Burials

Yahya related to me from Malik from Jafar ibn Muhammad from his father that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was washed in a long shirt.

Yahya related to me from Muhammad ibn alMunkadir that Rabia ibn Abdullah ibn alHadir told him that he had seen Umar ibn al-Khattab leading people in front of the bier at the funeral of Zaynab bint Jahsh.

Yahya related to me from Malik that Hisham ibn Urwa said, “I only ever saw my father in front of a funeral procession.” He added, “Then he would come to al-Baqi and sit down until the procession passed him.”

Yahya related to me from Malik that Ibn Shihab said, “Walking behind the bier is in contradiction to the sunna.”

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that Asma bint Abi Bakr said to her family, “Perfume my clothes with incense when I die and then embalm me. Do not put any of the embalming substance on my shroud, and do not follow me with a burning torch.”

Yahya related to me from Malik from Said ibn Abi Said al-Maqburi that Abu Hurayra forbade anyone to follow him with a burning torch after his death.

Yahya said, “I heard Malik disapprove of that.”

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Said ibn al- Musayyab from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, announced the death of an Najashi to everyone on the day that he died, and went out with them to the place of prayer, and then formed them into rows and said “Allah is greater” four times.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Abu Umama ibn Sahl ibn Hunayf told him that once a poor woman fell ill and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was told of her illness, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to visit poor people frequently and ask after them. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Let me know if she dies.” Her bier was brought out at night- time and they did not want to wake up the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. In the morning the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was told what had happened to her and he said, “Didn’t I tell you to let me know if she died?” They replied, “Messenger of Allah, we did not want to wake you up and make you come out in the night.” Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went out and formed everyone into rows by her grave and said “Allah is greater” four times.

Yahya related to me that Malik asked Ibn Shihab about a man who caught some of the takbirs said over the corpse and missed the rest, and Ibn Shihab said, “He completes what he has missed.”

Yahya related to me from Malik from Said ibn Abi Said al-Maqburi from his father that he had asked Abu Hurayra, “How do you pray over the dead?” and Abu Hurayra replied, “By the Life of Allah, I will tell you! I follow with the family and when the corpse is put down I say ‘Allah is greater’ and praise Allah and ask for blessings on His Prophet. Then I say, ‘O Allah, he is Your slave and the son of Your male slave and Your female slave. He used to testify that there is no god but You and that Muhammad is Your slave and Your Messenger, and You know that best. O Allah, if he acted well, then increase for him his good action, and if he acted wrongly, then overlook his wrong actions. O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward, and do not try us after him.'”

Allahumma inna huwa abduka wa’bnu abdika wa’bnu amatika. Kana yash-hadu an la ilaha illa ant wa anna Muhammadan abduka wa rasooluka, wa anta alamu bihi. Allahumma in kana muhsinan zid fi ihsanihi, wa in kana musiyan fa tajawaz an sayatihi. Allahumma la tahrimna ajrahu wa lataftina badahu.

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said that he heard Said ibn al-Musayyab say, “I once prayed behind Abu Hurayra over a child who had never done a wrong action and I heard him say, ‘O Allah, give him protection from the torment of the grave.’ ”

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ayyub ibn Abi Tamima as- Sakhtayani from Muhammad ibn Sirin that Umm Atiyya al-Ansariyya said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to us when his daughter died and said, ‘Wash her three times, or five, or more than that if you think it necessary, with water and lotus leaves, and at the end put on some camphor, or a little camphor, and when you have finished let me know.’ When we finished we told him, and he gave us his waist-wrapper and said, ‘Shroud her with this.’ ”

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used not to recite when praying over a dead person.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Muhammad ibn Abi Harmala, the mawla of Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Sufyan ibn Huwaytib, that Zaynab bint Abi Salama died during the time that Tariq was amir of Madina and her bier was brought out after subh and put in al-Baqi. He said that Tariq used to pray subh right at the beginning of its time. He added, “I heard Abdullah ibn Umar say to the family, ‘You can either pray over your dead now or you can wait until the sun comes up.’ ”

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar said, “The prayer for a dead person can be done after asr and subh if these have been prayed at their times.”

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu’n Nadr, the mawla of Umar ibn Ubaydullah that A’isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered that the body of Sad ibn Abi Waqqas be brought past her in the mosque so that she could make dua for him. Some people disapproved of her doing that, and she said, “How hasty people are! The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, only prayed over Suhayl ibn Bayda in the mosque.”

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar said, “The prayer over Umar ibn al-Khattab was done in the mosque.”

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Uthman ibn Affan and Abdullah ibn Umar and Abu Hurayra used to pray over the dead, both men and women, in Madina. They would put the men nearer to the imam and the women nearer to the qibla.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar, when he prayed over the dead, would say, “Peace be upon you” loud enough for whoever was near to him to hear.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, “No-one should pray over a dead person unless he is in wudu.”

Yahya said that he heard Malik say, “I have not seen any person of knowledge disapproving of praying over either a child born of adultery or its mother.”