Riyad al-Salihin
From the words of the Master of the Messengers
Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him
Chapter: Hastening the Funeral
From Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him
From the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"Hasten with the funeral;
for if it is righteous,
it is a good that you are advancing it toward,
and if it is otherwise,
it is an evil that you are removing from your necks."
Agreed upon.
And in a narration by Muslim:
"It is a good that you are advancing it toward."
From the benefits of the hadith:
The recommendation to hasten the burial of the deceased.
The recommendation to walk quickly when carrying the bier.
And not to delay its procession.
It is disliked to hasten excessively,
due to the harms that may result from it.
And from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to say:
"When the funeral is placed,
and the men carry it upon their shoulders,
if it is righteous, it says:
'Take me forth!'
And if it is not righteous,
it says to its family:
'Woe to it!
Where are you taking it?'
Everything hears its voice except for humans;
and if a human were to hear it, he would faint."
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
Chapter: Promptly Settling the Debts of the Deceased
And hastening to prepare them for burial,
unless they die suddenly,
in which case they are left until it is certain they have passed away.
From Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"The soul of the believer is suspended by their debt
until it is settled on their behalf."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
"Suspended by their debt"
means it is held back and detained from its noble station.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The recommendation to hasten the settlement of debt on behalf of the deceased,
because they are affected by it after their death.
And from Husayn ibn Wahwah, may Allah be pleased with him,
that Talhah ibn al-Bara' ibn 'Azib, may Allah be pleased with him, fell ill,
and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, came to visit him.
He said:
"I do not see Talhah but that death has overtaken him;
so inform me of him and hasten with him,
for it is not fitting for the corpse of a Muslim
to be detained among their family."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
Chapter: Exhortation at the Grave
From 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
We were at a funeral in Baqi' al-Gharqad,
and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, came to us.
He sat, and we sat around him,
and he had a staff with him.
He lowered his head and began to scratch the ground with his staff,
then he said:
"There is not one among you but that his seat in the Fire has been written,
and his seat in Paradise."
They said:
"O Messenger of Allah,
should we not then rely upon what is written for us?"
He said:
"Act,
for everyone is facilitated toward that for which they were created."
And he mentioned the rest of the hadith.
Agreed upon.
Al-Gharqad:
A type of thorny tree.
And Baqi' al-Gharqad
is the graveyard of the people of the Prophetic city.
Makhsarah:
A staff with a curved head.
Nakkasa:
Meaning he lowered his head.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Exhortation at the grave is recommended,
because it is most effective at that time.
This is because seeing the deceased and remembering death
softens the heart and removes its hardness.
The permissibility of sitting in the graveyard around a scholar
so that he may exhort them,
provided they do not harm the deceased
by sitting upon their graves.
Affirmation of the Divine Decree (Qadar),
and that action does not contradict what is written,
and the writing is not a form of compulsion,
rather, it exists based on the knowledge of Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.
Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He,
facilitates for those who were previously known in His knowledge,
and written in His Book as being among the people of felicity,
the deeds of the people of felicity.
And whoever is among the people of wretchedness,
He facilitates for them the deeds of the people of wretchedness.
Chapter: Supplication for the Deceased After Burial
And sitting at their grave for a while to supplicate for them,
and to seek forgiveness and recite [Qur'an].
From Abu 'Amr—it is also said Abu 'Abdullah,
and it is said Abu Layla—
'Uthman ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
when he finished burying the deceased,
would stand over him and say:
"Seek forgiveness for your brother,
and ask for steadfastness for him,
for he is being questioned now."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The brotherhood of faith and its benefits
do not exist only during one's lifetime,
but extend to what is after death.
Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He,
allows the people of faith to intercede for one another.
A clarification of what the deceased needs after death,
which is asking Allah to grant them steadfastness.
And from 'Amr ibn al-'As, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"When you bury me,
stay around my grave
for the time it takes to slaughter a camel
and distribute its meat,
so that I may find comfort in you,
and know how to respond to the messengers of my Lord."
Narrated by Muslim.
It has already been mentioned in full.
Al-Shafi'i, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"It is recommended to recite something of the Qur'an at the grave,
and if the entire Qur'an is completed there, it is good."
From the benefits of the hadith:
The deceased finds comfort in the supplication of their brothers and family at their grave.
The statement of al-Shafi'i, may Allah have mercy on him:
"It is recommended to recite something of the Qur'an at the grave,
and if the entire Qur'an is completed there, it is good,"
this is the opinion of the followers of al-Shafi'i,
and not of al-Shafi'i himself.
Chapter: Charity on Behalf of the Deceased and Supplication for Them
Allah the Almighty said:
“And those who came (into the faith) after them say: Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who were before us in the faith, and place not in our hearts any rancour toward those who believe. Our Lord! Thou art Full of Pity, Merciful.” (59:10)
“And those who came (into the faith) after them say: Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who were before us in the faith, and place not in our hearts any rancour toward those who believe. Our Lord! Thou art Full of Pity, Merciful.” (59:10)
From 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
that a man said to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
"My mother passed away suddenly,
and I think that if she had been able to speak, she would have given charity.
So, will she have a reward if I give charity on her behalf?"
He said: "Yes."
Agreed upon.
"Fulatat"
means her soul was snatched away, so she died.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Sudden death deprives the person of the good of giving charity and seeking forgiveness.
The permissibility of a child giving charity on behalf of their parents.
And from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"When a human dies, their deeds are cut off except for three:
ongoing charity,
knowledge that is benefited from,
or a righteous child who supplicates for them."
