Prayer in a prayer hall located above the bodies of the deceased
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Praise be to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. Having reviewed the matter sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti by His Excellency the Director of the Department of Religious Awareness at the Ministry of Health in Jeddah, through His Eminence the Director of the Dawah and Guidance Center in Jeddah, bearing number (349/9/20/J) and dated 27/4/1428 AH, and referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars with number (781) and dated 11/5/1428 AH, His Excellency asked the following question: We inform you that the location of the (prayer hall) in the deaths building is on the first floor, and directly beneath it on the ground floor are the refrigerators for the bodies of the deceased. We believe that the refrigerators serve as temporary graves for the bodies of the deceased until the burial procedures are completed, or they are handed over to their relatives, or repatriated to their countries. The question is: Is it permissible to pray in this prayer hall, or not?
After studying the inquiry, the Committee responded that the original ruling is to perform the obligatory prayer in congregation in the mosques. If there is an excuse for the questioners regarding praying in the mosque, there is no harm in their praying in the aforementioned place; because it is not a cemetery and does not take on the ruling of a cemetery, but rather it is for temporarily preserving the bodies from decay. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 567Sahih (Darussalam) It is agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
After studying the inquiry, the Committee responded that the original ruling is to perform the obligatory prayer in congregation in the mosques. If there is an excuse for the questioners regarding praying in the mosque, there is no harm in their praying in the aforementioned place; because it is not a cemetery and does not take on the ruling of a cemetery, but rather it is for temporarily preserving the bodies from decay. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
the earth has been made for me a place of worship and a means of purification
جعلت لي الأرض مسجدًا طهورًا
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.