Reading a will and commenting on it.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Listen to the will, may Allah reward you.
The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This is what I bequeath, and I have left a blank for the name.
The Shaykh : What?
The reader: And I have left a blank for the name. This is what I, so-and-so ibn so-and-so, bequeath: that I testify that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, and that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger, and that the Hour is coming, there is no doubt in it, and that Allah will resurrect those in the graves. I bequeath to those I leave behind that they fear Allah, reform their relations, and obey Allah and His Messenger if they are believers. Allah the Exalted says:[Al-Anfal 8:1]. And I bequeath to my family what Ibrahim (peace be upon him) bequeathed to his sons, Ya'qub: [Al-Baqarah 2:132].
First: I bequeath to you the fear of Allah, and patience at my death, and that you speak well of me, and that you increase in seeking forgiveness for me and supplicating for mercy, entry into Paradise, and salvation from the Fire, and that you increase in saying, "There is no god but Allah."
Second: And I have absolved...
The Shaykh : Or have I absolved myself?
The reader: And I have absolved myself from everyone who does or says something that contradicts the Book and the Sunnah, and from everyone who tears a garment or slaps a cheek.
Third: And I bequeath to you to invite the righteous and scholars who are able to attend when I am on the verge of death, so that they may remind me of the testimony.
The Shaykh : Be patient. Everything mentioned before is correct, but the last one—that when his time comes, the scholars and righteous people are present to remind him of repentance—this has no basis and is not authentic. Yes.
The reader: Shall I continue?
The Shaykh : Yes, go ahead, continue.
The reader: Fifth or fourth.
The Shaykh : If you put a mark on it, a wrong mark, put a wrong mark on it.
The reader: Fourth: And I bequeath to you to close my eyes and direct me toward the qiblah, lying on my right side, with my face toward the qiblah. Fifth: And I bequeath to you to hasten to...
The Shaykh : As for closing the eyes, that is correct, for when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entered upon Abu Sulayman and his eyes had burst, he closed his eyes.
And as for being on his right side facing the qiblah, this is a matter of consideration, because it must be established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), otherwise the original ruling is that it is not prescribed. And I have not fully clarified this issue, and I hope that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) will facilitate its clarification, for you know that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away in the lap of A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her).
Yes, and I bequeath to you.
The reader: And I bequeath to you...
The Shaykh : Is there anything else?
The student: It is long.
The Shaykh : Fine. Then we will leave it, if Allah wills, for the next lesson. Do you have any questions?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and all his Companions.
The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This is what I bequeath, and I have left a blank for the name.
The Shaykh : What?
The reader: And I have left a blank for the name. This is what I, so-and-so ibn so-and-so, bequeath: that I testify that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, and that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger, and that the Hour is coming, there is no doubt in it, and that Allah will resurrect those in the graves. I bequeath to those I leave behind that they fear Allah, reform their relations, and obey Allah and His Messenger if they are believers. Allah the Exalted says:
So fear Allah and amend that which is between you and obey Allah and His Messenger, if you should be believers.
فاتقوا الله وأصلحوا ذات بينكم وأطيعوا الله ورسوله إن كنتم مؤمنينindeed Allah has chosen for you this religion, so do not die except while you are Muslims."
إن الله اصطفى لكم الدين فلا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمونFirst: I bequeath to you the fear of Allah, and patience at my death, and that you speak well of me, and that you increase in seeking forgiveness for me and supplicating for mercy, entry into Paradise, and salvation from the Fire, and that you increase in saying, "There is no god but Allah."
Second: And I have absolved...
The Shaykh : Or have I absolved myself?
The reader: And I have absolved myself from everyone who does or says something that contradicts the Book and the Sunnah, and from everyone who tears a garment or slaps a cheek.
Third: And I bequeath to you to invite the righteous and scholars who are able to attend when I am on the verge of death, so that they may remind me of the testimony.
The Shaykh : Be patient. Everything mentioned before is correct, but the last one—that when his time comes, the scholars and righteous people are present to remind him of repentance—this has no basis and is not authentic. Yes.
The reader: Shall I continue?
The Shaykh : Yes, go ahead, continue.
The reader: Fifth or fourth.
The Shaykh : If you put a mark on it, a wrong mark, put a wrong mark on it.
The reader: Fourth: And I bequeath to you to close my eyes and direct me toward the qiblah, lying on my right side, with my face toward the qiblah. Fifth: And I bequeath to you to hasten to...
The Shaykh : As for closing the eyes, that is correct, for when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entered upon Abu Sulayman and his eyes had burst, he closed his eyes.
And as for being on his right side facing the qiblah, this is a matter of consideration, because it must be established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), otherwise the original ruling is that it is not prescribed. And I have not fully clarified this issue, and I hope that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) will facilitate its clarification, for you know that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away in the lap of A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her).
Yes, and I bequeath to you.
The reader: And I bequeath to you...
The Shaykh : Is there anything else?
The student: It is long.
The Shaykh : Fine. Then we will leave it, if Allah wills, for the next lesson. Do you have any questions?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and all his Companions.