The Ruling on Holding Funeral Gatherings and Going to Offer Condolences
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The questioner:
What is the ruling on holding mourning gatherings and going to offer condolences?
The Shaykh:
Funerals are not permissible because they are part of the forbidden eulogy and the practices of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah). The people of the jahiliyyah are those who hold funerals for the deceased, display grief and sorrow over him, and enumerate his good qualities, and so on. This is not permissible. However, what is obligatory (wajib) toward the deceased Muslim is to make du'a' (supplication) for him and seek forgiveness for him. As for funerals, they do not benefit the living nor the deceased; rather, they are harmful. It was reported in an authentic hadith thatSunan Ibn Majah 1593Sahih (Darussalam). She was punished for what was eulogized about her. Therefore, holding funerals is not permissible, nor is the despair and anger at the death of the deceased that occurs in them, and so on. Yes.
The questioner:
Yes, regarding offering condolences.
The Shaykh:
Going to offer condolences is permissible if it is in accordance with the Shari'ah, provided there are no forbidden acts or the like. You go and console the bereaved, and there is nothing wrong with that, or you speak to them on the mobile phone or the telephone, or write a message, or do something else. Yes.
What is the ruling on holding mourning gatherings and going to offer condolences?
The Shaykh:
Funerals are not permissible because they are part of the forbidden eulogy and the practices of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah). The people of the jahiliyyah are those who hold funerals for the deceased, display grief and sorrow over him, and enumerate his good qualities, and so on. This is not permissible. However, what is obligatory (wajib) toward the deceased Muslim is to make du'a' (supplication) for him and seek forgiveness for him. As for funerals, they do not benefit the living nor the deceased; rather, they are harmful. It was reported in an authentic hadith that
It was narrated from ‘Umar bin Khattab that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “The deceased is punished for the wailing over him.”
الميت يعذب بما نيح عليهThe questioner:
Yes, regarding offering condolences.
The Shaykh:
Going to offer condolences is permissible if it is in accordance with the Shari'ah, provided there are no forbidden acts or the like. You go and console the bereaved, and there is nothing wrong with that, or you speak to them on the mobile phone or the telephone, or write a message, or do something else. Yes.
Source
دروس الحرم، درس التفسير من الحرم 05-08-1433هـ — alfawzan.live (43:15)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.