كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ

“Every soul shall taste death then you shall (all) be brought back to Him”. (Al-Qur’an Al-Karim, 29:57).

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The book that is in your hands is the English translation of Rules Relating to the Deceased, according to the fatawa of the highest Shi’a Religious Authority of our age, His Eminence Ayatullah al-’Uzma al-Hajj as-Sayyid ‘Ali al-Husayni as-Sistani (May Allah grant him a long life in the service of Islam).

Numerous other books detailing the Islamic rulings according to this scholar have been printed in ‘Arabic and Farsi, with a growing number being translated into various other languages. Currently, eight books have been translated and printed in English, including:

(1) The Islamic Laws (A Translation of Tawdhhi a- Masail),

(2) Contemporary Legal Rulings in Shi’i Law,

(3) Manasik al-Hajj,

(4) The Simplified Islamic Rules for Youth and Young Adults,

(5) Jurisprudence Made Easy,

(6) A Code of Practice for Muslims living in the West,

(7) Rules Relating to the Deceased: Condensed Version, and the present book1.

Because of the important responsibility that lies on the shoulders of all Muslims - both men and women - after the death of a fellow Muslim, it was decided to translate and publish this book which beings with the rules regarding the correct procedure of writing a Will, continuing on to the important rites of burial, and all other aspects related to the deceased.

In undertaking the translation of this book, we have tried our hardest to convey the meaning to the English reader in a simple and standard English, however, we have decided to use ‘Arabic terminology throughout the text. To guide you, the reader, to the meanings of the ‘Arabic terms, we have also provided a Glossary at the end of the book.

We have relied on the electronic version of the Holy Qur’an translation of Muhammad Sarwar as found on his web site for the translation of the Surahs of the Qur’an, however we have made some modifications where it was deemed necessary. We have also included text in ‘Arabic for both the Surahs of the Qur’an and various Duas including the translation of two Duas from as-Sahifah as-Sajjadiyyah done by William Chittick and published by Muhammad Trust.

It should be mentioned that the book that this translation is based on, was originally compiled according to the fatawa of the Late Marja’ Taqlid of the Shi’a world, Ayatullah al-’Uzma al-Hajj as-Sayyid Muhammad al-Ridha al-Gulpaygani (May Allah raise his status). Needless to say, countless hours were spent in researching and compiling these laws so as to correspond with the fatawa of the highest Shi’a Religious Authority in our age, Ayatullah al-’Uzma al-Hajj as-Sayyid ‘Ali al-Husayni as-Sistani (May Allah grant him a long life). The different supplications including the various methods of Salat al-Mayyit were presented in written form to the office of His Eminence in Qum, Iran for approval, which, after going through, gave us the permission to print the same under the Ayatullah’s name.

Many chapters start with Ahadith concerning the philosophy of that particular section which in itself, form a separate part of the book. We have also included valuable information from the book, Manazil al-Akhirah by the late Muhaddith al-Qummi, the compiler of Mafatih al-Jinan, concerning the deceased. These sections have been noted accordingly.

We would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to some of the brothers in Qum, Iran who helped us out with the proofreading and editing certain parts of the text. Without their help, the completion of this book would not have been possible. May Allah (SwT) reward them for their troubles.

It goes without saying that whatever knowledge and effort is put into such a work, it will always remain far from being perfect, as perfection is only for Allah (SwT). We therefore request you the readers that if any inaccuracies are found in this book that you to write to us so that in future editions, those errors may be corrected. We also ask for your feedback regarding the translation of this work or if you would like to raise any points as to the contents of the book.

In closing, we pray to the Almighty to forgive any of our short- comings and any mistakes that we may have missed in the course of this translation. We pray to Him to accept this work of ours and to give us the ability to continue translating Islamic literature and serving the cause of Islam, Insha-Allah.

• 1. All of these books can be ordered from the Islamic Humanitarian Service, individually or as a complete set. Please contact our head office for more details.