The Book of Visiting the Sick

Marthad bin 'Abdullah Al-Yazni reported:

When Malik bin Hubairah (May Allah be pleased with him) offered a funeral prayer and found a small number of participants, he would divide them into three rows and would say that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "If three rows of men offer funeral prayer over anyone, his entry into Jannah will become certain." <b>[Abu Dawud and At- Tirmidhi]</b>.

Abu 'Abdur-Rahman 'Auf bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) offered a funeral prayer and I memorized his supplication. He (ﷺ) prayed: "Allahummaghfir lahu, warhamhu, wa 'afihi, wa'fu 'anhu, wa akrim nuzulahu, wa wassi' mudkhalahu, waghsilhu bil-ma'i wath-thalji wal-baradi, wa naqqihi minal-khataya, kama naqqaytath-thawbal-abyada minad-danasi, wa abdilhu daran khairan min darihi, wa ahlan khairan min ahlihi, wa zawjan khairan min zawjihi, wa adkhilhul-Jannata, wa a'idh-hu min 'adhabil- qabri, wa min 'adhabin-nar <b>[if the dead person is a woman, one should change the ending of certain words in this supplication from hu to ha]</b> (O Allah! Forgive him, bestow mercy upon him, pardon him, accord him a noble provision and make his grave spacious, wash him with water, snow and hail, purify him from sins as You have purified the white garment from soiling, give him a better abode in place of his present one, and a better family in exchange of his present one, and a better spouse in place of his present wife; admit him to Jannah and protect from the trial in the grave and punishment in the Hell)." (After hearing this supplication of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Abu' Abdur-Rahman 'Auf bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) said: I wished I had been that dead man. <b>[Muslim]</b>.

Abu Hurairah, Abu Qatadah, and Abu Ibrahim Al-Ash-hali (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:

The Prophet (ﷺ) offered a funeral prayer and said: "Allahummaghfir lihaiyina wa maiyitina, wa saghirina wa kabirina, wa dhakarina wa unthana, wa shahidina wa gha'ibina. Allahumma man ahyaiytahu minna, fa'ahyihi 'alal-Islam, wa man tawaffaiytahu minna, fatawaffahu 'alal-Iman. Allahumma la tahrimna ajrahu, wa la taftinna ba'dahu (O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, our present and our absent, our young and our old, our male and our female. O Allah, whosoever of us You keep alive, keep him alive (faithful) to Islam, and whosoever of us You cause to die, let him die having Iman. O Allah, do not deprive us of our reward (for being patient) and do not subject us to trials after his death." <b>[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi]</b>.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: "When you pray over the dead, make a sincere supplication for him." <b>[Abu Dawud]</b>.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Prophet (ﷺ) supplicated in course of funeral prayer: "Allahumma Anta Rabbuha, wa Anta khalaqtaha, wa Anta hadaytaha lil-Islam, wa Anta qabadta ruhaha, wa Anta a'lamu bisirriha wa 'alaniyyatiha, ji'naka shufa'a'a lahu <b>[if the dead person is a man, or laha if the dead person is a woman]</b>, faghfir lahu <b>[or laha, if it is a woman]</b> (O Allah, You are its Rubb; You created it; You guided it to Islam; You have taken its life back and You know best its insight and outer condition. We have come as intercessors, so forgive him)." <b>[Abu Dawud]</b>.

Wathilah bin Al-Asqa' (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led the funeral prayer of a Muslim man in our presence, and I heard him saying "Allahumma inna <b>[name of the dead person]</b> fi dhimmatika wa habli jiwarika, faqihi fitnatal- qabri; wa 'adhaban-Nari, wa Anta ahlul-wafa'i wal-hamdi; Allahumma faghfir lahu warhamhu, innaka Antal-Ghafur-ur-Rahim <b>[If the dead person is a woman, one can change hu in some words here with ha]</b> <b>[O Allah, (so-and-so son of so-and-so) is in Your Protection and inside the surroundings of Your Refuge. Safeguard him from the trial of the grave and the punishment of the Hell. You keep Your Promise and You deserve to be praised. O Allah! Forgive him and be merciful to him. Indeed, You are the Forgiving, the Merciful]</b>." <b>[Abu Dawud]</b>.

'Abdullah bin Abu Aufa (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:

While offering the funeral prayer of one of his daughters, he recited four Takbir, and after the fourth Takbir he continued standing for a time equal to an interval between two Takbir, praying for her and seeking Allah's forgiveness for her." Then he said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to do so." Another narration is: He (Abdullah) recited four Takbir and remained standing in prayer for some time till we thought that he would recite the fifth Takbir. Then he gave Salam on the right and on the left. When he turned aside, we asked him about it. He replied: "I would add nothing to what I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) doing," or he said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to do so." <b>[Al-Hakim]</b>.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, "Hurry up with the dead body (for its burial), for if it is pious, you are speeding it to goodness and if it is otherwise, you are laying an evil off your necks." <b>[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]</b>.

