Carrying the deceased in a car, which was said to be a blessing because the distance between the deceased's home and the cemetery was not far.

The questioner : Regarding the issue of carrying the deceased in a car, it was said that this is a blessing because the distance between the deceased's home and the cemetery was not far in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). But today, with this vast distance, is it not a blessing? And is the prohibition a matter of being overly strict?

The Shaykh : The question actually contains negligence, if not willful ignorance, of the fundamental issue we are discussing. We say that following funeral processions in cars in the European style is not permissible in Islam. If the cemetery is close, the funeral must be carried in a car. But when the cemetery is far, we said that this is a valid religious excuse, because we have texts stating that the deceased was carried on a mount because the distance was long. No one knowledgeable in Islam denies this, because Islam actually trains Muslim individuals to have a broad perspective. So,The questioner : when this question is asked, or when... this question, one must keep in mind the actual reality. Are we following funeral processions now because the distance is far and it is difficult for the mourners to attend the funeral due to the long distance? Or is it because this is a custom among the customs of the Europeans that has seeped into us, and we have clung to it and been afflicted by imitating them in it? If the answer is the former, that is stubbornness in claiming that we are following funeral processions today for what reason? That the cemetery is far? Because the reality is that there is no difference between a far cemetery and a close one in terms of... the custom. Second, if the excuse is that it is a blessing from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that He bestowed upon us to lighten these hardships of the long distance, then what is the other blessing with which we decorate the car with wreaths and flowers and waste money on them? Perhaps this is also a blessing because it is beautiful and has luster, etc. We take all of this as a package. This is imitation of the disbelievers and a realization by these imitators of the warning that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) warned us about out of compassion for us and to caution us against it, when he said: They said, "O Messenger of Allah, the Jews and the Christians?" He said: meaning the people of that time who could be imitated by others were the Jews and the Christians, because they were the People of the Book, while the others were unlettered, having no knowledge, no culture, and no what is called today civilization. And always, the philosophy of society is that the weak people imitate the strong people. The strong people at that time were the Jews and the Christians, with what Allah revealed to them of these sacred books, despite what they altered and changed therein. This is a reality we find every day in all aspects of life. And I spoke in the previous lesson about our clothes and attire, all of which are European. These are also blessings from the blessings of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). This is a fallacy or negligence; that is the least that can be said.
In summary: We say that carrying the funeral for the sake of necessity is not an obstacle for us; "Necessities permit what is more dangerous than that in the Shari'ah." But we are talking about the basic general principles: How do you follow the funeral? Carried on the shoulders; why? This is the Sunnah. So either you hasten to it a good, or you remove an evil from your necks. Carrying the funeral, my brothers, on the shoulders means carrying death, which we are negligent about. But placing the coffin in a car where no one carries it; where no one sees it!! And adding insult to injury, covering this car containing the coffin with flowers so that it looks as if there is a groom or a bride. All of this strikes at the goal that the Lawgiver aims for with these specific Islamic etiquettes that you have heard, for what reason? So that you remember death. Where is death today, since we have confined it in the car and wrapped it in these flowers that keep people away from thinking about death? And what about the mourners afterwards not walking with the car on foot, but rather riding in it as well? Because of the long distance? It is difficult to carry the funeral from a long distance, but for a person to walk a distance of a quarter of an hour or half an hour, if it were for play or fun, he would never think of it. This soft excuse: that this is a blessing from Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He).
In summary: We must distinguish between general situations. In general situations, the funeral must be followed according to the Sunnah, carried on the shoulders, with people taking turns and cooperating to carry it, each participating by carrying death on his shoulders, which he is negligent about throughout his life. This is the general principle. But if the distance is far, for example, someone died in the wilderness and they want to bury him in the cemetery of the village or town, there is no objection to it being carried. But it is necessary that you bring even in the wilderness a special car for carrying the funeral, wrapped in these flowers!! All of this is misleading and diverting people from the religious realities that they are practically diverting them from, and adding insult to injury, as we say, by diverting them intellectually. These actions are adorned for them with such excuses, and the reality is that these excuses are not applicable in most cases. It has become the fashion of the present age to follow the funeral in this manner that contradicts the Sunnah.
We ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to cause us to die upon the Sunnah, upon the Book and the Sunnah.