bath to a deceased person, shrouds him, applies fragrance, lifts the bier, offers the Ṣalāĥ and hides the unpleasant thing that appears, he will be as cleansed of his sins as the day his mother gave birth to him.’ (Sunan Ibn Mājaĥ, vol. 2, pp. 201, Ḥadīš 1462)
After the death of Sayyidunā Mālik Bin Anas رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُمَا, someone saw him in a dream and asked, ‘How did Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ treat you?’ He رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ replied, ‘I was blessed with forgiveness just because of a sentence which Sayyidunā ‘Ušmān-e-Ghanī رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَنْهُ used to say on seeing a funeral: سُبۡحٰنَ الۡحَيِّ الَّذِيۡ لَا يَمُوۡتُ [Pure is He (from all defects/limitations) who is alive and will never die]. Hence, I also used to recite the same sentence on seeing a funeral; Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ forgave me because of reciting it.’ (Derived from: Iḥyā-ul-‘Ulūm, vol. 5, pp. 266)
The funeral Ṣalāĥ was first initiated in the era of Sayyidunā Ādam عَـلٰى نَبِـيِّـنَا وَعَـلَيْهِ الصَّلٰوةُ وَالسَّلَام, angels recited four ‘Takbīrāt’ in the blessed funeral prayer of Sayyidunā Ādam عَـلٰى نَبِـيِّـنَا وَ عَـلَيْـهِ الـصَّلٰوة ُ وَالـسَّلَام In Islam, the order for the funeral Ṣalāĥ becoming mandatory (Wājib) was revealed in Madīnaĥ Munawwaraĥ زَادَھَـا الـلّٰـهُ شَـرَفًـا وَّ تَـعۡـظِیۡـمًا. Sayyidunā As’ad Bin Zurāraĥ رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ passed away at the end of the ninth month after Ḥijraĥ and he رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ was the