Is it recommended to remind the deceased of the Shahada after burial (Talqeen)?

Quran

Hadith

Islamic Text

Reminding the deceased regarding the Shahada (Talqeen) is differed over in the Hanafi Madhab. Some considered it to be recommended and others said it is not recommended.

عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ الْأَوْدِيِّ، قَالَ: شَهِدْتُ أَبَا أُمَامَةَ وَهُوَ فِي النَّزْعِ، فَقَالَ: إِذَا أَنَا مُتُّ، فَاصْنَعُوا بِي كَمَا أَمَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ نصْنَعَ بِمَوْتَانَا، أَمَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: إِذَا مَاتَ أَحَدٌ مِنْ إِخْوَانِكُمْ، فَسَوَّيْتُمِ التُّرَابَ عَلَى قَبْرِهِ، فَلْيَقُمْ أَحَدُكُمْ عَلَى رَأْسِ قَبْرِهِ، ثُمَّ لِيَقُلْ: يَا فُلَانَ بْنَ فُلَانَةَ، فَإِنَّهُ يَسْمَعُهُ وَلَا يُجِيبُ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: يَا فُلَانَ بْنَ فُلَانَةَ، فَإِنَّهُ يَسْتَوِي قَاعِدًا، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: يَا فُلَانَ بْنَ فُلَانَةَ، فَإِنَّهُ يَقُولُ: أَرْشِدْنَا رَحِمَكَ اللهُ، وَلَكِنْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ. فَلْيَقُلْ: اذْكُرْ مَا خَرَجْتَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا شَهَادَةَ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، وَأَنَّكَ رَضِيتَ بِاللهِ رَبًّا، وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا، وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ نَبِيًّا، وَبِالْقُرْآنِ إِمَامًا، فَإِنَّ مُنْكَرًا وَنَكِيرًا يَأْخُذُ وَاحِدٌ مِنْهُمْا بِيَدِ صَاحِبِهِ وَيَقُولُ: انْطَلِقْ بِنَا مَا نَقْعُدُ عِنْدَ مَنْ قَدْ لُقِّنَ حُجَّتَهُ، فَيَكُونُ اللهُ حَجِيجَهُ دُونَهُمَا فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ أُمَّهُ؟ قَالَ: «فَيَنْسُبُهُ إِلَى حَوَّاءَ، يَا فُلَانَ بْنَ حَوَّاءَ

Saeed bin Abdillah al-Awdi said, I witnessed Abu Amaamah when he was close to death. He said, If I die then do with me what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to do with our dead. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us saying, ‘If one of your brothers dies and you have levelled off the soil of his grave, then let one of you stand at the head of his grave and say, O so and so, the son of so and so, for indeed he hears but cannot respond. Then say again, O so and so, the son of so and so, for indeed he will sit up straight. Then say again, O so and so, the son of so and so, he will say, guide me may Allah (Most High) have mercy upon you, but you will not hear it. Say, remember what you left the Dunya with, bearing witness that there is no God except Allah (Most High), and Muhammad (ﷺ) is his slave and messenger, and you are pleased with Allah (Most High) as your Lord, and Islam as your religion, and Muhammad (ﷺ) as your Prophet, and the Quran as your Imam (leader). For indeed one from Munkar and Nakeer will take the hand of the other and say, lets go, we should not sit with someone who has been dictated his answers (proof). And Allah (Most High) will protect him from them (Munkar and Nakeer). A man said, O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), what if he doesn’t know his mother’s name. He (ﷺ) said, ‘let him link him to Hawaa, and say O so and so son of Hawaa.’ (Tabarani, al-Mojam al-Kabeer, 7979, Weak).

The Hadith above clearly encourages Talqeen (reminding the deceased) of the Shahada and other credal matters. However, the Hadith is weak, and scholars are not obliged to accept weak Hadith. Therefore, many Hanafi scholars did not accept it as evidence and said Talqeen is not encouraged.

(وَلَا يُلَقَّنُ بَعْدَ تَلْحِيدِهِ) وَإِنْ فُعِلَ لَا يُنْهَى عَنْهُ. وَفِي الْجَوْهَرَةِ أَنَّهُ مَشْرُوعٌ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ. (الدر المختار)

And he (the deceased) is not to be prompted (Talqeen) after burial (in a Lahd grave). However, if someone does it, then he is not to be prohibited. And in al-Jowharah (he said) it is permitted with Ahl al-Sunnah. (Imam al-Haskafi, al-Durr al-Mukhtaar).

