13. And the woman should have her hair braided into three

(2) braids and kept behind her (III) [shrouding] (3) (4) • [For a Man] Then, he gets shrouded in three white (5) garments , of which none is a qamees (the top that goes (1) So as not to fall. (2) (Ag) reported from Umm 'Atiyah that she did that to the Prophet's daughter. (3) (Ag) from 'Aishah: "The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) was shrouded in three pieces of new white sheets of cloth (cotton) from a town in Yemen without a shirt or a turban." (4) Ibn 'Abbas said that the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) said: "Wear white clothes, for these are your best clothes, and enshroud your dead in them." (A, D & T: S) (5) The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said: "If one is in charge of the body of his dead brother, let him make good his shrouds." (M) But he (blessings and peace be upon him) also said: "do not exaggerate regarding the shrouds for they are taken away (worn out) soon." (D). Thus, moderation is the answer. 284 International University in Latin America down to the middle of the leg or longer) or a 'emamah (turban). He should be placed into those non form-fitting cloths.

And if he was shrouded in a qamees, izar (the bottom piece that gets wrapped around the lower half) and a shroud, there is no harm. • [For a Woman] The woman is shrouded in five shrouds: 1in a dress 2Miqna'ah (head cover that is bigger than a (1) khimar) 3izar 4&5two shrouds . (IV) [Who Should Wash, Pray and Burry] [For a Man] The one most entitled to washing him, praying on him and burying him is the one appointed by him to do so in his legacy, then the father and the grandfather, then the closest of the kin (from the paternal side)and so on. (1) For that is what the Prophet gave them to shroud Umm Kulthoom in. (D) 285 International University in Latin America (V) [For a Woman] And the most entitled to washing the woman is the mother, then the grandmother, and then the closest of the kin of the related women. Except that the Ameer (leader) is given precedence in prayer over the father and those after him.

(VI) [The Prayer] a. [The Description] (1) And the form of the prayer for him is as follows: 1He makes takbeer and recites the Fatihah; and 2then makes a second takbeer and sends blessings onto the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him); and (1) The funeral prayer is a communal obligation, and its reward is enormous: Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) said: "Whoever follows a funeral procession and offers the prayer for the deceased, will get one qirat of reward. And whoever follows it and remains with it until the body is buried, will get two qirats of reward, the least of which is equal in weight to Mount Uhud." (AG) 286 International University in Latin America 3Then makes takbeer and says: "O Allah forgive the living amongst us and the dead, the present and the absent, the young and the old, the male and female, for verily you know our return and abode and you are most capable over all things. O Allah, whoever of us you extend his life, make him live on (by) Islam and the sunnah and he whom (1) you cause to die, let him die on them….. O Allah, forgive him and bestow mercy on him and spare him all punishment and pardon him and make honorable his dwelling and make spacious his entrance and wash him (1) Up to this point was reported by (D/T/N/Ma) and authenticated by Ibn Hazm, Ibn Daqeeq al-'Eid, al-Albani and others, though deauthenticated by some including Ibn Hajar, thus Ibn Katheer called it controversial. The majority authenticated it.

The second part is reported by (M). 287 International University in Latin America with water, ice and snow and purify him from his sins as you purify the white garment from filth; and give him instead of his house a house better than it, and instead of his company one that is better than it. And a wife better than his and admit him into paradise and protect him from the torment of the grave and that of the hellfire; and make spacious his grave and make light therein." 1Then, he makes takbeer and makes one tasleem to the right side. 2He raises his hands with every takbeer. b. [The Obligatory Part] The mandatory parts of all of that are: (1) 1The takbeers (1) (Ag) reported from Jabir: "Allah's Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) offered the funeral prayers for Najashi (Negus) and made four takbeers." 288 International University in Latin America 2The recitation [of the Fatihah] 3Sending blessings onto the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) 4And the least supplication for the deceased by the living 5And the tasleem c. [More Rulings For The Prayer] And he who misses the prayer on him may pray at his (1) grave for up to one month. (1) There is no clear evidence on the time limit, but it is proven that the prophet did pray by the grave on people who were prayed on without his presence more than once as reported by (N, A, Hibb:Auth) (one of them was the black woman who used to sweep the mosque). The funeral prayer is the only one to be prayed with the grave in front of the person for the Messenger said: "do not sit 289 International University in Latin America And if the deceased is absent from the town, he prays on (1) him with the intention (as if he is in front of him). (VII) [Special Cases] [Washing Impossible] And if washing him is not possible because of the lack of water or fear from the maceration of his body, like in the case of the one afflicted by small pox or burnt or when it is a woman amongst men or a man amongst women, then he is to be given dry ablution (tayammum).

