What Is the Sunna for Offering and Receiving Condolences?

Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa

Question

What is the sunna regarding condolences for the family of the deceased and those offering condolences?

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.

For the Family of the Deceased

The Sunna in consoling the family of the deceased includes:

1. Easing Their Grief:

This can be done by visiting them and offering solace through words and actions. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) demonstrated this when he comforted the daughter of a companion who had lost her son. He said:

“To Allah belongs what He takes and to Him belongs what He gives, and everything with Him has an appointed term. So, be patient and seek reward (from Allah).”

Despite this, when she insisted on his presence, he came with some companions and showed mercy by weeping for the child, explaining:

“This is a mercy that Allah places in the hearts of His servants, and Allah only shows mercy to those of His servants who are merciful.” [Bukhari]

2. Preparing Food for the Family:

It is encouraged to assist the family with meals since the grief may preoccupy them. When the news of Ja‘far’s death (Allah be pleased with him) reached the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), he said:

“Prepare food for the family of Ja‘far, for they have been overtaken by something that preoccupies them.” [Ahmad]

3. Praying for the Deceased:

Performing the funeral prayer and supplicating for the deceased is highly virtuous. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would pray:

“O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those present and those absent, our young and our old, our men and our women. O Allah, whoever among us You keep alive, keep him alive upon Islam, and whoever among us You cause to die, let him die upon faith.” [Ibid.]

He also said:

“Whoever prays over a funeral earns a reward equivalent to a qirat, and if he witnesses the burial, he earns two qirats. Each qirat is like the size of Mount Uhud.” [Muslim]

For Those Offering Condolences

Offering condolences is among the righteous deeds that please Allah (Most High) and strengthen the bonds of brotherhood among Muslims. It helps ease the grief of the bereaved and fulfills the sense of unity within the Umma. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

“The example of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is like a body: if one limb complains, the rest of the body responds with sleeplessness and fever.” [Ibid.]

May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.

[Shaykh] Anas al-Musa

Shaykh Anas al-Musa, born in Hama, Syria, in 1974, is an erudite scholar of notable repute. He graduated from the Engineering Institute in Damascus, where he specialized in General Construction, and Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, where he specialized in Hadith.

He studied under prominent scholars in Damascus, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri and Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, among others. Shaykh Anas has memorized the Quran and is proficient in the ten Mutawatir recitations, having studied under Shaykh Bakri al-Tarabishi and Shaykh Mowfaq ‘Ayun. He also graduated from the Iraqi Hadith School.

He has taught numerous Islamic subjects at Shari‘a institutes in Syria and Turkey. Shaykh Anas has served as an Imam and preacher for over 15 years and is a teacher of the Quran in its various readings and narrations.

Currently, he works as a teacher at SeekersGuidance and is responsible for academic guidance there. He has completed his Master’s degree in Hadith and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. Shaykh Anas al-Musa is married and resides in Istanbul.