Reciting admonitions to the deceased after burial is an evil innovation and reprehensible; there is no basis for it in the Quran and Hadith. This act is absolutely not established from the noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, nor from the trustworthy great Followers, may Allah have mercy on them. It is an addition and excess in the perfect and complete religion, and it is going ahead of Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him:
The command of the Exalted Allah is:
﴿يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا لَا تُقَدِّمُوۡا بَيۡنَ يَدَيِ اللّٰهِ وَ رَسُوۡلِهٖ وَ اتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ سَمِيۡعٌ عَلِيۡمٌ﴾
“O you who have believed! Do not precede Allah and His Messenger, and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing.”
It should be noted that admonishing the deceased after burial is not proven by any Shariah evidence. The scholarly and investigative review of the arguments of the innovators is presented here:
Argument number 1:
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Saeed Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
لقنوا موتاكم لا اله الا الله .
“Admonish your one who is near death with لا اله الا الله.”
Commentary:
➊ There is consensus among Muslims that this admonition is to be given to the person near death, not to the dead, as is proven by the practice of the Prophet, peace be upon him. It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas, may Allah be pleased with him:
ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عاد رجلا من الانصار ، فقال: يا خال ! قل: لا اله الا الله ، قال: خال أم عمّ؟ قال ؛ بل خال ، قال: وخير لي أن أقولها؟ قال: نعم .
“The Noble Messenger, peace be upon him, cared for an Ansari man and said, ‘O uncle! Say La ilaha illallah.’ He said, ‘Uncle or uncle?’ He said, ‘Would saying La ilaha illallah be better for me?’ He said, ‘Yes.'”
◈ Hafiz Haithami, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
Narrated by Abu Ya’la (3512) and Al-Bazzar (787), and their narrators are narrators of Sahih (Bukhari).
“This hadith has been narrated by Imam Abu Ya’la and Imam Al-Bazzar, and its narrators are authentic (Bukhari narrators).”
◈ Al-Busiri says:
Narrated by Abu Ya’la and Al-Bazzar with an authentic chain (It’haf As-Sa’irah: 188/3)
➋ Imam Tirmidhi, may Allah have mercy on him, established a chapter on this hadith as follows:
باب ماجاء فى تلقين المريض عندالموت والدعاء له عنده .
“Statement about advising the sick to say La ilaha illallah at the time of death and praying for them.”
He also writes:
وقد كان يستحب ان تلقن المريض عندالموت قول لا اله الا الله ، وقال بعض أهل العلم: اذا قال ذٰلك فلا ينبغي أن يلقن ، ولا يكثر عليه فى هٰذا .
“It is recommended to advise the sick to say La ilaha illallah at the time of death. Some scholars say that if a person says it once, then until he speaks again, he should neither be advised nor be told repeatedly.”
Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, established this chapter on the hadith:
ذكر الأمر بتلقين الشهادة من حضرته المنية .
“Statement about the command to advise the one near death to say La ilaha illallah.”
Hafiz Abu al-Abbas Ahmad bin Umar bin Ibrahim al-Qurtubi (656 – 578 AH) writes:
قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم: لقنوا موتاكم لا اله الا الله ، اي قولوا لهم ذٰلك وذكروهم به عندالموت وسماهم صلى الله عليه وسلم موتي ، لأن الموت قد حضرتهم ، وتلقين الموتي هذه الكلمة سنة مأثورة ، عمل بن المسلمون ، وذلك ليكون آخر كلامه: لا اله الا الله ، فيختم له بالسعادة ، وليدخل فى عموم قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم: من كان آخر كلامه: لا اله الا الله دخل الجنّة .
“The command of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to advise those who are dying to say La ilaha illallah means to remind them at the time of death. The Prophet, peace be upon him, called those near death as dead because death has already approached them. Advising the dying to say this kalima is an established Sunnah, and Muslims have practiced it. Its purpose is that the last words of the dying person become La ilaha illallah, so that he ends happily with this kalima and enters into the general command of the Prophet, peace be upon him, that whoever’s last words are La ilaha illallah will enter Paradise.”
