Contemplating Some Prophetic Narrations and a Supplication For the Janazah as Some of Our Parents, Elders, and Loved Ones Depart, While We Await Our Own
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “What is the world to me? What am I to the world? Verily, the example of this world and myself is that of a rider who seeks shade under a tree, then he moves on and leaves it behind”. [Musnad Ahmad 3701]
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, “What is the example of this worldly life in comparison to the Hereafter other than one of you dipping his finger in the sea?! Let him see what he brings forth”. [Muslim 2858]
Mujaahid, may Allah have mercy upon him, narrated that Abdullah Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, said: Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, took hold of my shoulder and said, “Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler”. The sub-narrator added, Ibn Umar Used to say, “If you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and (take) from your life for your death”. [Al-Bukhaari. 6416]
Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, said: Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, “Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your free time before your work, and your life before your death”. [Sahih Al-Jami 1077]
Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him, drew a square, and in the middle he drew a line that poked out the end. Across the middle line, he drew some smaller lines. The Prophet said, “This is the man (or human being) and the square surrounding him is death. The middle line is his worldly hopes and the smaller lines are his troubles. If this one misses him, another will distress him. If that one misses him, another will distress him”. [Al-Bukhaaree 6717]
Typically, we witness a slow farewell of our elders, with only those whom Allah has chosen to remain with us. Over time, we may also see some of the younger generation and even ourselves depart unexpectedly. It’s a common human experience to fear death, often because of our deep connections to the joys of this life or worries about what awaits us in the Barsakh and the Hereafter. In our extended families, the number of elders is dwindling, and sometimes we can easily count them on our fingers. One often thinks about how our children and grandchildren will perceive the few of us left after we depart. However, there is immense peace in submitting to Allah’s plan and holding onto the belief that He will grant us a good ending and forgive us. One finds a lot of reassurance in this supplication (after Tashahhud and before Tasneem).
اللَّهُمَّ بِعِلْمِكَ الْغَيْبَ وَقُدْرَتِكَ عَلَى الْخَلْقِ أَحْيِنِي مَا عَلِمْتَ الْحَيَاةَ خَيْراً لِي وَتَوَفَّنِي إِذَا عَلِمْتَ الْوَفَاةَ خَيْراً لِي، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ خَشْيَتَكَ فِي الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ كَلِمَةَ الْحَقِّ فِي الرِّضَا وَالْغَضَبِ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ الْقَصْدَ فِي الْغِنَى وَالْفَقْرِ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ نَعِيماً لَا يَنْفَذُ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ قُرَّةَ عَيْنٍ لَا تَنْقَطِعُ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ الرِّضِا بَعْدَ الْقَضَاءِ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ بَرْدَ الْعَيْشِ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ لَذَّةَ النَّظَرِ إِلَى وَجْهِكَ وَالشَّوْقَ إِلَى لِقَائِكَ فِي غَيْرِ ضَرَّاءَ مُضِرَّةٍ وَلَا فِتْنَةٍ مُضِلَّةٍ، اللَّهُمَّ زَيِّنَّا بِزِينَةِ الْإِيمَانِ
وَاجْعَلْنَا هُدَاةً مُهْتَدِينَ
O Allah! By Your Knowledge of the unseen and by Your Power over creation, let me live if life is good for me, and let me die if death is good for me; O Allah! I ask You to grant me (the blessing of having) fear of You in private and public, and I ask You (to make me utter) a statement of truth in times of contentment and anger, and I ask You for moderation when in a state of wealth and poverty, and I ask you for blessings that never ceases, and I ask You for the coolness of my eye that never ends, and I ask You (to make me pleased) after (Your) decree; and I ask You for a life of (ease, comfort, tranquillity, etc) after death; I ask You for the delight of looking at Your Face (i.e. in the Hereafter) and yearning to meet You without any harm and misleading trials (coming upon me). O Allah! Adorn us with the adornment of Iman, and make us (from those who are) guided and guiding (others). [As-Saheehah Number 1301]
Contemplate This Supplication of The Janaazah Prayer
اللَّهمَّ اغْفِرْ لِحَيِّنَا وَمَيِّتِنَا وَشَاهِدِنَا، وَغَائِبِنَا، وَصَغِيْرِنَا وَكَبِيْرِنَا، وَذَكَرِنَا وَأُنْثَانَا. اللَّهمَّ مَنْ أَحْيَيْتَه ُ مِنَّا فَأَحْيِه ِ عَلَى الإِسْلامِ، وَمَنْ تَوَفَّيْتَه ُ مِنَّا فَتَوَفَّه ُ عَلَى الإِيْمَانِ، اللَّهمَّ لا تَحْرِمْنَا أَجْرَهُ، وَلا تُضِلَّنَا بَعْدَهُ
O Allah! Forgive our living and our dead, those present and those absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. O Allaah! The ones amongst us You keep alive, then let such a life be upon Islam, and whom amongst us You cause to die, then let such a death be upon Eemaan. O Allaah! Do not deprive us of his reward and do not let us go astray after him [i.e. after he has passed away.
