Death and Its Rulings

Usāmah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) recounts that one of the daughters of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent him a message that her son was dying and asked that he comes over. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told the messenger to tell her to have patience and to hope for the reward from Allah; meaning that she should be patient with this calamity while expecting the reward for her patience from Allah. Some people are patient but they do not hope for the reward. If they are patient and intend with their patience that Allah give them reward for it, then this is the meaning of Ihtisāb (expecting the reward from Allah). The Prophet's words "to Allah belongs what He takes and to Him belongs what He gives" is a great statement indeed. If everything belongs to Allah, then if He takes something from you, it is His, and if He gives you something, it is also His. So, how could you be angry and discontent if He takes from you what is originally His? That is why it is an act of Sunnah that when a person is afflicted with calamity he should say: "To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return!" This expression clearly means that we are the property of Allah, Who thus can do what He wills with His property. Likewise are the things we love; if Allah takes them from us, they are ultimately His. So, He is the ultimate owner of what He takes and what He gives. Yo do not own what Allah gives you and, therefore, you cannot dispose of what He has given you except in the way He permitted. Our ownership of what Allah gives us is limited, and we do not have absolute freedom in disposing of it. If this is the case, then how can we be impatient and intolerant when Allah, the absolute Owner, takes back what belongs to Him? This contradicts reason and text (the Quran and Sunnah). The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) added that everything has an appointed term with Allah; meaning that He has a fixed time limit for everything. So, if you believe with certainty that to Allah belongs what He takes and to Him belongs what He gives and that He has fixed an appointed term for everything, you will be convinced without doubt that man cannot change the decreed term of anything, neither by advancing its time nor by delaying it. This conforms with the saying of Allah, the Exalted: {For every nation is a (specified) term. When their time has come, then they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede (it)} [Sūrat Yunus: 49]. So if a matter is predetermined by Allah and will neither be advanced or delayed from its appointed time, there is no benefit in impatience and discontent. Even if you are impatient and discontent, you will not change any part of fate. When the Prophet's daughter insisted that he goes to her, he went along with some of his Companions. He arrived when her child was in the throes of death. This made the eyes of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) filled with tears. Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah thought that the Prophet was crying out of impatience, so the Prophet told him that he cries out of mercy for the little dying boy, not out of impatience and discontent with fate. Then he added that Allah is merciful to those of His slaves who are merciful to others. This Hadīth indicates the permissibility of crying out of mercy for those who are afflicted with misfortune.

بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي، ط1، دار ابن الجوزي، الدمام، 1415هـ. رياض الصالحين للنووي، ط1، تحقيق: ماهر ياسين الفحل، دار ابن كثير، دمشق، بيروت، 1428 هـ. رياض الصالحين، ط4، تحقيق: عصام هادي، وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية القطرية، دار الريان، بيروت، 1428هـ. كنوز رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين برئاسة حمد بن ناصر العمار، ط1، كنوز إشبيليا، الرياض، 1430هـ. شرح رياض الصالحين للشيخ ابن عثيمين، دار الوطن للنشر، الرياض، 1426هـ. صحيح البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، ط1، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين، ط14، مؤسسة الرسالة، 1407هـ.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a woman at the grave of her son who had died. She used to love him dearly and could not keep herself from going out to his grave and crying there. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) saw her, he commanded her to fear Allah and be patient. She said: "Leave me alone, for you have not been afflicted with a calamity like mine." Then, it was said to her that this man was the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). So, she felt regret and went to the door of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) where there were no doormen to prevent people from entering. She said: "I did not recognize you." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) then informed her that true patience, which one is rewarded for, is what he shows at the first strike of a calamity.

بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين لسليم الهلالي، ط1، دار ابن الجوزي، الدمام، 1415ه. رياض الصالحين للنووي، ط1، تحقيق: ماهر ياسين الفحل، دار ابن كثير، دمشق، بيروت، 1428 هـ. تطريز رياض الصالحين، لفيصل الحريملي، نشر: دار العاصمة، الرياض، الطبعة: الأولى، 1423هـ - 2002م. شرح رياض الصالحين للشيخ ابن عثيمين، دار الوطن للنشر، الرياض، 1426هـ. صحيح البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، ط1، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422ه. صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين لمجموعة من الباحثين، ط14، مؤسسة الرسالة، 1407هـ.

