THE SPECTACLES OF DEATH SERIES -No: 27 - The description of the throes of death

{Illustration Only)

The description of the throes of death

When the signs of death become manifest on a person, when his footsteps begin to stagger and he is unable to walk properly; the nose is curved, pits appear on the temples and the skin of the face becomes stiff we should lay him down on the right side of his by keeping his face in the direction of Holy Ka‘bah. And it is preferential if a pious man recites loudly near him “‘Kalimah-e-Shahadat”:—

I declare that there is no God but Allah, and I declare that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger (Rasulullah).

And the pious man should not compel the dying man to recite the same as he is undergoing the agonies of death. If he recites it (Kalima-c-Shahadat) once, it is sufficient. If he subsequently speaks about anything, the pious man should again advise him in the same manner. And it would be quite advisable if the pious man recites to him “‘Sura Ya Sin” by sitting near him and God-fearing people should come and sit near him. 

When he is dead, his beard should be tied to his head with a piece of cloth and his eyes closed softly. And one should, at the time of tying the cloth, recite to him the following tradition: In the name of Allah, and with (the blessing for one) who follows the creed of Ibrahim: O Allah! make his affair easy for him and make his subsequent (journey) light for him and bless him with his meeting with Thee and make that better for him what he has been able to get than what has gone out of him.

His hands and feet should be laid to rest straight and it is better if his clothes are put off and his body covered with a sheet of cloth and his clothes are placed on the cot or wooden bench and should not be left lying on the ground. Then his relatives, friends, intimates, and others, living in his neighborhood, should be informed of his death so that they may join his funeral prayer and pray for him. And it is quite advisable if his debt is cleared off. And the arrangements for his burial are made at once. Before washing his dead body the recitation of the Holy Qur’an by his side is prohibited.