Should One Prompt the Dying Person with Lā Ilāha Illā Allāh?

Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri

❖ Question​

Should a dying person be prompted to say Lā Ilāha Illā Allāh?

❖ Answer​

Yes, the dying person should be reminded frequently of Lā Ilāha Illā Allāh, so that when death approaches, the final words on his tongue are the declaration of tawḥīd.

◈ Evidences​

① Muʿādh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
((من كان آخر كلامه لا إله إلا الله دخل الجنة))
“Whoever’s last words are Lā Ilāha Illā Allāh, will enter Paradise.”
(Musnad Aḥmad 5/247, Sunan Abī Dāwūd 3116 – Ḥasan)


Imām al-Ḥākim (1/251, 500) declared it ṣaḥīḥ al-isnād, and Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī agreed.


② Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
((لقنوا موتاكم لا إله إلا الله))
“Prompt your dying ones to say Lā Ilāha Illā Allāh.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 916)


③ Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Prompt your dying ones to say Lā Ilāha Illā Allāh. Whoever’s last words are Lā Ilāha Illā Allāh, will eventually enter Paradise—even if after some punishment.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān 3004 – Ḥasan)

◈ Guidance from Scholars​

• If the patient cannot say the shahādah on their own, the attendants should gently remind them.
• The prompting should be soft and subtle, not forceful, so the patient does not feel suffocated or distressed.
• Once the patient says the shahādah, do not keep repeating it—unless they speak about something else afterward.
• Someone whom the dying person dislikes or mistrusts should not prompt him, lest it cause agitation in the final moments.

Conclusion​

• It is Sunnah to prompt the dying person with Lā Ilāha Illā Allāh.
• This should be done gently and wisely, ensuring that the shahādah is their final statement before death.