919/1 - Um Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) entered upon Abu Salamah as his eyes were wide open (after his death). He closed his eyes and said: “When the soul is taken, the sight follows it.” Some members of his family began to weep. Thereupon, he said: “Do not supplicate for yourselves except what is good, for the angels say ‘amen’ to what you say.” Then, he said: “O Allah, forgive Abu Salamah, raise his rank among those who are rightly-guided, and grant him successors from his descendants who remain behind. Grant us and him pardon, O Lord of the worlds. Make his grave spacious for him and give him light in it.” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) The angels say ‘amen’ to the supplication of those around the dead person. So, upon the strike of disasters, people should supplicate only for what is good.
2) We are required to differ from the pre-Islamic customs of ignorance, like supplication for ruin and expression of discontentment at the time of a disaster. The believer should be content and submissive to his Lord.
3) There is blessing in the Prophet’s supplications, which are brief and comprise all goodness in the worldly life and the Hereafter. Blissful are those who follow this Prophetic Sunnah.
4) The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was merciful and compassionate towards his Companions and his Ummah.
5) It informs us that when the soul departs the body, the dead person sees it, but those around him do not see it. This is part of the realm of the unseen in which we believe. Allah Almighty says: {And they ask you about the soul. Say: “The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And you [i.e. mankind] have not been given of knowledge except a little.”} [Surat al-Isrā’: 85]