Abu Burdah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that his father, Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him), got severely sick and lost consciousness. His head was in the lap of a woman from his family, so she screamed and wailed, but he could not respond to her because of being unconscious. When he regained his consciousness, he said that: He dissociates himself from whoever the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) dissociated himself from, and he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) dissociated himself from the: Sāliqah: a woman who raises her voice in wailing upon calamity. Hāliqah: a woman who shaves her hair upon calamity. Shāqqah: a woman who tears her garment upon calamity. This is because they are from the practices of the pre-Islamic era of ignorance. Instead, one is commanded to be patient in times of calamity and to seek reward from Allah for it.

1. Tearing the clothes, shaving the hair, and raising the voice in wailing when calamities strike are prohibited and are considered major sins.
2. Grief and crying, without wailing and raising the voice, are not forbidden, as they do not contradict patience with the decree of Allah; rather, they are a form of mercy.
3. It is prohibited to express discontent with Allah's painful decrees through speech or actions.
4. Patience is obligatory in times of calamity.

صحيح البخاري (2/ 81) (1296). صحيح مسلم (1/ 100) (104). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لعبد الله البسام (ص287). تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لابن عثيمين (2/ 371).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) points out the prohibition of cursing the dead and speaking ill of their honor, and that this is considered among the bad manners. This is because they have reached the result of what they have done, be it righteous or evil. Moreover, cursing the dead does not reach them, but it only hurts the living ones.

1. The Hadīth proves that cursing the dead is prohibited.
2. Refraining from cursing the dead serves the living people's interest and protects society from mutual malice and hatred.
3. The wisdom behind the prohibition of cursing the dead is that they are already facing the consequences of their deeds, and cursing them will avail nothing, and it will only hurt their living relatives.
4. One should not speak useless words that serve no interest.

صحيح البخاري (2/ 104) (1393). فتح ذي الجلال والاكرام بشرح بلوغ المرام، لابن عثيمين (2/ 631). منحة العلام في شرح بلوغ المرام، لعبد الله الفوزان (4/ 385). توضيح الأحكام من بلوغ المرام، للبسام (3/ 277).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Anyone loves to meet Allah, then Allah loves to meet him; and anyone dislikes to meet Allah, then Allah also dislikes to meet him." So ‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked: "Do you mean the aversion to death, O Messenger of Allah? In fact, all of us dislike death." He answered: "It is not as you think." Then he explained to her that the believer believes in the great reward and countless gifts that Allah prepared for the believers in Paradise, so he loves this. He doesn't care much about the worldly life and considers it very little, because he will eventually travel to a better life in Paradise. Therefore, he loves to meet Allah, especially at the time of death when he is given the glad tidings of Allah's pleasure and mercy. He loves to meet Allah and looks forward to this meeting, and Allah similarly looks forward to this meeting. As for the disbeliever (may Allah protect us from his case!), when he is given the bad tidings of the punishment and wrath of Allah, he dislikes to meet Allah, and in turn Allah dislikes to meet him. There is a Hadīth, which states that when the disbeliever is dying and receives the bad tidings of Allah's wrath and anger, his soul disperses inside his body and refuses to exit. Accordingly, the disbeliever's soul is harshly pulled out of the body and forcibly taken away because it is given the bad tidings of evil destination. Allah, the Almighty,, said: {And if you could but see when the wrongdoers are in the overwhelming pangs of death while the angels extend their hands, [saying]: "Discharge your souls!} [Sūrat al-An‘ām: 93]

صحيح مسلم المحقق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي - الناشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي – بيروت. بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، تأليف سليم بن عيد الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي. رياض الصالحين، تأليف محيي الدين النووي، تحقيق عصام موسى هادي، ط: وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية بدولة قطر. شرح رياض الصالحين، المؤلف : محمد بن صالح بن محمد العثيمين. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، تأليف د/ مصطفى الخن، د/ مصطفى البغا، محيي الدين مستو، علي الشربجي، محمد أمين لطفي، مؤسسة الرسالة، ط: الرابعة عشر1407. دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين، تأليف محمد علي بن محمد علان، دار المعرفة للطباعة والنشر والتوزيع، بيروت - لبنان، الطبعة: الرابعة، 1425 هـ - 2004 م.

