You are Allah’s Witnesses Upon the Earth

Assalamu alaikum, after some time I have been able to post some more notes Alhamdulillah. Below are the first part of my notes from Lesson 181 of the Commentary of al Tajrid al Sarih (Book of Funerals, The Abridged Saheeh al-Bukhari) which was delivered by our respected teacher Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq on Friday 25th January 2008.

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Chapter of People’s Praise of the Deceased

باب: ثَنَاءُ النّاسِ عَلَى المَيّت

686. عَنْ أَنَسٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ: مَرّوا بِجَنَازَةٍ فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا خَيْرًا, فَقَالَ النّبِيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم: (وَجَبَتْ). ثُمّ مَرّوا بِأُخْرَى فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا شَرّا, فَقَالَ: (وَجَبَتْ). فَقَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الخَطّابِ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ: ما وَجَبَتْ قَالَ: (هذا أَثْنَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ خَيْرًا, فَوَجَبَتْ لَهُ الجَنّةُ, وَهذَا أَثْنَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ شَرّا, فَوَجَبَتْ لَهُ النّارُ, أَنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءُ اللهِ في الأَرْضِ). رواه البخاري: 1367

Hadeeth 686 - Narrated Anas (bin Mâlik) رضى الله عنه : A funeral procession passed and the people praised the deceased. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, It has been affirmed to him. Then another funeral procession passed and the people spoke badly of the deceased. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, It has been affirmed to him. 'Umar bin Al Khattâb asked Allâh's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم , What has been affirmed? He replied, You have praised this one so Paradise has been affirmed to him; and you have dispraised (spoken badly of) the other, so Hell has been affirmed to him. You people are Allâh's witnesses on earth. (2:448O.B.)

The sahabah spoke about two funerals that had arrived. They spoke highly of one of the deceased. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said it has become incumbent (binding). When the second funeral arrived, the sahabah spoke ill of the deceased. They had nothing good to say about the deceased. Again, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said it has become incumbent (binding). This incident is made clearer by a narration in Imam Hakim’s Mustadrak. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) asked the sahabah that what good do you have to say about this person. They said that he loved Allah and His Rasul (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and he worked hard to please Allah and His Rasul (صلى الله عليه وسلم). When they spoke ill of the second person, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) asked them to clarify why they spoke ill of this person. They said that he disliked Allah and His Rasul (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and he worked hard to disobey Allah and His Rasul (صلى الله عليه وسلم). This is when the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that Jannah has become obligatory for him (i.e. for the first deceased) and Jahanam has become obligatory for the second deceased. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said to the companions ‘You are Allah’s witnesses upon the earth’. Sayidina Abu Bakr (رضى الله عنه) said ‘Ya Rasulullah. What is this?’ Sayidina Abu Bakr (رضى الله عنه) sought an explanation. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that Allah has angels upon the earth who speak on men’s tongues. When the angels want to say something good about someone their speech is manifest, or their inner feelings are expressed upon the tongues of man. Thus, Allah causes men to speak of what the angels want to say; good for good and bad for bad.

Allah manifested the praise of the first deceased and the ill words about the second deceased upon the tongues of the sahabah. This is why the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said ‘You are Allah’s witnesses upon the earth’.

In Imam Muslim’s narration the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said ‘It has become binding’ thrice and he also ‘You are Allah’s witnesses upon the earth’ thrice.

Does this mean that if we speak highly of the deceased will they go to Jannah? Also, we know from previous ahadeeth that we should not speak ill of the dead? How do we reconcile this with the current hadeeth?

Firstly, these were the companions and we cannot compare normal people to the sahabah. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (رحمة الله عليه) narrates a hadeeth in his musnad which clearly states that the first deceased was a believer. The companions praised him and then the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that Jannah has become obligatory upon him and then prayed salat-ul-Jinazah over that deceased person. When the next funeral came, the companions spoke ill of this second deceased person. From this narration we learn that this person was one of the known hypocrites and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) refused to pray salat-ul-Jinazah over him.

Does this apply today? i.e. ‘You are Allah’s witnesses upon the earth’.

The Shaykh said the questions raised will be answered with the next hadeeth.

687. عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الخَطّاب رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ النّبِيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم: (أَيّمَا مُسْلِمٍ, شَهِدَ لَهُ أَرْبَعَةٌ بخَيْرٍ, أَدْخَلَهُ اللهُ الجَنّةَ). فَقُلْنَا: وَثَلاَثَةٌ, قَالَ: (وَثَلاَثَةٌ). فَقُلْنَا: وَاثْنَانِ, قَالَ: (وَاثْنَانِ). ثُمّ لَمْ نَسْأَلْهُ عنِ الْوَاحِدِ. رواه البخاري: 1368

Hadeeth 687. Narrated Umar رضى الله عنه : The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: If four persons testify the piety of any Muslim, Allâh will grant him Paradise. We asked, If three persons testify his piety? He (the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ) replied, Even three. Then we asked, if two? He replied, Even two. We did not ask him regarding one witness. (2:449O.B.)

This is an abridgement of a longer hadeeth. Imam Bukhari (رحمة الله عليه) mentions the full incident. The narrator arrived in Madinah at the time of Sayidina Umar (رضى الله عنه). There was a funeral and people praised the deceased. Sayidina Umar (رضى الله عنه) said ‘It has become obligatory (i.e. Jannah)’. A second funeral arrived and people again praised the deceased. Sayidina Umar (رضى الله عنه) said ‘It has become obligatory (i.e. Jannah)’. A third funeral arrived and people spoke ill of the deceased. Once again, Umar (رضى الله عنه) said ‘It has become obligatory (i.e. the fire)’. The narrator asked Sayidina Umar (رضى الله عنه) what he meant by this. Sayidina Umar (رضى الله عنه) narrated the hadeeth we are currently studying (i.e. Hadeeth 687). A very important point is that in Islam the minimum number of witnesses required in most cases is two. Two people’s testimony is normally a minimum. Hence, the sahabah did not ask about one.

The Shaykh explained that even today this hadeeth is valid; it is not restricted just to the sahabah. For example, if four people (there are conditions which will be elaborated upon later) testify to his goodness, then Allah will grant him Jannah.

We know from clear and categorical hadeeth that we should not speak ill of the dead. The Shaykh said that although in the first hadeeth the deceased was a hypocrite, then one could ask the question that why did people speak ill of the person in hadeeth 687 (as not all were sahabah amongst the gathering and cannot have known if the deceased was a hypocrite). So, why did they speak ill of this deceased person. The Shaykh said that these hadeeth about speaking ill of the dead are not absolute.

This ruling about when it is permissible to speak ill about the dead will become clearer in the next part of my notes from this lesson.

The Virtue of Participating in Funerals

Below is the first part of my notes for Lesson 176 of the Commentary of the Book of Funerals from al Tajrid al Sarih (The Abridged Saheeh al-Bukhari) by Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq which was delivered on 7th November 2007. The dars was given at Al Kawthar Academy, Leicester.

In this lesson, the Shaykh, may Allah bless him and allow us to continue to benefit from him, began by mentioning the complexity of the original Saheeh al-Bukhari and that the abridged format by Imam Zain al-Zabedi is much more accessible. The first hadeeth studied in this lesson was Hadeeth 670.

باب: فَضْلُ اتّبَاعِ الجَنَائِز

Ch. 31 - Chapter of the virtue of participating in funerals

670. عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما أَنّه قيل له: إِنّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ: مَنْ تَبِعَ جَنَازَةً فَلَهُ قِيرَاطٌ. فَقَالَ: أَكْثَرَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ عَلَيْنَا. فَصَدّقَتْ عائِشَةُ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ, وَقَالَتْ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُهُ. فَقَالَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا: لَقَدْ فَرّطْنَا في قَرَارِيطَ كَثِيرَةٍ. رواه البخاري: 1323, 1324

670. (Narrated Nâfi'): Ibn 'Umar رضى الله عنهما was told that Abu Huraira said, Whoever accompanies the funeral procession will have a reward equal to one Qiraat. Ibn 'Umar said, Abu Hurairah talks of an enormous reward. A'isha رضى الله عنها attested Abu Huraira's narration and said, I heard Allâh's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم saying like that. Ibn 'Umar said, We have lost numerous Qiraat. (2:409O.B.)