Reminders From This Supplication:
اللَّهمَّ اغْفِرْ لِحَيِّنَا وَمَيِّتِنَا وَشَاهِدِنَا، وَغَائِبِنَا، وَصَغِيْرِنَا وَكَبِيْرِنَا، وَذَكَرِنَا وَأُنْثَانَا
“O Allah! Forgive our living and our dead, those present and those absent, our young and our old, our males and our females”.
This tremendous supplication is for everyone – the deceased and other Muslims; whether they are alive or have passed away, young and old, males and females, those who are present, and those who are absent because all of them need Allah’s Forgiveness, Pardon, and Mercy. The person who makes this supplication will receive a reward for each person he or she has supplicated for amongst the male and female Muslims, whether they have passed away or are still alive because Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, “Whoever seeks for forgiveness for the male and female believers, Allah will write down for him a reward for every male and female believer (he has supplicated for)”. [Sahih al-Jami 6026]
اللَّهمَّ مَنْ أَحْيَيْتَه ُ مِنَّا فَأَحْيِه ِ عَلَى الإِسْلامِ، وَمَنْ تَوَفَّيْتَه ُ مِنَّا فَتَوَفَّه ُ عَلَى الإِيْمَانِ
“O Allah! The ones amongst us You keep alive, then let such a life be upon Islam, and whom amongst us You cause to die, then let such a death be upon Iman”.
In this part of the supplication, Islam has been mentioned in connection with life, and Iman has been mentioned in connection with death. That is because whenever Islam is mentioned together with Iman, its intended meaning is the legislated apparent deeds and Iman is intended to mean the beliefs hidden in one’s heart. Due to this, it is appropriate that Islam was mentioned in connection with life because when a person is alive he has room and opportunity to perform deeds and worship Allah; but at the time of death, he has no room to do that, rather there is no room for anything else except to die upon sound creed and Iman by the Tawfeeq of Allah. This is why it is stated in this supplication:
[وَمَنْ تَوَفَّيْتَه ُ مِنَّا فَتَوَفَّه ُ عَلَى الإِيْمَانِ – and whom amongst us You cause to die, then let such a death be upon Iman].
[اللَّهمَّ لا تَحْرِمْنَا أَجْرَهُ – O Allah! Do not deprive us of his reward] – Meaning: Do not deprive us of the reward we are to receive for preparing his Janazah, praying for him, and burying him and the reward we are to receive for being patient due to the calamity that has befallen us through being separated from him. As for the reward you’ll give him, then that is his own and we have no share from it. [وَلا تُضِلَّنَا بَعْدَهُ – And do not let go astray after him (i.e. after he has passed away)]- Meaning: Protect us from misguidance and safeguard us from trials and mistakes after we have lost him. [Fiqh Al-Ad’iyah Wal-Adkaar 3/237-238]
We ask Allah:
اللَّهُمَّ أَصْلِحْ لِي دِينِي الَّذِي هُوَ عِصْمَةُ أَمْرِي
وَأَصْلِحْ لِي دُنْيَايَ الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَاشِي
وَأَصْلِحْ لِي آخِرَتِي الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَادِي
وَاجْعَلِ الْحَيَاةَ زِيَادَةً لِي فِي كُلِّ خَيْرٍ
وَاجْعَلِ الْمَوْتَ رَاحَةً لِي مِنْ كُلِّ شَرٍّ
O Allah! Rectify my religion for me, which is the safeguard of my affairs; rectify my worldly [affairs], wherein is my livelihood; and rectify my Afterlife to which is my return, and make life for me [as a means of] increase in every good and make death for me as a rest from every evil. [Saheeh Muslim Number: 2720]