Chapter 111

What to say after closing the eyes of the deceased

Remembrance 1
WE RELATE FROM the Ṣaḥīḥ of Muslim from Umm Salamah, whose personal name was Hind, Honorific symbol who reported: “The Messenger of Allah Honorific symbol came to Abū Salamah, and his eyes were open; so he closed them. Then he said: ‘When the soul is taken out the sight follows it.’ Some people from his family shouted and screamed, so he Honorific symbol said: ‘Do not make du‘ā’ for yourselves except for good, for the angels say Āmīn to what you say.’ Then he Honorific symbol said: ‘O Allah, forgive Abū Salamah and raise his station among those who are guided. Take care of his posterity in his stead. Forgive us and him, Lord of the Worlds, and expand his grave for him and illuminate it for him.’” [1].I say that “his eyes were open” is [written as] shaqqa baṣarahu, with fatḥah on the letter shīn: the fatḥah on the rā’ of baṣarahu indicates that it is the object of the verb shaqqa. Such is the version agreed upon by all ḥuffāẓ and scholars. According to the author of al-Af‘āl: “One says, ‘The eyes of the dead open’, or ‘the dead open their eyes’ when they roll back or when they glaze over.”
Arabic text from the source edition
Allāhumma-ghfir li-Abī Salamata wa-rfa‘ darajatahu fī-l-mahdiyyīna wa-khlufhu fī ‘aqibihi fi-l-ghābirīn, wa-ghfir lanā wa lahu, yā Rabba-l-‘ālamīn, wa-fsaḥ lahu fī qabrihi wa nawwir lahu fīh.
Remembrance 2
We relate in the Sunan of al-Bayhaqī with a ṣaḥīḥ isnād from Bakr ibn ‘Abdullāh, an eminent Tābi‘, that he said: “When you close the eyes of the deceased say: In the name of Allah and in the nation of the Messenger of Allah Honorific symbol. And when you carry him say In the name of Allah, then glorify Allah for as long as you are carrying him.” [2].
Arabic text from the source edition
Bismi-llāh, wa ‘alā millati Rasūli-llāh ṣalla-llāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

References

[1] Muslim (920), Abū Dāwūd (3115), at-Tirmidhī (977), an-Nasā’ī (4/4–5).
[2] As-Sunan al-kubrā of al-Bayhaqī (3/385). According to Ibn Ḥajar this hadith is mawqūf up to Bakr ibn ‘Abdullāh. Al-Futūḥāt (4/117).