May the peace, mercy and blessing of Allah be upon you. 

I really hope you will answer my question since I am preoccupied with thinking about it all the time.

Are there any particular signs that show on the deceased while he/she is being washed that indicate for certain that the person will be in torment [in the Hellfire]—and refuge is sought with Allah—like that their face is not cheerful? Or could that be caused by things that happened before the person died and their body was placed in the cold chambers at the morgue, for instance?

 Please let me know, because I desperately need to get an answer to this question. I know well that there is nothing in our power except making du`a and doing good deeds for our departed loved ones, but I hope to get an answer to this question in particular. 

May Allah reward you with everything good.

IIn the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Grantor of Mercy

All praise belongs to Allah, and may prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and true followers. 

The signs that appear on the face of the deceased after his death are merely indications and what these indications prove is always an assumption. The cheerful look on his face and the light filling his countenance are indications of goodness and glad tidings. Likewise, frowning, humiliation, or fear on the face could be an indication of the opposite. Yes, the situation of the deceased before his death can affect the look on his face; that is why we said that these signs are only an assumption. Only Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, knows the real truth; and Allah Almighty is more exalted and more knowledgeable.

In any case, the deceased has met his fate according to what he did in his life. The only thing that we can do to help him now, by the Permission and Bounty of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, is to make du`a for him, to ask Allah to have mercy on him and to give in charity for him!

Then, all that is left for us after all of that is to take heed and be warned. The one who will be successful is the one who learned his lesson from others’ mistakes, not by making his own; and we ask Allah to grant us and you a good ending.

Allah knows best.

Related fatawa: 3049, 23501