• Death: Speedy funeral and burial
Is it necessary to speed up the preparation for burial, or can the body be kept at home for some time to allow people who are coming from distant places to attend the funeral?
It is a well known tradition throughout the Muslim world that when a person dies, arrangements for his funeral and burial start without delay. If the death occurs in the morning, the deceased is often taken to the mosque for prayer at the time of Dhuhr or Asr. If he dies in the evening, he is sure to be buried before midday the following day. And this is considered a gesture of doing what is right for the deceased person.
There is a Hadith to support this attitude. Al-Bukhari relates on the authority of Abu Hurairah who quotes the Prophet as saying: "Speed up the funeral; if it is one of a good person, you are only taking that person to a good prospect. If otherwise, then he is no more than an evil you are putting off your shoulders." Some scholars understand this Hadith as an instructions to walk fast when taking the body to be buried, while others take it to mean speeding up the preparations for prayer and burial. This latter view is supported by other Hadiths. The first one is related by At-Tabarani on the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar who says: "I heard Allah's messenger, peace be upon him, say: When anyone of you dies, do not keep his body. Be speedy when taking him to his grave." Another Hadith related by Abu-Dawood quotes the Prophet as saying: "It is not right that the corpse of a Muslim is kept at home with his family."
In some Muslim communities, when someone is very sick or dying, people sit beside him and read some verses from the Qur'an. Does this benefit the sick or dying person? May I also ask whether crying loudly near a deceased person is bad for him [the deceased]? A scholar in my community says it must be avoided. Please comment.
When someone is felt to be dying, it is recommended that his relatives or friends or other people sit nearby and read the Qur'an, particularly surah 36, entitled Ya'Seen. He or she should be prompted [ not coerced, lest some ungrateful words are uttered] to say the sentence "La Ilaha Ila Allah", which means "there is no deity save Allah". If he says it once, we should not urge him to say it again, unless he says something else, then we try to make him say that sentence again, so that it is the last thing he says in his life. Reading the Qur'an helps the dying person by reminding him of Allah and the hereafter. If he is conscious and can understand what is being read, he finds it easier to go through the difficulty he is facing. If he says the declaration of the Oneness of Allah as the last thing he says in his life, then he has a great chance to find that his sins are forgiven.
It is strongly discouraged to cry loudly or wail for a dying person. Needless to say, the dead person is not responsible for what others do to express their grief. In other words, if his women relatives wail after they realize that he has died, he is not punished for what they do. It is they who bear the responsibility for their action. Having said that, I must add that it is very important that a Muslim accepts what Allah has willed with resignation and submission. People are certainly grieved by the death of their close relatives, but their grief can be expressed in silent crying, praising Allah and declaring submission to his will, supplicating for the deceased to be forgiven, praying that he is admitted into heaven. Wailing is not the mark of submission to Allah's will. If anything, it is more of a protest and a Muslim does not protest against Allah's will.
• Death: Torment in the grave — without accountability?
If accountability is to take place on the day of judgment, why has the Prophet, peace be upon him, taught his companions to seek refuge with God from the torment of the grave? Is it a punishment given without accountability?
One of the supplications the Prophet, peace be upon him, taught to his companions and his followers is to seek refuge with God against the torment in the grave. This is an established fact. Certain people will be subjected to this torment, although what nature it will take is not given in detail. In Verse 46 of Surah 40, the situation of the people of Pharaoh is described, and they are said to be "Brought before the fire morning and evening, and on the day the hour strikes, (an order will be given) ‘Put the people of Pharaoh to the severest punishment’."
It is clear from this verse that the "bringing before the fire" takes place repeatedly, every morning and every evening until the day of judgment, or the day "when the hour strikes" when the actual punishment is meted out. This is then, one aspect of the torment that is given before the resurrection on the day of judgment. It is actually viewing the punishment, rather than experiencing it.
Is this a punishment inflicted before the reckoning? We need to understand that the reckoning is not made to establish whether a person is a non-believer, a hardened sinner or an obedient servant of God. God knows the outcome of everyone’s test in this life. He does not need to wait until the day of judgment to do the reckoning and establish status of anyone. The reckoning is for the benefit of people who will be made to see all their deeds they did in this life and to realize their situation. They will then realize that if they are punished, it is because of their own deeds, and if they are forgiven and admitted to heaven, [it is Allah’s grace.]
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