Hafiz Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, writes in the explanation of this hadith:
معناًه من حضره الموت ، والمراد ذكر وه لا اله الا الله ، لتكون آخر كلامه كما فى الحديث (Sunan Abi Dawud: 3116, and its chain is Hasan, and Al-Hakim authenticated it (351/1) and al-Dhahabi agreed, and Ibn al-Mulqan said (Al-Badr al-Munir: 189/5): authentic): من كان آخر كلامه لا اله الا الله دخل الجنة ، والأمر بهذا التلقين أمر ندب ، وأجمع العلماء على هٰذا التلقين .
“It means that the one who is near death should be reminded of La ilaha illallah so that his last words become this, as in the hadith (Sunan Abi Dawud: 3116, and its chain is Hasan, Imam Hakim, may Allah have mercy on him, said it is authentic (351/1), and Hafiz al-Dhahabi agreed, and Hafiz Ibn al-Mulqan (Al-Badr al-Munir: 189/5) also considered it authentic) that whoever’s last words are La ilaha illallah will enter Paradise. The command to advise is recommended, and scholars have consensus on this method of advising.”
The author of Hidayah writes:
المراد الذى قرب من الموت .
“This refers to the one near death.”
The commentator of Hidayah writes under it:
دفع توهم من يتوهم أن المرادبه قرأة التلقين على قبر .
“It aims to remove the misconception of the person who thinks that advising should be done at the grave.”
Allama Sindhi Hanafi writes under this hadith:
المراد من حضره الموت ، لا من مات ، والتلقين أن يذكر عنده ، لا أن يأمره به ، والتلقين بعد الموت قد جزم كثير أنه حادث ، والمقصود من هٰذا التلقين أن يكون آخر كلامه لا اله الا الله ، ولذٰلك اذا قال مرة فلا يعاد عليه الا أن تكلم بكلام آخر .
“It means the one near death, not the one who has already passed away. The method of advising is to mention the kalima near him, not to command him. Many scholars have declared advising after death as an innovation. The purpose of advising is that the last words of the dying person be this kalima. Therefore, once he says it, he should not be advised again unless he says something else.”
He also writes:
ولا يلقن بعد تلحيده .
“Advising is not done after burial.”
Sheikhi Zada Hanafi (d. 1076 AH) writes:
وقال الأكثر الأئمة المشائخ لايجوز .
“Most Imams and Sheikhs say that this (reminding at the grave) is not permissible.”
From the statements of the scholars, it is understood that the reminder of La ilaha illallah should be given to a person near death, not to the deceased after burial. Nevertheless, the “people of innovation” insist that this reminder should be given to the deceased after burial at the grave. It will be easy for the people of reason to decide how the devotees of innovations resort to forceful tactics and tell lies without hesitation.
Ibn Abidin Shami Hanafi and others write about this hadith:
أما عند أهل السنة فالحديث لقنوا موتاكم محمول على حقيقة ، وقدروي عنه عليه السلام أنه أمر باتلقين بعد الدفن ، فيقول: يافلان ابن فلان ! اذكر دينك الذى كنت عليها .
“According to Ahl al-Sunnah, this hadith لقنوا موتاكم is understood in its literal meaning and is narrated from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he ordered the reminder after burial. So at the grave, say: O son of so-and-so! Remember the religion upon which you stood.”
Ibn Abidin Shami Hanafi Sahib has shamelessly told many lies in one breath. His claim that Ahl al-Sunnah has interpreted this hadith in its literal sense is a falsehood and slander against Ahl al-Sunnah. Even if he means Hanafi “jurists,” it is still incorrect, implying that according to him, the author of Al-Hidayah is outside Ahl al-Sunnah. Secondly, the command to admonish after burial is not conclusively proven from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him); the claimant must provide evidence. Admonishing at the grave after burial is not a legal issue but rather a later innovation. In reality, these people lack prudence and caution regarding religion; they have made their desires into religion. Therefore, the foundation of their religion is based on conjecture and falsehood. They first fabricate issues and then distort legal proofs to fit them. This is the heinous act that has distanced them far from the noble hadith scholars, and they commit literal and semantic distortions in the legal texts. Enmity towards the Sunnah is their destiny. Despite this, they do not tire of calling themselves Ahl al-Sunnah. They wander in confusion and regret; among the pious predecessors, they have no like-minded peers. Ignorance is better than their knowledge.
Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi Barelvi Sahib writes:
“This hadith can have two meanings: one is that the one who is dying should be taught the Kalima, the second is that the one who has died should be taught. The first meaning is metaphorical and the second is literal, and it is not correct to take the meaning metaphorically unnecessarily. Therefore, the translation of this hadith is that you should teach the Kalima to your dead, and this time is at the time of burial.”
Commentary:
If there is no obstacle, the literal meaning is taken; when there is a preventing factor, the literal meaning is abandoned and the metaphorical meaning is taken. This is of the same kind. Here the literal meaning is impossible because the dead do not have the ability to learn or acquire knowledge. Therefore, here also the metaphorical meaning is intended.
Naeemi Sahib further writes:
“From this hadith and these statements, it is understood that it is recommended to teach the Kalima Tayyiba to the deceased after burial.”
Alas, Muslims unanimously apply the hadith, which is meant for the state near death, to the condition after burial, and the “Mufti” Sahib, without any evidence, applies it to the state after burial, thereby giving a sanction to an innovation.
When the statements of the Shami and others are outright lies, how can an act based on them be correct?
Argument number 2:
وعن ضمرة بن حبيب أحد التابعين ، قال: كانوا يستحبّون اذاسوّي على الميت قبره و انصرف الناس عنه ، أن يقال عند قبره: يا فلان ! قل: لا اله الا الله ، ثلاث مرات ، يا فلان ! قل: ربي الله و ديني الاسلام و نبيي محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم .
“A Tabi’i, Zamr ibn Habib, says, when the grave was leveled over the deceased and people would leave, he considered it recommended to say near that grave, O so-and-so! Say لا اله الا الله (three times), O so-and-so! Say, my Lord is Allah, my religion is Islam, and my Prophet is Muhammad, peace be upon him.”
Commentary:
Its chain of narration is “weak”,
It includes “Ashiyakh min Ahl Homs” who are unknown and unidentified,
Therefore, it is not a valid proof and not to be acted upon.
Note: Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi Sahib writes:
“The questioners ask the deceased three questions: first, who is your Lord? Then, what is your religion? Then, what do you say about this master with the golden lattice and green dome? The answer to the first question is أشهد أن لا اله الا الله, the answer to the second is حيّ على الصّلاة, meaning my religion is the one in which five prayers are obligatory, and the answer to the third is أشهد أن محمدا عبده و رسوله ..” (Jaa al-Haqq: 312/1)
This is clearly a distortion in Islam; it is not the meaning of any noble verse or authentic hadith, rather it contradicts explicit texts. It is the result of exaggeration. When the pure grave of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, did not have a green dome, were these questions asked then? In fact, reason and justice complain that they do not support them.
Argument Number 3:
قال الامام الطبراني: حدثنا أبو عقيل أنس بن سلم الخولاني ، ثنا محمد بن ابراهيم بن العلاء الحمصي ، ثنا اسماعيل بن عياش ، ثنا عبدالله بن محمد القرشي عن يحيي بن أبى كثير عن سعيد بن عبدالله الأودي ، قال: شهدت أبا أمامة ، وهو فى النزع ، فقال: اذا أنامت فاصنعوابي كما أمرنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن نصنع بموتانا ، أمرنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فقال: اذا مات أحد من اخوانكم فسويتم التراب على قبره ، فليقم أحدكم على رأس قبره ، ثم ليقل: يا فلان بن فلانة ! فانه يقول: يا فلان بن فلانة ، فانه يستوي قاعدا ، ثم يقول: يا فلان بن فلانة ، فانه يقول: أرشدنا رحمك الله ، ولكن لا تشعرون ، فليقل: اذكر ما خرجت عليه من الدنيا ، شهادة أن لا اله الا الله و أن محمدا عبده ورسوله ، وانك رضيت بالله ربا و بالاسلام دينا و بمحمد نبيا و بالقرآن اماما ، فان منكرا و نكيرا يأخذ و احد منهما بيد صاحبه ، ويقول: انطلق بنا مانقصد عند من قد لقن حجته ، فيكون الله حجيجه دونهما ، فقال رجل: يا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ! فان لم يعرف أمه قال: فينسبه الي حواء يا فلان بن حواء .
