The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “Surely everything has a heart, and the heart of the Quran is Yaseen. I would love that it be in the heart of every person of my people.” (Tafsir-al- Sabuni Vol.2) This hadith tells us that Surah Yaseen is undoubtedly a special surah. Reciting any part of the Quran carries great benefit; every letter gives us ten rewards, then imagine the reward one gets for reciting the heart of the Quran.
If you happen to visit a Muslim friend or family member on his death bed the chances are that you will witness most of your fellow visitors reciting the above Surah from the Quran. This is the final gift of a Muslim towards the dead and dying sending the person off with the blessings that is inherent within the verse to accompany him/her on his way into the afterlife. Psychologically this would be the most genuine form of the final farewell a loved one would have to offer to the dead and dying as it allows the visitor a moment of deep reverent and focus on being aware of paying the last respect towards the would be dear departed. In essence it would be the most fortunate farewell departure gift from whoever has come to pay their last respect. I am sure each and every religion embraced by man has such similar ritual practice in one form or another. However in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition this rite is carried to a deeper level whereby a monk is invited to perform the rite of the 49 days of The Bardo state where the dead person is advised upon what to expect and how to accept the journey he is about to embark upon the as soon as he is pronounced dead. This is to allay the dead person from being lost in fear and confusion as soon as his soul leaves his body. The 'Lama' would recite the Bardo Todol while sitting close next to the departed ensuring that his/her consciousness is not too shaken from the death experience when unfamiliar events starts to occur around him, like the blazing white light as his consciousness is free from any form of hinderance of the mind.
As I am not well versed in the recitation of the verse from the Quran I simply whispered in the ears of the loved one dying the act of letting go of what is to be left behind and that being all the worldly attachments on has including thoughts of loved ones and regrets of not having lived life as much as one had expected. I also would make my final farewell conciliation with the dying thanking for all that he/she had shared with me and forgiveness for any wrong that has transpired between us while being alive. It is not an easy thing to accept the fact of our mortality and it can happen to us at any given moment rest assured, however we can impart words of Love and Compassion towards the dying so as to ease the way towards acceptance of the event that would end our life on this planet and perhaps provide an insight or two for those on the way. I also find gentle physical contact with the dying help to sooth and calm down the person whose moment has arrived.
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