Comprehensive Answers to Common Funeral and Burial Questions in Islam
السلام علیکم ورحمۃ اللہ وبرکاتہ
I need answers to some questions related to funerals.
- First question: If someone passes away, should their bier be placed facing the Qibla?
- Second question: When the body is being taken from the house to the mosque or from the mosque to the cemetery, should the head of the deceased be facing north or south?
- Third question: Before placing the body in the grave, some people sprinkle “Abir powder,” rose water, or Zamzam water. Is this correct?
- Fourth question: After placing the body in the grave, some people place wood or stones. Is this similar to the practice of placing unbaked bricks in graves during the time of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), as is still common in Saudi Arabia? Is this correct? And is it correct to raise the grave like the hump of a camel after burial?
- Fifth question: Is it permissible for a scholar or someone else to deliver advice or a sermon to the attendees at the cemetery to remind them of the Hereafter at the time of the funeral?
- Sixth question: After the burial, if the family of the deceased gathers for a sermon or advice, or if they serve food after two, three, or seven days, what is the ruling in Islam on this?
- Seventh question: Is three pieces of cloth enough for the shroud of a woman, or should there be five?
- Eighth question: How should a woman’s hair be styled for burial, and should it be tied on the back, chest, or somewhere else?
- Ninth question: What are the benefits of using the leaves of the jujube tree (ber tree) for washing the deceased, and why is it recommended in Islamic tradition?
I kindly request that you answer these questions based on the Qur’an and Sunnah, and may you be rewarded by Allah.
Questioner: Abdullah, Telangana
وعلیکم السلام ورحمۃ اللہ وبرکاتہ
الحمدللہ:
Most of these questions have detailed and reasoned answers in my book “Important Issues and Rulings Regarding the Funeral”. However, at the request of the questioner, I am providing brief answers to them below.
First question answer: There is no specific ruling regarding the direction of the bier at the time of death. It is fine for the bier to remain as it is, but it is good to turn the deceased’s face towards the Qibla. Ibn Hazm said:
وَتوجيه الميِّت إلى القِبلة حسَنٌ، فإن لَم يُوجَّه، فلا حرَج؛ قال الله تعالى: فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّهِ [البقرة: 115]، وَلَم يأتِ نصٌّ بتوجيهه إلى القِبلة (المحلى :1/ 256).
Translation: It is good to direct the deceased towards the Qibla, but if not done, there is no harm. Allah says: “Wherever you turn, there is the face of Allah.” There is no explicit text requiring this direction for the deceased.
Sheikh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, said that it is a good practice to face the deceased towards the Qibla, as the Qibla is the direction for both the living and the dead Muslims. (Source: Sheikh Ibn Baz’s website).
A narration from Abū Qatādah has been cited where the direction of the Qibla was questioned, and this was declared weak by Sheikh Al-Albani. (إرواء الغليل: 3 / 153).
Conclusion: It is best to position the deceased towards the Qibla, but if not, there is no harm.
Second question answer: There is no issue in terms of the direction (north or south) when transporting the deceased. It is important that the head of the deceased is placed at the front while carrying them.
Third question answer: There is no need to sprinkle anything, such as powder, rose water, or Zamzam water, before placing the body in the grave. There is no evidence supporting such practices. However, during the washing of the deceased, the use of Jujube leaves and camphor is recommended. Camphor is to be used last while washing, to ensure the fragrance remains. After the washing, musk, amber, and camphor are applied to the body, especially on the places of prostration, and the shroud is also perfumed. Using rose water, Zamzam, or other fragrances on the grave itself is a personal practice and not part of the Sunnah. It is preferred to sprinkle water on the grave right after the burial, though this is not obligatory.
Fourth question answer: The Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) marked the grave of Uthman ibn Maz’un with stones. This practice of marking graves with stones or a slab is permissible, but writing on the grave or raising it more than a hand’s span is not allowed. The majority of scholars say that a raised (hump-like) grave is a Sunnah, as is evidenced in Sahih Bukhari:
عَنْ سُفْيَانَ التَّمَّارِ، أَنَّهُ حَدَّثَهُ: أَنَّهُ رَأَى قَبْرَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُسَنَّمًا. (1405)
Translation: Sufyan Al-Tammār reported that he saw the grave of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) raised like the hump of a camel.
Fifth question answer: It is not obligatory to deliver a sermon or advice before the funeral prayer. The funeral requires that the prayer be performed promptly, and the body buried as soon as possible. If some people are waiting and a few words of advice are spoken, it is fine, but delaying the funeral for such speeches is against the Sunnah. The advice of the Hereafter is best given while the funeral is being taken to the cemetery.
Sixth question answer: Gathering for advice after a funeral and cooking food for the family of the deceased is not only a practice from the time of ignorance but is also considered a form of wailing.
كنَّا نرى الاجتماعَ إلى أَهلِ الميِّتِ وصنعةَ الطَّعامِ منَ النِّياحة (صحيح ابن ماجه:1318)
Translation: We saw the gathering at the house of the deceased and the preparation of food as a form of wailing.
Imam Nawawi mentioned that there is no tradition of gathering for food at the deceased’s home, and it is considered an innovation. Therefore, the practice of observing specific days such as the third, tenth, or fortieth day after a death is an innovation. However, offering hospitality to guests is an exception. It is better for the family to give charity to the poor on behalf of the deceased without specifying a day.
Seventh question answer: A woman, like a man, should be buried with three pieces of cloth. There is no valid narration stating that a woman’s shroud should differ from a man’s. A narration regarding five pieces of cloth is weak and has been declared so by Sheikh Zubair Ali Zai and Sheikh Al-Albani. Therefore, both men and women are to be shrouded in three pieces of cloth.
Eighth question answer: According to the narration of Umm Atiyah (رضي الله عنها), when the Prophet’s daughter passed away, her hair was braided into three plaits and placed on her back.
فَضَفَرْنَا شَعَرَهَا ثَلَاثَةَ قُرُونٍ وَأَلْقَيْنَاهَا خَلْفَهَا (صحيح البخاري: 1276)
Translation: We braided her hair into three plaits and placed them behind her.
Ninth question answer: The leaves of the jujube tree are beneficial because the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) recommended using them for washing the deceased. Scholars say the benefit lies in their ability to cleanse the body effectively.
واللہ اعلم بالصواب