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Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(126): "Ruling of Sharia on Building Graves over each other"

Date Added : 18-12-2017

Resolution No.(126): "Ruling of Sharia on Building Graves over each other"

Date: 27/4/1430 AH, corresponding to 23/4/2009.

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
On the above date, the Board reviewed the letter of the Chairman of Abu Nussair Local Committee, No. 6/9/139, 27/1/2009, which includes the intention to build graves over each other.
After deliberating and researching, the Board decided what follows:
In principle, it is imperative that each deceased person is buried in one grave, and it isn`t permissible to bury more than one person in one grave if that wasn`t necessary. However, in case of necessity, such as when there are many deceased persons and it is difficult to bury each in a separate grave, burying them in one grave is permissible.
If the deceased person was buried in a grave, it isn`t permissible to build any structure over it, except that which preserves their corpse and keeps it in its place. Moreover, it isn`t permissible to bury a deceased person over another as indicated by the Hadith of Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him), who said: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) forbade that the graves should be plastered (made into permanent structures), used as sitting places (for the people) or building over them." {Muslim}.
In addition, the grave should be in an underground hole, because the Prophet (PBUH) said about those killed in the Battle of Uhud: "Dig graves and make them good and deep…" {Sunn An-Nassa`i}.
In conclusion, it is impermissible to build graves over each other because they are actually like the big drawers of hospitals` mortuary fridges, and not graves in the sense that suits the dignity of the Muslim person. Moreover, there is no need for burying more than one person in one grave since the desert is very vast, a human being is only buried once, and wherever there is a cemetery people can reach it. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, The Grand Mufti of Jordan, Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh

Vice-Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, Dr. Ahmad Hilayel

Sheikh Sa`eid Hijjawi/ Member

              Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Eesa/ Member

                                                            Judge Sari Attieh/ Member

    Dr. Abdulrahman Ibdah/ Member

            Dr. Mohammad Al-Ibraheem/ Member

            Dr. Abdulnaser Abu Al-Basal/ Member

                        Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/ Executive Secretary of the Iftaa` Board

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Summarized Fatawaa

I vowed to give a specific charity if a certain matter came to pass — what is the ruling on giving that charity before the matter is realised?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Fulfilling a vow (nadhr) is obligatory, in accordance with the word of Allah the Almighty: "And let them fulfil their vows." [Al-Ḥajj/ 29] And the saying of our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: "Whoever vows to obey Allah, let him obey Him; and whoever vows to disobey Him, let him not disobey Him." (Reported by al-Bukhārī.)
The Shāfiʿī scholars distinguished between a financial vow (nadhr mālī) and a bodily vow (nadhr badanī). They permitted the fulfilment of a financial vow to be brought forward — before the stipulated condition is met — but did not permit the same for a bodily vow, which may only be fulfilled after the condition has actually been realised.
Shaykh al-Islām Imām Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "It is permissible to bring forward the fulfilment of a financial vow before the condition stipulated in it is met — such as saying: 'If I am healed, I vow to free a slave' or 'to give such-and-such in charity' — just as it is permissible to pay zakāh in advance. This is unlike a bodily vow, such as fasting." [Asnā al-Maṭālib, vol. 4/P.246]
Imām al-Bājūrī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Like expiation other than fasting, a financial vow — such as saying: 'If Allah heals my sick one, I vow to free a slave for the sake of Allah,' or 'If Allah heals my sick one, I vow to free a slave on the Friday following the recovery' — it is permissible to bring it forward before the recovery in the first case, and before the Friday following the recovery in the second case." [Ḥāshiyat al-Bājūrī ʿalā Sharḥ Ibn Qāsim, Vol.2/P.596] And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it valid to perform the obligatory prayer while sitting?

 

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Standing (Al-Qiyam) while having the ability to do so is one of the pillars (Arkan) of the prayer; the obligatory (Faridah) prayer is not valid without it. However, whoever is unable to stand may pray sitting down. As for voluntary (Nafilah) prayers, it is permissible to pray them sitting even if one is able to stand, but the one sitting receives half the reward of the one who prays standing. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

Should the Zakah (obligatory charity) giver tell the poor recipient that this is the Zakah of his money?

No, he shouldn`t. But, the Zakah giver should make an intention in his heart that it is the Zakah of his money when paying it to the poor. And Allah Knows Best.

Is it obligatory to make up all missed prayers?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Making up missed prayers (qaḍāʾ) is a sharʿī obligation, established by the practice of the Prophet ﷺ himself — when the disbelievers preoccupied him on the Day of the Trench and he missed the ʿAṣr prayer, he made it up afterward. This is further affirmed by the ḥadīth: "Fulfil what you owe to Allah, for Allah is most deserving of being fulfilled." (Reported by al-Bukhārī.)
Accordingly, a person who has missed prayers should set aside his voluntary and Sunnah prayers and replace them with make-up prayers in their stead. There is no objection to making up one missed prayer alongside each obligatory prayer that is performed — praying the equivalent missed prayer together with each current obligatory prayer as a practical and manageable way of gradually clearing one's debt of missed prayers. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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