What should i do on the death of a family member/friend/relatives/neighbours.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa
Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
dear mr.
burhan
assalamo
alaikum
pls. advise us what should i do on the death of a family member /friend /relatives
/
neighbours.
a) if it happens in your house what should one do according to sunnah.
b) if i
visit neighbour/relatives/friends should i go and recite quran in their house
joining others reciting quran/tasbih etc?
say
fatiha? what is fatiha and how should one say?
pls. let
us know the procedure in detail. i will be very greatful to you.
thanks
alot.
jazakallah
a sister
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errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
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Answer:
Innovations
on dead deceased
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is no one (no idol, no person, no
grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Q-1: if it happens
in your house what should one do according to sunnah.
If one experiences the death of a loved one, one should
follow the guidance and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and mourn
the deceased loved ones in a way and manner only as endorsed by the Messenger
of Allah (saws):
- First
and foremost one should immediately prepare to give the deceased an
honorable burial in accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah
(saws).
- The
mourning period of the deceased should be limited to three days, except in
the case of the death of one’s husband, where the wife is to mourn the
prescribed period of four months and ten days.
Sahih Al-Bukhari
Hadith 2.370 Narrated by Zainab
bint Abi Salama
Um Habiba related
that she heart the Prophet (saws) saying: 'It is not legal for a woman who
believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn for more than three days for any
dead person except her husband, for whom she should mourn for four months and
ten days.' "
- The
relatives, friends, neighbors and loved ones should visit the family of
the deceased during the mourning period and prepare (or bring) some food
for the deceased’s family.
When Hadrat Jafar ibn
Abu Taalib (r.a.) was martyred, Abdullah ibn Ja'far reported that the Messenger
of Allah (saws) said: "Prepare some food for the family of Ja'far, for
what has befallen them is keeping them preoccupied."
- One
should try to console and share the grief of the family of the loved ones,
exhort them to patience, and help the deceased’s family in any way they
can.
- And
above all, one should earnestly supplicate the Lord Most Merciful to have
Mercy on their deceased loved one.
Q-2: if i visit
neighbour/relatives/friends should i go and recite quran in their house joining
others reciting quran/tasbih etc?
Abu Hurairah reported that The Prophet (saws), said, 'When a
person dies all his good deeds cease except for three: a continuous act of
charity, beneficial knowledge, and a
righteous offspring who prays for him'.''
Related by Muslim and Abu Dawood.
For absolutely all acts of worship, we must always follow
what is said by Allah and His Messenger (saws).
There is absolutely no evidence that the Messenger of Allah (saws), his noble family, or any of his noble companions ever gathered
people at the house of the deceased and recited the Glorious Quran or performed
the ‘tasbeeh’ for the deceased!
The Glorious Quran is a Book of Guidance revealed by Allah
for the guidance of the living amongst mankind and one who is alive will
definitely benefit from its recitation and from its commands of Wisdom and
Knowledge. In light of the above
narration and clear guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), all the good deeds of a person who dies cease
except for three things specifically mentioned;
and the recitation of the Quran over the deceased is not one of them!
Just as one cannot do a sin and transfer it to the account
of the deceased; one cannot do any good
deed and transfer it to the deceased unless specified by Allah and His
Messenger (saws)!
But what can and must do is make constant supplication for
his deceased brother/sister in faith to the Merciful Lord, and beseech Him to be Merciful on the departed
soul, forgive his/her sins and grant them an honorable place in Paradise. This was the practice and the Sunnah of the
Messenger of Allah (saws).
Thus gathering and the ceremonial reading of the Quran
over the deceased and/or to transfer the reward of the recitation of the Quran
to the deceased, is a clear and manifest
innovation, and the believers who
sincerely believe in Allah and the Last Day must abstain from this and every
innovation that has unfortunately crept into the deen of Islam.
Q-3: say fatiha?
what is fatiha and how should one say?
