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Fiqh-us-Sunnah - 4.26
Hadith 4.26.1
Life-Span of Muslims
Tirmidhi reported from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "The life-span of those in my ummah is 60 to 70 years. And a very few of them will exceed this span."
Hadith 4.26.A
Death: A Form of Rest
Bukhari and Muslim reported from Abu Qatadah that once, when the Prophet passed by a funeral, he said: "He is (now) in peace secure from others and others are in peace secure from him." The people asked: "O Allah's Messenger! Who is in peace and from whom are others in peace?" He said: "A believing servant (of Allah) is relieved from afflictions of this world upon his death, while upon the death of a wicked person, other people, land, trees, and animals are rid of his evil."
Hadith 4.26.B
Preparation for the Burial of the Dead
The body of the deceased person must be prepared for burial, washed, and shrouded, and a funeral prayer must be offered for him. Then he should be buried.
Hadith 4.26.C
Washing the Dead
The majority of jurists are of the opinion that washing the body of a dead Muslim is a fard kifayah or a collective obligation. If some people attend to it, it is done on behalf of all, as commanded by Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, and practiced by the Muslim community.
Hadith 4.26.D
Who is to be Washed and Who is Not
The body of a deceased Muslim, other than one killed in a battlefield by the infidels, should be washed.
Hadith 4.26.E
Washing Severed Parts of a Dead Body
There is a difference of opinion among Muslim jurists concerning washing parts severed from a body. According to Ash-Shafi'i, Ahmad and Ibn Hazm these parts must be washed and shrouded, and funeral prayer should be offered for the departed soul.
Ash-Shafi'i said: "We were informed that a bird dropped a (human) hand in Makkah after the Battle of the Camel. The people identified it by a ring on one of its fingers (It was the hand of Abdul al-Rahman ibn 'Itab ibn Usayd (probably killed in the battle). It was washed and a (funeral) prayer was offered on it. This was witnessed by many Companions alive at the time.
Ahmad said: Abu Ayub offered funeral prayer on a (severed) foot of a dead person, while 'Umar offered prayer on a dead man's bones.
Ibn Hazm said: "A funeral prayer may be offered on any organ found from a dead Muslim's body. It should be washed and shrouded, except when it is part of a martyr' s body." Ibn Hazm further remarks that offering prayer on any organ found from a Muslim's body is analogous to praying for the whole person of the deceased, namely, for body and soul.
Abu Hanifah and Malik say, however, that, "If more than half of a Muslim 's body is found, then it should be washed and funeral prayer be offered on it, but otherwise it should not be washed nor should any funeral prayer be offered on it.
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"When a person dies, his works end, except for three: ongoing charity, knowledge that is benefited from, and a righteous child who prays for him."
Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)
"The best of what a man leaves behind are three: a righteous child who supplicates for him, ongoing charity the reward of which reaches him, and knowledge that is acted upon after him."
Sunan Ibn Mājah
"Every day two angels come down from Heaven and one of them says, 'O Allah! Compensate every person who spends in Your Cause,' and the other (angel) says, 'O Allah! Destroy every miser.'"
Sahih Bukhari
