The Best Shari'ah Method for Preparing and Burying the Dead
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Fatwa No. ( 14292 )
Praise be to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. And after: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from His Excellency the President of the High Court in Jeddah , referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars, with number (none) and date (none). His Excellency asked a question, the text of which is as follows: I submit to Your Eminence a letter from His Excellency the Deputy Assistant Minister for Municipal Affairs in Jeddah , No. (406 W) dated 7/10/1411 AH, in which he seeks guidance regarding the best Shari'ah method for preparing and burying the dead, specifically in cases of mass burial of the deceased in emergency circumstances. Given the importance of the matter, I hope that the answer and guidance will come from Your Eminence. I look forward to your response. We ask Allah for protection and safety for our country and the rest of the abodes of the Muslims, and for Your Eminence a long life, good deeds, and continued success. May Allah protect you.
After studying the question, the Committee responded that it is prescribed that each deceased person be buried in a separate grave,
and this is what the Muslims have followed in accordance with the guidance of their Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). However, in cases of dire necessity, such as when wars or plagues occur and the number of killed is large, and there is difficulty in digging a grave for each of the deceased, it is permissible to gather more than one deceased person in a single grave out of necessity. It is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would gather two or three of the martyrs of Uhud in a single grave, placing the one who had memorized the most Qur'an toward the direction of the qiblah. This is in (al-Musnad) and (al-Sunan) and al-Tirmidhi said: It is a good, authentic hadith. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Praise be to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. And after: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from His Excellency the President of the High Court in Jeddah , referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars, with number (none) and date (none). His Excellency asked a question, the text of which is as follows: I submit to Your Eminence a letter from His Excellency the Deputy Assistant Minister for Municipal Affairs in Jeddah , No. (406 W) dated 7/10/1411 AH, in which he seeks guidance regarding the best Shari'ah method for preparing and burying the dead, specifically in cases of mass burial of the deceased in emergency circumstances. Given the importance of the matter, I hope that the answer and guidance will come from Your Eminence. I look forward to your response. We ask Allah for protection and safety for our country and the rest of the abodes of the Muslims, and for Your Eminence a long life, good deeds, and continued success. May Allah protect you.
After studying the question, the Committee responded that it is prescribed that each deceased person be buried in a separate grave,
and this is what the Muslims have followed in accordance with the guidance of their Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). However, in cases of dire necessity, such as when wars or plagues occur and the number of killed is large, and there is difficulty in digging a grave for each of the deceased, it is permissible to gather more than one deceased person in a single grave out of necessity. It is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would gather two or three of the martyrs of Uhud in a single grave, placing the one who had memorized the most Qur'an toward the direction of the qiblah. This is in (al-Musnad) and (al-Sunan)
That the Ansar (may Allah be pleased with them) came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the day of Uhud and said: We have been afflicted with wounds and exhaustion, so what do you order us to do? He said: Dig and make it spacious, and place two or three in the grave, and put forward the one who has memorized the most Qur'an.
أن الأنصار رضي الله عنهم جاءت إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يوم أحد فقالوا: أصابنا قرح وجهد فكيف تأمرنا؟ قال: احفروا وأوسعوا واجعلوا الرجلين والثلاثة في القبر وقدموا أكثرهم قرآنًا
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.