Question Summary:
What is the Islamic ruling on consoling a bereaved family?

Question Detail:

What duas and prayers we may recite for the deceased person and also what is the Islamic perspective on consoling a grieved person who just lost a loved one? Is there anything from Sunnat we may do? What to tell a person who lost a loved one and dua to say. 

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
1)     It is a sunnah of Rasulullah Salallahu Alayhi Wa Salam to console a bereaved family. There are many incidents narrated in the books of hadith where Rasulullah Salallahu Alyhi Wa Salam would visit families and express his sympathy with the loss of the family members. Rasulullah Salallahu Alayhi Wa Salam would offer words of support and encouragement for the family. He would even mention the vitues of the deceased and their high stages by Allah to ease the pain of the family.
Rasulullah Salallahu Alayhi Wa Salam would understand the pain of the family and even advise others to cook and send for the bereaving family.[2]
 
2)     One may console the bereaved family with the following words :

العليين واخلفه فى اهله فى الغابرين و لا تحرمنا اجره و لا تفتنا بعده
Transliteration: inaa lilahi wa inaa ilyhi rajioon wa inaa ila rabbina munqaliboon Allhumaktubhu indaka fil muhsineen wajal kitabhu fil eliyeen wakhlufhu fi ahlihi fil ghabireen wa la tahrimna ajrahu wa la taftina badahu[1]
 
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Ismail Dawoodjee
Student Darul Iftaa
Zambia
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net 
كتاب الاذكار254دار المنهاج [1]
[2] حدثنا أحمد بن منيع، وعلي بن حجر، قالا: حدثنا سفيان بن عيينة، عن جعفر بن خالد، عن أبيه، عن عبد الله بن جعفر قال: لما جاء نعي جعفر، قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: اصنعوا لأهل جعفر طعاما، فإنه قد جاءهم ما يشغلهم.
هذا حديث حسن، وقد كان بعض أهل العلم يستحب أن يوجه إلى أهل الميت شيء لشغلهم بالمصيبة، وهو قول الشافعي وجعفر بن خالد هو ابن سارة وهو ثقة روى عنه ابن جريج.