In the book ‘Darus Salaam’, the great scholar Sayyed Murtaza Najafi quotes: Once a severe epidemic broke out in Iraq and Arabia. I was seated in the courtyard of the Shrine of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (a.s.) with a distinguished Scholar (Aalim) Sayyed Muhammad Baqir Qazwini. He was distributing work for serving the affected people among us, when we saw a youth who was standing in the last rank and was struggling to come near the Sayyed, but could not do so because of immense crowd. Suddenly he started wailing aloud, the Sayyed looked at him and told me to inquire the matter from him. I went to him and asked him the reason for weeping. He replied, “I desire that if I die in the epidemic, the Sayyed should recite the Prayer (Namaze Mayyit) over my dead body individually and not combined as he does (due to many deaths in the epidemic). I returned to the Sayyed and narrated the matter to him. He promised to fulfill his desire. Next day we saw an infant child who came crying to us. When we inquired of him he answered that he was the son of the youth who had come to us yesterday with a desire. He told us that he had become the victim of epidemic and was about to die, and he was desirous of meeting the Sayyed. Some of us accompanied Sayyed Muhammad Baqir to meet the dying man. On the way we met a pious man who was coming out of his house. When he saw us he saluted us, and asked us as to where we were going. We answered that we were going to visit a believer who was in his last moments. With permission he accompanied us in order to share the reward (sawab). When we came to the house, Sayyed Muhammad Baqir entered the room first, then one after the other we entered therein. The dying man was pleased and signalled us to sit. As soon as the pious man who had met us on the way entered, the dying man’s colour changed. His face turned pale and in rage signalled him to go away. He became restless as if some trouble had befallen him. We were all the more surprised when we learnt that the dying man did not even know him, whom we could assume to be his enemy. The man excused himself and went out but returned back after sometime. This time when he entered, the dying person was pleased and welcomed him. After sometime we took permission to leave. On the way we asked the pious man the reason for the sudden change in the attitude of the dying man. He replied that he was in the state of pollution (Junoob), and was leaving his house with the intention of performing ceremonial bath (Ghusle janabat) in the public bath. He met us on the way, and not wanting to miss the opportunity of performing this noble task accompanied us. He said that when he first entered the house and saw the dying man’s restlessness, he understood and left. To make himself sure he returned back after having performed the ceremonial bath (Ghusle Janabat). He concluded that the dying man had come to know about his impurity because the blessed Angels had left him and he felt immense pain. (Khazeenatul Jawaher)
Visiting the Dying Person
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