The Prophet's guidance concerning the preparation for the burial of the dead

 

 

The Prophet's guidance concerning the preparation of the dead[1]:

1- His guidance in funerals was the best, unlike the traditions of all nations, including nice treatment to the dead, his family, and his relatives. So, the first of these actions take place during the sickness of death, reminding him of the Hereafter, of writing a will, and of repentance, and commanding those who attend the last moments of his life to teach him the testimony of La ilaha illa Allah (there is no deity but Allah) to be the last of his speech.

 

2- He was the most content of people: He was pleased with the destiny of Allah and he was the most praising of all people. He wept for the death of his son Ibrahim out of compassion, mercy, and gentility for him, whereas his heart was full of content and his tongue was busy with praising and thanking Allah.

 

He said: "The eye sheds tears and the heart greaves, but we do not say but what pleases our Lord".

 

3- He prohibited to slap the cheeks and raising the voice with wailing.

 

4- It was part of his Sunnah to rush in preparing, purifying, cleaning, and enshrouding the dead in clean white clothes.

 

5- It was also part of the Sunnah to cover the face of the dead and its body, and closing his eyes.

 

6- Sometimes he would kiss the dead.

 

7- He used to instruct people to wash the dead three, five, or more according to the opinion of the washer and the last time should be with camphor.

 

8- He did not use to wash the martyrs of the battles and used to take off leathers and iron from the martyrs, and bury them in their clothes and do not offer Salah upon them.

 

9- He commanded that the one in the state of Ihram to be washed with water and the lote tree and to be enshrouded in his Ihram (clothes to be worn during the rituals of Hajj and `Umrah) as he prohibited to apply perfume on him or cover his head.

 

10- He commanded the guardian of the dead to shroud him well and bury him in white clothes and prohibited people to exaggerate in shrouds.

 

11- When the shroud was short to cover the entire body, he would cover his head and put some grass on the dead's legs.

 

The Prophet's guidance concerning offering Salah over the dead[2]:

1- He used to offer Salah on the dead outside the Masjid and perhaps he offered Salah upon him in the Masjid, but it was not from his frequent Sunnah.

 

2- When a dead was brought to him, he would ask: "Is he indebted?" [Reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim]. If he was not indebted, he would offer Salah. However, if he was indebted, he would not offer Salah on him but commanded his Companions to offer Salah on him. When Allah granted bounties to him, he used to offer Salah on the indebted, paid his debt, and left his inheritance to the heirs.

 

3- When he started Salah, he would pronounce Takbir, praise Allah, and supplicated. He used to pronounce Takbir four or five times.

 

4- He instructed his Companions to be sincere in invoking Allah for the dead, and the following supplications were reported from him: "O Allah, grant forgiveness for the living and the dead, young and old, male and female, those who attended and those who were absent. O Allah, whomever you give life, make him live as a Muslim and whomever You caused to die, make him die as a Muslim. O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward and do not try us after him." [At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'y, and Ibn Majah].

 

It was also reported from his supplication: "O Allah, forgive him, bestow mercy upon him, make him sound, pardon him, treat him nicely, widen his entrance, and wash him with water, snow, and hail, purify him from his sins as a white garment is purified from dirt, give him a better home, a better family, and a better wife. O Allah, admit him to Paradise and give him refuge against the torment of the grave and the torment of fire." [Sahih Muslim].

 

5- He used to stand in the funeral Salah at the head of men and in the middle of women's bodies.

 

6- He used to offer Salah on children, but did not offer Salah on those who kill themselves nor those who stole from the booty.

 

7- He offered Salah on the woman whom he stoned to death from the tribe of Juhaynah.

 

8- He also offered Salah on Negus like his funeral Salah on the dead, but it was not part of his Sunnah to offer Salah upon the absent dead.

 

9- It was part of his Sunnah that when he missed the funeral Salah, he would offer Salah at the grave.

 

B- The Prophet's guidance concerning the burial and following of processions[3]:

1- When he offered Salah on the dead, he would walk before the procession to the graves on foot. He also gave a leave for those who wanted to follow the procession riding to do so, but behind the procession. However, if a person was talking on foot, he should be so close to the procession, either behind or before, on the right or on the left, and used to command the people to deliver it fast to the grave.

 

2- He did not sit until the corpse is placed in the ground.

 

3- He instructed the Muslims to stand up for funeral processions when a funeral passed by him. It was also authentically reported from him that he sat down.

 

4- It was part of his Sunnah not to bury the dead at sunrise, at sunset, nor at noon.

 

5- It was part of his Sunnah to use graves in burying the dead by deepening the grave at the bottom and loosing it at the head and the legs of the dead.

 

6- He used to throw dust on the dead if he was at his head three times.

 

7- When he finished burying the dead, he stood up on his grave and invoked Allah for him to be firm and instructed his Companions to do so.

 

8- He neither sat to recite Qur'an on the grave nor to teach the dead what to say.

 

9- It was part of his Sunnah to announce the death of the dead, but he prohibited that.

 

C- The Prophet's guidance concerning cemeteries and condolence[4]:

1- It was not part of his Sunnah to raise, build on, or build domes on the graves.

 

2- He sent Ali to Yemen to destroy all statues, and to level all graves, so, his Sunnah was to level all the raised graves.

 

3- He prohibited that a grave to be plastered, to be built upon, or to write something on it.

 

4- He used to teach those who wanted to mark their graves to put a rock in order to know it.

 

5- He prohibited that people take graves as Masjids, put saddles on them, and cursed its doer.

 

6- He prohibited people to offer Salah to the graves and forbade that his grave is taken as a shrine.

 

7- It was part of his Sunnah that graves are not humiliated, stepped over, sit on, lean on, or be glorified.

 

8- He used to visit the people of the graves (the dead) to invoke Allah for them, and asking for forgiveness for them. Moreover, he instructed the visitors to say: "As-Salamu Alaykum, of inhabitants of the graves from the believers and Muslims. With the will of Allah, we shall follow you. We ask Allah for soundness for you and us." [Reported by Muslim].

 

9- It was part of his Sunnah to console the family of the dead, and it was not part of the Sunnah that people gather for condolence or reciting the Qur'an for the dead; neither at the grave nor elsewhere.

 

10- It was part of his Sunnah that the family of the dead do not make food for the consoler, but he commanded that people would cook for them.