He says in his letter: Is it permissible to leave the funeral until morning, when the deceased died after the 'Isha' prayer, or should he be washed, shrouded, and buried at the proper time? He means, that is, without the funeral prayer?
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The questioner : Welcome, His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad.
The Shaykh : May Allah greet you.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, Shaykh Muhammad. This letter reached us from the land of Zahran. The sender, Fahd al-Muhammad al-Harthy, says in his letter: Is it permissible to leave the funeral until morning, when the deceased died after the 'Isha' prayer, or should he be washed, shrouded, and buried at the proper time? He means, that is, without the funeral prayer?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. It is well known that it is prescribed to hasten with the funeral, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) However, there is no harm in delaying it for an hour or two for the benefit of the funeral.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : For example, if the purpose of that is to increase the number of people praying over him and accompanying him, because this is an intended purpose. But this is on the condition that the delay is not excessive, as some people do. If it is excessive, this is contrary to the Sunnah and contrary to what is prescribed. If the deceased is a believer, he needs to be hastened in preparing him and delivering him to his final resting place, so that he may attain the joy and happiness that he will experience after his death. When a believer dies and is placed in his grave, he finds the bliss that Allah commanded for him. Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nahl 16:32]
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So he sees the bliss of Paradise and its joy from the moment he is placed in his grave. Therefore, what should be done, and what is prescribed and what is excellence in worship toward the deceased, is to hasten in preparing him, unless one waits for him a short time for his benefit. As for if someone wants to bury his deceased in the night without praying over him, this is not permissible, because it is obligatory to pray over a Muslim when he dies. So, if he dies at night and they wash him, shroud him, and pray over him, even if it is a little, and even if the number of people praying is small, the purpose is achieved, and there is no harm in burying him at night.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But as I said, if they wait for him until Fajr in order to increase the number of people praying, there is no harm in that.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The Shaykh : May Allah greet you.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, Shaykh Muhammad. This letter reached us from the land of Zahran. The sender, Fahd al-Muhammad al-Harthy, says in his letter: Is it permissible to leave the funeral until morning, when the deceased died after the 'Isha' prayer, or should he be washed, shrouded, and buried at the proper time? He means, that is, without the funeral prayer?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. It is well known that it is prescribed to hasten with the funeral, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
Hasten with the funeral.
أسرعوا بالجنازةThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : For example, if the purpose of that is to increase the number of people praying over him and accompanying him, because this is an intended purpose. But this is on the condition that the delay is not excessive, as some people do. If it is excessive, this is contrary to the Sunnah and contrary to what is prescribed. If the deceased is a believer, he needs to be hastened in preparing him and delivering him to his final resting place, so that he may attain the joy and happiness that he will experience after his death. When a believer dies and is placed in his grave, he finds the bliss that Allah commanded for him. Allah the Exalted said:
The ones whom the angels take in death, [being] good and pure; [the angels] will say, "Peace be upon you. Enter Paradise for what you used to do."
الذين تتوفاهم الملائكة طيبين يقولون سلام عليكم ادخلوا الجنة بما كنتم تعملونThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So he sees the bliss of Paradise and its joy from the moment he is placed in his grave. Therefore, what should be done, and what is prescribed and what is excellence in worship toward the deceased, is to hasten in preparing him, unless one waits for him a short time for his benefit. As for if someone wants to bury his deceased in the night without praying over him, this is not permissible, because it is obligatory to pray over a Muslim when he dies. So, if he dies at night and they wash him, shroud him, and pray over him, even if it is a little, and even if the number of people praying is small, the purpose is achieved, and there is no harm in burying him at night.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But as I said, if they wait for him until Fajr in order to increase the number of people praying, there is no harm in that.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.