In The Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
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Praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, may the blessings and peace be upon our beloved master Prophet Muhammad, the last of Prophets, on his family, and all his companions.
Dear brothers and sisters! Allah Almighty says:
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“Every soul shall taste death.” [Qur’an, 29:57]
This Qur’anic verse contains a fundamental truth we often forget in the hustle of our professional lives. When a great scholar passes, we are forced to pause and reflect on the divine decree of Allah.
Scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets; when they die, a void is created in the intellectual and spiritual landscape of the Ummah. We must ask ourselves: what have we prepared for our inevitable journey? The wisest among us are those who remember death the most and prepare best for it. Let the passing of these guiding lights inspire us to reconnect with our faith, support our communities, and lead lives that will leave a positive and lasting legacy.
The death of an Islamic scholar is considered a monumental loss to the Ummah, often described as an irreplaceable loss or a breach in the faith.
The death of scholars is seen as a sign of the End of Times, as knowledge is taken away with their passing. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“Indeed, Allah does not withhold knowledge by snatching it away from His servants, but rather He withholds knowledge by taking the souls of scholars, until no scholar remains and people follow ignorant leaders…”.
Islamic scholars are considered inheritors of the Prophets, inheriting knowledge rather than material wealth. This knowledge is their lasting legacy, guiding future generations.
The passing of a scholar reminds Muslim believers of the transient nature of this life and the inevitability of death.
Beneficial knowledge left behind by Islamic scholars is a form of ongoing charity (Sadaqah Jariyah), continuing to benefit others after their death and earning them continuous reward.
Imam Al-Hasan Al-Basri described the death of an Islamic scholar as a loss that cannot be replaced for as long as the day and night alternate.
Imam Al-Hasan Al-Basri reported that: Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him said:
“The death of a scholar is a loss that cannot be replaced for as long as the day and night revolve.” [Shu’ab al-Iman of Imam Baihaqi]
The passing of Islamic scholars reminds the Ummah of the importance of the guidance found in the Qur’an and Sunnah and the responsibility to continue seeking and sharing this knowledge.
Imamul Bukhari, a towering figure in Islamic scholarship, spent his life meticulously collecting and verifying the sayings and actions (Hadith/Sunnah) of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Before recording each Hadith, he would perform ablution and offer a two Raka’ah prayer (Nafilah). He gathered thousands of authentic narrations, the most authentic book after the Qur’an being his book, Sahih Al-Bukhari.
When he passed away, it is said that a beautiful fragrance of musk emanated from his grave, drawing people from thousands of miles away to pay their respects. This story is a testament to the purity of his intentions and the immense impact of his dedication to preserving the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). His legacy continues to guide millions of Muslims centuries later, proving that a life lived in service of knowledge and faith leaves an eternal impact.
Respected brothers and sisters! I came across a thousand-year-old Arabic booklet titled, “The final words and the testimonies of the men of Allah” in a small bookshop in the National Mosque, Abuja, Nigeria. It was written by Ibn Zabr Al Rabie (died 989). I have taken just a handful of the nuggets of wisdom from it and translated them for you.
In our busy, hectic life, overwhelmed by pleasure, giving colourful distractions, then reading accounts of pious people on deathbeds will be a joy killer. The book has been well researched by the publisher and references from authentic Hadith books are given. I haven’t cited them for simplicity, my purpose has been to make this a simple reminder. If you want to know what a lifetime of spiritual discipline looks like, then read these final words.
