THE SPECTACLES OF DEATH SERIES -No: 33 - Benefits - Supplications / Invocation / Dua / Etiquettes

One of the examples of the best etiquette when visiting the sick, is by our beloved former Prime  Minister - Tun Mahathir Mohamad.

Benefit - Supplications / Invocation / Dua / Etiquettes

It is quite desirable to visit the home of the bereaved person. It is also a source of reward for the neighbors, relatives, and intimate friends of the dead to offer condolences to the bereaved family. They should exhort the members of the bereaved family, both young and old, to show patience and resignation. They must be exhorted in these words: 

‘May Allah forgive the dead and forgive his/ her sins’. May Allah bless him/her with His mercy and grant you the strength to endure this loss. 

For condolence, the members of the bereaved family should make arrangements for sitting either in their own house or in the mosque. We should visit the home of the dead either for one day or for two or three days, and induce the members of the bereaved household to resign themselves to the will of God. To weep in a fulsome manner, to tear clothes, to beat the face or the chest, to throw dust on the head, and wearing black clothes by men—all these are the rites of ignorance. 

We should shun them. However, there is no harm if the bereaved person weeps in his heart and sheds tears. It is lawful that the neighbors and the relatives of the dead should send food for the bereaved family for a day or two, and that custom is unlawful according to which members of the bereaved family cook food on the third or fourth day and then invite the neighbors and the relatives of the deceased to partake of the meal. 

Such a custom should be abandoned. The excellent way is that this food should be cooked every day according to the family's convenience and the poor and the needy be invited to eat it so that the dead person may receive a reward.

Deeds on Behalf of Deceased Parents and How to Supplicate for Them.

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad  is His slave and Messenger.

Perhaps you are referring to what Imam Muslim cited in his Saheeh on the authority of Abu Hurayrah  that the Messenger of Allah  said: “When a person dies, all his good deeds cease except for three: a continuous charity, knowledge from which people derive benefit, and a righteous child who supplicates Allah for him.”

 [Muslim]

وَٱخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ ٱلذُّلِّ مِنَ ٱلرَّحْمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ٱرْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِى صَغِيرًۭا ٢٤

One of the best supplications to be recited in favor of the deceased parents is asking Allah, The Exalted, to confer mercy on them. He Says (what means): 

And lower unto them the wing of submission through mercy, and say: My Lord! Have mercy on them both as they did care for me when I was little.

— M. Pickthall

[Surah Al Isra: Ayat 24]

Invocations for the dead in the Funeral prayer

Also, asking Allah, The Exalted, to forgive them. The Prophet  said: “A man will be raised in status in Paradise and will say: ‘How did this happen?’ It will be said: ‘By your son asking forgiveness for you.’” 

[Ibn Maajah, Al-Booseeri: authentic]

Moreover, you may recite the supplications mentioned in Sharee‘ah texts, asking Allah, The Exalted, to bless them with Paradise, raise their ranks therein, save them from the torment of Hellfire, the torment of the grave and its Fitnah (trials), and to make their graves spacious and illuminate them. It was cited in Saheeh Muslim on the authority of Umm Salamah  that she said: “The Messenger of Allah  entered upon Abu Salamah when his eyes were still open shortly after he died. He closed his eyes and then said: 

'O Allah! Forgive Abu Salamah, raise his rank among rightly guided people, and grant him a successor from his descendants who remain behind. Forgive us and him, O Lord of the Worlds, make his grave spacious for him and illuminate it for him.'”

It was also cited in Saheeh Muslim on the authority of ‘Awf ibn Maalik Al-Ashja‘i  that "the Prophet  was once offering the funeral prayer, and he supplicated for the deceased, saying: 

[1]

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ، وَعَافِهِ، وَاعْفُ عَنْهُ، وَأَكْرِمْ نُزُلَهُ، وَوَسِّعْ مُدْخَلَهُ، وَاغْسِلْهُ بِالْمَاءِ وَالثَّلْجِ وَالْبَرَدْ، وَنَقِّهِ مِنَ الْخَطَايَا كَما نَقَّيْتَ الثَّوْبُ الأَبْيَضَ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ، وَأَبْدِلْهُ دَاراً خَيْراً مِنْ دَارِهِ، وَأَهْلاً خَيْراً مِنْ أَهْلِهِ، وَزَوْجاً خَيْراً مِنْ زَوْجِهِ، وَأَدْخِلْهُ الْجَنَّةَ، وَأَعِذْهُ مِنْ عَذَابِ 

الْقَبْرِ وَعَذَابِ النَّارِ

[Allaahum-maghfir lahu warhamhu, wa 'aafihi, wa'fu 'anhu, wa 'akrim nuzulahu, wa wassi' mudkhalahu, waghsilhu bilmaa'i waththalji walbaradi, wa naqqihi minal-khataayaa kamaa naqqaytath-thawbal-'abyadha minad-danasi, wa 'abdilhu daaran khayran min daarihi, wa 'ahlan khayran min 'ahlihi, wa zawjan khayran min zawjihi, wa 'adkhilhul-jannata, wa. 'a'ithhu min 'athaabil-qabri wa 'athaabin-naar.]

O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him and give him strength and pardon him. Be generous to him and cause his entrance to be wide and wash him with water and snow and hail. Cleanse him of his transgressions as white cloth is cleansed of stains. Give him an abode better than his home, and a family better than his family and a wife better than his wife. Take him into Paradise and protect him from the punishment of the grave (and from the punishment of Hellfire).

