our living and our dead, those who are present and those who are absent, our young and our old.”

He then proceeds to the particular supplication for the deceased. One of the most complete formulas is the one preserved in the ḥadith of Anas ibn Mālik—may Allah be pleased with him—who related that the Prophet ﷺ once led the funeral prayer over a person, and Anas remembered from his supplication the following words:

“O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, grant him well-being and pardon him. Honour his nuzul (hospitality)—that is, treat him generously as Your guest, for once a servant leaves this world for his grave he is a guest of Allah, and in that grave he will either be punished or blessed. Make his entrance spacious; widen his grave, for it is there that he will reside. Wash him with water, snow, and hail; purify him from sins with water, snow, and hail. He mentioned snow and hail because they are cold, and water because it cleanses, whereas sin—may Allah protect us and you from it—earns a punishment that is searing hot. Thus water removes the impurity, while snow and hail provide cooling. Cleanse him of sins as a white garment is cleansed of dirt—that is, rid him completely of all wrongdoing, just as a white cloth is freed of every stain. The white garment is cited because even the slightest blemish shows upon it; so if a white cloth is found to be clean, one is certain that no trace of defilement remains.”