Except that it is permissible for each one of the spouses on the graves and do not pray towards them." (M) The funeral prayer is an exception due to the proof hereabove. (1) For it was reported by (Ag) that the Prophet did pray on the najashey (negus) when he died in Abyssinia and his companions prayed behind him. It is not prescribed however to pray on everyone who died in a remote location for that was not reported, nor is it practical. It may be indicayed if some one made great contributions to the religion and/or ummah or died in a non-Muslim land where he didn't get prayed on. Flexibility must be shown, however, for the matter is not unequivocally settled. 290 International University in Latin America (1) to wash his companion.

Likewise, the mother of the child with her master. For the martyr, when he dies in the battle, he is not washed nor is a (2) prayer offered on him. The iron (metal) and leather must be taken off of him and he then gets wrapped in his clothes and if he was shrouded with others, there is no harm. €5F: (3) The one who dies in a state of ihram Is washed with water and the crushed dry leaves of the (1) Umm al-walad is a slave woman who gives birth to her master's child. Then, she can not be sold or passed on in inheritance and she becomes free upon the death of her master. (2) For the Prophet instructed them to burry the martyrs of the battle of Uhud without washing them or praying on them." (B) (3) Ihram is the intention to perform the hajj or 'umrah and includes the devotional abstinence from certain matters as prescribed. 291 International University in Latin America lote tree (sidr).

And does not wear form-fitting clothes and does not get perfumed and his head does not get covered and (1) his hair does not get cut nor are his nails clipped. (VIII) [Burial] And it is preferable to burry the dead in a lahd (L-shaped (2) grave with a crevice at the bottom facing the qiblah) And build a partition of unbaked bricks. [sealing the horizontal part of the L] As it was done for the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him). (1) (Ag) from Ibn 'Abbas: "During the farewell hajj, while a man was standing with the the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) he fell off his mount (camel) and it kicked and killed him. This was mentioned to the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him); he said: "Wash him with water and sidr (crushed lote tree leaves) and wrap him in his two sheets, and do not scent his body nor cover his head, for Allah (glorified and exalted be He) will raise him on the Day of judgment making talbiyah (the saying of the pilgrims: labbayka allahumma labbayk, labbayka la sharika laka labbayk)"." (2) Ibn 'Abbas: The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) said: 'Lahd is for us, and (shaqq) digging a pit (i.e., a regular grave) is for others."' Yet, both forms are acceptable for it was reported that the companions wondered which form to use for the Prophet's grave and that means that shaqq was also used during his time. 292 International University in Latin America (1) And he must not let into the grave baked clay or wood (2) or anything that has been touched by fire. (1) Thus, it is disliked to burry the dead in caskets except if the land is too soft or wet, then it becomes acceptable.

There is no harm doing that also if mandated by the law of the land. Also, plaster should not be used to paint the grave, nor should anything be written on them for the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) "forbade the use of plaster to paint a grave, sitting on it, or erecting any structure on it." As reported by (M) from Jabir, and in (T) "… writing on them, building on them, or stepping on them." if there is fear that the grave would not be recognizable, then it may be permitted to write only the name or have a certain sign for the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) "carried a rock and placed it by the head side of the grave of 'Uthman Ibn Madh'oon and said: "I want to mark my brother's grave and then bury beside it whoever else of my family dies." (2) They differed over the positioning of the deceased inside the grave and the majority is of the position that he is to be laid on his right side facing the qiblah. Allah knows best. After placing him, three handfuls may be successively thrown at his head as it was reported that the Prophet did. Of the rulings related to graves is the prohibition of raising them.

(M) reported from 'Ali bin Abi Talib that he said: "Should I not instruct you to do as the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) instructed me? Do not leave a statue erect without destroying it and do not leave a raised grave without leveling it." (M). Sayed Sabiq (may Allah bestow mercy on him) said in Fiqhus-Sunnah (Zarabozo's translation with modifications of the translation): "Included in the discussion of raising the graves that are included under the general meaning of the ahadeeth are dome buildings, shrines built on graves, for it all constitutes the graves for masjids. The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) cursed those who did that. The practice of erecting buildings around graves and beautifying them causes corruption, which Islam suffers from.

