Chapters Regarding Funerals

’Umm ‘Atiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “We were forbidden to follow funeral processions, but the prohibition was not mandatory for us.”

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He is not one of us who slaps the cheeks, splits the collars, and calls out with the calls of Jāhiliyyah (pre-Islamic era of ignorance)."

Usāmah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The son of the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was brought to him while breathing his last. The eyes of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) overflowed with tears. Thereupon, Sa‘d said to him: "O Messenger of Allah, what is this!" He said: "This is mercy that Allah, the Exalted, has placed in the hearts of His slaves. Verily, Allah shows mercy to those of His slaves who are merciful."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Any Muslim who loses three of his children will not be touched by the Fire except in fulfillment of the oath."

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Any Muslim who loses (to death) three children before reaching puberty will be admitted by Allah into Paradise because of his being merciful to them."

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The the Prophet's wives were with him when Fātimah (may Allah be pleased with her) came walking. Her gait was exactly similar to the gait of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). When he saw her, he welcomed her saying: "Welcome, my daughter." He made her sit on his right side or on his left side. Then he said something secretly to her and she wept bitterly. When he found her in grief, he said to her something secretly for the second time and she laughed. I said to her: "The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) has singled you out with talking to you secretly, excluding all his wives, and you weep!" When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went away, I said to her: "What did the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say to you?" Thereupon she said: "I am not going to disclose the secret of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)." When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) died, I said to her: "I adjure you by the right that I have upon you that you should tell me what the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to you." She said: "Yes, now I can do that. When he talked to me secretly for the first time he informed me that Jibrīl was in the habit of reciting the Qur'an along with him once or twice every year, but this year it had been twice and so he perceived that his death was quite near, so fear Allah and be patient, and he told me that he would be an excellent predecessor for me, and so I wept as you saw me. Then when he saw me in grief, he talked to me secretly for the second time and said: 'O Fātimah, would it please you to know that you will be the head of the believing women or the head of the women of this Ummah?' So I laughed and it was that laughter which you saw.'"

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The last glance I had of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was when he uncovered the curtain while the people were in rows behind Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Abu Bakr wanted to step back, but he gestured to them to stay as they were and let the curtain drop. He died at the end of that day, and that was Monday.

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) suffered the agony of death, Fātimah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "O father, what a severe agony!" The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Your father will suffer no more agony after this day." When he passed away, she said: "Father, Allah has called you back and you have responded to His call. Father, the Garden of Firdaus (the highest level of Paradise) is your abode. Father, we announce your death to Jibrīl." When he was buried, she said: "Did you feel comfortable to put dust over the Messenger of Allah!"

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: On the day the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) entered Madīnah, everything therein became illuminated. Then on the day he passed away, everything therein became dark. We had not even shaken the dust off our hands after burying the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and we already began to feel the change in our hearts.