What Is Talqin, How Is It Performed, And What Is The Ruling On It?

What is talqin, how is it performed, and what is the ruling on it?

Talqin means reminding a person who is about to die of kalimat al-tawhid and the dead person of the principles of iman after burial near his/her grave.

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, “Exhort to recite “la ilaha illallah” to those of you who are dying.” (Muslim, Jana’iz, 1,2) It is mustahab to make people, who are about to die, lie on their right side by turning their face towards the qiblah. One should give talqin of kalimat al-tawhid to those who are sane and able to speak. The purpose of talqin is to help a patient remember the belief of tawhid while leaving this world. We should only recite “kalimat al-tawhid” and “kalimat al-shahadah” during talqin; we should not force him/her to say it. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) also encouraged people to recite Surah Ya-Sin near a person who is about to die (Abu Dawud, Jana’iz,24).

Moreover, although the talqin performed by a person who stays near the grave when the crowd leaves after burial and reminds the dead of the principles of iman loudly by addressing to him/her is not seen legitimate by some scholars, there are also other scholars who say that this may be performed near the grave of a person who dies after being accountable in religious terms (Ibn al-Humam, Fath, ll,105; al-Fatawa al-Hindiyyah, l,173).

Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWA