Funerals (Al-Janaa'iz)
كتاب الجنائز
Chapter 1: What is said about funerals, and those whose last words were: La ilãha ilallãh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah)
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Someone came to me from my Lord and gave me the news (or good tidings) that if any of my followers dies worshipping none (in any way) along with Allah, he will enter Paradise." I asked, "Even if he committed illegal sexual intercourse (adultery) and theft?" He replied, "Even if he committed illegal sexual intercourse (adultery) and theft."
Chapter 2: The order of following the funeral procession
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ordered us to do seven things and forbade us to do other seven. He ordered us: to follow the funeral procession. to visit the sick, to accept invitations, to help the oppressed, to fulfill the oaths, to return the greeting and to reply to the sneezer: (saying, "May Allah be merciful on you," provided the sneezer says, "All the praises are for Allah,"). He forbade us to use silver utensils and dishes and to wear golden rings, silk (clothes), Dibaj (pure silk cloth), Qissi and Istabraq (two kinds of silk cloths).
I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "The rights of a Muslim on the Muslims are five: to respond to the salaam, visiting the sick, to follow the funeral processions, to accept an invitation, and to reply to those who sneeze. (see Hadith 1239)
Chapter 6: The superiority of the person whose child dies
The women requested the Prophet, "Please fix a day for us." So the Prophet (ﷺ) preached to them and said, "A woman whose three children died would be screened from the Hell Fire by them," Hearing that, a woman asked, "If two died?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "Even two (would screen her from the (Hell) Fire. " And Abu Huraira added, "Those children should be below the age of puberty. "
Chapter 10: To start from the right side while giving a bath to a dead body
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) , concerning his (dead) daughter's bath, said, "Start with the right side, and the parts which are washed in ablution."
Chapter 12: Can a woman be shrouded in the waist-sheet of a man?
The daughter of the Prophet (ﷺ) expired, and he said to us, "Wash her three or five times, or more if you see it necessary, and when you finish, notify me." So, (when we finished) we informed him and he unfastened his waist-sheet and told us to shroud her in it.
Chapter 19: Shrouding in two pieces of cloth
While a man was riding (his Mount) in `Arafat, he fell down from it (his Mount) and broke his neck (and died). The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Wash him with water and Sidr and shroud him in two pieces of cloth, and neither perfume him, nor cover his head, for he will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection saying, 'Labbaik,' (i.e. like a pilgrim)."
Chapter 21: How to shroud a Muhrim
A man fell from his Mount and died while he was with the Prophet (ﷺ) at `Arafat. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Wash him with water and Sidr and shroud him in two pieces of cloth and neither perfume him nor cover his head, for he will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection saying, 'Labbaik'."
Chapter 22: To shroud one in a shirt, stitched or unstitched
When `Abdullah bin Ubai (the chief of hypocrites) died, his son came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Please give me your shirt to shroud him in it, offer his funeral prayer and ask for Allah's forgiveness for him." So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) gave his shirt to him and said, "Inform me (When the funeral is ready) so that I may offer the funeral prayer." So, he informed him and when the Prophet intended to offer the funeral prayer, `Umar took hold of his hand and said, "Has Allah not forbidden you to offer the funeral prayer for the hypocrites? The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I have been given the choice for Allah says: '(It does not avail) Whether you (O Muhammad) ask forgiveness for them (hypocrites), or do not ask for forgiveness for them. Even though you ask for their forgiveness seventy times, Allah will not forgive them. (9.80)" So the Prophet (ﷺ) offered the funeral prayer and on that the revelation came: "And never (O Muhammad) pray (funeral prayer) for any of them (i.e. hypocrites) that dies." (9. 84)
The Prophet (ﷺ) came to (the grave of) `Abdullah bin Ubai after his body was buried. The body was brought out and then the Prophet (ﷺ) put his saliva over the body and clothed it in his shirt.
Chapter 23: To shroud (a dead) body without using a shirt
The Prophet (ﷺ) was shrouded in three pieces of cloth which were made of Suhul (a type of cotton), and neither a shirt nor a turban were used.
Chapter 26: If there is nothing except one piece of cloth (for shrouding)
Once a meal was brought to `Abdur-Rahman bin `Auf and he was fasting. He said, "Mustab bin `Umar was martyred and he was better than I and was shrouded in his Burd and when his head was covered with it, his legs became bare, and when his legs were covered his head got uncovered. Hamza was martyred and was better than I. Now the worldly wealth have been bestowed upon us (or said a similar thing). No doubt, I fear that the rewards of my deeds might have been given earlier in this world." Then he started weeping and left his food.
