Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 17-05-2017
The death of a person brings a lot of sadness upon his family, friends and those closely associated with him or her.
While Muslims are aware that death is inevitable, it’s the conduct and etiquettes at funerals that leave much to be desired.
It seems people have become nonchalant to respecting the death of person by engaging in a number of mundane activities that affect those grieving for the deceased and which also does not really benefit the person that has passed on.
Debates regarding the time of the funeral, where it will be held, whether to expose the face or not and who goes into the grave to assist with the burial has done more harm during this sad time and even split some families apart.
Radio Islam spoke to Moulana Abdullah Haffejee, a teacher at the Roshnee Muslim School and Yusuf Lambat from Palm Ridge about these issues that plague many funerals within the Muslim community.
Moulana Haffejee says that when a person is in the throes of death, it is preferable that only close family members should be around him reciting the kalimah in an audible manner.
He says this will encourage the person who is about to leave the world to hear the recitations and to also read the kalimah instead of being instructed to do so by family members.
“Because at that point if that person says “no” and his soul is taken out than the person can leave this world possibly as a kaafir.”
“This is the way the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) instructed to us to observe Talqeen when a person is about to pass away – because at the time of death a person is faced with many scenarios including shaytaan interferes and distracts the person from reading the kalimah,” said Moulana Haffejee.
Moulana Haffejee reiterates that if a woman passes away, the husband is not permitted to render the ghusul as the nikkah is broken. At the same time, he says when the husband passes away it is recommended that the woman does not touch the deceased.
“What would be preferable is if the wife comes into the room and she sits a little distance away from the Janaza. However if she is not paak (clean), she must stay away from the room.”
Moulana Haffejee says many times when people arrive at the home of the funeral, women will engage in recitation of Qur’an or dua’s for the deceased while some men engage in worldly talk outside the house.
He says it’s not only about showing face.
“It is very, very important that we all engage in dua because that is what the marhoom requires at that time. He requires a lot of sawaab and a lot of Allah’s rahmat (mercy) to be attracted, and with that hopefully Allah makes his lengthy journey easy for him.”
Lambat says the shameful conduct of people that visit the home is also despicable and asks if people attend funerals with the correct intention.
“When the janaza returns back from the ghusul, we find that even theft occurs during these sad times. It is only after the funeral when the next of kin are settling down that they realize the loss of their valuables.”
As far as the exposing the face in concerned, Islamic scholars agree while it is recommended that the face of the deceased person not be exposed after the ablution is rendered, it is not wrong.
Moulana Haffejee says although permissible, people should try and abstain from opening the face.
“As far as viewing the face is concerned this is all perfectly fine and permissible prior and after the ghusul. Once the ghusul has been done and the kaffan has been donned that the Kaffan should remain closed and it should not be opened for any particular reason.”
“There is permissibility, but we are just looking at what is best,” said Ml. Haffejee.
Lambat stresses that when the mayyit leaves for the cemetery people should be timeous for the janaza salaah and not keep the congregation waiting by delaying to make ablution and indulging in worldly talk.
He says it’s also quite common for people engage in chatter when the deceased is being lowered into the grave and the sand being thrown in to close it.
“In a qabrastaan, a place that should make us aware that this is where each one of us will be coming to as a marhoom. There is no escaping from this, yet we still indulge in worldly conversations and becomes like a joyous occasion. Are we on the right track?”
In the Qur’an [Surah Al-Imran, verse 185] Allah says: “Every soul shall have a taste of death; and only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing).”
The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “No single Muslim who dies and forty Muslims pray the Janaazah (funeral) prayer for him, and all of them do not associate any deities with Allah, then Allah will accept their intercession for the deceased.” [Reported by Imams Muslim, Ahmed, and Abu Dawood]
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