Miscellaneous rules of death and burial
Seeing the deceased's face, a spouse's rights, handling a non-Muslim relative's body, visiting graves, and how long mourning lasts.
Here are some more rules that come up around a death in the family.
Seeing the person who has died
- Family members are allowed to look at the face of the person who has died, even after the body has already been placed in the grave.
- If a wife dies, her husband may see her face and may carry her body to be buried. If a husband dies, his wife may see his face too.
- When a woman dies, only other women should handle her body from the moment of death until it is placed in the coffin. Men only help once it needs to be lifted for the burial itself.
If a close relative who is not a Muslim dies, their body is not handled the same way as a Muslim's: it is washed and wrapped simply, without the Muslim funeral rituals, and buried in a plain grave. The same applies to someone who left Islam for another religion before they died.
Rules about the grave itself
- Once a grave has been filled in, it should not be opened again or the body moved, except when it is truly necessary.
- You should not sit, sleep, stand, or use the toilet on top of a grave.
- It is fine to read Qur'an near a grave: it can help the person who has died.
Visiting graves is a recommended practice. When you arrive at a graveyard, it is good to greet the people buried there, read some Qur'an, and send blessings (durud) upon them.
12345678السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَوْمٍ مُّؤْمِنِينَ وَ إِنَّا إِنْ شَآءَ اللهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ أَسْئَلُ اللهَ لِی وَ لَكُمُ الْعَافِيةَ
As-salāmu ʿalaykum dāra qawmin muʾminīn, wa innā in shāʾa'llāhu bikum lāḥiqūn, asʾalu'llāha lī wa lakumu'l-ʿāfiyah
Peace be upon you, home of a believing people. We will, if Allah wills, be joining you. I ask Allah for well-being for myself and for you.
A number of further rules touch on seeing the deceased, a spouse's particular rights, handling the body of a non-Muslim relative, and how one behaves around a grave afterwards.
| Situation | What applies |
|---|---|
| Showing the deceased's face to family | Permitted, even after the body has already been placed in the grave. |
| A wife's death | Her husband may see her face, touch her through her clothes, and carry her body to burial. |
| A husband's death | His wife may likewise see his face after death. |
| A woman's body, before burial | Only women handle it from the moment of death until it is placed in the coffin; men handle it only once it is lifted for burial. |
| A pregnant woman who dies with a living baby inside her | Doctors may carefully open the abdomen to remove the baby. If the baby is not alive, cutting the abdomen open or performing any unnecessary or harmful procedure is wrong. |
Writing on the body or the shroud with ink or charcoal is not permitted. It is permitted, however, to trace "Bismillāhi'r-Raḥmāni'r-Raḥīm" on the forehead and the declaration of faith on the chest using a finger alone, without ink.
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیمِ
Bismillāhi'r-Raḥmāni'r-Raḥīm
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind.
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اَللّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللّٰهِ
Lā ilāha illa'llāh, Muḥammadun rasūlu'llāh
There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
Carrying something lit, such as a torch, alongside the funeral procession is disliked.
1| Case | What is done |
|---|---|
| A non-Muslim relative dies (mother, father, brother, sister, etc.) | The body is not handled as a Muslim's would be. It is washed and wrapped in a plain cloth and buried in a pit, without the rituals used for a Muslim funeral. |
| Someone who converted away from Islam before dying | Their body is buried without washing or wrapping, handled as something unclean, and without Muslim funeral rites. |
| Act | Ruling |
|---|---|
| Opening or disturbing a grave once it is filled | Not permitted, except where genuinely necessary |
| Sitting, sleeping, standing, or relieving oneself on a grave | Forbidden |
| Cutting green grass growing near a grave | Disliked |
| Reading Qur'an near a grave | Permitted, and of benefit to the deceased |
Visiting graves is recommended. On reaching a graveyard, one should greet those buried there, then face the graves, recite whatever portion of the Qur'an one is able to, and send blessings (durud) on the deceased.
12345678السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَوْمٍ مُّؤْمِنِينَ وَ إِنَّا إِنْ شَآءَ اللهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ أَسْئَلُ اللهَ لِی وَ لَكُمُ الْعَافِيةَ
As-salāmu ʿalaykum dāra qawmin muʾminīn, wa innā in shāʾa'llāhu bikum lāḥiqūn, asʾalu'llāha lī wa lakumu'l-ʿāfiyah
Peace be upon you, home of a believing people. We shall, Allah willing, be joining you. I ask Allah for well-being for myself and for you.