Chapter 27: If sufficient cloth for the shroud is not available
We emigrated with the Prophet (p.b.u.h) in Allah's cause, and so our reward was then surely incumbent on Allah. Some of us died and they did not take anything from their rewards in this world, and amongst them was Mustab bin `Umar; and the others were those who got their rewards. Mustab bin `Umar was martyred on the day of the Battle of Uhud and we could get nothing except his Burd to shroud him in. And when we covered his head his feet became bare and vice versa. So the Prophet (ﷺ) ordered us to cover his head only and to put idhkhir (a kind of shrub) over his feet.
Chapter 28: (if) somebody prepared his shroud (before his death)
A woman brought a woven Burda (sheet) having edging (border) to the Prophet, Then Sahl asked them whether they knew what is Burda, they said that Burda is a cloak and Sahl confirmed their reply. Then the woman said, "I have woven it with my own hands and I have brought it so that you may wear it." The Prophet (ﷺ) accepted it, and at that time he was in need of it. So he came out wearing it as his waist-sheet. A man praised it and said, "Will you give it to me? How nice it is!" The other people said, "You have not done the right thing as the Prophet (ﷺ) is in need of it and you have asked for it when you know that he never turns down anybody's request." The man replied, "By Allah, I have not asked for it to wear it but to make it my shroud." Later it was his shroud.
Chapter 32: The statement of the Prophet ﷺ : "The deceased is punished because of the weeping (with wailing) of some of his relatives, if wailing was the custom of that dead person."
One of the daughters of `Uthman died at Mecca. We went to attend her funeral procession. Ibn `Umar and Ibn `Abbas were also present. I sat in between them (or said, I sat beside one of them. Then a man came and sat beside me.) `Abdullah bin `Umar said to `Amr bin `Uthman, "Will you not prohibit crying as Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) has said, 'The dead person is tortured by the crying of his relatives.?" Ibn `Abbas said, "`Umar used to say so." Then he added narrating, "I accompanied `Umar on a journey from Mecca till we reached Al-Baida. There he saw some travelers in the shade of a Samura (A kind of forest tree). He said (to me), "Go and see who those travelers are." So I went and saw that one of them was Suhaib. I told this to `Umar who then asked me to call him. So I went back to Suhaib and said to him, "Depart and follow the chief of the faithful believers." Later, when `Umar was stabbed, Suhaib came in weeping and saying, "O my brother, O my friend!" (on this `Umar said to him, "O Suhaib! Are you weeping for me while the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The dead person is punished by some of the weeping of his relatives?" Ibn `Abbas added, "When `Umar died I told all this to Aisha and she said, 'May Allah be merciful to `Umar. By Allah, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did not say that a believer is punished by the weeping of his relatives. But he said, Allah increases the punishment of a non-believer because of the weeping of his relatives." Aisha further added, "The Qur'an is sufficient for you (to clear up this point) as Allah has stated: 'No burdened soul will bear another's burden.' " (35.18). Ibn `Abbas then said, "Only Allah makes one laugh or cry." Ibn `Umar did not say anything after that.
Chapter 34
On the day of the Battle of Uhud, my father was brought and he had been mutilated (in battle) and was placed in front of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and a sheet was over him. I went intending to uncover my father but my people forbade me; again I wanted to uncover him but my people forbade me. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) gave his order and he was shifted away. At that time he heard the voice of a crying woman and asked, "Who is this?" They said, "It is the daughter or the sister of `Amr." He said, "Why does she weep? (or let her stop weeping), for the angels had been shading him with their wings till he (i.e. the body of the martyr) was shifted away."
Chapter 35: He who tears off his clothes (when afflicted with a calamity) is not from us
the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who slaps his cheeks, tears his clothes and follows the ways and traditions of the Days of Ignorance is not one of us."
Chapter 37: Shaving the head on a calamity is forbidden
Abu Musa got seriously ill, fainted and could not reply to his wife while he was lying with his head in her lap. When he came to his senses, he said, "I am innocent of those, of whom Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was innocent. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) is innocent of a woman who cries aloud (or slaps her face) who shaves her head and who tear off her clothes (on the falling of a calamity)
Chapter 45: The forbiddance of wailing and crying aloud
At the time of giving the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet (ﷺ) one of the conditions was that we would not wail, but it was not fulfilled except by five women and they are Um Sulaim, Um Al-`Ala', the daughter of Abi Sabra (the wife of Mu`adh), and two other women; or the daughter of Abi Sabra and the wife of Mu`adh and another woman.
Chapter 47: when should one sit after standing for the funeral procession?
That his father said, "While we were accompanying a funeral procession, Abu Huraira got hold of the hand of Marwan and they sat down before the coffin was put down. Then Abu Sa`id came and took hold of Marwan's hand and said, "Get up. By Allah, no doubt this (i.e. Abu Huraira) knows that the Prophet forbade us to do that." Abu Huraira said, "He (Abu Sa`id) has spoken the truth."