A funeral procession passed by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) while some people were sitting with him. The people testified to the goodness and righteousness of the deceased, whereupon ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: That is confirmed for him. Another funeral passed by and the people testified to the goodness and righteousness of the deceased – just as they did in the first funeral – whereupon ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: That is confirmed for him. Then a third funeral passed by and the people testified to the evil condition of the deceased, whereupon ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: That is confirmed for him. The statement of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) confused Abu al-Aswad, so he sought a clarification of its meaning. He,(may Allah be pleased with him) replied that he had said as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Paradise is guaranteed for any Muslim whose goodness and righteousness is testified to by four people from among the good and righteous. When the Companions heard that from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) they inquired if a person will be among the inhabitants of Paradise if three people testify to his goodness and righteousness, to which he replied in the affirmative. Then they inquired if that will be the case if only two people testify to his goodness and righteousness, to which he also replied in the affirmative. However, they did not ask him if a person will be among the inhabitants of Paradise if only one person testifies to his goodness and righteousness.

نزهة المتقين، تأليف: جمعٌ من المشايخ، الناشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة الأولى: 1397 هـ الطبعة الرابعة عشر 1407هـ. بهجة الناظرين، تأليف: سليم بن عيد الهلالي، الناشر: دار ابن الجوزي، سنة النشر: 1418 هـ- 1997م. رياض الصالحين، تأليف: محيي الدين يحيى بن شرف النووي، تحقيق: د. ماهر بن ياسين الفحل، الطبعة: الأولى، 1428هـ. صحيح البخاري، تأليف: محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير الناصر، الناشر: دار طوق النجاة الطبعة: الأولى، 1422هـ. دليل الفالحين، تأليف: محمد بن علان، الناشر: دار الكتاب العربي، نسخة الكترونية، لا يوجد بها بيانات نشر. إرشاد الساري لشرح صحيح البخاري، تأليف: أحمد بن محمد بن أبى بكر القسطلاني، الناشر: المطبعة الكبرى الأميرية، مصر، الطبعة السابعة، 1323هـ.

Some of the Companions passed by a funeral procession and testified to the good nature and righteousness of the deceased and his upright following of the Shariah of Allah. Having heard their praise of him, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commented that it was affirmed. Then they passed by another funeral procession and testified to the evil of the deceased. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commented that it was affirmed. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) asked about the meaning of "it has been affirmed", as mentioned in both comments. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) explained that Paradise has been affirmed for the one regarding whom you attested to his good nature, righteousness, and uprightness and that Hell is affirmed for the one regarding whom you attested to his evil. It could be that this man was known to be a hypocrite or something like that. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that if people of truthfulness, virtue, and righteousness testify that someone deserves Paradise or deserves Hell, then this will be the case in reality.

نزهة المتقين، تأليف: مصطفى الخن وآخرون، الناشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة الأولى: 1397هـ الطبعة الرابعة عشر 1407هـ بهجة الناظرين، تأليف: سليم بن عيد الهلالي، الناشر: دار ابن الجوزي ، سنة النشر: 1418هـ- 1997م. صحيح مسلم، تأليف: مسلم بن الحجاج النيسابوري، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي الناشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي – بيروت. رياض الصالحين، تأليف: محيي الدين يحيى بن شرف النووي، تحقيق: د. ماهر بن ياسين الفحل ، الطبعة: الأولى، 1428هـ. صحيح البخاري، تأليف: محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير الناصر، الناشر: دار طوق النجاة الطبعة: الأولى، 1422هـ. التنوير شرح الجامع الصغير، تأليف: محمد بن إسماعيل الصنعاني، تحقيق: د/ محمد إسحاق محمد إبراهيم ، الناشر: مكتبة دار السلام، الطبعة: الأولى، 1432هـ. المنهاج شرح صحيح مسلم، تأليف: محيي الدين يحيى بن شرف النووي، الناشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي، الطبعة: الثانية 1392هـ. شرح رياض الصالحين، تأليف: محمد بن صالح العثيمين، الناشر: دار الوطن للنشر، الطبعة: 1426هـ. شرح الطيبي على مشكاة المصابيح، تأليف: شرف الدين الحسين بن عبد الله الطيبي، تحقيق: د. عبد الحميد هنداوي، الناشر: مكتبة نزار مصطفى الباز -مكة المكرمة- الرياض، الطبعة: الأولى، 1417 هـ - 1997 م.

