Burying non-Muslims in Muslim graveyards
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Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings and peace be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. After that:
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from His Highness the Prince of the Northern Borders Region, in his letter number (901/3701/S) dated 16/11/1431 AH, along with its attachments, which were referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars with number (66/S) dated 26/11/1431 AH. His Highness’s letter stated: “Attached is the letter from the Governor of Rafha acting in his capacity, number (902/1267/S) dated 23/10/1431 AH, and its attachment, the letter from the Honorable Head of the General Court in Rafha Governorate, number (265/S) dated 20/10/1431 AH, in response to the letter from the Governor of Rafha acting in his capacity, number (902/1257) dated 19/10/1431 AH, regarding the request for your opinion on the dangers of burying non-Muslims in the desert of Rafha Governorate. His letter included the point that it is not hidden from anyone that it is not permissible to bury non-Muslims in Muslim graveyards. What was mentioned is particularly noteworthy given that Rafha Governorate is a border governorate through which the smuggling of narcotics is frequent. It is also located on an international road connecting the countries of the Arabian Gulf with the countries of the Sham and beyond. It is also observed that during the summer vacation, there are many traffic accidents involving travelers of various nationalities and multiple non-Muslim religions. It has been found that some were buried in the Rafha graveyard, either
by mistake or out of ignorance. It has also been found previously that several graves were discovered in various locations in the desert, and some of them were exhumed based on the directives of His Eminence the Grand Mufti, revealing that some were the result of criminal incidents. Given the above and what was mentioned, his opinion is that there should be a designated, known place in the desert where only non-Muslims are buried, with the coordinates known to the relevant authorities. Since this falls under your jurisdiction, it is appropriate to refer it to your Eminence after explaining all the issues. We hope you will review it and provide what you consider to be in accordance with the Shari'ah.
After the Committee studied the question, it answered as follows: It is not permissible to bury disbelievers, whatever their religions may be, in Muslim graveyards. It is also not permissible to establish a special graveyard for them in the land of the Arabian Peninsula to bury their dead, due to the religious and worldly harms that result from this. However, the body should be handed over to its guardian. If it is not feasible to take it out to be buried outside the Arabian Peninsula, then no specific place should be designated for them; rather, it should be buried in unowned, open land, and its surface should be leveled with the ground so that it is not recognized as a grave, in order to fulfill the obligation of burying it.
The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from His Highness the Prince of the Northern Borders Region, in his letter number (901/3701/S) dated 16/11/1431 AH, along with its attachments, which were referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars with number (66/S) dated 26/11/1431 AH. His Highness’s letter stated: “Attached is the letter from the Governor of Rafha acting in his capacity, number (902/1267/S) dated 23/10/1431 AH, and its attachment, the letter from the Honorable Head of the General Court in Rafha Governorate, number (265/S) dated 20/10/1431 AH, in response to the letter from the Governor of Rafha acting in his capacity, number (902/1257) dated 19/10/1431 AH, regarding the request for your opinion on the dangers of burying non-Muslims in the desert of Rafha Governorate. His letter included the point that it is not hidden from anyone that it is not permissible to bury non-Muslims in Muslim graveyards. What was mentioned is particularly noteworthy given that Rafha Governorate is a border governorate through which the smuggling of narcotics is frequent. It is also located on an international road connecting the countries of the Arabian Gulf with the countries of the Sham and beyond. It is also observed that during the summer vacation, there are many traffic accidents involving travelers of various nationalities and multiple non-Muslim religions. It has been found that some were buried in the Rafha graveyard, either
by mistake or out of ignorance. It has also been found previously that several graves were discovered in various locations in the desert, and some of them were exhumed based on the directives of His Eminence the Grand Mufti, revealing that some were the result of criminal incidents. Given the above and what was mentioned, his opinion is that there should be a designated, known place in the desert where only non-Muslims are buried, with the coordinates known to the relevant authorities. Since this falls under your jurisdiction, it is appropriate to refer it to your Eminence after explaining all the issues. We hope you will review it and provide what you consider to be in accordance with the Shari'ah.
After the Committee studied the question, it answered as follows: It is not permissible to bury disbelievers, whatever their religions may be, in Muslim graveyards. It is also not permissible to establish a special graveyard for them in the land of the Arabian Peninsula to bury their dead, due to the religious and worldly harms that result from this. However, the body should be handed over to its guardian. If it is not feasible to take it out to be buried outside the Arabian Peninsula, then no specific place should be designated for them; rather, it should be buried in unowned, open land, and its surface should be leveled with the ground so that it is not recognized as a grave, in order to fulfill the obligation of burying it.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.