Death & the Hereafter
Many readers reach this topic on the worst day of their year, needing one step, not a lecture. It covers illness and dying, washing and shrouding, the funeral prayer and burial, and mourning and condolence. Questions about the grave and the resurrection are here as well. Every answer here is a sourced summary of a fatwa published on Ftawy, with the full ruling one tap away. If you need the next practical step today, start with washing and shrouding or the funeral prayer.
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Questions · 3,871 questions
What is the meaning of Ibn Mas'ud's saying, may Allah be pleased with him: "If one of you were to worship his Lord for seventy years between the Kaaba and the Maqam of Ibrahim, then come on the Day of Resurrection loving an oppressor, he would be resurrected with him in the fire of Hell," and does "resurrection" here mean eternal damnation in the Fire or merely entering it, and is it permissible to circulate such sayings for admonition?
How can one reconcile God's not compelling anyone to disbelieve with the Hadiths that indicate that God created people for Paradise and Hell, such as: "Indeed, the dweller of Paradise will have his life concluded with the deeds of the people of Paradise, no matter what deeds he may have done previously; and indeed, the dweller of Hell will have his life concluded with the deeds of the people of Hell, no matter what deeds he may have done previously"?
How can one reconcile the hadiths about Al-Hur Al-Ain, which indicate that they are created in advance and destined for a man, with the hadith about suppressing anger, which permits a man to choose whomever he wishes from Al-Hur Al-Ain on the Day of Resurrection, taking into consideration the issue of Al-Hur Al-Ain cursing the man's wife who mistreats him in this world?
Is the torment of disbelievers and atheists in Hell, "abiding therein for ages," perpetual, and does this contradict God's justice and mercy, or does it continue for ages known to God, and what is their fate thereafter, and why is this not mentioned in the Qur’an or Sunnah?
Is a father held accountable in Islamic law if he marries off his daughter against her will, and she then refuses to return to her husband's home in a remote area and kills herself?
Is the view of both the people of innovation (Ahl al-Bid'ah) and the people of the Sunnah (Ahl al-Sunnah) regarding their exclusive right to Paradise correct or incorrect?
What is the correct interpretation of the Almighty's saying: (Everything will perish except His Face) and what is the extent of validity of the Ash'arites' interpretation of it as His Essence?
Was Abraham an orphan? And is the "father" mentioned in the noble verse (And Abraham's prayer for forgiveness for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah, he disassociated himself from him. Indeed, Abraham was one who often invoked Allah and was clement) his deceased father, and his uncle is the one referred to as an enemy of Allah?
Is the Hadith that states that hot weather is "a breath from the breaths of Hell" weak, especially since it contradicts scientific facts about the seasons?
What is the ruling on saying that Satan does not deserve to exit the Fire, and does this statement narrow the concept of God's mercy?
Is it permissible to supplicate for one's deceased female cousin to be a bride in Paradise, or is that considered an transgression in supplication?
Will the Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon), peace be upon him, enter Paradise after forty years because he was wealthy and accountability comes with it?
If the Hadith: "No one is more jealous than Allah" proves the attribute of a 'person' for Allah, then why doesn't the word "creation" in the narration reported from Ibn Mas'ud: "Allah has not created any paradise, nor hell, nor heaven, nor earth greater than Ayat al-Kursi" prove the occurrence of creation upon Ayat al-Kursi?
Is the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) a martyr, and does he hear those who call upon him in the life of the Barzakh?
How authentic is the Hadith: "Do not forget the two mighty ones: Paradise and Hellfire"?
How can one die a martyr in the cause of Allah, what is the status of martyrs compared to others in Paradise, and what is the way to achieve that while living in a safe country?
Is the grave the final resting place for the deceased, as is commonly believed?
What is the ruling on sprinkling water on a grave and placing grains upon it for birds to eat when visiting graveyards?
How do we reconcile the permissibility of dedicating the reward of good deeds to the deceased with Allah Almighty's saying: "Whoever does righteousness, it is for his [own] soul" and "If you do good, you do good for yourselves"? And do these verses mean that a person's reward is only for himself and cannot be dedicated to others?
Is it permissible to sponsor an orphan on behalf of a deceased person?
Will the one who is negligent in prayer, yet whose good deeds outweigh his bad deeds, be judged by his prayers or by his good deeds on the Day of Judgment?
Why does the ruling on prompting a disbeliever to utter the Shahada at the time of death — that it is permissible to prompt him, and obligatory if his conversion to Islam is hoped for — differ from the case of Pharaoh's conversion to Islam at the moment of drowning, which was not accepted from him?
How can Allah's saying, "He disposes the [every] matter," be reconciled with His saying, "So [by] those who arrange [each] matter"?
Is the number of wives for an ordinary Muslim in Paradise limited to just two, or can he have more than that if he wishes?