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Death
is a reality in which all human beings believe. However, it is
also a reality which most of us like to keep out of our minds.
In
Islam, death is not an end to our existence; it is a passage,
which takes us from this world to the hereafter - the actual
purpose for our creation and the result of our work in this
life. Whether we fear death or not depends on how well
prepared we are for the reckoning of the Day of Judgement.
Preparing
for death is a lifetime's job. It begins on the day you reach
the age of bulugh (maturity) and are held accountable
for your deeds in eyes of Almighty Allah. Imam 'Ali bin Abu
Talib ('a) has beautifully described the preparation for
death as follows: "Fulfilling the obligations,
refraining from forbidden [things], and acquiring noble
character."
In
this article, I have attempted to present some of the things
which all believers are either required or strongly urged to
do just before death by the shariah.
Before
death, try your best to fulfil the obligations, which are upon
you in regard to the creatures as well as the Creator.
Return
to the owners whatever has been given to you as a trust OR
write it down in your will so that the executor of your will
shall return the trust to its rightful owner.
In
Islam, you are allowed to dispose up to one-third of your
estate for whomsoever or whatever cause you like. As for the
two thirds, it must be distributed among your heirs according
to the shares allocated for them in the shari'ah.
Make a
will in writing or verbally about those religious obligations
which you could not fulfil by yourself and which cannot be
done on your behalf by others except after your death: the
qaza prayers, fasting and pilgrimage, etc. You should specify
the amount from the one-third of your estate to be used to
hire people to do such deeds. If you cannot afford this, then
you may request your heirs to do unfulfilled rituals on your
behalf voluntarily or pay someone else to do so.
It is
also recommended, if your financial circumstances allow you,
to include your deserving relations in the one-third of your
estate.
It is
recommended to forgive your brethren in iman for whatever
wrong they may have done to you. On the other hand, you should
ask your brethren in iman to forgive you for the intentional
and unintentional wrong you may have done to them.
When
death approaches you, it is wajib../tips/wajib.htm on you to
lie down on your back in such a way that the soles of your
feet face the qiblah (direction of Mecca). Or you may
turn your bed in such a way that your soles will face the
qiblah. If you cannot do so yourself, then it is wajib
on those who are with you to help you.
It is
recommended to say by yourself or repeat after someone else
the declaration of faith and statement of faraj.
The
declaration of faith: It is a declaration in which you
reconfirm your belief in Allah, Prophet Muhammad ('s), the
twelve Imam ('a), the Qur'an and the Day of Judgement.
This
may be done as follows:
Razitu
bil-lahi Rabban;
wa bi
Muhammadin (sal-lal-lâhu 'alayhi wa âlihi) nabiyyan;
wa bil
Islâmi dinan;
wa bil
Qur'âni kitâban;
wa bil
Ka'bati qiblatan;
wa bi'
Aliyyan waliyyan wa imâman;
wa bil
Hasan, wal Husayn, wa 'Aliy-yib nil Husayn;
wa
Muhammad ibn 'Aliyyan,
wa
Jafar ibn Muhammadin;
wa
Musa ibn Ja'farin, wa 'Ali yibn Musa;
wa
Muhammad ibn Aliyyin; wa Ali yibn Muhammadin;
wal
Hasan ibn ' Aliyyin; wal Hujjat ibnil Hasan
(salawâtul-lahi
'alayhim) âimmatan wa sâdatan wa qâdatan;
bi him
atawalla, wa min a'dâ'ihim ata-barra.
Wa an-nas
sâ'ata âtiyatun la rayba fiha;
wa
annal-lâha yab'athu man fil qubűr;
wa
annal hisâba haqqun; wa annal jannata haqqun;
wa
annan nâr haqqun.
I have
accepted Allah as the Lord, Muhammad (s.a.w.) as the prophet,
Islam as the religion, the Qur'an as the Book [of God], the
Ka'bah as the qiblah.
And [I
accept] 'Ali as the waliy [of Allah] and [my] Imam; and Hasan,
Husayn, 'Ali ibn Husayn, Muhammad ibn 'Ali, Ja'far ibn
Muhammad, Musa ibn Ja'far, 'Ali ibn Musa, Muhammad ibn 'Ali,
'Ali ibn Muhammad, Hasan ibn 'Ali, and al-Hujat ibn al-Hasan (a.s.)
as Imams, leaders and guides-I declare my love for them and
declare my disassociation with their enemies.
And [I
believe that] surely the Hour [of Doom] will come in which
there is no doubt; and that Allah will resurrect all those who
are in their graves. And [I believe that] the reckoning [of
our deeds] is the truth; the Paradise is the truth and that
the Hell is the truth.
The
statement of faraj is to be recited as follows:
Lâ ilâha
il-lâl lâhu Halimul Karim;
Lâ ilâha
il-lâl lâhu 'Aliyyul 'Azim;
Subhâna
'l-lâha Rabbus samâwâtis sab'i
wa
Rabbul ardhinas sab'i;
wa ma
fee hinna wa ma bayna hunna
wa ma
fawqa hunna wa ma tahta hunna;
wa
Rabbul 'arshil 'azim;
wal
hamdu lil-lâhi Rabbis 'âlameen.
There
is no god but Allah, the Gentle, the Kind;
there
is no god but Allah, the High, the Great.
All
praise be to Allah, the Lord of the seven heavens
and
the lord of the seven earth's,
and
whatever is in them and whatever is between them,
and
whatever is above them and whatever is below them;
and
[He is] the Lord of the Great Throne.
And
all praise be to Allah, the lord of the Universe.
It is
recommended to move the dying person to his/her usual place of
prayer in the home. This is recommended only if it does not
cause pain or inconvenience to the dying person.
It is
recommended to recite the two surahs, Yasin (no. 36) and as-Sâfât
(no. 37), near the dying person. According to the traditions,
this will relieve the pangs of death.
Soon
after a person dies, it is recommended to do the followings:
Close
the eye-lids of the dead person.
Close
the mouth of the dead person.
Tie
the two jaws so that the mouth does not open.
Straighten
his/her arms and place them on the two sides of his body.
Straighten
his/her legs.
Cover
the dead body.
Switch
on the light in the room where the dead body is kept.
Arrange
the funeral as soon as possible.
Inform
the mu'mineen to attend the funeral
ALLAH
HUMMA SALLAY ALA MUHAMMED IN WA AAL-E-MUHAMMED.
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