Fiqh-us Sunnah

Section : Prohibition of Sitting, Leaning, and Walking on Graves. It is not permissible to sit on a grave, or lean on it, or walk over it. This is based on a hadith reported by ‘Amr bin Hazm who said:…

Section : Prohibition of Whitewashing or Writing on a Grave. Jabir reported: “The Prophet, peace be upon him, forbade the whitewashing of a grave, sitting on it, or erecting any structure on it.” (Reported by Ahmad, Muslim, Nasa’i, Abu Daw’ud,…

Section : Burying More than One Body in One Grave. From the example of early generations, we learn that one body is to be buried in a grave. It is disliked if more than one body is buried in a…

Section : Burial at Sea. The author of al-Mughni said: “If a person died while in a ship on the sea, then, according to Ahmad, they should wait a day or two to find a place to bury him, unless…

Section : Placing Branches of Palm on a Grave. It is not lawful to put a branch of a palm or flowers on a grave. The contrary is suggested by the following hadith reported by Bukhari and others from Ibn…

Section : A Woman who Dies While Pregnant with a Living Fetus. If a pregnant woman dies and the trustworthy physicians are sure that the fetus is alive, then it must be taken out of her womb by a caesarian…

Section : A non-Muslim Woman who Dies while Carrying a Child by a Muslim is to be Buried in a Separate Grave. Al-Baihaqi reported from Wathilah bin al-Asqa’ that he buried a Christian woman bearing the child of a Muslim…

Section : The Preference of being Buried in Cemeteries. Ibn Qudamah said: “A burial in a cemetery is better for a servant of Allah than being buried in home, for this is less harmful to survivors in his family, is…

Section : The Prohibition Against Talking Ill of the Dead. It is not permissible to talk ill of the deceased Muslims or to mention their evil deeds. This is based on Bukhari’s report from ‘Aishah that the Prophet, peace be…

Section : Reciting the Qur’an by the Graveside. The jurists differ concerning the legality of reciting the Qur’an by the graveside. Ash-Shafi’i and Muhammad bin Al-Hasan consider it desirable, because by it, the deceased might be blessed. Al-Qadi ‘Iyad and…

Section : Building New Graves over Old Graves. Muslim scholars agree that a place where a Muslim is buried should not be disturbed if flesh, bones, or other parts of the body remain there. If any of his other remains…

Section : Transfering the Body from One Place to Another. The Ash-Shafi’i school considers it unlawful to transfer the body of a deceased from one country or town to another unless it is to Makkah, Madinah or Jerusalem. It is…

Section : Condolences. Offering one’s condolences to someone means sharing in his grief and encouraging him to be patient. It means enjoining patience to comfort the distressed person and to lighten his or her grief and misfortune.

Section : Their Legality, Condolences. Condolences are desirable, even if the deceased was a non-Muslim. Ibn Majah and Al-Baihaqi reported from ‘Amr ibn Hazm that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Every believer who consoles his brother in distress,…

Section : The Wording of Condolence. Condolences may be offered in any words so long as they lighten the distress, induce patience, and bring solace to the bereaved. It is preferable, however, to use the wording as transmitted in hadith.…