In the Nass above we see the position of Talqeen not being recommended. However, there is an acceptance of the difference of opinion regarding the issue in the Nass (text). Other scholars unequivocally encouraged it.

وتلقينه بعد الدفن حسن. (حاشية الطحطاوي)

And prompting him (Talqeen) after burial is good. (Imam al-Tahtawi, Haashiyah al-Tahtawi).

Some scholars cite the Hadith below as evidence too. Although the Hadith is Sahih, it is not speaking about Talqeen. However, it is cited by some scholars to demonstrate that the deceased person in the grave can hear the living person when he speaks at the grave. Therefore, they say it is beneficial to remind the person of his faith, as he will hear it.

عَنْ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ، أَنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمَرَ يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ بِأَرْبَعَةٍ وَعِشْرِينَ رَجُلًا مِنْ صَنَادِيدِ قُرَيْشٍ، فَقُذِفُوا فِي طَوِيٍّ مِنْ أَطْوَاءِ بَدْرٍ خَبِيثٍ مُخْبِثٍ،وَكَانَ إِذَا ظَهَرَ عَلَى قَوْمٍ أَقَامَ بِالعَرْصَةِ ثَلاَثَ لَيَالٍ، فَلَمَّا كَانَ بِبَدْرٍ اليَوْمَ الثَّالِثَ أَمَرَ بِرَاحِلَتِهِ فَشُدَّ عَلَيْهَا رَحْلُهَا، ثُمَّ مَشَى وَاتَّبَعَهُ أَصْحَابُهُ، وَقَالُوا: مَا نُرَى يَنْطَلِقُ إِلَّا لِبَعْضِ حَاجَتِهِ، حَتَّى قَامَ عَلَى شَفَةِ الرَّكِيِّ، فَجَعَلَ يُنَادِيهِمْ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ وَأَسْمَاءِ آبَائِهِمْ: يَا فُلاَنُ بْنَ فُلاَنٍ، وَيَا فُلاَنُ بْنَ فُلاَنٍ، أَيَسُرُّكُمْ أَنَّكُمْ أَطَعْتُمُ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ، فَإِنَّا قَدْ وَجَدْنَا مَا وَعَدَنَا رَبُّنَا حَقًّا، فَهَلْ وَجَدْتُمْ مَا وَعَدَ رَبُّكُمْ حَقًّا؟ قَالَ: فَقَالَ عُمَرُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، مَا تُكَلِّمُ مِنْ أَجْسَادٍ لاَ أَرْوَاحَ لَهَا؟ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ، مَا أَنْتُمْ بِأَسْمَعَ لِمَا أَقُولُ مِنْهُم

Abu Talhah (May Allah Most High be pleased with him) narrated that on the day of Badr, the Prophet (ﷺ) ordered that the corpses of twenty-four leaders of Quraish should be thrown into one of the foul (dry) wells of Badr. It was a habit of the Prophetﷺ  to remain at the battlefield for three nights after victory. So, on the third day after the battle of Badr, he gave the order that his camel be saddled, then he set out. His ﷺ companions followed him saying among themselves, that he ﷺ is going to fulfil a need. He ﷺ halted at the edge of the well. Then he ﷺ started to call them (the dead of the Quraish infidels) by their names and their fathers’ names, ‘O so-and-so, son of so-and-so and O so-and-so, son of so-and so. Would it have pleased you if you had obeyed Allah (Most High) and His Messenger ﷺ? We have found true what our Lord promised us. Have you too found true what your Lord promised you?’ Umar (May Allah Most High be pleased with him) said, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, you are speaking to bodies that have no souls. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘By Him in Whose Hand is Muhammad’s soul. You do not hear, what I say better than they do.’ (Sahih al-Bukhari, 3976).

Since the Hadith above is not addressing the issue of Talqeen itself, many have not considered it valid evidence for this discussion. However, Sahih Muslim has a much more direct Hadith regarding the issue of Talqeen:

أَبَا سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيَّ، يَقُولُ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَقِّنُوا مَوْتَاكُمْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ

Abu Saeed al-Khudri (May Allah Most High be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Make Talqeen of La Ilaha Ill Allah to your deceased.’ (Sahih Muslim, 916 – 1). 

One may think that this Hadith ends the debate on the issue of Talqeen. However, many scholars have understood this Hadith to be referring to a person who is close to death, not the deceased. This interpretation is a move away from the literal meaning, and becomes a barrier to considering the Hadith a categorical proof for Talqeen of the deceased.

And Allah (Most High) Knows Best.

– Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (06.12.2021)

See also:

Using Weak Hadith

Called by father’s or mother’s name on the Day of Judgement?

See also (video):