The ruling on hastening to pray over the deceased and bury him
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Q559: The questioner says: My grandfather passed away—may Allah have mercy on him—and we hastened to wash him, shroud him, and pray over him. Are we sinful for not waiting until the relatives arrived? However, we acted on the saying: “Honoring the dead is burying them.” What is the validity of this phrase as well?
A559: There is no doubt that hastening with the deceased, from washing him and preparing him to transporting him to his grave, is better for the deceased, and this is the Sunnah. It is not permissible to delay him except for a purpose, one of which is the presence of relatives so they can pray over him and make du'a for him. However, you did what is not the best. The best is to wait for his relatives, and a short time in waiting does no harm. So you did what is not the best.
A559: There is no doubt that hastening with the deceased, from washing him and preparing him to transporting him to his grave, is better for the deceased, and this is the Sunnah. It is not permissible to delay him except for a purpose, one of which is the presence of relatives so they can pray over him and make du'a for him. However, you did what is not the best. The best is to wait for his relatives, and a short time in waiting does no harm. So you did what is not the best.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.