[[Hisnul 156] [Muslim 2/663.]]

[2]

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرَّْ لِحَيِّنَا، وَمَيِّتِنَا، وَشَاهِدِنَا، وَغَائِبِنَا، وَصَغِيرِنَا وَكَبِيرِنَا، وَذَكَرِنَا وَأُنْثَانَا. اللَّهُمَّ مَنْ أَحْيَيْتَهُ مِنَّا فَأَحْيِهِ عَلَى الإِسْلَامِ، وَمَنْ تَوَفَّيْتَهُ مِنَّا فَتَوَفَّهُ عَلَى الإِيمَانِ، اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَحْرِمْنَا أَجْرَهُ، وَلَا تُضِلَّنَا بَعْدَهُ

Allaahum-maghfir lihayyinaa, wa mayyitinaa, wa shaahidinaa, wa ghaa'ibinaa, wa sagheerinaa wa kabeerinaa, wa thakarinaa wa 'unthaanaa. Allaahumma man 'ahyaytahu minnaa fa'ahyihi 'alal-'Islaami, wa man tawaffaytahu minnaa fatawaffahu 'alal-'eemaani, Allaahumma laa tahrimnaa 'ajrahu wa laa tudhillanaa ba'dahu.

O Allah forgive our living and our dead, those who are with us and those who are absent, our young and our old, our menfolk and our womenfolk. O Allah, whomever you give life from among us give him life in Islam, and whomever you take way from us take him away in Faith. O Allah, do not forbid us their reward and do not send us astray after them.

[[Hisnul 157] [Ibn Majah 1/480, Ahmad 2/368.]]

[3]

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّ (باسمه) في ذِمَّتِكَ، وَحَبْلِ جِوَارِكَ، فَقِهِ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْقَبْرِ وَعَذَابِ النَّار، وَأَنْتَ أَهْلُ الْوَفَاءِ وَالْحَقِّ، فَاغْفِرْْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Allaahumma 'inna (name the person) fee thimmatika, wa habli jiwaarika, faqihi min fitnatil-qabri wa 'athaabin-naari, wa 'Anta 'ahlul-wafaa'i walhaqqi. Faghfir lahu warhaw.hu 'innaka 'Antal-Ghafoorur-Raheem.

O Allah, surely (say the person's name) is under Your protection, and in the rope of Your security, so save him from the trial of the grave and from the punishment of the Fire. You fulfill promises and grant rights, so forgive him and have mercy on him. Surely You are Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.

[[Hisnul 158] [Ibn Majah, Abu Dawud 3/211.]]

[4]

اللَّهُمَّ عَبْدُكَ وَابْنُ أَمَتِكَ احْتَاجَ إِلَى رَحْمَتِكَ، وَأَنْتَ غَنِيٌّ عَنْ عَذَابِهِ، إِنْ كَانَ مُحْسِناً فَزِدْ فِي حَسَنَاتِهِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ مُسِيئاً فَتَجَاوَزْ عَنْهُ

Allaahumma 'abduka wabnu 'amatika ihtaaja 'ilaa rahmatika, wa 'Anta ghaniyyun 'an 'athaabihi, 'in kaana muhsinan fazid fee hasanaatihi, wa 'in kaana musee'an fatajaawaz 'anhu.

O Allah, Your male slave and the child of Your female slave is in need of Your mercy, and You are not in need of his torment. If he was pious then increase his rewards and if he was a transgressor then pardon him.

[[Hisnul 159] [Al-Hakim 1/359.]]

The Etiquettes of Reciting Dua For the Deceased at The Funeral Prayer

When making dua for the deceased at the funeral prayer, pray with genuine concern for the forgiveness of the deceased. It is the heartfelt prayer that holds great importance for the family as well as the deceased. Be humble, and show consideration and compassion for the family as well as the deceased. We all have to return to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى), and death is a reality we can’t run away from. Pray with respect and do it in a manner as if you are requesting Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) to bestow His mercy on the departed.   

Benefits of Reciting the Dua For the Deceased at The Funeral Prayer

The benefit of making dua for the deceased at the funeral prayer extends beyond this world. Making dua for the departed soul and their ease of transitioning from this world to the next is reflective of how we are pleading to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) to make it easier for them. Making dua is symbolic of requesting Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) to forgive the deceased person and allow them to have a comfortable abode.

This also instills in one a chance to reflect on their life in this world, and that makes them mindful of their acts in this little life. Making dua also offers support to the grieving members and helps them to accept the reality and have patience to deal with this tragedy.

What are the rules for a funeral in Islam?

The deceased should be given a ghusal and should be shrouded in a ‘kafan.’ The burial should take place at the earliest for the ease and honor of the deceased.

Is attending a funeral a sunnah?

Yes. It is a sunnah to attend a farewell, and Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) rewards the person who fulfills this rite to another Muslim.

What is the mourning period?

The common answer by many religious scholars is that the mourning period is of three days. One can grieve in one's heart but should not wail or refrain from the daily life activities. Only a widow's mourning period is of three lunar months.

Allah Knows best.

 Allah/ Prophet / علیہ السلام    /رضي الله عنه /رَحِمَهَا ٱللَّٰهُ