The Ritual Bath of the Deceased's Family When Bidding Him Farewell
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Q: There are elderly women who issue fatwas to other women without knowledge and insist that they are authentic. This evil has spread among us, and we want to silence such people who issue fatwas without knowledge with an official fatwa so that we can show the ignorant people their ignorance. The issue is: when a person dies and his family goes to bid him farewell before the washing and burial, they say: It is obligatory for everyone in the house to take a ritual bath for major ritual impurity, claiming that the soul remains attached to the people of the house if they do not bathe, and that the house must not be swept for a certain period, otherwise all the people of the house will die. What is the ruling on this practice?
A: Issuing a fatwa without knowledge is among the most severe prohibitions. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-A'raf 7:33], and He said: [An-Nahl 16:116]. The claim that the deceased's family must all take a ritual bath when they intend to bid him farewell after his death, before his washing and shrouding, and that the house must not be swept for a certain period lest his family die, are all false statements with no basis. This is speaking about Allah without knowledge, and it is among the major sins. Therefore, whoever says this and spreads it among the people should repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness, and refrain from speaking without knowledge.
A: Issuing a fatwa without knowledge is among the most severe prohibitions. Allah the Exalted said:
Say, "My Lord has only forbidden immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed - and sin, and oppression without right, and that you associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down authority, and that you say about Allah that which you do not know."
قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالْإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْيَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَأَنْ تُشْرِكُوا بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَأَنْ تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَAnd do not say about what your tongues assert of untruth, "This is lawful and this is unlawful," to invent falsehood about Allah
وَلاَ تَقُولُوا لِمَا تَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُكُمُ الْكَذِبَ هَذَا حَلاَلٌ وَهَذَا حَرَامٌ لِتَفْتَرُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.