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When a dead body is placed on a bier and men carry it on their shoulders, if he was a pious man, it (corpse) says: 'Take me in haste.' But if he was not righteous, it says to its bearers: 'Woe to it. Where are you taking it?' Everything except man hears its voice. Had a human being heard its voice, he would have surely fallen into swoon." <b>[Al- Bukhari]</b>.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The soul of the deceased believer remains pending on account of the debt till it (the debt) is repayed." <b>[At-Tirmidhi]</b>.

Hussain bin Wahwah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

When Talhah bin Al-Bara' (May Allah be pleased with him) fell ill, the Prophet (ﷺ) came to visit him and said, "Verily, I think that Talhah is about to die. So inform me when he is dead and make haste (in burying him). Indeed, it is improper for the corpse of a Muslim to be kept lying unburied among his family members." <b>[Abu Dawud]</b>.

`Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

We were accompanying a funeral procession in Baqi` Al-Gharqad (graveyard in Al-Madinah) when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) proceeded towards us and sat down. We sat around him. He had a small stick in his hand. He was bending down his head and scraping the ground with the stick. He said, "There is none among you but has a place assigned for him either in the Jannah or in the Hell." The Companions said: "O Messenger of Allah, should we not depend upon what has been written for us (and give up doing good deeds)?'' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Carry on doing good deeds. Every one will find it easy to do such deeds (as will lead him to his destined place) for which he has been created." <b>[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]</b>.

Abu `Amr (also called Abu `Abdullah and also Abu Laila) from `Uthman bin `Affan (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

After the burial of a dead man, the Prophet (ﷺ) would stand by the grave and say, "Ask Allah to forgive your brother and supplicate for him for steadfastness because he is being questioned (about his deeds) now." <b>[Abu Dawud]</b>.

'Amr bin Al-'as (May Allah be pleased with him) used to say:

"When you have buried me, keep standing near my grave till (for the time it takes to) a camel is slaughtered and its meat is distributed, so that I may feel your nearness and know what to reply to the angels sent by my Rubb." <b>[Muslim]</b>.

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported:

A man said to the Prophet (ﷺ): "My mother has died suddenly. I think that if she were able to talk (alive) she would have given in Sadaqah (charity). So, if I give Sadaqah now on her behalf, will she get the reward?" The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Yes (she will be rewarded for that)." <b>[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]</b>.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When a man dies, his deeds come to an end, except for three: A continuous charity, knowledge by which people derive benefit, pious son who prays for him." <b>[Muslim]</b>.

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

Some Companions happened to pass by a funeral procession (bier) and they praised him (the deceased). The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He will certainly enter it." Then they passed by another funeral procession and they spoke ill of the deceased. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He will certainly enter it." `Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "(O Messenger of Allah,) what do you mean by `He will certainly enter it?'' He (ﷺ) replied, "You praised the first person, so he will enter Jannah; and you spoke ill of the second person, so he will enter Hell. You are Allah's witnesses on earth." <b>[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]</b>.

Abul-Aswad (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

I came to Al- Madinah, and while I was sitting beside 'Umar bin Al-Khattab, a funeral procession passed by. The people praised the deceased, and 'Umar bin Al-Khattab said: "He will certainly enter it." Then another funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. 'Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "He will certainly enter it." A third funeral procession passed by and the people spoke ill of the deceased. He said: "He will certainly enter it." I (Abul-Aswad) asked: "O Amir Al-Mu'minin (i.e., Leader of the Believers)! What do you mean by 'He will certainly enter it'?" He replied: "I said the same as was said by the Prophet (ﷺ). He (ﷺ) said, 'If four persons testify the righteousness of a Muslim, Allah will grant him Jannah.' We asked: 'If three persons testify his righteousness?' He (ﷺ) replied, 'Even three'. Then we asked: 'If two?' He (ﷺ) replied, 'Even two.' We did not ask him (regarding the testimony) of one." <b>[Al-Bukhari]</b>.

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Any Muslim who loses three children before they reach the age of maturity, will be granted Jannah by Allah, the Exalted, out of His Mercy for them." <b>[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]</b>.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A Muslim whose three children die (in infancy) will not be touched by the Fire (of Hell) except for the fulfillment of Allah's Oath." <b>[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]</b>. <b>[Allah's Oath here refers to His Ayah: "There is not one of you but will cross over it (Hell)." (19:71) And the crossing will be across the 'Bridge' set over the Hell.]</b>