My Will

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All praise is for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds (mankind, jinn and all creation); peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad (the son of 'Abdullah) and upon his wives and companions and upon all those who follow his way. All thanks and praise is due to Allah, who guided us to His great religion, for it is by His grace that we are Muslims.

I, .............................................................. .................................................................................... (write you full name in here),
the .........................of ................ ........................................................................................................(write father’s full name),
of .................................................................................. ............................................................ (write your full address here),

urge you to fear Allah the Almighty above all else; to love Him more than anything else; to obey Him by doing everything He commanded and by leaving everything He ordered us to leave; and also to adhere closely to the way of His Prophet (saws). I advise you to perform the five daily prayers and not to omit or delay any of them, because you will be asked about your Salah (after the Shahadah) in your graves; and also to pay Zakah at the correct time to those who deserve it (if you have money); and to fast the month of Ramadhan and to go for Hajj if you are able. I recommend that you learn and memorise the Qur’an, practise everything in it and teach it to others. I implore you to revive the Sunnah: in all of your actions, try to behave the same way the Prophet (saws) did and encourage all Muslims to do likewise. I especially encourage you to follow the Sunnah regarding funerals and burials.

So after my death, prevent those who are close to me from doing anything contrary to the Sunnah when washing my body, during the funeral and burial and when giving condolences. I will explain everything which is necessary, according to the authentic ahadith narrated by the Prophet (saws). I ask Allah (swt), the Lord of the Great Throne, to accept our good deeds and to give us the best reward for practising His religion properly. He is close to us and accepts our supplications.

1. a) Immediately after l die, those present should:

§ close my eyes and my mouth;

§ make only positive supplications; ask Allah to be merciful towards me and to protect me from the punishment of both the grave and the hellfire (do not make supplications against yourselves, because the angels say "Ameen" after all supplications);

§ cover my whole body completely, including my head and my feet (if someone permitted by Shari'ah wants to see or kiss my face, they should only uncover my face for this purpose and then replace the cover);

§ hasten to prepare my body for burial, once it is certain I am dead.

1. b) I advise those present, and anyone who hears of my death later on, to be patient and perseverant; to fear Allah (swt); to accept His decree and to be totally satisfied with His will. You can say, "lnnaa lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji'oon," (‘Verily we belong to Allah and we will surely return to Him’). I want you to know that I am innocent of the actions of anyone (especially women) who shouts, screams or wails, or tears their clothing, or strikes their face, or pulls out their hair, because the Prophet (saws) said: “...the wailing woman, if she does not repent (for her sin of wailing) she will be resurrected on the Day of Judgement wearing an amour plate of molten copper and a coat of mail made of mange...” (collected by Muslim). Following my death, there should be no unnecessary public announcement, broadcast or written obituary, because the Prophet (saws) and his companions never did this. Just ask people to pray for my forgiveness, in line with the Sunnah.

2. No onlookers may be present whilst my body is washed; I ask that my husband perform this task alone. If he cannot, then I would like Sister ....... ............................................................................... (full name and contact details)
to wash my body. If she is not available, then any trustworthy, pious Muslim woman who knows the correct washing procedure should prepare my body. If she needs assistance, let it be from one other trustworthy Muslim lady, but if one assistant is not enough, then no more than two pious Muslim women should be present to help her wash my body.

The person who washes my body should follow these steps, according to the tradition of the Prophet (saws):

a. Do not describe or relate to anyone anything whatsoever that is seen whilst washing my body. Perform this task solely for the sake of Allah (swt).

b. Before washing, put a cover over my body, then remove my clothing. The person who washes me (unless it is my husband) should cover their hand with a piece of cloth (they should not touch my body directly).

c. Begin by washing the parts of wudhoo and then wash the right side of my body before the left side.

d. Wash my body three times with a mixture of water and soap (or lotus leaves - sidr); if that is not enough, five times; if that is not enough, then a total of seven times. For the final washing, add perfume (preferably camphor) to the water (unless I died in a state of ihraam). Undo my hair and wash it thoroughly.

e. Comb my hair; braid it into three separate plaits (if possible) and put it behind me.

f. Do not place cotton in any orifice (mouth, nose, ears, or private parts).

g. On completion, I recommend that the one who washed me should perform ghusl (if possible) or at least wash their hands.

3. After the washing, wrap my body with a shroud. My shroud should be simple - not extravagant or too expensive - and if I left any wealth, then take from this to buy my shroud. It should be clean, white, not transparent and it should be made of cotton (if possible). It should consist of three pieces of cloth (one of these should be finely pinstriped) and it should be large enough to cover my whole body completely. My shroud should have been perfumed three times with fumes from incense, (unless I died in a state of ihraam).

4. The funeral prayer, if it is performed in the mosque, then both men and women can pray over me. If possible, I prefer that my Janaazah be prayed outside, near (but not inside) the graveyard, according to the Sunnah. The imam should stand level with my middle. He should say takbir (“Allahu akbar!”) four, five or up to nine times. The men who are praying should form at least three rows behind the imam, even if one row contains only two men. Please invite people who are close by to join my funeral prayer, because the more people, the greater the benefit to me. Try to gather at least forty pious men, so that Allah will accept their intercession on my behalf (according to the hadith of the Prophet (saws)).

This is an example of a du'a which may be said during the Salatul Janazah: “Allahumma ‘abduka wabnu amatikahtaaja ilaa rahmatika wa anta ghaniyyun ‘an ‘athaabihi, in kaan muhsinan fazid fee hasanaatihi, wa in kaana sayyi-an fatajaawuza ‘an sayyi-aatihi,” (‘O Allah, Your slave, son of Your female slave, in need of Your mercy, and You are free from any need to punish him, if he was a doer of good then increase his good, and if he committed evil then pardon him’).

I advise only men (not women) to go with the funeral procession to the cemetery and to stay there until after I have been buried, so they receive the full reward, insha'Allah. If possible, I prefer that the men who carry my body after the funeral prayer walk at a brisk pace to the graveyard, rather than go by car (unless the distance is too great). I advise the men who carry my body not to speak loudly (even if they are mentioning Allah), because the Prophet (saws) and his companions used to go quietly when carrying the body, and they used that time to contemplate death. I ask you to make sincere du'a for me, both during and after the funeral prayer.

5. The burial should be in the Muslims’ graveyard, in the country in which I died. Do not transport my body to another country, because that is not an Islamic tradition and it causes unnecessary delay in burying the body. Burial should not occur as the sun is rising (until after it has risen), nor at midday (until the sun has passed its zenith), nor whilst the sun is setting (until it has gone down), because burial at such times was forbidden by the Prophet (saws). Do not bury me at night unless it is absolutely necessary, because daytime burial is better, as it means that more men will be present to join the prayer.

6. My grave should be deep, with a niche in the side at the base (if possible), for my body to lie in. Put my body headfirst into the grave (from the foot of the grave) and place me on my right side, so that I am facing towards the qiblah. I prefer that my husband be the one to go down into my grave, but if he is not able to do so, then let my Muslim wali/father/brother or any pious Muslim man who knows how to place the body in the grave. The one who puts my body in its place should say, “Bismillah, wa ‘alaa millati rasoolillah,” (‘In the name of Allah, and according to the way of the religion of the Messenger of Allah’). Then, the side of the niche should be bricked-in and then the grave should be filled with soil. Once the grave is full, I advise you to continue piling the soil until it forms a small convex mound (its height no greater than a handspan), which acts to identify the gravesite. It is recommended for each person present to help with this final process, by throwing at least three handfuls of earth on top of the grave, using both hands.

I implore you not to erect any bricks, fancy tombstones or monuments around my grave; just put a small rock (or something similar) so that my relatives can locate the place where I am buried. There should be no writing or messages on my gravestone (my name, al-Fatihah, the date of my death, poetry, etc). I want you to know that I am innocent of anything done contrary to what I have requested. I want my grave to resemble those of the Companions. I ask you not to talk loudly to my dead body, by encouraging me to say the shahadah. Instead, you should sit next to my grave (after I have been buried) and quietly ask Allah (swt) to make my tongue ready to answer Munkar and Nakir (the angels); ask Him to be merciful towards me; and think about death. You must remind yourselves that your tum will come soon. Remember that you will not depart from this world with anything, except for your good deeds.

7. When giving condolences, I advise you not to observe any specific day or number of days, nor to gather in a house or anywhere else for that purpose. After I have died, you should carry on with your normal routine. However, women may choose to refrain from wearing adornments and anyone can mourn or weep for me for up to three days only. I advise my family not to prepare food for the guests/people who might come to offer condolences, because the practice of the Companions was for neighbours, friends and relatives to bring food to the family of the deceased. I ask you to make du'a for me and not to read Qur’an on my behalf. I encourage my children to perform many righteous deeds in their lifetime (paying sadaqah jaariyah on my behalf, reading Qur’an, etc.) because this will benefit me also. If you meet my relatives at any time after I have died and you think it would be beneficial, then offer condolences by encouraging them to be patient and making du'a for me.

For those who give condolences, use one of the du'a which the Prophet (saws) used to say. For example, “Inna lillahi ta'ala ma akhatha wa ma a’ta, wa kullu shay-in ‘indahu bi ajalin musamma, faltasbir wal tahtasib,” (‘Indeed what Allah took and what He gave was His, and everything has an appointed time with Him, so have patience and wait for reward’).

8. Visiting the graveyard is something I advise you to do from time to time, because seeing the graves will remind you of the Hereafter. Sometimes our hearts become hard, we get caught up with our worldly affairs and we forget to do good deeds; but visiting the graveyard should soften your hearts. Do not observe “special” visiting days (such as 'Eed, or after forty days, or on the anniversary of the death); just go any day if you are nearby and you feel the inclination. However, you should not visit the graveyard excessively, nor should you travel with the sole purpose of visiting a grave.

As you enter the Muslims’ graveyard, greet its occupants with salam; try to use the words which the Prophet (saws) used to say. For example: “As-salamu 'ala ahlid diyari minal mu-minena wal muslimena, yarhamullahul mustaqdimen minna wal musta-khiren, wa inna insha Allahu bikum lahiqoon,” (‘May Allah send peace upon the people of this dwelling place, upon the believers and the Muslims, and may Allah forgive our earlier and later people and we shall, if Allah wills, be joining you’). Make only positive supplications for the dead Muslims, because Allah lightens our graves with your du'a.

If you visit my grave, please do not read Qur’an next to it, especially Surat ul-Fatihah, because the Prophet (saws) never read Qur’an in the graveyard for anyone, instead he used to make supplications for them. Please - make as many du'a for me as you can and while doing so, raise your hands and face the qiblah (don’t face my grave). Don’t sit on my grave; don’t pour water over it and don’t plant flowers on it.

Finally, I ask you, for the sake of Allah: please forgive me – because I am a human being; I try to do the right thing but I make mistakes too. All the sons of Adam make mistakes and commit sins, but the best of them are the ones who repent and go back to Allah (swt), asking for His forgiveness. So I ask Allah (swt) to forgive me, to accept my repentance, to grant me some of His Great Mercy and to lighten my grave.

Subhanak-Allahumma wa bihamdika. ashhadu an la ilaha illa anta, astaghfiruka wa atooboo ilayk. (How perfect You are oh Allah and I praise You, I testify that none has the right to be worshipped except You, I ask You to forgive me and I repent to You).

“Then whoever changes the bequest after hearing it,
the sin shall be on those who make the change.
Truly, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.”

Surat ul-Baqarah (2:181)

Dated: .................................................. Signature of Witness #1: .............................

Signature of Testator: ...................... Signature of Witness #2: .............................

Update the Following Instructions Regularly & Write in Pencil if Necessary

I owe the people listed below the following amounts of money and I ask that any debts be repaid immediately after my death and if possible, before my burial: (indicate amount, name and contact details of recipients)..........................................................................

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I borrowed the following items from the people below and I ask that they be returned to them as soon as possible: (indicate item borrowed, name and contact details of owner)............................................................................................................................................................................... .

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I owe ............... days of fasting from Ramadhan and I ask someone to clear this debt by fasting on my behalf. I also ask that someone perform ............... days of fasting on my behalf for nathr, which I did not fulfil. I ask someone who has already made their Hajj to perform Hajj on my behalf, since I was unable to do so. (Repayment of debts, fasting and performing Hajj on my behalf should preferably be done by someone who inherits from me under Shari’ah, but if they are unable, then another Muslim may do so.)

I bequeath the following items/amounts of money to those who do not inherit from me: (item/amount, name and contact details)........................................................................

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I leave the following amounts of money for charity: (indicate amount of recipient/charity).................................................................................................................................................... . .

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I, ......................................................................................... (write you full name in here),
the wife/daughter of ....................... (write either your husband’s or father’s full name),
of ...................................................................................... (write your full address here),