On the authority of Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) who said that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Hasten forth with funeral proceedings. If the deceased you carry was righteous, you are only ferrying him towards imminent goodness. If the one you carry is attributed to something besides that, then it facilitates expediently unburdening yourself of evil.”^[1]

Imām ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Nāṣir al-Ṣaʿdī (raḥimahullāh) explains:

This ḥadīth pertains to several matters of creed and belief, as well as the actions that branch off from it.

“Hasten forth with your funerals”

This directive encompasses all aspects of the funeral: the washing of the deceased, his/her embalming, transportation to the graveyard, and the subsequent burial. This command is also comprehensive of all matters that relate to the preparation of the funeral itself. The fulfilment of the funeral responsibilities is considered farḍ kifāyah (a communal obligation that when executed by a few, ceases to be an obligation for the remaining members of the community).

Although the haste mentioned here does not apply to any circumstance wherein delay to the funeral rites represents a greater good, or a more magnanimous benefit than expediency. Among them are cases of sudden death wherein delaying the funeral rites may facilitate post-mortem autopsy examination used to ascertain the cause of death, determining whether the deceased had experienced a stroke for example. It is also perfectly valid to delay the funeral to facilitate the gathering of an increased number of people to perform the janāzah prayer. Especially if this delay shall likely result in the attendance of close relatives to the deceased, who possess some form of right over him [in the form of inheritance or bequeathments] such that they may be conferred on the same occasion.

The haste mentioned in this ḥadīth is justified as proffering greater benefit to the deceased by allowing him to partake in the blissful joys of the hereafter expediently (provided he is deserving of that reward). If he is not, then it represents an expedient unburdening, a benefit to the living members of the community in disposing of him with haste, thereby distancing themselves from his evil state.

From the command to hasten forth in the execution of the funeral rites of the deceased, we may also deduce the expedited requirement to settle the deceased’s debts and outstanding responsibilities. This deduction is apt, as the fulfillment of these responsibilities is considered an even more pressing need of the deceased, more so than his own burial (as he will be asked concerning those responsibilities in his grave, as opposed to his burial for which he is not personally responsible).

Also among the lessons derived from this ḥadīth is an encouragement towards showing due care and attention to the affairs of all Muslims whether they are alive or deceased, and to hasten forth in the execution of any matter that represents benefit to them whether this be related to their religious or worldly affairs.

The ḥadīth also promotes the distancing of oneself from the avenues of evil and the staunch avoidance of those who used to engage in vile or wicked deeds, even in circumstances wherein one is tested with having to interact with such vagrants [i.e., their funerals].

This ḥadīth may also be used to evidence the existence of the blissful enjoyment or (miserable) punishment received by the denizens of the grave. Such matters have been confirmed from multiple independently authentic chains of narration to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) that this bliss or punishment commences as soon as the deceased is placed in his grave. In consideration of this, it is Islamically legislated for one to stand before the grave following the burial to invoke Allāh on behalf of the deceased, seeking forgiveness for him, and asking Allāh to grant him firmness in the questions that are currently being posed to him.^[2]

“If the deceased you carry was righteous…”

This ḥadīth also acts as a reminder of the various avenues towards experiencing impending bliss or punishment in one’s grave, and that the means towards being the recipient of joy and bliss in this circumstance is to conduct oneself with righteousness as the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) here said: “If the deceased you carry was righteous…” The word ‘righteous’ here is comprehensive of one testifying as to the truthfulness of Allāh and His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), engaging in acts of obedience and showing obeisance to Allāh. It therefore encompasses a testification of the truthfulness of the message that has been relayed (i.e., Islām), an implementation of its orders and complete abandonment of its prohibitions. Logically then, the means towards being subjected to punishment in one’s grave is the abandonment of this state of righteousness, regardless of whether the impetus for this abandonment was religious doubts (i.e., innovation and misguidance), or the continuous perpetration of forbidden acts (i.e., sins), or refusal to fulfil one’s religious obligations and responsibilities. In fact, all of the causes for the occurrence of this punishment mentioned in other aḥādīth and narrations may be summarised by these general aforementioned reasons. As the Most High said:

لَا يَصْلَاهَا إِلَّا الْأَشْقَى ‎﴿١٥﴾‏ الَّذِي كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ﴿١٦﴾

“None shall enter it (i.e, the Fire) save the most wretched, who denies and turns away.”
(Al-Layl, 92:15-16)

That is, the one who has ‘denied’ the message of Islām, ‘turning away’ from the commands relayed therein (i.e., the sharīʿah).