The literal meaning of the Arabic term ‘Fatihah’ is something
which opens a subject or a book or any other thing. The Surah with the Seven Verses which start
the Glorious Quran is known as the Surah Al-Fatihah.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 1 Surah
Al-Fatihah verses 1-7:
1 In the Name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful.
2 Praise be to Allah the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds.
3 Most Gracious Most Merciful.
4 Master of the Day of Judgment.
5 Thee do we worship and Thine aid we seek.
6 Show us the straight way.
7 The way of those on
whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath and who
go not astray.
If one understands the clear meanings of what one is
saying while reciting Surah Fatihah, one would realize that after praising and
glorifying Allah, one is beseeching Allah to guide oneself to the Straight
Path. This is a dua and a supplication
a living beings makes to His Lord and Creator;
and in response to his supplication Allah has given mankind the whole
Quran to guide those amongst them who want to believe and be guided to the
Straight Path of Islam! If one reads the
Surah Fatihah with understanding, one will immediately realize that the benefit
is for the person who makes this supplication and definitely not for the
departed soul! The one who recites Surah Fatihah will
definitely receive its reward and ajr;
but the recitation of this Surah has absolutely no benefit for the
departed soul.
There is absolutely no evidence in the practice and Sunnah
of the Messenger of Allah (saws) that he would recite the Surah Fatihah when
visiting the deceased’s family, nor did he (saws) ever encourage nor endorse
the recitation of this Surah for the deceased!
It is indeed unfortunate that some amongst the ignorant
have invented a whole rite and ritual for the deceased and named it ‘fatihah’,
whereby people are gathered for this supposed ritual of ‘fatihah’, food,
fruits, etc. is specifically served by the deceased family to those who have
gathered for this ritual of ‘fatihah’, etc.!
Allah Subhanah is our witness, this whole ritual of ‘fatihah’ for the
deceased is a self-invented and innovated rite and does not have an iota of
evidence from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws); and the believers
who sincerely believe in Allah and the Last Day must abstain from this and
every innovation that has unfortunately crept into the deen of Islam.
Sahih Muslim Hadith 1885 Narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah
That the Prophet of Allah (saws) said in a
sermon: “The best speech is that which
is embodied in the Book of Allah, the Al Quran;
and the best guidance is the guidance given by me, Mohamed (saws). The most evil affairs are the innovations, and
every innovation is an error.”
Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4515 Narrated by Ali ibn AbuTalib
That the Prophet of Allah (saws) said: “If
anyone introduces an innovation (in religion), he will be responsible for it. If anyone introduces an innovation or gives
shelter to a man who introduces an innovation he is cursed by Allah, by His
Angels, and by all the people.”
Instead of visiting, consoling, helping, and assisting the
family of the deceased to come to terms with their grief, the ignorant amongst
the people burden them with such innovations as ‘fatihah’ where the deceased’s
family are made to run around to accommodate the gatherers, buy or borrow
copies of the Quran which would be read over the deceased, and prepare an
enormous amount of food to feed those who gather for the ritual!! Not satisfied with putting this physical and
financial burden upon the bereaved family, some amongst the most ignorant even
go to the extent of repeating this innovated ritual on the 1st, 2nd,
3rd, 9th, 10th, 30th and 40th
day of the death of the deceased! Allah
is our witness, this innovated ritual of what is known today as ‘fatihah’ over
the deceased neither helps nor consoles nor lightens the burden of the bereaved
family; but rather increases it!!!
But the ‘deen’ of mercy and the one who was sent as a
‘mercy to the worlds’, Prophet Mohamed (saws) guided the believers to earnestly
supplicate the Lord Most Merciful to have mercy on their deceased brother or
sister, help and assist the bereaved family in any and every which way they
can, feed them during these trying days, share their grief, and help them to
bring their lives back to normal as soon as possible.
If one trusts,
obeys, and follows the guidance
and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger
(saws), one can be assured of being led
astray.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your brother and well wisher in
Islam,
Burhan