him to treat him well, put up with him and be patient in difficulties he poses. The same treatment applies to the one who is approaching death because of a hadd, retaliation or the like.

913. ‘Imran ibn al-Husayn reported:
That a woman of Juhayna came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and she was pregnant on account of fornication. She said, “Messenger of Allah, I have incurred a hadd, so carry it out on me.” The Messenger of Allah summoned her guardian and said, “Treat her well. When she gives birth, bring her to me.” He did that and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commanded that her garment be drawn tightly around her and then he commanded that she be stoned and then he prayed over her. [Muslim]

Chapter 149:

On the permission for the sick person to say, “I have a pain” or “a terrible pain”, “I have a fever” or “O my head!” and the clarification that that is not disliked if it is not due to exasperation.

914. Ibn Mas’ud said,
“I visited the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he had a fever. I touched him and said, ‘You have a very high fever.’ He said, ‘Yes, I have the fever of two of you.'” [Agreed upon]

915. Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas said,
“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to visit me in the year of the Hajj of Farewell on account of a serious illness I had. I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, this illness has affected me as you see and I have property and no heirs except my daughter.'” [Agreed upon] 916. Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad said, “‘A’isha said, ‘O my head!’ and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘On the contrary, “O my head!”‘” [al-Bukhari]

Chapter 148:

Instructing the Patient’s family to be kind to him – Consoling the Patients and showing kindness to one Facing Death Sentence.

913. `Imran bin Husain (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:
A woman belonging to the Juhainah tribe came to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) after having conceived from Zina. She submitted: “O Messenger of Allah! I am liable to Hadd (punishment ordained by Allah), so execute it.” The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) called her guardian and said, “Treat her well and bring her to me after delivery.” He acted accordingly. Then the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) commanded to tie her clothes firmly around her and then stoned her to death. He (PBUH) then offered funeral prayer for her. [Muslim].

Commentary:
This Hadith has relevance to the theme of the chapter as we see it. Moreover, it reveals that if a woman becomes pregnant after committing adultery, she will not be subjected to punishment immediately. Instead, the penalty will take place after childbirth. This will certainly contribute to the remission of her sins and will also be a factor in offering the funeral prayer for her.

Chapter 149:

Permissibility of expressing feelings of agony in Serious Illness.

914. Ibn Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
I visited the Prophet ({PBUH) while he was suffering. I said: “(O Messenger of Allah!) You suffer too much.” He said, “Yes, I suffer as much as two men of you.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary:
This Hadith also throws light on the fact that the Prophet (PBUH) was merely a human being. Besides, it tells us that one is at liberty to speak of one’s suffering.

915. Sa`d bin Abu Waqqas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) came to visit me when I had a severe pain. I said: “I am suffering from such trouble as you are observing. I am a wealthy man and the only heir of mine is my daughter.” (Then Sa`d narrated the whole incident). [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

916. Al-Qasim bin Muhammad reported `Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said:
“Oh, my head.” (It was hurting due to pain.) Thereupon the Prophet (PBUH) said, “Rather it is I who says: `Oh, my headache.”’ (Then Al- Qasim narrated the complete narration). [Al-Bukhari].

Commentary:
`Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) had a headache and she told the Prophet (PBUH) about it. He said, “My head too is splitting with pain.” This means that a man can express the intensity of his pain and suffering, provided he has no intention to complain against the Will of Allah and point out his sorrow and frustration. Al-Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abu Bakr, the reporter of this Hadith, was `Aishah’s nephew and one of the seven distinguished jurists of Al-Madinah.

Chapter 150:

‘‘On instructing the dying to say “There is no god but Allah”

917. Mu’adh reported:
That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Anyone whose last words are, ‘There is no god but Allah,’ will enter the Garden.'” [Abu Dawud and al-Hakim]

918. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri said,
“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Instruct your dying to say, ‘There is no god but Allah.'” [Muslim]

Chapter 151:

On what is said when the dying person’s eyes become fixed.

919. Umm Salama said,
“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, visited Abu Salama when his eyes became fixed and glazed over. Then he said, ‘When the spirit is taken, sight follows it.’ Then some of the people of his family began to shout. He said, ‘Only ask for good for yourselves. The angels say ‘Amen’ to what you say.’ Then he said, ‘O Allah, forgive Abu Salama and raise his degree among those who are guided and let him have a successor among those who remain. Forgive us and him, O Lord of the worlds, and make his grave wide for him and give him illumination in it.'” [Muslim]

Chapter 152:

On what is said in the presence of a dead person .

920. Umm Salama said,
“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘When you are with a sick person or dead person, speak well. The angels say ‘Amen’ to what you say.'” She said, “When Abu Salama died, I went to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, Abu Salama has died.’ He said, ‘Say: “O Allah, forgive me and him, and give me a good replacement for him.”‘ I said, ‘Allah gave me instead one who was better for me than him – Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.'” [Muslim] Muslim related “When you are with a sick person or a dead person” with uncertainty. Abu Dawud and others related it with “dead person” without uncertainty.

921. Umm Salama said,
“I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, ‘There is no slave who is afflicted by a calamity and then says, ‘We belong to Allah and to Him we return. O Allah, give me a reward for my calamity and give me something better to replace it,’ without Allah Almighty rewarding him for his affliction and granting him something better in its place.'” She said, “Abu Salama died and I said as the Messenger of Allah commanded me, and Allah did give me something better in his place – the Messenger of Allah.” [Muslim]

922. Abu Musa reported:
That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When His slave’s child dies, Allah Almighty says to His angels, ‘You have taken the child of My slave?’ They say, ‘Yes.’ He says, ‘You took the darling of his heart?’ They say, ‘Yes.’ He says, ‘What did My slave say?’ They say, ‘He praised Allah and said, “To Allah we return.”‘ Allah Almighty says, ‘Build My slave a house in the Garden and call it the House of Praise.'” [at-Tirmidhi]

923. Abu Hurayra reported:
That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Allah Almighty says, ‘The Garden is the reward for My believing slave when I take his best friend among the people of this world and he hopes to be rewarded for it.” [al-Bukhari]

924. Usama ibn Zayd said,
“One of the daughters of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent a message to him informing him that one of her children – or sons – was dying. He said to the messenger, ‘Return to her and inform her that what Allah takes is His and what He gives is His. Everything has a fixed term with Him, so she should show fortitude and expect a reward.'” [Agreed upon]

Chapter 153:

On the permission to weep for someone who has died without wailing.

Wailing is forbidden and will be dealt later. There are many hadiths which say that weeping is forbidden and that the dead person is tortured by his family’s weeping. They are subject to interpretation. The weeping which is forbidden is that in which there is lamentation or wailing. There are many hadiths which indicate that weeping without that is permitted.

925. Ibn ‘Umar reported:
That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, visited Sa’d ibn ‘Ubada with ‘Abdu’r-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas and ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud. The Messenger of Allah wept. When the people saw the Prophet weeping, they wept as well. He said, “Listen, Allah does not punish people for the tears of their eyes nor for the sorrow of their hearts, but he punishes or shows mercy on account of this,” and he pointed to his tongue. [Agreed upon]

926. Usama ibn Zayd reported:
That the grandson of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was brought to him near to death. The Prophet’s eyes were flowing with tears and Sa’d said, ‘Messenger of Allah, what is this?’ He said, ‘This is an aspect of mercy which Allah Almighty has put in the hearts of His slaves. Allah is merciful to His slaves who are merciful.'” [Agreed upon]

927. Anas reported:
That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, visited his son Ibrahim while he was breathing his last. The eyes of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, began to flow with tears and ‘Abdu’r-Rahman ibn ‘Awf said to him, “Even you, Messenger of Allah!” He said, “O Ibn ‘Awf, it is an aspect of mercy.” then more tears followed and the Prophet said, “The eye weeps and the heart grieves. We say nothing except what pleases our Lord. O Ibrahim, we are grieved at your departure.” [al-Bukhari]

Chapter 154:

On refraining from mentioning anything disliked in the corpse .

928. Abu Rafi’ Aslam, the client of the Messenger of Allah, reported:
That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Anyone who washes a dead person and keeps quiet about him, Allah will forgive him forty times.” [al-Hakim]

Chapter 155:

The prayer over the dead, escorting him and being present at his burial, and the dislike for women to follow funeral processions.

929. Abu Hurayra reported:
That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Anyone who joins a funeral procession, staying until he has done the prayer, will have one qirat. Anyone who stays until after the burial will have two qirats.” It was asked, “What are two qirats?” He said, “Like two huge mountains.” [Agreed upon]

930. Abu Hurayra is that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
“Anyone who follows the funeral procession of a Muslim motivated by belief and in expectation of the reward and stays with it until the prayer has been said over him and his burial is over, comes back with the reward of two qirats. Each qirat is the size of Uhud. And whoever prays over him and leaves before he is buried, comes back with one qirat.” [al-Bukhari]

931. Umm ‘Atiyya said,
“We were forbidden to join funeral processions but not rigidly.” [Agreed upon]

Chapter 156:

On the recommendation for many people to pray the funeral prayer and to make their rows three or more.

932. ‘A’isha reported:
That the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “No dead person is prayed over by a group of Muslims whose number reaches a hundred, all of whom intercede for him, without their intercession for him being granted.” [Muslim]

933. Ibn ‘Abbas said,
“I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, ‘No Muslim man dies with forty men who do not associate anything with Allah standing at his funeral, without Allah granting them intercession for him.” [Muslim]

934. Marthad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Yazani said,
“When Malik ibn Hubayra prayed at a funeral and saw there were only a few people there, he would arrange them into three rows for it. Then he said, ‘The Messenger of Allah said, ‘The Garden is mandatory for anyone whose funeral prayer consists of three rows.”‘” [Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi]

Chapter 157:

What is recited in the funeral prayer.

There are four takbirs. One seeks refuge with Allah after the first, then recites the Fatiha, then there is a second takbir and the prayer on the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, “O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.” It is best to end it with, “As You blessed Ibrahim Š to Š You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.” One does not do what many common people recite, “Allah and His angels call down blessings on the Prophet.” (33:56) The prayer is not valid it is confined to it.

Then one says the third takbir and prays for the deceased and the Muslims as will be mentioned in the hadiths, Allah willing. Then the fourth takbir is said and one makes supplication. Part of the best supplication is, “O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward and do not tempt us after him. Forgive us and him.” It is preferred to make a long supplication in the fourth which differs from the habit of most people, because of the hadith of Ibn Abi Awfa which will be mentioned, Allah willing. The supplications after the third takbir are reported and some of them follow:

935. Abu ‘Abdu’r-Rahman ‘Awf ibn Malik said,
“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, conducted a funeral prayer and I memorised some of his supplication. He said, ‘O Allah, forgive him, show mercy to him, protect him, pardon him, make his place in the Garden noble and make the grave he is entering wide. Wash him with water snow and hail.

Cleanse him of errors as a white garment is cleansed of dirt. Give him a better home in exchange for his home, and a better family than his family and a better wife than his wife and admit him to the Garden. Give him refuge from the punishment of the grave and the punishment of the Fire’ so that I wished that I could have been that dead person.” [Muslim]

936. Abu Hurayra, Abu Qatada and Abu Ibrahim al-Ashhali from his father who was a Companion:
That the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed in a funeral, saying, “O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, our young and our old, our male and our female, our present and our absent. O Allah, whoever among us You make live, make him live in Islam, whoever of us you make die, make him die in belief.

O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward and do not tempt us after him.” [At-Tirmidhi related it from Abu Hurayra and al-Ashhali. Abu Dawud related it from Abu Hurayra and Abu Qatada. At-Tirmidhi said that al-Bukhari said, “The soundest of the variants of this hadith is that of al-Ashhali.” Al-Bukhari said, “The soundest thing in this area is the hadith of ‘Awf ibn Malik.”]

937. Abu Hurayra said,
“I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, ‘When you pray over a dead person, devote your supplication to him.'” [Abu Dawud]

938. Abu Hurayra reported:
That the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said in the prayer on the dead, “O Allah, You are his Lord and You created him. You guided him to Islam and You took his soul. You know best his secret and what he made public. We have come to You as his intercessors, so forgive him.” [Abu Dawud]

939. Wathila ibn al-Asqa’ said,
“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, led us in the funeral prayer for a man of the Muslims. I heard him say, ‘O Allah, so-and-so son of so-and-so is in Your keeping and under Your protection. Protect him from the trial of the grave and the punishment of the Fire. You are worthy of loyalty and praise. O Allah, forgive him and show mercy to him, You are the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.'” [Abu Dawud]

940. ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa said:
Four takbirs for the funeral prayer of one of his daughters. He stood after the fourth for as long as he stood between the last two takbirs, asking forgiveness for her and making supplication. Then he said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to do the same as that.”

In one variant, “He said the takbir four times and then remained for a while until I thought that he would say a fifth takbir. Then he said the Salam to his right and his left. When he finished, we said to him, ‘What is this?’ He said, ‘I do not add to what I saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, do – or the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to do the same as that.'” [al-Hakim]

Chapter 158:

On carrying the bier quickly

941. Abu Hurayra reported:
That the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Carry the bier quickly. If the dead person was righteous, it is good you are advancing him to. If he was other than that, then it is an evil your are removing from your necks.” [Agreed upon]

942. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported:
That the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When a body is laid out and the men carry it on their shoulders, if it was righteous, it says, ‘Take me forward,’ and it was it not righteous, it says, ‘Woe to me, where are you taking it?” Everything except man hears its voice. If he were to hear it, he would faint.” [al-Bukhari]

Chapter 159:

On First settling the debts of the deceased and making haste to prepare him for burial unless he died suddenly, in which case he is left until one is sure of death.

943. Abu Hurayra reported:
That the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The soul of the believer is held back because of a debt until it is paid for him.” [at-Tirmidhi]

944. Husayn ibn Wahwah reported:
That Talha ibn al-Bara’ became ill and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to visit him and he said, “I think that Talha is going die, so inform me of it and bring him quickly. The corpse of a Muslim should not be kept among his family.” [Abu Dawud]

Chapter 160:

On admonition at the grave.

945. ‘Ali said, “We took part in a funeral prayer in Baqi’ al-Gharqad.
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to us and sat and we sat around him. He was holding a stick and he lowered his head and began to strike the ground with his stick. Then he said, ‘There is none of you, nor any created soul, who does not have his place written for him in the Garden or the Fire.’ They said, ‘Messenger of Allah, should we then rely on what is written for us? ‘ He said, ‘Act. For that which he has been created for is made easy for every man.'” [Agreed upon]