The Ruling on Delaying the Funeral Prayer for the Deceased
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When a person dies—for example—after Maghrib or before Maghrib, and they are unable to pray over him during 'Isha, this results in delaying the funeral prayer. Then they made this a habit because preservation methods are available, such as refrigerators and transportation, and we wait for people to gather. Some delay it until the 'Asr of the next day.And some of them say: It is difficult for me to pray Fajr. Do you think the prayer should be performed, for example, even after 'Isha or something like that?
I ask these simple people: if someone committed a wrong against their deceased, would they allow them to do so? They would not allow it. Delaying the deceased is a wrong against the deceased; because it is disobedience to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), where he said: (Hasten with the funeral) and the scholars said: hasten in preparing him, unless he dies suddenly and there is doubt about his death, in which case one waits until certain, otherwise hasten in preparing him. So delaying that is disobedience to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). This is from one aspect.
And from another aspect: A wrong against the deceased,If the deceased is righteous, what does his soul say: (Bring me forward, bring me forward) because he witnessed at death the bliss to which he will return and was given glad tidings of Paradise. How can you delay him? Have you seen if there were a table of the finest food five hundred meters between you and it, and there is a person from your relatives who is eager for it,And I prevented it from him and said to him: wait, would you not have pressured him? You would have pressured him without doubt and prevented him from what is faster for him. So in this, it is a wrong against the deceased and disobedience to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and a contradiction of the guidance of the righteous predecessors. The righteous predecessors hastened with the funeral, even in carrying it to the cemetery. They hastened greatly until their shoe straps nearly broke from the speed. So why do we delay the poor deceased, who was given glad tidings at the taking of his soul of spirit and fragrance and a Lord not angry? Why do we humiliate him?They said: Just so that brothers come from London, from America, from such and such!! We say: Praise be to Allah, if he comes, let him pray over his grave. The door is open, and let the deceased enjoy the bliss early.
So I say: This is disobedience to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), a wrong against the deceased, a great error, and foolishness. What is the benefit of keeping him among them? And there is a hadith, but it is weak: (It is not permissible for the corpse of a Muslim to be detained among his family) and the word (it is not permissible) means prohibition. And this is detained so that his brother or his cousin or his father or his son can attend. Is this a wedding ceremony to wait for the arrival of the absent one? This is the greatest error, and we did not know it except late. People used to, in the past, have a person die one hour before the prayer, and the washer and shroud would be brought, and he would be prepared in half an hour or an hour minus a quarter, and he would be brought to the mosque.They say: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delayed in burial. He died on Monday and was buried on the night of Wednesday. He remained for the full day of Tuesday and the rest of the day of Monday.We say: Yes, this is correct, but the Companions delayed his burial.For a reason that does not exist in others, which is that they said: It is not possible to bury the Imam, who is the one in authority, before a successor is appointed for him. If he were buried before a successor was appointed, there would be conflict and discord. But keeping him until the successor is established after him is necessary. And you know the matter is not light. In the death of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the Muhajireen and the Ansar gathered at the Sufah, and what happened happened until the matter settled, praise be to Allah, by consensus that Abu Bakr is the Caliph. So the delay of the burial of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was for a necessary need, and others are not compared to him.
Yes, if we suppose that the delay is slight, a few hours, for the sake of increasing the congregation, as if we suppose that people do not gather much in the Zuhr prayer because everyone is at their job, and they gather more in the 'Asr prayer, this might be tolerated. But if he remains for a day or two or three, this is an error.
I ask these simple people: if someone committed a wrong against their deceased, would they allow them to do so? They would not allow it. Delaying the deceased is a wrong against the deceased; because it is disobedience to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), where he said: (Hasten with the funeral) and the scholars said: hasten in preparing him, unless he dies suddenly and there is doubt about his death, in which case one waits until certain, otherwise hasten in preparing him. So delaying that is disobedience to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). This is from one aspect.
And from another aspect: A wrong against the deceased,If the deceased is righteous, what does his soul say: (Bring me forward, bring me forward) because he witnessed at death the bliss to which he will return and was given glad tidings of Paradise. How can you delay him? Have you seen if there were a table of the finest food five hundred meters between you and it, and there is a person from your relatives who is eager for it,And I prevented it from him and said to him: wait, would you not have pressured him? You would have pressured him without doubt and prevented him from what is faster for him. So in this, it is a wrong against the deceased and disobedience to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and a contradiction of the guidance of the righteous predecessors. The righteous predecessors hastened with the funeral, even in carrying it to the cemetery. They hastened greatly until their shoe straps nearly broke from the speed. So why do we delay the poor deceased, who was given glad tidings at the taking of his soul of spirit and fragrance and a Lord not angry? Why do we humiliate him?They said: Just so that brothers come from London, from America, from such and such!! We say: Praise be to Allah, if he comes, let him pray over his grave. The door is open, and let the deceased enjoy the bliss early.
So I say: This is disobedience to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), a wrong against the deceased, a great error, and foolishness. What is the benefit of keeping him among them? And there is a hadith, but it is weak: (It is not permissible for the corpse of a Muslim to be detained among his family) and the word (it is not permissible) means prohibition. And this is detained so that his brother or his cousin or his father or his son can attend. Is this a wedding ceremony to wait for the arrival of the absent one? This is the greatest error, and we did not know it except late. People used to, in the past, have a person die one hour before the prayer, and the washer and shroud would be brought, and he would be prepared in half an hour or an hour minus a quarter, and he would be brought to the mosque.They say: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delayed in burial. He died on Monday and was buried on the night of Wednesday. He remained for the full day of Tuesday and the rest of the day of Monday.We say: Yes, this is correct, but the Companions delayed his burial.For a reason that does not exist in others, which is that they said: It is not possible to bury the Imam, who is the one in authority, before a successor is appointed for him. If he were buried before a successor was appointed, there would be conflict and discord. But keeping him until the successor is established after him is necessary. And you know the matter is not light. In the death of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the Muhajireen and the Ansar gathered at the Sufah, and what happened happened until the matter settled, praise be to Allah, by consensus that Abu Bakr is the Caliph. So the delay of the burial of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was for a necessary need, and others are not compared to him.
Yes, if we suppose that the delay is slight, a few hours, for the sake of increasing the congregation, as if we suppose that people do not gather much in the Zuhr prayer because everyone is at their job, and they gather more in the 'Asr prayer, this might be tolerated. But if he remains for a day or two or three, this is an error.