Funerals (Kitab Al-Jana'iz)

كتاب الجنائز

Chapter 38: Hastening With The Janazah, And It Is Disliked To Delay It

Narrated Al-Husayn ibn Wahwah

Talhah ibn al-Bara' fell ill and the Prophet (ﷺ) came to pay him a sick-visit. He said: I think Talhah has died; so tell me (about his death), and make haste, for it is not advisable that the corpse of a Muslim should remain withheld among his family.

Chapter 39: Ghusl For The One Who Has Washed A Deceased Person

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to take a bath on account of sexual defilement, on Friday, for cupping and washing the dead.

Narrated AbuHurayrah

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He who washes the dead should take a bath, and he who carries him should perform ablution.

Chapter 46: Carrying Fire With The Janazah

Narrated Abu Hurairah

The Prophet (said) said: A bier should not be followed by a loud voice (of wailing) or fire.

Abu Dawud said: Harun (one of the narrators) added: "And it should not be preceded (with those) either."

Chapter 50: Hastening With The Janazah

Narrated Abu Hurairah

The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: Walk quickly with a funeral, for if the dead person was good it is a good condition to which you are sending him on, but it he was otherwise it is an evil of which you are riding yourselves.

Chapter 51: The Ruler Should Not Perform The Funeral Prayer For One Who Killed Himself

Narrated Jabir ibn Samurah

A man fell ill and a cry was raised (for his death). So his neighbour came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said to him: He has died. He asked: Who told you? He said: I have seen him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He has not died. He then returned.

A cry was again raised (for his death). He came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said: He has died. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: He has not died. He then returned.

A cry was again raised over him. His wife said: Go to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and inform him. The man said: O Allah, curse him.

He said: The man then went and saw that he had killed himself with an arrowhead. So he went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and informed him that he had died.

He asked: Who told you? He replied: I myself saw that he had killed himself with arrowheads. He asked: Have you seen him? He replied: Yes. He then said: Then I shall not pray over him.

Chapter 54: Offering The Funeral Prayer In The Masjid

Narrated AbuHurayrah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone prays over the dead in the mosque, there is nothing on him.

Chapter 58: Saying The Takbir Over The Deceased

Narrated Al-Sha'bi

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed a grave dug freshly. They arranged a row and uttered four takbirs over it. I asked al-Sha'bi: Who told you ? He replied: A reliable person whom 'Abd Allah b. 'Abbas attended.

Narrated Ibn Abi Laila

Zaid b. Arqam used to utter four takbirs (Allah is Most Great) over our dead person (during prayer). He uttered five takbirs on a dead person. So I asked him. He replied: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to utter those.

Abu Dawud said: I remember the tradition of Ibn al-Muthanna in a more guarded way.

Chapter 60: The Supplication For The Deceased

Narrated AbuHurayrah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When you pray over the dead, make a sincere supplication for him.

Chapter 63: Putting More Than One Deceased Person In A Grave And Marking The Grave

Narrated Al-Muttalib

When Uthman ibn Maz'un died, he was brought out on his bier and buried. The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered a man to bring him a stone, but he was unable to carry it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up and going over to it rolled up his sleeves.

The narrator Kathir told that al-Muttalib remarked: The one who told me about the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: I still seem to see the whiteness of the forearms of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he rolled up his sleeves. He then carried it and placed it at his head saying: I am marking my brother's grave with it, and I shall bury beside him those of my family who die.

Chapter 65: The Lahd (Niche)

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The niche in the side of the grave is for us and the excavation in the middle is for others.

Chapter 68: How To Sit By The Grave

Narrated Al-Bara' ibn Azib

We went out with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to the funeral of a man of the Ansar, but when we reached the grave, the niche in the side had not yet been made, so the Prophet (ﷺ) sat down facing the qiblah, and we sat down along with him.

Chapter 69: Supplicating For The Deceased When He Is Placed In His Grave

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar

When the Prophet (ﷺ) placed the dead in the grave, he said: In the name of Allah, and following the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). This is Muslim's version.

Chapter 72: Levelling The Grave

Narrated Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn AbuBakr

I said to Aisha! Mother, show me the grave of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his two Companions (Allah be pleased with them). She showed me three graves which were neither high nor low, but were spread with soft red pebbles in an open space.

Abu 'Ali said: It is said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is forward, Abu Bakr is near his head and 'Umar is near is feet. His head is at the feet of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

Chapter 76: Building Structures Over Graves

Narrated Jabir

I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) forbid to sit on the grave, to plaster it with gypsum, and to build any structure over it.

Chapter 78: Walking Between Graves While Wearing Shoes

Narrated Bashir, the Client of the Messenger of Allah

Bashir's name in pre-Islamic days was Zahm ibn Ma'bad. When he migrated to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He asked: What is your name? He replied: Zahm. He said: No, you are Bashir.

He (Bashir) said: When I was walking with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) he passed by the graves of the polytheists. He said: They lived before (a period of) abundant good. He said this three times. He then passed by the graves of Muslims. He said: They received abundant good.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) suddenly saw a man walking in shoes between the graves. He said: O man, wearing the shoes! Woe to thee! Take off thy shoes. So the man looked (round), When he recognized the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he took them off and threw them away.

Chapter 80: Praising The Deceased

Narrated AbuHurayrah

People with a bier passed by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). They (the companions) spoke highly of him. He said: Paradise is certain for him. Then some people with another (bier) passed by him. They spoke very badly of him. He said: Hell is certain for him. He then said: Some of you are witness to others.

Chapter 82: Women Visiting Graves

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) cursed women who visit graves, those who built mosques over them and erected lamps (there).

Chapter 59: What Is To Be Recited Over The Deceased

Narrated Talhah b. 'Abd Allah b. 'Awf

I prayed over a dead person along with Ibn 'Abbas. He recited Surat al-Fatihah and he said: This is the Sunnah.