“Saeed bin Abdullah Al-Awadi narrates that I went to see Sayyiduna Abu Umamah رضي الله عنه while he was in the state of dying. He said, ‘When I die, do with me as the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم commanded us. He commanded us that when one of you dies and you have filled his grave with soil, one of you should stand at the head of his grave and say, O son of so-and-so woman! When he says this, the dead will rise and sit up. Then he should say, O son of so-and-so woman! He will say, May Allah have mercy on you, guide us. But you cannot understand these things.’ Then he said, ‘Remember what he departed from this world with, the testimony that there is no deity except Allah and Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم is His servant and Messenger.’ He was pleased with Allah being the Lord, Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم being the Prophet, Islam being the religion, and the Quran being the Imam. One of the angels of questioning (Munkar or Nakir) holds the other’s hand and says, ‘Come, the man to whom his proof has been presented, we do not sit with him.’ Accordingly, Allah Almighty will support him in front of both. Someone asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah! If the one who gives the admonition does not know the mother of the deceased, what should he do?’ He said, ‘He should attribute him to Eve and say, O son of so-and-so Eve!’ ”
Commentary:
This narration is extremely “weak” because:
1. Its chain includes Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Alaa Al-Himsi,
about whom Muhammad bin Awf says:
كان يسرق الحديث .
“He used to steal hadiths.”
Imam Adi رحمه الله also criticized him,
and even the lowest degree of authentication is not established for him.
2. The teacher of Imam Tabarani رحمه الله, Anas bin Muslim Abu Aqil, is unknown.
3. One narrator of this narration, Abdullah bin Muhammad Al-Qurashi, is an unknown narrator.
4. No authentication was found for Saeed bin Abdullah Al-Awadi, therefore Hafiz Haithami رحمه الله says:
وفي اسناده جماعة لم أعرافهم .
“I could not recognize many narrators in its chain.”
5. The narration of Ismail bin Ayyash (according to the majority) from the Hijazi narrators is “weak.”
This narration is also from the Hijazi narrators, hence it is “weak.”
6. Yahya bin Abi Kathir is a “mudallis” (one who conceals the source) who narrates from ‘an’ without specifying hearing, which is not confirmed.
Therefore, Hafiz Ibn Hajar رحمه الله‘s statement that اسناده صالح ، وقد قواه الضياء فى أحكامه . (its chain is sound, i.e., Hasan, and Imam Ad-Diya said it is strong in his book Ahkam)
is not correct.
Hafiz Nawawi رحمه الله writes:
واسناده ضعيف ، وقال ابن الصلاح: ليس اسنادل بالقائم .
“Its chain is weak and Ibn As-Salah said its chain is not sound.”
Hafiz Iraqi رحمه الله also called it “weak.”
Allama San’ani رحمه الله writes:
ويتحصل من كلام أئمة التحقيق أنه حديث ضعيف ، والعمل به بدعة ، ولا يغتر بكثرة من يفعله .
“The summary of the statements of the great scholars is that this hadith is weak and acting upon it is an innovation. Seeing the many who adopt this innovation, one should not be deceived.”
One witness to this is in Qadi Al-Khalai’s book “Al-Fawa’id” (2/55), citing Al-Da’ifah by Al-Albani, where its chain is fabricated (man-made).
Muhaddith Al-Albani رحمه الله says:
هذا حديث ضعيف جدا ، لم اعرف احدا منهم غير عتبةبن السكن ، قال الدارقطني: متروك الحديث ، وقال البيهقي: واه ، منسو ب الي الوضع .
“This hadith is very weak. I do not know any of these narrators except Utbah bin Al-Sakan. Imam Darqutni رحمه الله said it is a neglected hadith, and Imam Bayhaqi declared it very weak and attributed it to fabricated hadiths.”
It should be well remembered that both Deobandi and Barelvi agree on the innovation of admonishing the dead after burial. In defense of this innovation, Muhammad Sarfaraz Khan Safdar Deobandi writes:
“However, admonishing after burial is at the grave (near the grave), but that is in the context of supplication while standing, which is proven from the Sunnah.”
The Deobandis analogized admonishing at the grave to supplication, and the Barelvis analogized the call to prayer at the grave to this admonition, whereas customarily and honorably, neither admonition is supplication nor is the call to prayer admonition. Neither the call to prayer at the grave nor admonishing at the grave after burial is established in Islamic law. Therefore, analogizing one baseless thing to another baseless thing can only be the method of innovators.
