To a believer, the proof of one’s belief is total obedience and devotion to Allah the Absolute. Accordingly, believers look upon the messages (Ayah) from Allah the Absolute as the legal standards for their daily lives, and conforming to those standards is the basis for their actions. This is because they are convinced that sometime after one’s death, although when is yet to be determined, there will come a day (the Day of Judgment) when there will be an account taking to the entrance to the next world, and the extent to which a believer accumulated deeds in line with the messages of Allah will be determined.
While believers may conform to the revelations of the Qur’an, it is their following the example and the practices of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with respect to the events that occur in daily life that serve as a more practical moral indicator through a believer’s life. It is from this standpoint that I will look into the matters related to our theme.
The funeral prayer (Salat Al-Janazah) is performed at the funeral service for the deceased. The body is washed according to the prescribed method and wrapped in a seamless shroud and then transported to a mosque. After the service has ended, the congregation offers memorial prayers (Dua) led by the imam, and the body is then interred into the ground. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has said with regard to attending funerals: “A person who follows a funeral procession and offers the prayer for the deceased shall have the reward of one Qirat, and if he also attends the burial he shall have a reward of two Qirats. A Qirat is as great as Mount Uhud (a mountain in the northern part of AI-Madina, Saudi Arabia).”
Furthermore, if 100 of his brothers say prayers of intercession for the deceased, the prayers will be answered. The prayers of the intercession of even 40 of his brethren will be answered. In other words, according to tradition, Allah’s intercession will be granted to the deceased if a large number of believers participate in the funeral.
The following is enjoined regarding grieving and wailing for the deceased:
“O you who believe! protect yourselves and your families against a fire whose fuel is people and stones” (Qur’an, 66:6), and “A person who bears a burden (sin) may not bear another’s burden. If a person who is burdened calls upon another to bear that burden, not even a portion of it can be borne by the other, not even by a near relative.” (Qur’an, 35:18)
The meaning of these passages from the Qur’an becomes clear when one considers the following Hadith, which counsels that one must exercise self-control in coping with tragedies:
“The deceased is punished because of the wailing and lamentations of his family.”
As to the services at the grave after the burial, it is reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would say prayers at the grave of the deceased after burial. It is said that he would repeat “Allahu Akbar (Allah is great)” four times for the deceased.