ONE HADITH A DAY

Remind those of you who are dying of: La ilāha illallāh (There is no god but Allah)

Narrated by Muslim · Authentic

عن أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيَّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهُ صلَّى اللهُ عليهِ وَسَلَّم: «لَقِّنُوا مَوْتَاكُمْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ».

“Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Remind those of you who are dying of: La ilāha illallāh (There is no god but Allah)."”

Explanation

The Prophet (ﷺ) encouraged that we prompt and remind those experiencing the throes of death to say the word of monotheism —"La ilāha illallāh" (There is no god but Allah) so that they may utter it, and it will be the last words they speak before dying.

Benefits

• It is recommended to prompt the dying person to say the testimony of faith.
• It is disliked to excessively prompt or insist on it once the dying person has said the testimony of faith or understood it, so as not to distress him and cause him to utter something inappropriate.
• An-Nawawi said: If the dying person says the testimony of faith once, it should not be repeated for him, except if he speaks something else afterward; then it may be gently prompted again so that the testimony of faith becomes his last words.
• The Hadīth emphasizes being present with the dying person to remind him, offer comfort, gently close his eyes, and attend to his rights.
• The impermissibility of prompting the deceased (to testify to faith) after death and at the grave after burial, because the Prophet (ﷺ) did not do so.

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