The literal translation in this hadeeth is "Abu Hurairah has over done it" or "has gone too far" i.e. ibn Umar (رضى الله عنه) feared that Abu Hurairah (رضى الله عنه) is excessively narrating hadeeth and may have possible made a mistake or have erred. According to one narration, Abdullah ibn Umar met Abu Hurairah (رضى الله عنه) and said to him ‘Oh Abu Hurairah be very careful and watch what you relate from Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم).’ Abu Hurairah (رضى الله عنه) sent a messenger to Aisha (رضى الله عنها) and told the messenger to ask her if she could corroborate what he is saying i.e. "Whoever accompanies the funeral procession will have a reward equal to one Qiraat". Aisha (رضى الله عنها) said 'Yes, I heard Allah's messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) say it himself'. The messenger came back with the reply and in order to drive home the point, Abu Hurairah (رضى الله عنه) took hold of ibn Umar's (رضى الله عنه) hand and took him to Aisha (رضى الله عنها). Abu Hurairah (رضى الله عنه) said to Aisha (رضى الله عنها) ‘Oh Umm ul Mumineen, I plead with you in the name of Allah, did you hear Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) say that whoever participated in the funeral will have one qiraat of reward?’. She said ‘Yes’. Ibn Umar (رضى الله عنه) was overwhelmed by this testimony and the truthfulness of Abu Hurairah (رضى الله عنه). Abu Hurairah (رضى الله عنه) then said ‘I was never preoccupied in planting seeds in the farm nor was I preoccupied by trading in the marketplace. But I would remain in the company of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) hoping for one of two things, either that he would give me a morsel of food so that I could eat it, or that he would give me a piece of knowledge so that I could consume it’. When he said this, Abdullah ibn Umar (رضى الله عنه) responded by saying ‘Oh Abu Hurairah (رضى الله عنه) indeed you were the one who was more in the company of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) than any other and you are amongst the knowledgeable of the hadeeth of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم)’.

Shaykh proposed the question that what did Abu Hurairah mean by ‘I was never preoccupied in planting seeds in the farm nor was I preoccupied by trading in the markets’? Shaykh stated that he explained this many years ago during his commentary of Kitab-al-Ilm (The Book of Knowledge); in summary, the companions in Madinah were of two distinct groups. The muhajiroon, the smaller group of emigrants from Makkah were mainly traders, and the larger indigenous group, the Ansaar were predominantly farmers. Thus, Abu Hurairah is stating that he did not fit either of these categories. Rather, he would be in the company of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم). He suffered a lot to remain in the company of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and learnt a lot. Due to the barakah of what he learnt, even a prolific narrator such as ibn Umar (رضى الله عنه) had to defer to him and say that Abu Hurairah (رضى الله عنه) is the most knowledgeable of hadeeth amongst the companions. This shows the eagerness of the sahabah to listen to and acquire the hadeeth, as well as to gain knowledge.

From this hadeeth, we learn that the person that participates in a funeral he will enjoy one qiraat of reward. From another hadeeth, we learn that the Prophet stated that a person will gain one qiraat of reward for all the stages of the funeral that the person participates in. For example, there will be a reward of one qiraat for taking part in the burial after the jinazah. There will be another qiraat of reward for taking part in the condolence after the burial. Offering condolences after the burial is actually the main condolence i.e. by visiting the house of the bereaved.

