his bier, just as the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him and his family—used to instruct his Companions, when they visited the graves, to say:

“Peace be upon you, O inhabitants of these dwellings—people of faith. If Allah wills, we shall soon join you. May Allah have mercy on those of us who departed first and those who will come later. We ask Allah for well-being for us and for you. O Allah, do not deprive us of their reward, and do not test us after them.”

It is also related that the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him and his family—said:

“No man passes by the grave of someone he knew in this world and greets him except that Allah restores the man’s soul to him so that he may return the greeting.”

Allah grants the living worshipper a reward when he supplicates for a believing deceased, just as He rewards him when he performs the funeral prayer over his bier. For that very reason the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him and his family—forbade doing so for the hypocrites, as the Mighty and Majestic declared:

“Do not ever offer the funeral prayer for any of them who dies, nor stand by his grave.” (Surah al-Tawbah 9:84)

Thus