Being around someone who's dying is the most humbling experience and reminder of the true value of life. As you're looking at someone who's about to leave this world, and this is something that, you know, unfortunately we're really deprived of because now that's being professionalized and that's really left to those that have to do what they have to do, whether that's the medical staff or the funeral home, but being around someone who's dying, as you're seeing them taking their last breaths and you see the look on their face and you're humbled knowing that Malik al-Mut, that the angel of death has just entered into the room. And you see that moment where their sight is fixed for a moment, their eyes are looking in one direction, and then the soul leaves the body. And you just have this feeling, subhanAllah, you know, the way that the Prophet, salallahu alaihi wasalam, described that some people when they're leaving this world, they have the angels of mercy that are coming to them. And then some people that look like something horrifying is coming their way. And of course, only Allah knows what's actually happening, but there's the sense and anyone that's been around dying people on a frequent basis will tell you the difference that they've noticed in how people leave this world and those moments. And so you're there in the room and someone's breathing their last, their eyes are fixed. And the Prophet, salallahu alaihi wasalam, had done so with Abu Salama radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu, as he had done with many of his companions. And Umm Salama radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu, she says that when the Prophet, salallahu alaihi wasalam, entered in and Abu Salama was taking his dying breaths, Abu Salama's eyes became fixed. And then he took his last breath. And if you've ever seen a person when they're dying, their eyes look up and then they just stop.
And the Prophet, salallahu alaihi wasalam, he said that verily when the soul leaves the body, the eyes follow the soul. Okay. Itha qubid al rooh tabi'ahul basr. The soul as it's leaving the body, the eyes follow the soul. And then the sunnah of the Prophet, salallahu alaihi wasalam, was to then close the eyelids of that person. Umm Salama says that when we did so with the Prophet, salallahu alaihi wasalam, in our presence and Abu Salama had passed away, the people started to wail. They started to weep. They started to cry. And the Prophet, salallahu alaihi wasalam, said, don't say anything right now except for good. Because as you're saying what you're saying right now, the angels will say ameen. SubhanAllah. The angels will say ameen. So as you're making dua right now, whatever you say, don't say something that's going to be taken against you. Don't say something that's going to be harmful to the dead. You have a group of angels that just entered into the room to reclaim that soul. Make sure that what you say right now is good because anything you say right now, those angels that have just entered are going to say ameen. There are special angels that are going to say ameen to your duas in that moment. And so the Prophet, salallahu alaihi wasalam, told them that and then the Prophet, salallahu alaihi wasalam, said, Allahumma ghfir li abi salam. Oh Allah, forgive Abu Salama. Warfa' darajatahu fil mahdiyin. And raise his station, make his station high amongst your rightly guided servants. Wafsah lahu fi qabrihi. And expand his grave. Make his grave spacious, the grave that he's about to occupy.
Wanawwir lahu fihi. And put light in that expansive grave of his. Wakhlufhu fi aqibihi. And take care of the descendants whom he's left behind. Make them pious and take care of them. SubhanAllah, the Prophet, salallahu alaihi wasalam, made that dua and the angels are saying ameen. And we have to realize in those moments, subhanAllah, that it's not just the person that has passed away that is affected by what we say. It's not just us who are affected because Allah is watching us. But in those precious moments, imagine how beneficial it is to the person that's leaving this world. When you make dua for them in those moments, when you pray for them in those moments, and these special angels say ameen, ameen, as they're taking his soul away from the body that you knew. And taking it either to a high place in paradise or to a place, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us, that is worse than that which they encountered in this world.