Part of such a corruption is the belief of some people in them which 293 International University in Latin America (IX) [Consoling the relatives] And it is recommended to console the relatives of the (1) (2) deceased and crying on him is not disliked as along as it is similar to the belief of the disbelievers in their idols and their glorifying of them. So, they thought that they [the dwellers of the graves] may benefit and harm, similar to the superstitious belief of the ignorant. Thus, they travel to these graves for fulfillment of their needs or achievement of their goals. They ask those in the graves what believers should ask only of their Lord. They ride horses to them, touch them, and seek their aid.

In general, they do exactly what the pre-Islamic people used to do with their idols…Ibn Hajar in az-Zawajir said:" masjids and domes built on top of the graves must be swiftly razed"." (1) Some of the scholars of hadith described as sound the hadith of 'Amr ibn Hazm who said that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) said: " No believer gives condolences to his brother except that Allah will dress him in a suit of the suits of honor on the day of judgment." (Ma & Ba). The Prophet sent a messenger to his daughter when her son died to say to her: "Verily to Allah belongs what he took, and to Him belongs what He gave and everything has an appointed term with him, so let her be patient and seek the reward." (B) (2) For the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) himself did when his son Ibraheem died and he said: " Verily the eyes shed tears and the heart feels sad, but we say not except what pleases our lord, and most certainly we are saddened by your departure (separation) O Ibraheem". (Ag) Many of the salaf (righteous predecessors) did not show any sadness upon the death of their loved ones, and that is out of rida (contentment with Allah's decrees). The Prophet, however, combined between the quality and station of rida by not saying anything displeasing to God and that of 294 International University in Latin America (1) (2) is not associated with eulogizing or screaming. mercy by weeping, and that is more perfect than having either one of them alone. (1) Eulogy is not an Islamic custom, though informal mentioning of the good doings of the dead is acceptable and done by the Prophet who also warned against cursing the dead or satirizing them when he said: "Do not slur the dead for they have already faced the consequences of their doings." (B) The exception to that is for those who are public tyrants and sinners so that the people may be deterred from following in their footsteps.

The evidence on that is that the companions praised a dead person and dispraised another in funerals and the Prophet said about the praised one: "Paradise is his confirmed destiny" and about the dispraised one, he said: "The hellfire is his confirmed destiny." And he said to the companions: "You are Allah's witnesses on his earth."(Ag) (2) It was not recorded from the prophet or the companions or the righteous predecessors that people, except for close relatives, are to sit down with the family of the deceased at their home or any other designated place. The customs prevalent in many Muslim countries such as building huge tents for people to come and extend their condolences are but innovations. They are also a great burden on the families of the dead who should be supported not burdened; The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) said: "Prepare food for the family of Ja'far for they were afflicted by what would make them distraught." (D & T: Auth) The disliking of such gatherings is the opinion of (S + A + some hanafis). All scholars would agree on the prohibition of such customs if associated with other forbidden acts. Sayed Sabiq (may Allah bestow mercy on him) said in Fiqhus-Sunnah (Zarabozo's translation with modifications of the translation): " The practices of some people nowadays, such as gathering for condolences, setting up tents, spreading carpets, and incurring a lot of expenses out of arrogance and show off are all despicable innovations that are forbidden and must be avoided, especially when most of these acts are contradictory to the teachings of the Quran and sunnah and are vestiges of pre-Islamic customs of jahiliyyah (ignorance).

Of these innovations are reciting the Quran in a melodic fashion while disregarding the rules of proper 295 International University in Latin America (1) (X) [Visiting The Graves] (2) There is no harm in visiting the graves for men , And he should say when he passes by them or visits them: "peace be upon you, dwellers of an abode of believing folk; Allah willing, we shall follow you. O Allah, do not deprive us from their reward or misguide us through trials after them; and forgive us and them; we ask Allah for us and you safety." recitation, or not keeping silent when listening to the Quran or being distracted from it by indulging in smoking or such other activities. And this is not all; some of these followers of their desires are not satisfied with the first days, but designate the fortieth day [from the death] as the day to renew these abominations and to indulge in these innovations. They celebrate the anniversary of death, and another one and do other such other things without any justification by either text or reason. (1) (M) reported from the prophet: "I used to forbid you from visiting the graves, but, now, visit them for they remind of death." (2) There is some disagreement regarding the permissibility of women visiting the graves, and it seems to be acceptable (a + H + M) and it was reported that 'Ayisha visited the grave of her brother, Abd-urrahmaan.