Narrated by Muslim.
From the benefits of the hadith:
This hadith explains some of what the deceased benefits from after their death,
which is the righteous legacy and ongoing charities they left behind.
Among the things the deceased benefits from through the actions of others are:
First: The supplication of a Muslim for them.
Second: The guardian of the deceased fulfilling a vow of fasting on their behalf.
Third: Settling their debt by any person whatsoever.
Chapter: People Praising the Deceased
From Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
They passed by a funeral,
and they praised it with good.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"It has become mandatory."
Then they passed by another,
and they praised it with evil.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"It has become mandatory."
'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"What has become mandatory?"
He said: "This one you praised with good,
so Paradise has become mandatory for him.
And this one you praised with evil,
so the Fire has become mandatory for him.
You are the witnesses of Allah on earth."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The permissibility of praising the deceased, unlike the living.
This is because the deceased benefits from the praise,
as it serves as a testimony before Allah regarding them,
unlike the living,
for whom it may be a cause of showing off or arrogance,
and other spiritual ailments.
Those whose testimony is considered in such matters
are the people of virtue and truthfulness,
not others among the corrupt and the hypocrites,
because they praise those who are like themselves.
An explanation of the virtue of this Ummah.
Understanding that they are the witnesses of Allah on earth.
On the authority of Abu al-Aswad, who said:
I arrived in Medina.
I sat with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him.
A funeral procession passed by them.
The people praised the deceased for his goodness.
‘Umar said, "It is guaranteed."
Then another passed by.
The people praised the deceased for his goodness.
‘Umar said, "It is guaranteed."
Abu al-Aswad said:
I asked, "What is guaranteed, O Commander of the Faithful?"
He replied:
"I said exactly what the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
'Any Muslim for whom four people testify to his goodness,
Allah will admit him into Paradise.'
We asked, 'And three?'
He said:
'And three.'
'And three.'
We asked, 'And two?'
He said:
'And two.'
Then we did not ask him about one."
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, followed the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Believers do not differ in their evaluation of men.
This is because they proceed from a fixed foundation.
Which is evaluating the deeds of men according to the Book and the Sunnah.
Not the other way around.
Chapter: The virtue of one whose young children die.
On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"There is no Muslim whose three children die before reaching the age of puberty,
but Allah will admit him into Paradise by the grace of His mercy toward them."
Agreed upon.
"Before reaching the age of puberty"
Meaning, they have not reached the age of maturity,
so that sins would be recorded against them.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Whoever is patient upon the loss of his children and seeks reward from Allah,
Allah will admit him into Paradise.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"No Muslim shall lose three of his children,
and the Fire shall touch him,
except for the fulfillment of the oath."
Agreed upon.
"The fulfillment of the oath" refers to:
The saying of Allah the Exalted:
“There is not one of you but shall approach it. That is a fixed ordinance of thy Lord.” (19:71)
The "coming" is the crossing over the Sirat.
It is a bridge set up over the back of Hellfire,
may Allah protect us from it.
On the authority of Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
A woman came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and said:
"O Messenger of Allah,
the men have taken all your hadiths,
so set aside a day for us from your time when we may come to you,
so you may teach us from what Allah has taught you."
He said:
"Gather on such-and-such a day."
They gathered,
and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, came to them,
and taught them from what Allah had taught him.
Then he said:
"There is no woman among you who loses three of her children,
but they will be a shield for her against the Fire."
A woman asked:
"And two?"
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, replied:
"And two."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The permissibility for women to ask a scholar to teach them the Shari‘ah.
The permissibility of designating a specific day for teaching women.
A scholar should alert the student to matters they are in greater need of than others.
For here is the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, after teaching the women,
he urged them to be patient upon the loss of their children,
because they are more prone to wailing and showing grief than men.
Chapter: Weeping and fear when passing by the graves of the wrongdoers and the sites of their destruction,
and demonstrating one's need for Allah the Exalted,
and a warning against being heedless of that.
On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to his Companions,
meaning when they reached al-Hijr, the dwellings of Thamud:
"Do not enter upon these people who were punished,
unless you are weeping.
If you are not weeping, then do not enter upon them,
lest what befell them befall you."
Agreed upon.
In another narration, he said:
When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed by al-Hijr, he said:
"Do not enter the dwellings of those who wronged themselves,
lest what befell them befall you,
unless you are weeping."
Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, covered his head,
and quickened his pace until he had crossed the valley.
Al-Hijr is the land of Thamud, located between Medina and the Levant.
This occurred during the expedition of Tabuk.
"Lest what befell them befall you" means: for fear that what befell them might befall you.
"Covered his head"
means he pulled his garment over it.
"Crossed the valley"
means he traversed it and left it behind him.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Weeping prompts reflection and taking heed.
It is as if he commanded them to reflect on circumstances that necessitate weeping,
such as Allah’s decree upon those people of disbelief,
despite Him granting them power on earth,
and granting them respite for a long time,
then inflicting His vengeance upon them and the severity of His punishment.
He, glory be to Him, is the Turner of hearts.
So a believer should not feel secure that his own end might not be similar to that.
Whoever does not take heed from such things,
it indicates the hardness of his heart and his lack of humility.
Thus, he is not safe from being led into acting as they acted,
and then what befell them befalls him.
A prohibition against residing in the dwellings of those who were punished,
and the necessity of quickening one's pace when passing by them.
Riyadh al-Salihin.