What should be taught to the dying person?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Funerals
Primary text
The dying person must be prompted to utter the phrase 'La ilaha illa Allah' (There is no god but Allah), based on the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): 'Prompt your dying ones to say La ilaha illa Allah,' narrated by Muslim. The best deed is to die with the tongue moist from the remembrance of Allah, as stated by Al-Hasan, citing the Prophet (peace be upon him). This prompting must be done with gentleness and tact, without annoyance, unless the dying person speaks, in which case the prompting is repeated so that 'La ilaha illa Allah' is their final utterance. This is the position of Ahmad, based on the narration that whoever's last words are 'La ilaha illa Allah' enters Paradise, as narrated by Abu Dawud.
Supporting text
Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, when near death, instructed the person prompting him to stop after the first utterance, stating he remains upon that declaration unless he speaks otherwise. This is interpreted as adhering to the Prophet's saying regarding the last words being the key to Paradise.