Shaykh explained that a qiraat is actually part of a dinar, similar to how a penny is part of a pound or cents are part of a dollar. One dinar today is equivalent to approximately £55 (according to value of silver). One qiraat is approximately one-twentieth of a dinar. The Prophet only used this measurement to help the companions understand. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (رحمة الله عليه) narrates the hadeeth about one qiraat of reward for participating in all of the different stages of the funeral. In this narration, it is stated that someone said ‘Ya Rasulullah! Are you referring to these qiraats of ours?’ The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) responded by saying no and said that one qiraat that he is referring to is equivalent to Mount Uhud. Abdullah ibn Umar (رضى الله عنه) said after hearing this hadeeth that we have lost out on many qiraats of reward (i.e. if each qiraat is equivalent to Mount Uhud in weight). This hadeeth therefore speaks not only of the right and duty of offering condolences; there is also a great reward for offering such condolences and participating in the funeral and the burial.

Oh Man! Prepare your Provisions of Taqwa

Assalamu alaikum, below are my notes for Lesson 175 of al Tajrid al Sarih (The Abridged Saheeh al-Bukhari) by Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq. Hadeeth 665-669 were covered and the lesson was given on Friday 30th November 2007.

Please keep me in your du'as and of course the Shaykh and everyone at Al Kawthar Academy who allow us to benefit from the daroos. The full lesson is available from the podcast which has a new domain - www.islamicaudio.eu

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Chapter of standing for the funeral.


665. عَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ, عَنِ النّبِيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: (إِذَا رَأَى أَحَدُكُمْ جَنَازَةً, فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مَاشِيًا مَعَهَا فَلْيَقُمْ حَتّى يُخَلّفَهَا, أَوْ تُخَلّفَهُ, أَوْ تُوضَعَ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تُخَلّفَهُ). رواه البخاري: 1308


665. Narrated 'Amir bin Rabi'a رضى الله عنه : The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, If anyone of you see a funeral procession and he is not going along with it, then he should stand and remain standing till he gets behind it, or it leaves him behind, or the coffin is put down before it goes ahead of him. (2:395O.B.)

The Prophet said that when one of you sees a funeral as a passer-by, the person should stand.till:

Till the funeral departs

He departs and leaves the funeral

Until the coffin is put on the ground


All of the scholars of fiqh agree that this instruction of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) no longer applies. Some believe that this practice was abandoned by the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and the evidence comes from a hadeeth narrated by Imam Malik in his muwatta and Imam Muslim in his saheeh as well as many other authors from Ali (رضى الله عنه) that the sahabah were instructed not to stand by the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).


The ruling for a person who is seated and a funeral passes by which he was not intending to participate in are as follows:

Hanafi school of fiqh – a person shouldn’t stand if a funeral passes by and

Maliki – makrooh

Sahafi – not recommended

Hanbali –makooh


باب: مَتَى يَقعُدُ إِذَا قَامَ لِلجَنَازَة

CHAPTER 27. When should one sit after standing for the funeral procession?

666. عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أَنّه أَخذ بيد مروانَ وهما في جنازة, فَجَلَسَا قَبْلَ أَنْ تُوضَعَ, فَجَاءَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ, فَأَخَذَ بِيَدِ مَرْوَانَ, فَقَالَ: قُمْ, فَوَاللهِ لَقَدْ عَلِمَ هذَا أَنّ النّبِيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَهَانَا عَنْ ذلِكَ, فَقَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ: صَدَقَ. رواه البخاري: 1309


666. (Narrated Sa'id Al Maqburi that his father said : While we were accompanying a funeral procession). Abu Huraira رضى الله عنه got hold of the hand of Marwân and they sat down before the coffin was put down. Then Abu Sa'id came and took hold of Marwân's hand and said, Get up. By Allâh, no doubt this (i.e. Abu Huraira) knows that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم forbade us to do that. Abu Huraira said, He (Abu Sa'id) has spoken the truth. (2:396O.B.)


This hadeeth refers to an incident after the time of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Marwan was the governor of Madinah but was not a sahabi. Marwan was at a funeral and Abu Huraira (رضى الله عنه) took Marwan’s hand and sat down with him, this was before the body and been lowered into the grave. Abu Sa'id (رضى الله عنه) then came and took Marwan’s hand and told him to rise as he said that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) has forbidden this i.e. to sit when a funeral is present. Abu Huraira (رضى الله عنه) confirmed that this was the case.


Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq said that Allah knows best why Abu Hurairah (رضى الله عنه) sat down with Marwan for he must have had his reason. It is highly unlikely that this was due to forgetfulness. He disregarded his own reason for sitting down and did not contest Abu Said (رضى الله عنه).


Rulings


If someone is seated and a funeral passes by but that person is not a participant in the funeral – this was covered previously.


If someone is seated and a funeral arrives and the person intends to participate in the funeral – according to all the scholars he should rise.


Third type of standing is to remain standing i.e. a person participates in the funeral, he prays salat-ul-jinazah and then proceeds to the graveyard for the burial. When should the person sit down if they want wish to? One should not sit down in any funeral until the funeral has been placed on the ground. Of course the ruling is different if there is a necessity. The specific rulings are as follows:

According to the scholars of the Hanafi fiqh, one shouldn’t sit down until the funeral is placed on the ground and if one does then it is makrooh;

According to the Maliki school of fiqh it is permissible;

According to the Shafi school of fiqh it is not recommended;

According to the Hanbali school of fiqh it is makrooh.


باب: مَنْ قَامَ لِجَنَازَةِ يَهُودِي

Chapter 28 - Chapter of one who stood up for the funeral of a Jew.

667. عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: مَرّ بِنَا جَنَازَةٌ, فَقَامَ لَهَا النّبِيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَقُمْنَا لَهُ, فَقُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ, إِنّهَا جَنَازَةُ يَهُودِيّ قَالَ: (إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ الْجَنَازَةَ فَقُومُوا). رواه البخاري: 1311


667. Narrated Jâbir bin 'Abdullah رضى الله عنهما : A funeral procession passed in front of us and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم stood up and we too stood up. We said, O Allâh's Messenger, this is the funeral procession of a Jew. He said, Whenever you see a funeral procession, you should stand up. (2:398O.B.)


Hadeeth 667 - All the scholars of fiqh agree that this ruling has been abrogated and they have differing views as to whether it is makrooh, not recommended etc but they all agree that one shouldn’t stand. The question is why did the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) stand for this funeral? Firstly, he did not know it was the jinazah of a non-Muslim when he first stood up. According to some other narrations of the hadeeth, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said ‘Is it not a soul? When you see a funeral, rise’ when someone said to him this was the funeral of a Jew. Was the Prophet’s (صلى الله عليه وسلم) standing out of respect for the funeral or was it for other reasons? There is another narration of the hadeeth where the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said the words ‘Death is fright’ i.e. this should remind you of death. Thus, one shouldn’t be casual when a funeral passes. As far as this particular incident is concerned, in some narrations is mentioned that if someone asked that if a funeral of a non-Muslim passes by should one stand for it. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said yes because one stands not for the funeral but for the one that takes the soul i.e. for Allah and for the sake of the Angels.


Why did the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) stand on that occasion? This was practiced in the Jewish tradition. It is narrated by Imam Tahawiya that Ali saw a group of people standing for the funeral for a Muslim. Ali (رضى الله عنه) said the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) did that once for the sake of acting upon the Jewish tradition before Allah had revealed a law about that practice. Once Allah had revealed a law, he abandoned that practice and he sat down.


Thus, regardless of these ahadeeth and according to all the schools of fiqh, we do not stand for a funeral because these laws have been abrogated. The only exception is one is waiting for a funeral and wish to participate in it.

باب: حَمْلُ الرّجالِ الجَنَازَةَ دُونَ النّساء


Chapter of men carrying the funeral other than women


668. عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الخُدْرِيّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ: أَنّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: (إِذَا وُضِعَتِ الْجَنَازَةُ, وَاحْتَمَلَهَا الرّجَالُ عَلَى أَعْنَاقِهِمْ, فَإِنْ كانَتْ صَالِحَةً قَالَتْ: قَدّمُونِي, وَإِنْ كَانَتْ غَيْرَ صَالِحَةٍ قَالَتْ: يَا وَيْلَهَا, أَيْنَ يَذْهَبُونَ بِهَا, يَسْمَعُ صَوْتَهَا كُلّ شَيْءٍ إِلاّ الإِنْسَان, وَلَوْ سَمِعَهُ صَعِقَ). رواه البخاري:


668. Narrated Abu Sa'id Al Khudri رضى الله عنه : Allâh's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said, When the funeral is ready and the men carry it on their shoulders, if the deceased was righteous it will say, 'Present me (hurriedly),' and if he was not righteous, it will say, 'Woe to it (me)! Where are they taking it (me)?' Its voice is heard by everything except mankind and if he heard it he would fall unconscious. (2:400O.B.)