(H & Ba) but, they may not do that frequently, for the Propeht said: "may Allah curse those women who frequently visit the graves." (T: Auth) 296 International University in Latin America (XI) [Good Deeds Done On Behalf Of The deceased] Any good deeds he [the living person] does, and makes its reward for the deceased, it will benefit him [the (1) deceased] . (1) Imam Ibn al-Qayyem (may Allah bestow mercy on him) said: "Worship is of two types: financial and bodily. So, when the legislator informed us that the reward for charity reaches the dead, He indicated that the reward for financial acts of worship reaches; and when he informed us that the reward for fasting reaches the dead, He indicated that the reward of bodily acts of worship reaches. And He informed of the reaching of the reward of hajj, which is both a financial and bodily act of worship. Thus, these three types [of acts done by the living for the benefit of the dead] are supported by both the revealed texts and reason." This includes the reading of Quran, given it is not associated with any innovation.

That is the opinion of the Majority, including (A). The popular opinion in (S) holds that reading the Quran is an act whose reward may be given to the dead. Allah knows best. Gathering for the recitation of the Quran for the dead is not something reported to have been done by the righteous predecessors and had it been good, they would have preceded us to it; and Allah knows best. 297 International University in Latin America Summary of the Unit • What is to be done right after death − When someone is dying, people around him should gently remind him of shahadah (saying: la ilaha illa Allah). Being dead, eyes should be closed and jaw tied and something heavy should be put on the deceased's abdomen to avoid distension. • Washing the deceased − Washing the dead, shrouding him and praying over him are collective duties. − Before washing the dead, his nakedness should be covered, abdomen squeezed and private parts washed with the washer's hand being wrapped with a cloth. − Wudu` is performed on the deceased, then his head and beard are washed, then his right side and the left and then his entire body. − The washer repeats the entire washing for odd number (three, five or seven if needed) pressing on the stomach in each time.

If there are any exudates he washes them away and washes the private parts again and can stuff the anus with cotton or clay if needed, then repeats performing ablution on the dead. − The dead body is thereafter dried out with a cloth and perfumed along with the shroud. − Long nails or mustaches may be trimmed. o Women's hair should be entwined into three braids. 298 International University in Latin America − The one most entitled to wash the deceased, lead the prayer over him and bury him is that named in the will of the deceased, then the father, the grandfather, then the closest of the paternal kin and so on. As for the dead woman, her mother, grandmother and then the closest of her female kin are the most entitled ones. − Spouses can wash each other, and this applies to the mother of the child with her master as well. • Shrouding: − The man is wrapped in three white sheets and the woman in five. • Funeral Prayer: − One makes four takbeers raising hands with each; after the first one recites the Fatihah, after the second sends blessings onto the Prophet (peace be upon him), after the third makes a sincere du`aa for the deceased and his relatives and after the fourth makes tasleem. − If one misses the funeral prayer, he may perform it at the grave of the deceased. If the deceased died far away he may be prayed on in certain cases; review the commentary above. • Washing impossible: − If washing is impossible for any reason including the above ones, then tayammum is performed on the deceased. 299 International University in Latin America • The martyr − The martyr is neither washed nor prayed over. He is wrapped in his own clothes and can be shrouded with other sheets over his clothes. • Death in a state of ihram − The one who dies in a state of ihram is washed with water and sidr, and should not be dressed in formfitting clothes nor get perfumed. His head is not to be covered, hair should not be cut and nails should not be clipped. • Burial: − It is preferable to bury the dead in a lahd and build a partition of unbaked bricks. − Objects touched by fire should not be used in the grave; review the commentary above. • Consolation: − Consoling the relatives of the deceased is recommended. − Crying is not disliked unless done with eulogizing and wailing; review the commentary above. • Visiting graves: − Men are recommended to visit the graves and recite the supplication mentioned above. Visiting for women is a controversial issue and seems to be permissible if done infrequently as clarified in the commentary above. 300 International University in Latin America • Good deeds for the deceased: − Making good deeds and dedicating their reward to the deceased would benefit. 301 International University in Latin America Self-assessment Questions Essay Questions: