“Say, ‘Laa ilaaha Illallaah …’’’ so he said …

Translated by Ahmed Abu Turaab

Ibn al-Qayyim said, “So it may become impossible for him to pronounce theshahaadah, as many people have witnessed happen to those on the deathbed, such that it was said to some of them:

“Say Laa ilaaha illallaah.” So he replied, “Aaah! Aaah! I cannot say it!”

And it was said to another, “Say Laa ilaaha illallaah.” So he replied, “King!  Rook!  Checkmate!” and then he passed away.

And it was said to another, “Say Laa ilaaha illallaah.” So he started singing irrationally, saying, ‘Taatinaa tinintaa, [no meaning, just irrational singing]’ and then passed away.

And the same was said to another, so he replied, “And how will what you are saying help me when I left no sin except that I committed it?” and then he passed away without saying it.

And the same was said to another, so he replied, “And how will that benefit me? And I don’t know if I have ever prayed a single time to Allaah?” and then he passed away without saying it.

And the same was said to another, so he replied [talking about himself], “He is a disbeliever in what you say,” and then he passed away.

And the same was said to another, so he replied, “Every time I want to say it my tongue withholds.”

And someone who was present at the death of someone who would beg told me that [they told him to say the shahaadah] so he started saying, “For Allaah’s Sake. A penny for Allaah’s Sake,” until he passed away.

And a trader told me that he was present when one of his relatives was on his deathbed, so they told him to say Laa ilaaha illallaah and he was saying, “This piece is cheap. This is a good buy. This is such and such,” until he passed away.

So if the devil has gained mastery over the servant in the state when his mind is present and his strength [is also present] and he has complete cognizance [i.e., while he is alive and healthy], and has employed him in committing whichever acts of disobedience to Allaah he wants him to do, and has made him unmindful of the remembrance of Allaah the Most High, and has paralysed his tongue from remembering Him and his limbs from obeying Him–then what does one think will be the case when his strength breaks down and his heart and soul become preoccupied with the death pangs that he is in?

And [all the while] Shaitaan will have gathered all of his strength and determination and assembled everything that he is capable of to avail his opportunity concerning him–for that is the last action.

So the strongest his Shaitaan will be against him is at that time, and the weakest he [i.e., the person] will be is at that time.

So who do you think will be safe from that? So it is there that, “Allaah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word [i.e., 'the firm word' is Laa ilaaha illallaah], in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. And Allaah sends astray the wrongdoers. And Allaah does what He wills.” Ibraaheem 14:27

So how can someone whose heart Allaah has made heedless from His remembrance and who has followed his desires and whose affair is ever [in] neglect be granted the success to have a good ending?

Thus far away–the one whose heart is distant from Allaah the Most High, heedless of Him, worshipping his own desires, a slave to his lusts, his tongue dry from ever remembering Allaah [i.e., not moist with His remembrance], his limbs incapacitated from obeying Him actively working to disobey Him–far away [is such a person] from being granted the success to have a good ending.”

Ad-Daa wad-Dawaa, pp. 91-92, slightly edited.

And those who said……

Salaam ibn Sulaimaan al-Muzani

Hammaad ibn Zaid said, “I visited Salaam Abul-Mundhir while he was going through the agonies of death. So someone started to remind him to say, ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah.’ But he didn’t say it and that grieved me. Then the muadhin started to pronounce the call to prayer on the minarets of the Jaami’ Mosque, saying, ‘Ashhadu an Laa ilaaha illallaah!’ So Salaam said, ‘I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, nothing except what He wills takes place in the Heavens or the earth!’

Then he passed away, may Allaah have mercy on him.”
Zuhd of Imaam Ahmad, p. 369.

Aamir ibn Abdullaah ibn az-Zubair

Az-Zubair said, “My uncle, Mus’ab said, ‘Aamir ibn Abdullaah az-Zubair heard themuadhin [making the call to prayer] whilst he was on his deathbed, and his house was close to the mosque. So he said, ‘Take me by my hand.’ So it was said to him, ‘You are ill.’ So he said, ‘I hear the Caller of Allaah [i.e., the muadhin] and I don’t respond?!’ So they took him by the hand and he entered [the mosque] while they were praying maghrib. He prayed a rak’ah with the Imaam and then passed away. May Allaah have mercy on him.’”
At-Tamheed, Ibn Abdul-Barr, (20/93).

Ibrahim ibn Haani

Abu Zakariyyaa ibn Ziyaad said, “I was present at the death of Ibrahim ibn Haani. He said, ‘I’m thirsty.’ So his son brought some water, so [Ibrahim ibn Haani] said, ‘Has the sun set?’ He replied, ‘No,’ so he refused the water and said, ‘For the like of this let the workers [on earth] work.’ [Saafaat 37:61] Then he passed away, may Allaah have mercy on him.”
Taarikh al-Islaam of adh-Dhahabi, 20/63.

Ismaa’il ibn Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ismaa’ili

He passed away half way through the month of Rabee’ul-Aakhir, on Friday night … so he passed away, as an honour for him from Allaah, during maghrib prayer whilst he was reciting, ‘It is You we worship and You we ask for help.’[Faatihah 1:5]. May Allaah have mercy on him.
Siyar A’laam an-Nubalaa of adh-Dhahabi, 17/88.

Humaid at-Taweel

He passed away while he was standing, praying, in 142ah.
Hilyatul-Awliyaa, 7/329.

Abu Bakr al-Naqqaash

Abul-Hussein ibn al-Fadl al-Qattaan said, “I was with Abu Bakr al-Naqqaash whilst he was on his deathbed, on a Tuesday with three nights remaining in the month ofShawwaal in the year 351ah. So he started to move his lips and [say something] which I did not understand. Then he called out at the top of his voice:

‘For the like of this let the workers [on earth] work!’
‘For the like of this let the workers [on earth] work!’
‘For the like of this let the workers [on earth] work!’ [Saafaat 37:61]

Three times, then his soul left him.”
Taarikh Baghdaad of al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi, 2/205.

Zurarah ibn Abi Awfaa

He was the head judge of Basrah and he passed away whilst he was in sajdah.
Tahdheeb al-Kamaal, 9/340.

Abdul-Aziz ibn Abu Haazim

He passed away while he was in sajdah in 180ah, and he was eighty-two years old.
Mashaahir Ulemaa al-Amsaar of Ibn Hibbaan, p. 142.

Umar ibn Aamir as-Sulami, al-Basri, al-Qaadi

Abu Zur’ah said, ‘He passed away whilst he was in sajdah.’
Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, 7/410.

Ya’qub ibn Ibrahim al-Bazzaaz

He passed away in the year 323ah on Friday night and was buried on Friday, and it was in sajdah that he passed away.
Taarikh Baghdaad of al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi, 14/293.

Mujaahid ibn Jabr

From Fadl who said, ‘Mujaahid passed away whilst he was in sajdah.’
Athibaat indal-Mawt, p. 138.

Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Jumu’ah al-Hanbali

Musa ibn Mamluk mentioned, and he was from the righteous, that he was present at the time of his death. So he [i.e., Ahmad ibn Muhammad] began to recite Surah Ra’d. When he got to, ‘Its fruit is lasting and its shade …’ [Ra’d 13:35] his soul left him.
Taarikh Baghdaad of al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi, 14/293.

Abdullaah ibn al-Akram al-Misri al-Nu’maani

Some of our Shaikhs reported from Atiq al-Umari that he visited Abdullaah ibn al-Akram with a group of people on the night he passed away. So they said to him, ‘Won’t you say the shahaadah?’ So he said it and then said, ‘For the like of this let the workers [on earth] work!’ [Saafaat 37:61] and then he passed away.

And Ibn Sayyidin-Naas mentioned from someone who told him that at the time of his death he was saying both shahaadah’s and then he said, ‘I have succeeded by the Lord of the Ka’bah!’ and then he passed away.
Ad-Durur al-Kaaminah, 2/250.

Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Yunis as-Susi

He passed away in Muharram in the year 259ah on the Makkah road coming back after having performed Hajj. He passed away whilst he was in sajdah. And he was one hundred years old.
Mawlid al-Ulemaa wa wafayaatihim, of Rib’i, 2/570.

Muhammad ibn al-Hussain al-Mazrafi

He passed away whilst in sajdah on the first day of the year.
Al-Ibar fee Khabar min Ghair of adh-Dhahabi, 4/72.

Abdullaah ibn Ali al-Kaazruni

It is authentically reported from someone who was present at the time of his death that he heard him, while in the pangs of death, saying, ‘I don’t know you, O Devil!’ or, ‘You are the devil. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah.’ Then he passed away.
Ad-Daw al-Laami, of as-Sakhaawi, 5/34.

Musa ibn Ali ibn Musa az-Zarzaari

He passed away whilst in sajdah on the eleventh of Rajab in the year 730ah.
Ad-Durur al-Kaaminah, 4/739.

Musarrah ibn Muslim ibn Rabee’ah al-Hadrami

When he was on his deathbed, may Allaah have mercy on him, he started reciting the Quraan. So when he read the Saying of Allaah in Surah Taa Haa [the twentiethsurah], ‘… and I hastened to You, my Lord, that You be pleased,’ [Taa Haa 20:84] he passed away.’
Tarteeb al-Madaarik wa Taqrib al-Masaalik, of al-Qaadi Iyaad, 6/270.

Ali ibn Hasan as-Sairafi

This Shaikh passed away whilst he was praying witr. He recited, ‘Say, ‘He is Allaah, [who is] One!’ [al-Ikhlaas 112:1] then when he got to, ‘Nor is there to Him any equivalent,’ [al-Ikhlaas 112:4] he passed away.
Dhail Tarikh Baghdaad, 18/329.

Shu’aib ibn Hussain al-Andalusi

The last thing he said was, ‘Allaah is the Ever-Living!’ Then he passed away.
Siyar A’laam an-Nubalaa of adh-Dhahabi, 21/219.
All taken from, Akhbaar Mawt as-Su’adaa of Abdur-Rahmaan al-Jumaizi.

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