Funerals

Jaafar ibn Muhammad reported from his father, in mursal form, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, cast three handfuls of earth over the deceased, both his hands together; he sprinkled over the grave of his son Ibrahim and placed pebbles on it. It is reported in Sharh al-Sunnah. Al-Shafii transmitted from the words ‘he sprinkled.’

Jabir reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade plastering graves, writing on them, and walking over them. Al-Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Jabir reported: The grave of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was sprinkled with water. Bilal ibn Rabah was the one who sprinkled water over his grave from a waterskin. He began at the head and continued to the feet. Al-Bayhaqi transmitted it in Dala’il al-Nubuwwa.

Al-Muttalib ibn Abi Wada reports: When Uthman ibn Mazun died, his funeral was brought out and he was buried. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered a man to bring him a stone, but the man could not carry it. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, went to it and bared his forearms. Al-Muttalib said: The one who informed me about the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘It is as though I can see the whiteness of the Messenger of Allah’s forearms when he bared them.’ Then he carried the stone, placed it at the head of the grave, and said, ‘I mark my brother’s grave with it, and I will bury beside him whoever among my family dies.’ Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad reported: I visited Aisha and said, ‘Mother, uncover for me the grave of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his two companions.’ She uncovered three graves for me, neither raised nor low-lying, spread in the red gravel plain of al-Arsa.

Al-Bara ibn Azib reported: We went out with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, for the funeral of a man from the Ansar. When we reached the grave, its side niche had not yet been made. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, sat facing the qibla, and we sat with him. Abu Dawud, al-Nasai, and Ibn Majah transmitted it. Ibn Majah added at the end: ‘As though birds were on our heads.’

Aisha reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘Breaking the bone of the deceased is like breaking it while he is alive.’ Malik, Abu Dawud, and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Anas reported: We were present when the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was being buried. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was sitting beside the grave, and I saw his eyes shedding tears. He said, ‘Is there anyone among you who did not have intercourse last night?’ Abu Talha said, ‘I did not.’ He said, ‘Go down into her grave.’ So he went down into her grave. Al-Bukhari transmitted it.

Amr ibn al-As said to his son while he was in the throes of death: ‘When I die, let no wailing woman or fire accompany me. When you have buried me, scatter earth over me in successive handfuls. Then remain around my grave for as long as it takes to slaughter a camel and divide its meat, so that I may feel comforted by your presence and know what answer I shall give to my Lord’s messengers.’ Muslim transmitted it.

Abdullah ibn Umar reported that he heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say, ‘When one of you dies, do not keep him back; hasten him to his grave. Let the opening of al-Baqara be recited at his head and its ending at his feet.’ Al-Bayhaqi transmitted it in Shuab al-Iman and said, ‘The sound view is that it is mawquf upon him.’

Ibn Abi Mulayka reported: When Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr died at al-Hubshi—a place near Mecca—and was carried to Mecca and buried there, Aisha came to his grave and said: ‘We were like the two companions of Jadhima for a long age, until it was said, “The two will never part.” When we parted, it was as though Malik and I, despite our long companionship, had never spent a night together.’ Then she said, ‘By Allah, had I been present with you, you would only have been buried where you died; and had I witnessed you, I would not have visited you.’ Al-Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Rafi reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, lowered Saad and sprinkled water over his grave. Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Abu Hurayra reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed over a funeral, then went to the grave and cast three handfuls of earth over it from the head end. Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Amr ibn Hazm reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saw me leaning against a grave and said, ‘Do not harm the occupant of this grave’—or, ‘Do not harm it.’ Ahmad transmitted it.

Anas reported: We went with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, to visit Abu Sayf the smith, who was Ibrahim’s foster-father. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, took Ibrahim, kissed him, and smelled him. Later we went in to him while Ibrahim was giving up his soul, and the Messenger of Allah’s eyes began to shed tears. Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf said, ‘Even you, Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘This is mercy.’ Then he shed another tear and said, ‘The eye sheds tears and the heart grieves, but we say only what pleases our Lord. We are indeed grieved by our separation from you, Ibrahim.’

Usama ibn Zayd reported: The daughter of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, sent him a message: ‘My son has died; come to us.’ He sent back greetings and said, ‘What Allah takes belongs to Him, what He gives belongs to Him, and everything with Him has an appointed term. Let her be patient and seek her reward with Allah.’ She sent again, adjuring him to come. He arose, accompanied by Saad ibn Ubada, Muadh ibn Jabal, Ubayy ibn Kab, Zayd ibn Thabit, and other men. The child was raised to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, while his soul was rattling, and his eyes overflowed with tears. Saad said, ‘Messenger of Allah, what is this?’ He replied, ‘This is mercy that Allah has placed in the hearts of His servants. Allah shows mercy among His servants only to the merciful.’

Abdullah ibn Umar reported: Saad ibn Ubada became ill, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came to visit him with Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, and Abdullah ibn Masud. When he entered, he found him in a state of unconsciousness and said, ‘Has he died?’ They replied, ‘No, Messenger of Allah.’ The Prophet wept, and when the people saw him weeping, they wept too. He said, ‘Do you not hear? Allah does not punish for tears of the eye or grief of the heart, but He punishes for this’—and he pointed to his tongue—‘or He shows mercy. The deceased is indeed tormented by the weeping of his family.’

Abdullah ibn Masud reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘He is not one of us who strikes his cheeks, tears his garments, and calls out with the calls of the pre-Islamic age.’

Abu Burda reported: Abu Musa fainted, and his wife, Umm Abdullah, began to cry out with a piercing wail. When he came to, he said, ‘Do you not know?’ He used to tell her that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘I disavow the one who shaves, wails aloud, and tears garments.’ This is the wording of Muslim.

Abu Malik al-Ashari reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘There are four practices from the pre-Islamic age in my community that they will not abandon: boasting of ancestry, attacking lineages, seeking rain through the stars, and wailing.’ He also said, ‘If a wailing woman does not repent before she dies, she will be made to stand on the Day of Resurrection wearing a garment of tar and a garment of mange.’ Muslim transmitted it.