The Ruling on Following Funerals in Mosques
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Shaykh Salih, regarding following funerals in mosques, what is your opinion on this and on gathering the people in one mosque?
Answer:
A fatwa has been issued by the Permanent Committee on this matter, stating that the requirement is to go to a mosque, pray over the funeral, and follow it to the cemetery if one wants the reward. One does not just pray and leave; rather, one prays and follows it if one wants the full reward. Whoever prays over the funeral and witnesses it until it is buried gets one qirat of reward, and whoever follows it until it is buried gets two qirats. Each qirat is like a great mountain, so this is a great reward. As for following the mosques for this purpose, the Permanent Committee has issued a fatwa stating that it is inappropriate and also not permissible. Perhaps they pray over the funeral before the imam arrives, praying over it before the imam and then leaving. This is usurping the imam’s right. No prayer is performed in a mosque except in the presence of its imam. He prays the obligatory prayer and prays over the funerals; this is part of his right and his duty. So no one should encroach upon him. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you,
Shaykh Salih, regarding following funerals in mosques, what is your opinion on this and on gathering the people in one mosque?
Answer:
A fatwa has been issued by the Permanent Committee on this matter, stating that the requirement is to go to a mosque, pray over the funeral, and follow it to the cemetery if one wants the reward. One does not just pray and leave; rather, one prays and follows it if one wants the full reward. Whoever prays over the funeral and witnesses it until it is buried gets one qirat of reward, and whoever follows it until it is buried gets two qirats. Each qirat is like a great mountain, so this is a great reward. As for following the mosques for this purpose, the Permanent Committee has issued a fatwa stating that it is inappropriate and also not permissible. Perhaps they pray over the funeral before the imam arrives, praying over it before the imam and then leaving. This is usurping the imam’s right. No prayer is performed in a mosque except in the presence of its imam. He prays the obligatory prayer and prays over the funerals; this is part of his right and his duty. So no one should encroach upon him. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you,
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/066 — archive.org (7:59)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.