When someone dies, the first thing we do is to console the deceased’s family and relatives. In the past, the period of mourning for the deceased used to be short (limited to three days) due to the rush to bury the body. The Prophet PBUH said: “It is not lawful for a Muslim woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn for more than three days, except for her husband, for whom she should mourn for four months and ten days.” (Bukhari). At the present time, however, we must follow specific procedures that will delay the burial of the deceased, and thus the period of grieving becomes much longer than it was in the past. Sometimes, it takes more than a week before we get the body ready for the burial. The prophet PBUH tells us to console and help the family of the deceased during that crucial period. It is narrated by Abdullah bin Ja’far that: “When the news of the death of Ja’far came, the Prophet PBUH said: ‘Prepare some food for the family of Ja’far, for indeed something has happened to them that will keep them busy.'” (Tirmidhi). To console the family of the deceased, we usually encourage them to be patient, remind them of the reward for their patience, encourage them to do Dhikr, recite Quran and repeat the saying of إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون ‘ Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return..etc. However, the Prophet PBUH teaches us a very delicious and beneficial dish we should make for the deceased’s family while they are mourning upon their lost beloved. This dish is the Talbinah which many Muslims never heard of it. Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said that whenever one of her relatives died, the women assembled and then dispersed (returned to their houses) except her relatives and close friends. She (may Allah be pleased with her) would order that a pot of Talbina be cooked. Then Tharid (a dish prepared from meat and bread) would be prepared and the Talbina would be poured over it. Aisha would say (to the women), “Eat of it, for I heard the Messenger (PBUH) saying, ‘The Talbina soothes the heart of the patient and relieves him from some of his sadness.‘[Bukhari& Muslim]

And since the Talbina is made mainly from barley, its benefit does not stop at treating grief, but rather goes beyond that and treats many diseases. It is also narrated By Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): “If any of the Messenger’s (PBUH) family became ill, the Messenger would say: ‘It [Talbina] soothes the grieving heart and cleanses the ailing heart just as one of you cleans dirt off his face with water.’ [Tirmidhi &Ibn Majah]

In short, the consolation of the deceased’s family is not only Du’aa, Dhikr and Quran recitation, but also the preparation of a delicious and useful dish called: ‘Talbina’.