The devout and pious believers regard death as, “the bridge that unites the lover with the beloved.” The life of Hereafter is the everlasting life, where the Muslim believer is granted paradise, in the company of the Prophets, and the righteous. Allah Almighty says:
“Whoever obeyed Allah and the Messenger, such people will be in the company of those blessed by Allah; the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous people. What a wonderful group of people to be with.” [Surah Al-Nisa: 69]
The Hereafter has delights that no eye has yet seen, no ear has yet heard and no human mind yet imagined. Driven by this motivation the Muslim believer strives to do righteous deeds, and subdues the pleasure-seeking self, thus confident of securing Divine pleasure. On the other hand, there are those who regard this life as a purposeless stopover and a time for enjoyment. They have one purpose; to pursue pleasure as much as possible. However, the true believer regards this as a probationary period, which Allah has granted him so that he may have everlasting life, hence he strives and struggles against the bodily lusts, against the pleasures of the world. Allah the Most High says:
“So whoever does an atom weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom weight of evil will see it too.” [Surah Al-Zilzal: 7-8]
When pious people sense that the time to meet their Lord has come, it is time to say goodbye to this temporary home. Even in their death throes, they feel compelled to share their wisdom and experience of the worldly life, they wish to benefit others, they are their directives, their wise counsel and reminding us of the deceptions of the fleeting and transient world.
Ibn Umar said, the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:
“A Muslim who has any inheritance to leave behind him, should make a will and should not spend two nights without having a written will.”
The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) also said:
“It is possible that death can come before you make a will.”
The mother of the believers Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, when the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was in his death throes with his head on my thighs, I heard him say “Lord! Forgive me, be kind to me and let me be with you.”
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) often spoke about the horrors of the Hereafter in his speeches, his sermons and actions. He stressed the importance of the Hereafter that touched hearts and filled eyes with tears. He wanted his listeners to become reflective, to understand the purpose of their lives and to appreciate the temporary nature of worldly life. Teaching them that, your real home is in the Hereafter. The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) wanted his followers to keep the Hereafter in their mind. For him, it was a means of transforming lives, a motivation for the listener to adopt moral values like kindness, patience, generosity, forgiveness and humility. Values for improving character and one’s behaviour. The purpose of these teachings was to make us reflective and meditative.
Ibn Rabie, the author of this booklet lived in the tenth century in Damascus. We don’t know much about him other than the fact that he was an erudite scholar and pious person. In this booklet, he compiled the final words and the testimonies of 64 people including two Prophets, Adam and Nuh, many disciples of the Prophet and venerable scholars of the first century. His sources include books of Hadith, biographies and history. I have selected a dozen of these pithy and terse sayings that capture whole life’s experience in few words.
How much have you prepared for the Hereafter?
It is reported that when Abu Hurairah was on his deathbed, he began to cry, someone said, “why are you crying Abu Hurairah?” He said, “for the lack of useful capital, the remoteness of being successful and the possibility of falling into paradise or hell.”
This is what Rabie ibn Khushaim, a student of the famous disciple Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud the disciple – uttered as his final words on his deathbed:
“I bear witness there is no god but Allah, He is the best reckoner and the one who rewards his servants graciously, I am satisfied with Him as Lord, Islam as religion, Muhammad as Messenger and the Qur’an as a guide.”
Shuraih al Khadrami reported that when Abu Malik Al-Ash’ari was on his deathbed, he said to the people around him:
“Those of you present here, please deliver what I say to you now, I heard the Messenger of Allah saying, the sweetness of worldly life will be the bitterness of the Hereafter, and the bitterness of worldly life will be the sweetness of the Hereafter.”
Makhul reported that when Amir Mu’awiyah was on his deathbed, he called his children and wife and said to them bring that special chest, they brought it out, it was locked. Makhul said we thought it contained diamonds. Mu’awiyah said, “I have treasured this until today, open it!” When we opened it, there were 3 pieces of cloth. Mu’awiyah said, “this is the shirt of the Messenger of Allah, this is the cloak he wore on the farewell pilgrimage, I also asked him to give me the loincloth he was wearing, so he said when I go home I will send It to you. He then sent it to me. Then one day when he was having his hair cut, I asked ‘please give me these hairs’, he said ‘take them Mu’awiyah.’ So, when I die, shroud me in the shirt of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), and cover me with his cloak, and scatter the Messenger’s hair over me, put them on my face and over my chest, it will attract the kindness of my Kind Lord.”
Abi Sahl Al Basri, was a student of Hassan Al Basr, when he was on his deathbed, he was asked to give advice. So, he said “sell your worldly life for the Hereafter and you will be profitable in both, but don’t sell your Hereafter for the world, that will make you a loser in both. Yes in both!
