Wishing Well Upon The Departed

 عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا حَضَرْتُمْ الْمَرِيضَ أَوْ الْمَيِّتَ فَقُولُوا خَيْرًا فَإِنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ يُؤَمِّنُونَ عَلَى مَا تَقُولُونَ قَالَتْ فَلَمَّا مَاتَ أَبُو سَلَمَةَ أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ أَبَا سَلَمَةَ قَدْ مَاتَ قَالَ قُولِي اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَلَهُ وَأَعْقِبْنِي مِنْهُ عُقْبَى حَسَنَةً قَالَتْ فَقُلْتُ فَأَعْقَبَنِي اللَّهُ مَنْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ لِي مِنْهُ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

It was narrated that Umm Salamah said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘When you visit one who is sick or dying, say good things, for the angels say, “Amin” to whatever you say.’ When Abu Salamah died, I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Abu Salamah has died.’ He said: ‘Say: “Allahummaghfir li wa lahu, wa a’qibni minhu ‘uqba hasanah (O Allah, forgive me and him, and compensate me with someone better than him).’” She said: ‘I said that, and Allah compensated me with someone better than him: Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).’”

Narrated in Sunan ibn Majah

Grade: sahih (authentic)

Translation adapted from sunnah.com 

Lessons:

1. Among the etiquette of visiting the sick or attending a funeral is speaking good of the individual or supplicating for him/her.

 الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُواْ إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ (156)

"Who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to him we will return.” (Al-Baqarah 2: 156)

2. A widowed man/woman should pray for good for their spouses. Among the du’a taught by Rasulullah s.a.w was

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَلَهُ وَأَعْقِبْنِي مِنْهُ عُقْبَى حَسَنَةً

(O Allah, forgive me and him, and compensate me with someone better than him) 

We should wish the departed well and pray that Allah forgives their sins.