Gathering with the family of the deceased and preparing food after the burial
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Fatwa number ( 15642 )
Q: In our village, when a relative passes away, the neighbors provide food for the deceased's family and the mourners for three days. As you know, this is a burden on the poor. Is there any harm in this? Also, the deceased's family brings a tent with a carpet and a shaykh who recites for the soul of the deceased. As you know, these actions are a burden on both the poor and the rich, and the shaykh who recited for the soul takes money as payment for what he recited. Is there any harm in this?
A : Death is inevitable for every living being; for the saying of Allah, the Exalted:
[Ali 'Imran 3:185] , and His saying, the Exalted: [Ar-Rahman 55:26] , and the death of a Muslim and the death of relatives is a calamity in which patience is obligatory and reward is to be sought. Allah, the Most High, said: [Al-Baqarah 2:155-157] , and consoling the bereaved is prescribed to comfort them and lighten their burden, by the consoler saying to them: (May Allah reward you with good, console you, and forgive your deceased). It is recommended to prepare food for the family of the deceased and provide it to them according to their need; because they are preoccupied with their calamity and unable to prepare food. As for what some people do of setting up tents, gathering in large numbers in them, hiring reciters, preparing large feasts, and spending large amounts of money and long periods of time, which burdens the family of the deceased and others, all of this is from religious innovations and burdens for which Allah has not sent down any authority. And Jarir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: (We used to consider gathering with the family of the deceased and preparing food after the burial to be part of wailing). And if the spending on this gathering is from the estate of the deceased, it is injustice to the heirs, especially if there are minors and orphans among them, for it is eating
their wealth wrongfully. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Q: In our village, when a relative passes away, the neighbors provide food for the deceased's family and the mourners for three days. As you know, this is a burden on the poor. Is there any harm in this? Also, the deceased's family brings a tent with a carpet and a shaykh who recites for the soul of the deceased. As you know, these actions are a burden on both the poor and the rich, and the shaykh who recited for the soul takes money as payment for what he recited. Is there any harm in this?
A : Death is inevitable for every living being; for the saying of Allah, the Exalted:
Every soul will taste death
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِEveryone upon the earth will perish,
كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍbut give good tidings to the patient, (156) Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return." (157) Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.
وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ (155) الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُمْ مُصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ (156) أُولَئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَtheir wealth wrongfully. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.