Alqamah, another student of Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud was on his deathbed when he told his students who were gathered around him, “please read aloud the declaration of faith, La-Ilaha illallah, there is no god but Allah.”
Ghuzaif Ibn Harris was on his deathbed whilst his brothers gathered around him, someone asked, is there anyone who can read Surah Yasin? A man said, ‘yes I can’, so he began to recite it, all listened attentively when he reached the final verse; “Glory be to Him in whose hands is the control of everything, and to him you will be returned.” (Yasin: 83). He quietly passed away. One of his brothers said, “when someone is in their death throes reading Yasin makes this easy.”
It is reported that when Zakariyyah Ibn Addi was on his deathbed, he raised his hands and prayed “Allah, I earnestly seek You.”
Respected brothers and sisters! As Muslim believers, please let’s all fear Allah Almighty and stop insulting and attacking the dead people!
On the authority of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:
“Do not insult the deceased, as they have already gone off to what they have put forth.” [Bukhari]
In this Prophetic Hadith there is a prohibition of abusing the dead, talking badly about them. Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) gave reason why. Because they have gone off to what they have done. They are done in this worldly life. If you wish to simplify your Affair and you wish to know your reality know that all human beings are one of two types, the majority and minority. Majority is one who is dead. Now they face recompense that they have with Allah. Insulting them would do you no benefit. And even if they’re disbelievers, the prohibition of insulting the dead still apply.
Insulting a dead person harms the living, harm the family and the children of such a person and so on. When you say a word of abuse about him, then you have insulted his offspring. So a Muslim believer avoid insulting the dead.
And in the Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) points out the prohibition of cursing the dead and speaking ill of their honour, and that this is considered among the bad manners. This is because they have reached the result of what they have done, be it righteous or evil. Moreover, cursing the dead does not reach them, but it only hurts the living ones.
The benefits from the Hadith:
1. The Hadith proves that cursing the dead is prohibited.
2. Refraining from cursing the dead serves the living people’s interest and protects society from mutual malice and hatred.
3. The wisdom behind the prohibition of cursing the dead is that they are already facing the consequences of their deeds, and cursing them will avail nothing, and it will only hurt their living relatives.
4. One should not speak useless words that serve no interest.
Al-Mughirah Ibn Shu’ubah reported that: The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:
“Do not abuse the dead and thus harm the living.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhi, and graded Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani]
Imam al-San’ani commented on the Hadith:
“The prohibition of insulting the dead is general, including unbelievers or others.” [See Subul al-Salam, Sharh Bulugh al-Maram, volume 4, page 677]
Finally, dear brothers and sisters! Know that, in Islam, speaking ill of the dead is strongly discouraged and considered a sinful act. The teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and various verses of the noble Qur’an emphasise respect for the deceased and caution against backbiting, even after a person has passed away.
The Hadiths makes it clear that once someone has died, their matter is with Allah, and we should not speak badly about them. Their deeds are already judged by Allah.
Allah Almighty says:
“And We have certainly honoured the children of Adam…” [Qur’an, 17:70]
This general statement of honour and dignity for all human beings implies that insulting or dishonouring someone, even after death, is against the spirit of Islam.
Islamic scholars like Imam Nawawi have stated that the prohibition of backbiting includes both the living and the dead.
The dead cannot defend themselves, which makes speaking ill of them even more unjust.
Therefore, The religion of Islam teaches us that:
• Do not speak evil of the dead.
• Leave judgment to Allah.
• If you can’t say good, remain silent.
• Make Du’a for mercy and forgiveness, not curses.
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“Speak good or remain silent.”
We belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return. May we all be granted a righteous end and a high station in the Hereafter.
May Allah have mercy on our souls, forgive our shortcomings, and grant us the highest ranks of Paradise (Jannatul Firdaus), ameen.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Prayers, peace and mercy are upon our beloved master, Prophet Muhammad, the son of Abdullah (Peace be upon him), his family and Companions.
Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: [email protected] or +2348038289761 or +2348024192217.
This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Jumadal Thani 14, 1447 AH (December 05, 2025).
