1/946ــ عن أبي عمرو ــ وقيل: أبو عبد الله وقيل: أبو ليلىٰ ــ عثمانَ بنِ عفّانَ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: كانَ النَّبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إذَا فرغَ من دفن الميت وقفَ عليه، وقال: «اسْتغْفرُوا لأخيكمْ وسَلُوا لَهُ التَّثْبيتَ، فإنَّهُ الآن يُسْألُ». رواه أبو داود.
946/1 - ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) finished the burial of a dead person, he would stand over him and say: “Ask forgiveness for your brother and implore Allah to make him firm, for he is being questioned now.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd]
1) هدي السُّنَّة عند دفن الميت: الاستغفار وسؤال الثبات لَهُ في جواب المَلَكَينْ.
1) The Sunnah in burial is to ask Allah Almighty to forgive the dead person and make him firm during the questioning by the two angels.
2) عظم فتنة القبر، وهي: (سؤال الملكين)، فالميت محتاج إلَىٰ دعاء إخوانه بالثبات.
2) The trial of the grave is quite grave, and that is the questioning by the two angels. So, a dead person needs supplication by his fellow Muslims for him to stay firm.
قوله «فإنه الآن يُسأل» هذا خبر عن رَسُولِ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقد عَلِم ــ بوحيٍ منَ الله ــ أنَّ الرجلَ يُسأل وقتَ فراغ النَّبيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم من دفنه. وأما في زماننا فلا يقول الواعظ : «فإنه الآن يُسأل»، لأنه لا يدري هل يُسأل الآن أم لا؟ ولكن يقتصر علىٰ قول: «استغفروا لأخيكم وسَلُوا له التثبيت».
His words “for he is being questioned now” give a certain piece of information by the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) at the time, as he knew, through revelation from his Lord, that the man was being questioned after the Prophet had finished the burial. In our time, however, the preacher should not say this phrase “for he is being questioned now”, as he does not know whether he is actually being questioned now or not. He should only say: “Ask forgiveness for your brother and implore Allah to make him firm.”
2/947ــ وعن عمرو بن العاص رضي الله عنه قَالَ: إذَا دَفنتمُوني فأقيمُوا حَوْلَ قَبري قَدْرَ ما تُنحَرُ جَزورٌ ويُقسَّمُ لحْمُها، حَتَّىٰ أستأنسَ بكم، وأعْلَمَ ماذا أراجعُ به رُسُلَ رَبِّي. رواه مسلم. وقد سبق بطوله.
947/2 - ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “When you bury me, stand around my grave for the length of time within which a camel is slaughtered and its meat is distributed, so that I may find comfort in your presence and ascertain what answer I can give to the messengers of my Lord.” [Narrated by Muslim] It has been previously cited in its entirety.
قال الشافعيُّ رَحمهُ الله: ويُسْتَحَبُّ أن يُقرأ عنْدَهُ شيءٌ من القُرآن، وإن خَتَمُوا القُرآن عنْدَهُ كان حسناً.
Al-Shāfi‘i (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “It is recommended that they recite some verses of the Qur’an at his grave. And if they recite the whole Qur’an there, that will be good.”
هذا الأثر الوارد عن الصحابي عمرو بن العاص ــ أوصىٰ أصحابه إذَا دفنوه أن ينتظروا حول قبره مدة يستأنس بدعائهم عَلَىٰ جواب الملكين ــ هو اجتهاد منه رضي الله عنه، لكنّ هدي النَّبيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ــ وهو أكمل الهدي ــ لم يكن فيه الوقوف أو الجلوس عند القبر بعد الدفن، ولم يأمر أصحابه بذلك، ولو كان خيراً لفعله أو أرشد إليه؛ فما من خير إلَّا دلَّ الأمة عليه.
This reported statement from the Companion ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, in which he asked his companions, when they bury him, to stay around his grave so that he could have a sense of comfort from their supplication as he prepares to answer the questioning by the two angels; this was only his personal opinion. According to the Prophet’s guidance, however, which is the best guidance ever, we should not stand or sit around the grave after burial. He did not command his Companions to do so. If it were good, he would do it or instruct us to do it. Indeed, he left no good but he guided the Ummah to it.
وأما الأثر المنقول عن الإمام الشافعي ــ رحمه الله تَعَالَىٰ ــ فهو غلط علىٰ الإمام لا يثبت عنه، لأن الثابت عن إمامنا الشافعي ــ رحمه الله تعالىٰ ــ في موضوع قراءة القرآن، وختمه عند القبور أو عَلَىٰ الموتىٰ، أنه غير مستحب، فقد حكىٰ عَنْه ابن كثير في التفسير عند قوله تَعَالَىٰ: {وَأَن لَّيسَ لِلإِنسَٰنِ إِلَّا مَا سَعَىٰ} قَالَ: «ومن هذه الآية الكريمة استنبط الشافعي ــ رحمه الله ــ ومَن اتَّبعه؛ أن القراءة لا يصل إهداء ثوابها إلَىٰ الموتىٰ؛ لأنه ليس من عملهم ولا من كسبهم، ولهذا لم يندب إليه رَسُولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أمته، ولا حثهم عليه، ولا أرشدهم إليه بنص ولا إيماء، ولم يُنقَل عن أحدٍ من الصحابة رضي الله عنهم، ولو كان خيراً لسبقونا إليه، وباب القربات يُقتصر فيه عَلَىٰ النصوص، ولا يُتصرَّف فيه بأنواع الأقيسة والآراء. فأما الدعاء والصدقة فذاك مجمَع عَلَىٰ وصولهما، ومنصوص من الشارع عليهما».
As for the statement reported from Al-Shāfi‘i (may Allah have mercy upon him), it is wrong and inauthentic. Imām Al-Shāfi‘i is authentically reported to have said that reciting the Qur’an, partially or wholly, at the grave or over the dead is not recommended. Ibn Kathīr reported his opinion on the verse that says: {And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives.} He said: “From this noble verse, Al-Shāfi‘i (may Allah have mercy upon him) and his followers deduced that dedication of the reward of the Qur’an recitation does not reach the dead, for this is not part of their deeds or striving. Therefore, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) did not exhort or urge his Ummah to do this, nor did he guide them to this by a statement or a gesture. Moreover, this is not reported to have been done by any of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). If it were good, they would have done it before us. In the acts of worship, we should limit ourselves to the texts and not refer to different types of analogical reasoning or opinions. With regard to supplication and charity, there is consensus that they reach the dead, and it is stated in the Shariah.”
وقال الشيخ المصنف النووي ــ رحمه الله تَعَالَىٰ ــ في المجموع شرح المهذب في فقه الشافعية 5/294: «واتفق عليه الأصحاب وقالوا: يُستحب أن يُقرأ عنده شيء من القرآن، وإن ختموا القرآن كان أفضل».
The author Shaykh Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy upon him) said in Al-Majmū‘ Sharh al-Muhadhdhab fi al-Fiqh al-Shāfi‘i 294/5: “The scholars of this school of Fiqh agreed that it is recommended to recite some verses of the Qur’an next to the dead person’s grave, and it is even better to recite the whole Qur’an there.”
فهذا القول منسوب لأصحاب المذهب، وليس للإمام الشافعي، وعليه فنسبة هذا القول للإمام سهوٌ وقع فيه المصنف رحمه الله تَعَالَىٰ وغفر له.
So, this view belongs to the scholars of the Shāfi‘i school of Fiqh, not to Imām Al-Shāfi‘i himself. Accordingly, this view is mistakenly attributed to the Imām by the author, may Allah have mercy upon him and forgive him!