It is permissible to announce a Muslim’s death so that people may hasten to prepare his body, attend the funeral, perform the prayer over him, and supplicate on his behalf. Publicizing the death with wailing, frantic grief, or by extolling the deceased’s worldly merits, however, is a practice of the pre-Islamic period. Modern examples of this include eulogy ceremonies and formal mourning gatherings.

It is recommended to execute the deceased’s bequests without delay, for doing so speeds the reward. In the Qur’an Allah mentions the fulfilment of bequests before the settling of debts, underscoring their importance and urging their discharge.

Settling the deceased’s debts must be carried out quickly, whether the obligation is owed to Allah—such as zakah, hajj, a vowed act of obedience (nadhr), or an expiation (kaffarah)—or owed to other people, such as the return of trusts, usurped property, or borrowed items. This ruling applies whether or not he addressed the matter in his will, because the Prophet ﷺ said: “A believer’s soul remains suspended by his debt until it is paid on his behalf,” reported by Aḥmad and al-Tirmidhī, who graded it sound. In other words, the claim against him keeps his soul detained. The ḥadith therefore urges prompt payment of the deceased’s liabilities. When the estate contains sufficient assets, the debts are to be settled from it. As for one who dies without assets yet intended to repay, other narrations indicate that Allah Himself will settle his debts.