Talqin at the Grave

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

وعلى آلك واصحابك يا سيدي يا نور الله

فداك ابي وامي يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

ِAllah سبحانه وتعالى says:

ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ یُسۡمِعُ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ۚ وَمَاۤ اَنۡتَ بِمُسۡمِعٍ مَّنۡ فِی الۡقُبُوۡرِ

Surely, Allah causes to hear whomsoever He wills; and you can not make those hear who are in the graves

(Surah 35 Ayah 22)

Now it becomes evident that the deceased are unable to hear us ordinarily, but that Allah may cause a deceased person to hear and such an occurrence would be considered paranormal or extraordinary خارق العادة

In the instance of a Muslim who has died and is freshly buried, we say and believe that he is temporarily granted the ability to hear some matters from this world, such as the footsteps of his companions that buried him:

إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا وُضِعَ فِي قَبْرِهِ، وَتَوَلَّى عَنْهُ أَصْحَابُهُ، وَإِنَّهُ لَيَسْمَعُ قَرْعَ نِعَالِهِمْ

When the servant is placed in his grave and his companions go away from him, then surely he hears their footsteps (Sahih al-Bukhari)

I also believe that the freshly buried deceased Muslim is given the ability to hear the one standing at his grave urging him to say لا اله الا الله

لَقِّنُوا مَوْتَاكُمْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ

Urge your dead (to say) “La ilaha illa Allah” (Sahih Muslim)

Although the word موتاكم literally means “your dead” meaning those that have already died, it is usually understood by the people to mean those that are close to dying. Therefore, the general practice concerning Talqin is to encourage the one on his deathbed to say La ilaha illa Allah. However, this practice should also be extended to the actual dead when he is freshly buried in the grave. According to a narration:

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

If one of your brothers dies and you level the soil on his grave, then let one of you stand at the head of his grave and say: O so-and-so, son of so-and-so, for he hears him but does not respond. Then let him say: O so-and-so, son of so-and-so, for he will sit up straight. Then let him say: O so-and-so, son of so-and-so, for he will say: Guide us, may Allah have mercy on you, but you will not perceive. So let him say: Mention what you came out of this world with, the testimony that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, and that you are pleased with Allah as Lord, and with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad as Prophet, and with the Quran as Imam. For Munkar and Nakir, one of them will take the hand of his companion and say: Go with us, we will not sit with one who has been taught his proof. So God will be his argument against them (Mu’jam al-Kabir, v.8 pp.298-299, #7979)

Although this Hadith is weak, it is good to act upon it, and its meaning and purport is strengthened by the Hadith concerning Talqin.