Thread by @sirnucy

An "Expo" to the Deceased

One of the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ regarding the مُحْتَضَر (a dying Muslim) is التَّلْقِين (exhorting him/her to say لا إله إلا الله). Abū Sa'īd al-Khudree reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
لقنوا موتاكم لا إله إلا الله

" Exhort your dying ones to say Lā ilāha ill-Allāh.” (Muslim)

The scholars of Islām stated that it is Mustahabb (highly recommended) to exhort the dying person to utter the Kalimah (or Shahādah) so that if dies in this situation, it will be the last words that he utters.

The essence of this is expressed in the hadeeth by Jābir bn 'AbdiLlāh who said: "I heard the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ say: “If a person’s last words are Lā ilāha ill-Allāh, Paradise will be guaranteed for him.”

However, we do witness these days, a common practice

by many Alfas and Imāms who, immediately after burying the deceased, will do the التَّلْقِين. They would say,

يا فلان يا ابن فلان: إن جاءك الملكان يسألونك من ربك؟ وما دينك؟ وما النبي الذي بعث فيك؟ فقل: ربي الله, وديني الإسلام, ومحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم نبيي ورسولي

"O X son of Y, of the two Angels (Munkar and Nakīr) will approach you to ask you who is your Lord? What is your religion. Who is the Prophet that was sent to you? Say, "Allāh is my Lord. Islām is my religion. Muhammad ﷺ is my Prophet and Messenger."

This practice is very common among our local Imaams here and is in sharp contradiction to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.
But is this right or wrong?

The scholars of Islām say, فالأصل في التلقين أن يكون عند الاحتضار"The basis for exhortation (of the dying person to say

Lā ilāha illā Allāh) is that it should be done before he dies.

This is the Sunnah. Doing it after his/her death and/or burial is, though an opinion of some scholars but has no 'dalīl'. Shaykh bn Taimiyah rahimahuLlāh said:

قال شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية في الفتاوى الكبرى:

وتَلْقِينُهُ - الميت - بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ لَيْسَ وَاجِبًا بِالْإِجْمَاعِ, وَلَا كَانَ مِنْ عَمَلِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْمَشْهُورِ بَيْنَهُمْ عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَخُلَفَائِهِ, بَلْ ذَلِكَ مَأْثُورٌ عَنْ طَائِفَةٍ مِنْ الصَّحَابَةِ؛ كَأَبِي أُمَامَةَ

وَوَاثِلَةَ بْنِ الْأَسْقَعِ؛ فَمِنْ الْأَئِمَّةِ مَنْ رَخَّصَ فِيهِ كَالْإِمَامِ أَحْمَدَ، وَقَدْ اسْتَحَبَّهُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ، وَأَصْحَابِ الشَّافِعِيِّ, وَمِنْ الْعُلَمَاءِ مَنْ يَكْرَهُهُ لِاعْتِقَادِهِ أَنَّهُ بِدْعَةٌ,

فَالْأَقْوَالُ فِيهِ ثَلَاثَةٌ: الِاسْتِحْبَابُ، وَالْكَرَاهَةُ، وَالْإِبَاحَةُ، وَهَذَا أَعْدَلُ الْأَقْوَالِ

"Exhorting the deceased to say Laa ilaaha illaa Allaah after his/her death is not compulsory by consensus. It is, in fact not a common practice of

the Muslims during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ and his rightly-guided Caliphs. It's a practice by a section of the Sahābah such as Abū Umāmah and Wāthilah bn al-Asqa'. Imām Ahmad among the Imaams of the Madhā-hib permitted it,

while some of his desciples as well as those of Ash-Shāfi'ī regarded it as Mustahabb. Some scholars opine that it's reprehensible because they believe that it's a bid'ah. Thus, there are 3 prominent views on it: Recommended, Reprehensible and Permissible.

And the view on permissibility is the most correct."

The problem with this position by Shaykh bn Taimiyah rahimahuLlāh is that all the ahādīth reported on this issue are weak and cannot be used as a proof for the legality of التلقين of the deceased.

فأما حديث تلقين الميت بعد الدفن فأخرجه الطبراني في المعجم الكبير، وقال الهيثمي في مجمع الزوائد: وفي إسناده جماعة لم أعرفهم

At-Tabarānī mentions them in his معجم as well as al-Haythami in his مجمع الزوائد and then, said, "in its chain are a people that I do not know."

(Although Ibn Hajar and a few other scholars accepted the ahaadeeth based on what they claim are شواهد 'proofs'.)

The inclusion of unknown people in the chain of hadeeth is one of the conditions for rejection of hadeeth. For how can we ascertain the

veracity of their claim when we their identities are shrouded in mystery?

Shaykh bn Bāz rahimahuLlāh was asked about the تلقين of the deceased and he said, inter alia:

هذا ليس له أصل يعتمد عليه، فالذي ينبغي تركه، هذا هو المعتمد لعدم الدليل،

ولكن يستحب إذا فرغ الناس من دفن الميت يستحب الوقوف عليه، والدعاء له بالمغفرة والثبات، هذا المشروع، إذا فرغ الناس من دفن الميت يوقف عليه ويدعى له بالمغفرة والثبات، هكذا جاءت السنة كان النبي ﷺ إذا فرغ من الدفن وقف عليه وقال: استغفروا لأخيكم، وسلوا له التثبيت

فإنه الآن يسأل هذه السنة. نعم.
There's no basis for this. It's better to abandon it. This is better because doing it lacks proof. What is preferred after burying the deceased is to stand at the grave and seek Allāh's forgiveness & firmness for him (while answering the questions)

It is in the Sunnah that immediately the Prophet ﷺ buries a deceased person, he stands at his grave and say, "Seek Allāh's forgiveness and firmness for your brother, for he is now being questioned."

Conclusion

What is established in the Sunnah without any shred of doubt is exhorting the dying person before his/her soul departs his body. The practice of exhorting the deceased before, during or after burial is not established by any sound proof, hence it should be avoided.

No amount of "Expo" given to the deceased can benefit him/her if he/she did not live a pious and righteous life. Similarly, whether or not التلقين is done for a dying person will not affect his/her final destination of he/she is destined for Jannah.

Allāh knows best