Talqeen and the Imams of Hadith
أبو جعفر التستري يقول: حضرنا أبا زرعة ، وهو فى السياق ، وعنده أبو حاتم و محمد بن مسلم ور اة والمنذر بن شاذان و جماعة من العلماء ، فذكروا حديث التلقين وقوله صلى الله عليه وسلم: لقنواموتاكم: لا اله الا الله ، فاستحيوا من أبى زرعة ، وهابوا أن يلقنوه ، فقالوا: تعالوانذكر الحديث ، فقال: محمد بن مسلم: ناضحاك بن مخلد عن عبدالحميد بن جعفرعن صالح ، ولم يجاوز ، وقال المنذر: نابندارنا أبو عاصم عن عبدالحميد عن صالح ، ولم يجاوز ، والباقون سكتوا ، فقال أبو زرعة ، وهو فى السوق: نابندار ، نا أبو عاصم ، ناعبدالحميد بن جعفر عن صالح بن أبى عريب عن كثير بن مرة عن معاذ بن جبل قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: من كان آخر كلامه لا اله الا الله دخل الجنة ، وتوفي .
“Abu Ja’far Tustari narrates that we came to Imam Abu Zur’ah, may Allah have mercy on him, when he was in his final moments. Present with him were Imam Abu Hatim, may Allah have mercy on him, Muhammad bin Muslim (Warah), Mundhir bin Shadhan, and several other esteemed scholars. They recalled the hadith of talqeen but felt shy to perform talqeen on Imam Abu Zur’ah due to his scholarly stature. Therefore, they said: ‘Let us discuss the hadith.’ Muhammad bin Muslim then began to narrate the chain: ‘Dhahak bin Mukhlad narrated to us, he said, Abu Asim narrated to us from Abdul Hamid bin Ja’far from Salih.’ At this point, Muhammad bin Muslim stopped and could not continue. Mundhir bin Shadhan said, ‘Bandar narrated to us, he said Abu Asim narrated to us from Abdul Hamid, and he from Salih.’ He also could not continue further. The rest remained silent. Then Imam Abu Zur’ah, may Allah have mercy on him, said: ‘Bandar narrated the hadith to us, Abu Asim narrated it to him, Abdul Hamid bin Ja’far narrated it to Abu Asim, Salih bin Abi ‘Arib narrated it to Abdul Hamid, he narrated it from Kathir bin Murrah, and he narrated it from our master Mu’adh, may Allah be pleased with him, who said that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: من كان آخر كلامه لا اله الا الله دخل الجنة . Whoever’s last words are La ilaha illallah (There is no god but Allah), will enter Paradise.’ At that moment, he passed away.”
Imam Ibrahim Nakha’i says:
لما ثقل علقمة قال: أقعدوا عندي من يذكرني لا اله الا الله .
“When Alqama Tabi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, became seriously ill, he said, ‘Bring me a person who keeps reciting La ilaha illallah to me.'”
عن ابراهيم: فى الرجل اذا مرض ، فثقل ، قال: كانوا يحبون أن لا يخلوه ، ويعتقبونه اذا قام ناس ، جاء آخرون ويلقونه: لا اله الا الله .
“Imam Ibrahim says about a person who becomes ill and near death, that the family should leave him alone, come to him one by one, and when some people finish visiting, others should come and remind him of La ilaha illallah.”
وقال الحسين الجعفي: دخلت على الأعمش أنا وزائدة فى اليوم الذى مات فيه ، والبيت ممتلي من الرجال ، اذ دخل شيخ ، فقال: سبحان الله ! ترون الرجل ، وما هوفيه ، وليس منكم أحد يلقنه؟ فقال الأعمش هٰكذا . فأشار بالسبابة و حرك شفتيه .
“Husayn al-Ja’fī narrated that on the day of Imam A’mash’s death, both I and Za’idah went to him. His house was full of men. Suddenly, a sheikh entered and said, ‘SubhanAllah! You all are watching this person and observing his state of dying, yet none of you is reminding him!’ Then Imam A’mash did this: he pointed with his martyrdom finger and moved his lips (meaning he recited La ilaha illallah before passing away).”