Meaning of the Hadīth: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave the family of Ja‘far ibn Abu Tālib three days as respite after his martyrdom in the battle of Mu'tah. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) wanted his family to feel better during these three days and get over some of the sadness and grief they were experiencing. He then said to them: “Do not weep for my brother after this day”. He forbade them from crying after three days had passed, so that the first shock and the sad times would not remain for long. The prohibition here is not a strict one, because it is permissible to weep for the dead even beyond the three days as long as weeping does not involve any forbidden act. He then said: “Call my brother’s sons for me.” They were Muhammad, ‘Abdullāh, and ‘Awf - children of Ja‘far. ‘Abdullāh said: "We were then brought to the Messenger of Allah as if we were little chicks" referring to the miserable state they were in due to their father’s death. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) asked for a barber and ordered him to shave their heads. The reason why the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) ordered for their heads to be shaved was that he saw their mother, Asmā' bint ‘Umays (may Allah be pleased with her) so overwhelmed by the calamity of having her husband killed in the cause of Allah, and thus she could not brush her children's hair. He feared that their heads would become dirty or infested with lice, so he ordered for their heads to be shaved. Removing the hair was good for the children and was a source of comfort for the mother who was afflicted with something that made her too busy to take care of her sons' hair. It should be noted that it is not permissible for the Muslim to shave one’s head due to the affliction of a calamity. It was reported in a Hadīth: "The Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the woman who wails, shaves her head, or tears up her clothes (when stricken by a calamity)." Heads of Ja‘far's sons were not shaved due to their father's death; rather, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did so because their mother was too busy to take care of their hair. Fearing that their heads would be louse-infested, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered their heads to be shaved. So, it had nothing to do with the calamity.

نزهة المتقين، تأليف: جمعٌ من المشايخ، الناشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة الأولى: 1397 هـ الطبعة الرابعة عشر 1407 هـ بهجة الناظرين، تأليف: سليم بن عيد الهلالي، الناشر: دار ابن الجوزي ، سنة النشر: 1418 هـ- 1997م سنن أبي داود، تأليف: سليمان بن الأشعث السِّجِسْتاني، تحقيق: محمد محيي الدين عبد الحميد، الناشر: المكتبة العصرية، صيدا. السنن الكبرى، تأليف: أحمد بن شعيب النسائي، تحقيق: حسن عبد المنعم شلبي، الناشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة: الأولى، 1421 هـ رياض الصالحين، تأليف : محيي الدين يحيى بن شرف النووي ، تحقيق: د. ماهر بن ياسين الفحل ، الطبعة: الأولى، 1428 هـ شرح رياض الصالحين، تأليف: محمد بن صالح العثيمين، الناشر: دار الوطن للنشر، الطبعة: 1426 هـ عون المعبود شرح سنن أبي داود، تأليف: محمد شمس الحق العظيم آبادي، الناشر: دار الكتب العلمية، الطبعة: الثانية، 1415 هـ مسند الإمام أحمد بن حنبل-المحقق: شعيب الأرنؤوط - عادل مرشد، وآخرون-إشراف: د عبد الله بن عبد المحسن التركي الناشر: مؤسسة الرسالة-الطبعة: الأولى، 1421 هـ - 2001 م مشكاة المصابيح، تأليف: محمد بن عبد الله، التبريزي، تحقيق : محمد ناصر الدين الألباني، الناشر: المكتب الإسلامي، الطبعة: الثالثة، 1985م شرح سنن أبي داود، تأليف: عبد المحسن بن حمد بن عبد المحسن العباد، نسخة الإلكترونية.