456 – On the authority of Abū Hurayrah: “In the story of the woman who used to sweep the mosque, the Prophet ﷺ asked about her. They said, ‘She has died.’ He replied, ‘Why did you not inform me?’ As if they had considered her unimportant. He then said, ‘Show me her grave,’ so they guided him to it and he offered the funeral prayer for her.” Agreed upon.
Muslim adds: He then said, “These graves are filled with darkness for their occupants, but Allah brightens them for them through my prayer over them.” ⦗1⦘
Vocabulary of the ḥadīth
– taqumma al-masjid – with the imperfect verb pronounced with an open vowel and the mīm doubled – meaning: she would sweep the mosque, remove its refuse, and keep it clean. Her name was Khurqāʾ and her teknonym was Umm Miḥjan.
– afalā kuntum – afalā is an interrogative particle, either for clarification or rebuke; the prefixed fā is conjunctive and what it is conjoined to is omitted, supplied according to the context.
– ādhantumūnī – “You informed me,” i.e. you told me of her death.
– ṣaghgharū amrahā – they belittled her status in comparison to the position of the Prophet ﷺ.
– ẓulmah – accusative of specification; ẓulmah means darkness, the absence of light.
Points derived from the ḥadīth
- It is recommended to pray the funeral prayer at the grave for anyone who missed the prayer over the deceased. There is no disagreement among the scholars about this, for the Prophet ﷺ prayed over this woman at her grave.
Imām Aḥmad said, “Who could doubt the legitimacy of praying at the grave? It is an established Sunnah, no