Ruling on holding a commemorative gathering in the house of mourning
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
A woman asks: Her husband has passed away and she is in the house of mourning. Some of the sisters want to come in to her; a group of women want to hold a commemorative gathering in her house, where one person speaks about religion.
He says: Is this speech prescribed or not prescribed?
Answer:
If it is for the sake of the condolence, it has no basis. If they come to perform a condolence for the sake of the death, that is not permissible. However, if they need the house to prepare food for themselves and their guests, there is no harm. If the neighbors need the house—because their house is a small tent and they need the house of the bereaved to cook food for their guests—there is no harm. This falls under the category of cooperation.
Q: They hold a commemorative gathering in it, meaning one person speaks and so on?
The Shaykh: For the sake of the deceased, or for what? What is the commemorative gathering for?
The student: By Allah, I do not know. They say it is like this... They want to know: Is this speech prescribed or not prescribed?
The Shaykh: No, it is not prescribed. However, if one of their brothers is hosting a feast and wants to remind some of them of others, there is no harm.
The student: But this one is not?
The Shaykh: As for creating a commemoration that has no basis, that is not permissible. Jarir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We used to consider gathering at the deceased's home and preparing food after his death to be wailing."
However, if it has a basis: a person invites his brothers, they are coming from a journey, or he has recovered from an illness, or he invites his brothers and sets up a feast in the house of the bereaved because their house is a tent and small; this falls under the category of cooperation.
A woman asks: Her husband has passed away and she is in the house of mourning. Some of the sisters want to come in to her; a group of women want to hold a commemorative gathering in her house, where one person speaks about religion.
He says: Is this speech prescribed or not prescribed?
Answer:
If it is for the sake of the condolence, it has no basis. If they come to perform a condolence for the sake of the death, that is not permissible. However, if they need the house to prepare food for themselves and their guests, there is no harm. If the neighbors need the house—because their house is a small tent and they need the house of the bereaved to cook food for their guests—there is no harm. This falls under the category of cooperation.
Q: They hold a commemorative gathering in it, meaning one person speaks and so on?
The Shaykh: For the sake of the deceased, or for what? What is the commemorative gathering for?
The student: By Allah, I do not know. They say it is like this... They want to know: Is this speech prescribed or not prescribed?
The Shaykh: No, it is not prescribed. However, if one of their brothers is hosting a feast and wants to remind some of them of others, there is no harm.
The student: But this one is not?
The Shaykh: As for creating a commemoration that has no basis, that is not permissible. Jarir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We used to consider gathering at the deceased's home and preparing food after his death to be wailing."
However, if it has a basis: a person invites his brothers, they are coming from a journey, or he has recovered from an illness, or he invites his brothers and sets up a feast in the house of the bereaved because their house is a tent and small; this falls under the category of cooperation.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.