Allāh-umma-ghfir la-hū warḥam-hu wa ‘āfi-hī wa‘-fu ‘an-hu wa akrim nuzula-hū wa wassi‘ madkhala-hū waghsil-hu bi-l-mā’i wa-th-thalji wa-l-baradi wa naqqi-hī min al-khaṭāyā kamā naqqaitaththaub al-abyadz min-addanasi (M. 11:27). |
O Allāh! Grant him protection, and have mercy on him, and keep him in good condition, and pardon him, and make his entertainment honourable, and expand his place of entering, and wash him with water and snow and hail and clean him of faults as the white cloth is cleaned of dross. |
After the fourth takbīr, the taslīm is pronounced loudly by the Imām, as at the close of prayer (see p. 299). A similar Divine service may be held in the case of a dead man when the dead body is not present. A funeral service was held by the Holy Prophet himself in Madīnah when news of the death of the Negus of Abyssinia reached him (Bu. 23:4). When the service is over, the bier is taken to the grave and buried. The grave is dug in such a manner that the dead body may be laid in it facing Makkah. It is generally between four and six feet deep, and an oblong excavation is made on one side, wherein the dead body is to be placed. This is called the laḥd. The dead body is made to rest in the laḥd facing the Qiblah. If the dead body is contained in a coffin, the laḥd may be dispensed with. The following words are reported in a ḥadīth as having been uttered by the Holy Prophet when placing a dead body in the grave :