Is it permissible to perform the funeral prayer for a person who dies while neglecting prayer and drinking intoxicants, or for every deceased person?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Is it permissible to perform the funeral prayer for a person who dies while neglecting prayer and drinking intoxicants, or for every deceased person? Also, regarding mourning for a deceased person for a long period while wearing black clothing, what do you advise me and the people? May Allah reward you and forgive you.
The Shaykh : If a person dies while not praying, it is not permissible to invoke mercy for him, nor to dedicate to him the reward of any righteous deeds. Rather, it is not permissible to wash him, shroud him, or bury him in the graveyards of Muslims.
It is obligatory for his family, if he dies while not praying, that they take him out to the desert, far from the houses, dig a hole for him, and bury him in it. It is not permissible for anyone who knows from his death that he did not pray to wash him, shroud him, and then present him to the Muslims to pray over him, because Allah says:.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is a calamity that has become widespread in our time. Some people do not pray; it is attested that they do not pray, and their families know this. Then they die, and their families present them to the Muslims to pray over them. There is no doubt that this is forbidden for them and is a betrayal by which they deceived the Muslims. Just as it is not permissible to bring a Jew or a Christian for us to pray over him, so it is not permissible to bring an apostate for us to pray over him. In fact, the situation of the apostate is worse than the situation of the Jew or the Christian. For this reason, the apostate is not allowed to remain in his religion; rather, he is ordered to embrace Islam, meaning to return to it, or else he is killed.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The slaughter of the apostate is not permissible, whereas the Jew and the Christian are allowed to remain in their religion, and their slaughter is permissible. The meaning of "allowed to remain in their religion" is not that they are allowed to remain in it as a correct religion, for Judaism, Christianity, and other religions have all been abrogated by this Islamic religion.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : They have become not a religion by which one worships Allah. Rather, Allah the Exalted said:[Ali 'Imran 3:85] But they are allowed to remain in their religion in the sense that we do not compel them to Islam if they are submissive to the rulings of Islam and pay the jizyah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : But, His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad, the family is not able to do so. Even if they know that their son does not pray or does not perform any of the rituals of the religion, they cannot, for example, throw him in a hole or take him away without washing or shrouding, because this embarrasses them greatly.
The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah! What prevents them? What is the reason? Because it is obligatory for the family, if one of their children is of this description...
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for them not to love him, because if they love him, they have loved the enemies of Allah, for the disbeliever is an enemy of Allah. And Allah Mighty and Majestic said:[Al-Mumtahanah 60:1] And He the Exalted said: [Al-Mujadila 58:22].
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So, in the first place, showing affection, kindness, or love for such a person who is an enemy of Allah is not permissible, and it contradicts faith. How can one claim to love Allah while loving the enemies of Allah?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is not possible.
The questioner : Yes, you have done well.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end of this session, in which we reviewed the questions of Mr. A.K. regarding the contradiction of some hadiths with others, and Muhammad M.M. from Makkah al-Mukarramah regarding intercourse during the day of Ramadan, and Ibrahim Abdullah from Bani Malik, and finally a message from Abd al-Samad Abd al-Rahim.
We presented these questions and inquiries to His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, professor at the College of Sharia in al-Qassim, and imam and preacher of the Great Mosque in Unaizah. Thank you, His Eminence Shaykh.
The Shaykh : If a person dies while not praying, it is not permissible to invoke mercy for him, nor to dedicate to him the reward of any righteous deeds. Rather, it is not permissible to wash him, shroud him, or bury him in the graveyards of Muslims.
It is obligatory for his family, if he dies while not praying, that they take him out to the desert, far from the houses, dig a hole for him, and bury him in it. It is not permissible for anyone who knows from his death that he did not pray to wash him, shroud him, and then present him to the Muslims to pray over him, because Allah says:
And never offer prayer over any one of them when he dies, nor stand at his grave. Indeed, they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger, and they do not come to prayer except while lazy, and they do not spend except while reluctant.
ولا تصلي على أحد منهم مات أبداً ولا تقم على قبره إنهم كفروا بالله ورسوله ولا يأتون الصلاة إلا وهم كسالى ولا ينفقون إلا وهم كارهونThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is a calamity that has become widespread in our time. Some people do not pray; it is attested that they do not pray, and their families know this. Then they die, and their families present them to the Muslims to pray over them. There is no doubt that this is forbidden for them and is a betrayal by which they deceived the Muslims. Just as it is not permissible to bring a Jew or a Christian for us to pray over him, so it is not permissible to bring an apostate for us to pray over him. In fact, the situation of the apostate is worse than the situation of the Jew or the Christian. For this reason, the apostate is not allowed to remain in his religion; rather, he is ordered to embrace Islam, meaning to return to it, or else he is killed.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The slaughter of the apostate is not permissible, whereas the Jew and the Christian are allowed to remain in their religion, and their slaughter is permissible. The meaning of "allowed to remain in their religion" is not that they are allowed to remain in it as a correct religion, for Judaism, Christianity, and other religions have all been abrogated by this Islamic religion.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : They have become not a religion by which one worships Allah. Rather, Allah the Exalted said:
And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him
ومن يبتغي غير الإسلام ديناً فلن يُقبل منهThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : But, His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad, the family is not able to do so. Even if they know that their son does not pray or does not perform any of the rituals of the religion, they cannot, for example, throw him in a hole or take him away without washing or shrouding, because this embarrasses them greatly.
The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah! What prevents them? What is the reason? Because it is obligatory for the family, if one of their children is of this description...
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for them not to love him, because if they love him, they have loved the enemies of Allah, for the disbeliever is an enemy of Allah. And Allah Mighty and Majestic said:
O you who have believed, do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies, extending to them affection
يا أيها الذين ءامنوا لا تتخذوا عدوي وعدوكم أولياء تلقون إليهم بالمودةYou will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred
لا تجد قوماً يؤمنون بالله واليوم الآخر يوادون من حاد الله ورسوله ولو كانوا ءاباءهم أو أبناءهم أو إخوانهم أو عشيرتهمThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So, in the first place, showing affection, kindness, or love for such a person who is an enemy of Allah is not permissible, and it contradicts faith. How can one claim to love Allah while loving the enemies of Allah?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is not possible.
The questioner : Yes, you have done well.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end of this session, in which we reviewed the questions of Mr. A.K. regarding the contradiction of some hadiths with others, and Muhammad M.M. from Makkah al-Mukarramah regarding intercourse during the day of Ramadan, and Ibrahim Abdullah from Bani Malik, and finally a message from Abd al-Samad Abd al-Rahim.
We presented these questions and inquiries to His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, professor at the College of Sharia in al-Qassim, and imam and preacher of the Great Mosque in Unaizah. Thank you, His Eminence Shaykh.