The Fiqh of travelling from the Flight Home to the Enduring Home (10)

-Question 3/13: It is a Sunnah to dictate the dying the testification of faith: "La Ilaha Illalah (There is no God except Allah)"

The proof to that is:

A. The Hadith of Abu Sa`id (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Exhort to recite" There is no god but Allah" to those of you who are dying.”[1] It also came in Muslim from the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).[2]

B. The Hadith of Muath ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If anyone's last words are "There is no god but Allah" he will enter Paradise.”[3]

Al Qurtubi (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Regarding the Prophet's command with dictating the dead the testification of faith, it is a proof that people must attend the death agony of the dying to remind him of monotheism and closing his eyes, as it is one of the rights of Muslims over one another.”[4]

It is funny to mention that when death came to Abu Zar`ah, the great scholar of Hadith, his students wanted to dictate him the phrase of monotheism "La Ilaha Illalah," they were shy because he was a great scholar. They wanted to remind him of the chain of narration, and he knows his narrations, then he fainted. They stumbled and differed about a narrator whether he was Shuba or Al Aghmash Sulayman ibn Mahran. He woke up and heard their dispute about the chain of narrators so he said: The Hadith was reported by so and so from so and so from so and so on the authority of Abu Hurayrah who said: the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Exhort to recite" There is no god but Allah" to those of you who are dying.”[5] So and so narrated from so and so of Mu`adh about the Prophet (peace be upon him) who said: “If the last words of a person are "There is no god but Allah" he will enter Paradise.”[6] Then he died and this is among the signs of a good ending –we ask Allah for His Bounty.

                          

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[1] Narrated by Muslim number (916)

[2] Narrated by Muslim number (917)

[3] Narrated Abu Dawud number (3116) and Al Hakim authenticated it (1/503) and Adh-Dhahaby agreed with him

[4] Look at: Al Mufham (2/570)

[5] Narrated by Muslim number (916)

[6] Narrated Abu Dawud number (3116) and Al Hakim authenticated it (1/503) and Adh-Dhahaby agreed with him