When the deceased is placed upon the board or in the coffin that is carried by men to the coffin, then the deceased person actually speaks. If the person was pious, he says ‘Send me ahead’ and if the person was not pious he says ‘Woe be unto it’ Where are you taking it’. Everything in creation can hear the voice which is very loud and frightening and only mankind cannot hear it.


The reason why the sinful person says “Woe be unto it” rather than “Woe be unto me” is because the soul is damned and the person tries to distance himself from his own soul. The jinns also hear the terrifying scream and voice of this sinful person. When the person is questioned in the grave by the Angels and is punished, everyone except man and jinn hear the screams. But the jinns do not hear this scream when the body is being taken to the coffin. The reason why is because jinns are not too affected by the dead person talking but they are affected by punishment of the grave.


Imam Bukhari (رحمة الله عليه) doesn’t have a clear hadeeth in his saheeh which addresses the question in the chapter heading hence he uses this hadeeth. There is a clear hadeeth in ibn Majah in which this question is specifically addressed.


All the ulema of Islam agree that the funeral is to be carried by men, regardless of whether the deceased is male or female. The only exception is if there are no men and hence it is a necessity.


Chapter of hurrying with the funeral.


669. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ, عَنِ النّبِيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: (أَسْرِعُوا بِالْجَنَازَةِ, فَإِنْ تَكُ صَالِحَةً فَخَيْرٌ تُقَدّمُونَهَا إِليهِ, وَإِنْ يَكُ سِوَى ذلِكَ, فَشَرٌ تَضَعُونَهُ عَنْ رِقَابِكُمْ). رواه البخاري: 1315


669. Narrated Abu Hurairah رضى الله عنه : The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, Hurry up with the dead body for if it was righteous, you are forwarding it to a good thing and if it was otherwise (not righteous), then you are putting off an evil thing down your necks. (2:401O.B.)


We should hasten with the funeral, in both regards i.e. firstly, there should be no delay in preparation of the body e.g. bathing etc nor should there be a delay in the jinazah salah. Secondly, there should also be no delay in taking the body towards the grave for burial. One should not walk slowly.


The Shaykh highlighted that people neglect this and walk calmly with the funeral. One should walk very briskly but not run.


Unfortunately, today we delay the funeral awaiting the arrival of other people and family members or wait for a certain day.


If a good person has passed away, the soul does not want to remain behind but if the person that passed away is evil, then the soul may not want to leave the dunya but it is not a soul that one wants to be associated with. Thus, the ulema say do not keep the company of an evil person even in death. The person cannot influence you in any way but the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that it is evil that you are casting on your shoulders. If this is the effect of a dead body, then imagine the effect of evil people with whom we associate.


May Allah allow us to prepare and be mindful of death. The Shaykh reminded us that we should remember the terminator of all pleasures i.e. death.


The Shaykh narrated a beautiful Arabic poem at the end of the dars after mentioned the recent deaths of firstly his maternal aunt and also the niece of one of his students. Shaykh’s translation is below:


Oh Man! Prepare your provisions of Taqwa

For indeed you do not know when the night settles with its darkness if you will remain alive till Fajr

For there are many young men who spend their morning and evening and their days laughing and in jest even though whilst they were enjoying and laughing their shrouds had already been determined on Laylatul Qadr

And how many beautiful brides were there whose family beautified her for her groom

Even though both the souls of the groom and bride had already been seized on the night of Qadr

And how many little children were there whose small clothes had been sown

But those children never got to wear the clothes because their little bodies were entered into the darkness of the grave

And how many healthy people were there who died suddenly of no cause

And how many severely ill people were there who lived on for a very very long time