Chapter on Guiding the Dying, Positioning Them at Death, Procedures for Their Final Moments, Washing Them, and Placing Them in Shrouds
Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām|Volume 1|Book 1|Chapter 13
Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām
Book 1, Chapter 13
Chapter on Guiding the Dying, Positioning Them at Death, Procedures for Their Final Moments, Washing Them, and Placing Them in Shrouds
أَخْبَرَنِي اَلشَّيْخُ أَيَّدَهُ اَللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْ أَبِي اَلْحَسَنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ دَاوُدَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي اَلْحَسَنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ اَلْحُسَيْنِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ اَلرَّازِيِّ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي نَصْرٍ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو اَلْحَسَنِ اَلدَّلاَّلُ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ يَقُولُ:« مَا عَلَى أَهْلِ اَلْمَيِّتِ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَدْرَءُوا عَنْ مَيِّتِهِمْ لِقَاءَ مُنْكَرٍ وَ نَكِيرٍ» قَالَ قُلْتُ كَيْفَ نَصْنَعُ قَالَ« إِذَا أُفْرِدَ اَلْمَيِّتُ فَلْيَتَخَلَّفْ عِنْدَهُ أَوْلَى اَلنَّاسِ بِهِ فَيَضَعُ فَمَهُ عِنْدَ رَأْسِهِ ثُمَّ يُنَادِي بِأَعْلَى صَوْتِهِ يَا فُلاَنَ بْنَ فُلاَنٍ أَوْ يَا فُلاَنَةُ بِنْتَ فُلاَنٍ هَلْ أَنْتَ عَلَى اَلْعَهْدِ اَلَّذِي فَارَقْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اَللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَ رَسُولُهُ سَيِّدُ اَلنَّبِيِّينَ وَ أَنَّ عَلِيّاً أَمِيرُ اَلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ سَيِّدُ اَلْوَصِيِّينَ وَ أَنَّ مَا جَاءَ بِهِ مُحَمَّدٌ حَقٌّ وَ أَنَّ اَلْمَوْتَ حَقٌّ وَ اَلْبَعْثَ حَقٌّ وَ أَنَّ اَللَّهَ تَعَالَى« يَبْعَثُ مَنْ فِي اَلْقُبُورِ»» قَالَ« فَيَقُولُ مُنْكَرٌ لِنَكِيرٍ اِنْصَرِفْ بِنَا عَنْ هَذَا فَقَدْ لُقِّنَ حُجَّتَهُ».
The Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him, narrated to me from Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Dawud, from his father, from Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn, from Muhammad ibn Yahya, from Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yahya, from Abu ‘Abdullah al-Razi, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Nasr, from Isma‘il. Isma‘il said that Abu al-Hasan al-Dallal narrated to him from Yahya ibn ‘Abdullah, who said:
I heard Abu ‘Abdullah عليه السلام say: "There is no harm for the family of the deceased among you to shield their dead from facing Munkar and Nakir." I asked: "How should we do this?" Imam عليه السلام said: "When the deceased is left alone, the closest person to him should remain by his side, place his mouth near his head, and call out in a loud voice: 'O so-and-so, son of so-and-so (or O so-and-so, daughter of so-and-so), are you upon the covenant that you left us with - the testimony that there is no god but Allah سبحانه وتعالى, alone without any partner, and that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم is His servant and Messenger, the Master of the Prophets, and that ‘Ali عليه السلام is the Commander of the Faithful and the Master of the Successors? And that what Muhammad صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم brought is the truth, and that death is true, and resurrection is true, and that Allah سبحانه وتعالى the Almighty says: "He will raise those who are in the graves"?'" (Surah Al-Hajj 22:7) Then Imam عليه السلام said: "Munkar will say to Nakir, 'Let us leave, for he has been taught his (rebuttal) argument (Talqin).'"
- Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām fī Sharḥ al-Muqniʿah, vol. 1, p. 341
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Tahdhīb