 Chapter
Eleven
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The Bearers of the Bier
It is
Mustahab for the bearers of the bier to place the four corners of the
bier on their shoulders starting with:
-
the right shoulder of the first bearer with the right shoulder of the deceased (left hand side of the bier)
-
the right shoulder of the second bearer with the right foot of the deceased
-
the left shoulder of the third bearer with the left foot of the deceased (right hand side of the bier)
-
the left shoulder of the forth bearer with the left shoulder of the deceased
It is
Mustahab that the bearers of the bier recite the following dua:
“Bismillahi wa billaahi allahumma
s’alli a’laa Muh’ammadin wa aali Muh’ammad.
Allahhummaghfir lilmoo-mineena
walmoo-minaat.)”
(In the name of Allah and by Allah! O Allah send Thy
blessings on Muhammad and on his children
Duas When Entering a Graveyard
The
following Imams ('a) are quoted as saying the following when a
person is entering a graveyard:
Imam
Amirul Momineen Ali ('a) said:
"Bismillaahir-rah'maanir-rah'eem. Assalaamu a'laa ahli laa
ilaaha illal laahu min ihli laa ilaaha illal laahoo yaa ahla laa
ilaaha illal laahu bihaqqi laa ilaaha illal laahu kayfa wajadtum qawla
laa ilaaha illal laahu min laa ilaaha illal laahu bihaqqi laa ilaaha
illal laahu ighfir liman qaala laa ilaaha illal laahu wah'shurna fee
zum-rati man qaala laa ilaaha illal laahu Muh'ammadun Rasoolil laahi
a'liyyun waliyyullaah."
(In the name of Allah, the Beneficient, the Merciful. Salutations be to the people of
"Laa ilaaha
illallahu" from the people of "Laa ilaaha illallahu", by the right of
"Laa ilaaha illallahu" how did you
find saying "Laa ilaaha illallahu" from "Laa ilaaha illallahu" by the
right of "Laa ilaaha illallahu" grant pardon to whoever said
"Laa ilaaha
illallahu" and raise us up among the party of those who said there is
no god except Allah, Muhammad is His Messenger, Ali is the friend of
Allah.) [Sayyid,
Hadi Husayn (1988), pg. 170.]
Imam Hussain
('a) said:
"Allaahumma rabba haad'ihil arwaahil faaniyati walajsaadil
baaliyati wali'z'aamin nakhirtil latee kharajat minaddunyaa bika moo-minatan
adkhil a'layhinna rawh'an minka wa salaaman, minnee."
(O Allah, the Lord of these souls which are dead; and the bodies that have decayed and the bones that have been worm-eaten and have gone from this world to You as Faithfuls do admit over them happiness, from Yourself and salutation from me.) [Sayyid, Hadi Husayn (1988), pg. 169.]
Imam
Jafar as-Sadiq ('a) said:
"Assalaamu a'laa ahilidayari minal moo-mineena
walmuslimeena antum lanaafarat'un wa nah'nu inshaa-al laahu bikum
laah'iqoon"
(Peace be on the inmates of the region from the
faithful and believers, you are lesson to us, and God willing we are
about to join you.)
[Sayyid,
Hadi Husayn (1988), pg. 170.]
When the deceased is bought to the grave yard for burial, he / she should not be buried straight away but should be laid down some distance from the grave so that the deceased may get used to the new surroundings and build up strength to face the difficulties to come.
The soul stays interested and attached to the dead body for sometime, and is present at the washing and the burial of the body. It fears the questioning from 'Munhar and Nakeer', the squeezing in the grave and the chastisement in Hell among other things, which they feel unprepared to deal with. It is important to reassure the soul and be sensitive to the fear that it is experiencing.
Ali-ibn-al-Hussain
('a), the forth Imam, was once asked how he, the son of the
Messenger of Allah, began each morning, and he ('a) replied:
"I begin each morning while I am demanded of eight virtues:
Allah, the Exalted, demands of me the obligatory;
the Prophet demands of me his tradition (Sunnah);
family demand of me food (material);
the self looks for desires;
Satan demands me (to commit)
sin;
the two protective angels demand of me virtuousness;
the angel of
death demands of my the spirit and;
the grave demands of me my body.
Therefore, I am, surrounded by these traits, demanded"
[Imami, Ayatullah Sayyid Kamal Faghih (1998), pg. 53]
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