What is your opinion of those who say that a person has been taken (tawaffa) when he dies?

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : Some people, when a person dies, say "he was taken" (tawaffa). When you tell them to say "he died" or "Allah took him," they say, "There is nothing wrong with saying 'he was taken,' because 'tawaffa' means he completed his term." How should we respond to this?

The Shaykh : "He was taken" (tawaffa).

The questioner : The one who says of a person "he was taken" (tawaffa) means that he completed his term.

The Shaykh : If he says "he was taken" (tawaffa), it can be interpreted, but if he says "the one who was taken is Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He)," and he is the one who was taken, but "Allah took him" makes the sentence complete. However, if he says "he was taken" (tawaffa), it is misleading, and speaking in misleading terms is not part of the etiquette of Islam. Here, the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is sufficient: . This requires interpretation, and interpreted speech is not needed as long as there is ample room for proper expression.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : What is established in the authentic Sunnah, from the hadith of Abu Mazhura and the hadith of Ibn 'Umar, is that the mu'adhdhin's saying "Prayer is better than sleep" was in the first adhan. There is no authentic hadith that this was in the second adhan.