These sixteen miscellaneous points close the main funeral chapter (rulings-of-funeral/miscellaneous-rules-about-the-funeral#p1).
| Situation | What applies |
|---|---|
| Showing the deceased's face to family | Permitted, even once the body is already placed in the grave. |
| A wife's death | Her husband may see her face, touch her through her clothing, and carry her body to the burial place. |
| A husband's death | His wife may likewise see his face after death. |
| A woman's body, before burial | Handled only by women, from death until placed in the coffin; men handle it only once it is lifted for burial. |
| A pregnant woman dies with a living child inside | Doctors may carefully open the abdomen to remove the child. Where the child is not alive, cutting the abdomen open, or performing any unnecessary or harmful procedure, is wrong. |
Writing on the body or shroud with ink or charcoal is not permitted (ḥarām), though tracing "Bismillāhi'r-Raḥmāni'r-Raḥīm" on the forehead and the shahādah on the chest with a finger, without ink, is permitted.
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیمِ
Bismillāhi'r-Raḥmāni'r-Raḥīm
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind.
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اَللّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللّٰهِ
Lā ilāha illa'llāh, Muḥammadun rasūlu'llāh
There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
Carrying a lit object, such as a torch, in the funeral procession is disliked (makrūh).
1| Case | What is done |
|---|---|
| A non-Muslim relative (mother, father, brother, sister) | The body is not handled as a Muslim's would be: it is washed and wrapped in a plain cloth and buried in a pit, without the rites of a Muslim funeral. |
| A person who apostatised before death | Buried without washing or wrapping, handled as something unclean, and without Muslim funeral rites. |
| Act | Ruling |
|---|---|
| Opening or disturbing a filled grave | Not permitted, except where genuinely necessary |
| Sitting, sleeping, standing, or relieving oneself on a grave | Forbidden (ḥarām) |
| Cutting green grass growing near a grave | Disliked (makrūh) |
| Reading Qur'an near a grave | Permitted, and held to benefit the deceased |
Visiting graves is recommended (mustaḥabb). On arrival, one greets the graveyard's occupants with the salutation given below, then faces the graves, recites whatever Qur'an one is able to, and sends durūd on the deceased.
12345678السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَوْمٍ مُّؤْمِنِينَ وَ إِنَّا إِنْ شَآءَ اللهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ أَسْئَلُ اللهَ لِی وَ لَكُمُ الْعَافِيةَ
As-salāmu ʿalaykum dāra qawmin muʾminīn, wa innā in shāʾa'llāhu bikum lāḥiqūn, asʾalu'llāha lī wa lakumu'l-ʿāfiyah
Peace be upon you, home of a believing people. We shall, Allah willing, be joining you. I ask Allah for well-being for myself and for you.
This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 490 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Rulings of Funeral Miscellaneous Rules about the Funeral
- It is allowed to show the face of the deceased to the family members, even if the body is already placed in the grave.
- If a wife dies, the husband can see her face and touch her through the clothes. He can also carry her body to the burial place. Similarly, the wife can see the husband's face after his death.
- When a woman passes away, only women should handle her body from the time of death until it is placed in the coffin. Men should handle the body only after it is lifted for burial.
- Women are not allowed to walk with the funeral procession, visit the grave, or lower the body into the grave, even if it is a woman’s body.
- If a pregnant woman dies and the baby is still alive, the doctors can carefully open her belly to remove the baby. If the baby is not alive, it is wrong to cut open the belly or perform any unnecessary or harmful rituals.
- It is not allowed to write anything on the body or shroud with ink or charcoal. However, it is okay to write بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیم on the forehead and لَا إِلٰہَ إِلَّا اَللّٰہُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللّٰہِ on the chest using your finger without ink.
- When a woman’s body is carried, it is recommended to cover it with a cloth and attach bamboo strips or branches in the shape of a bow to keep it covered.
- It is disliked to carry something that has been set on fire (like a torch) along with the funeral procession.
- It is wrong to leave the body before the نماز جنازہ (funeral prayer) is performed.
- If a non-Muslim relative (like a mother, father, brother, or sister) dies, do not handle their body the same way as a Muslim. Instead, wash the body and wrap it in a dirty cloth, then bury it in a pit without performing Muslim funeral rituals.
- If a person who converted to another religion dies, their body should be buried without washing or wrapping it, just as you would handle something unclean.
- Once the grave is filled with soil, it is not allowed to open the grave or remove the body, except in necessary situations.
- It is forbidden to sit, sleep, stand, or relieve yourself (urinate or defecate) on a grave. Cutting green grass near the grave is also disliked.
- It is allowed to read Quran near the grave. This can benefit the deceased.
- It is recommended to visit graves. When you reach a graveyard, you should say "السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ دَارَ قَوْمٍ مُّؤْمِنِينَ وَ إِنَّا إِنْ شَآءَ اللهُ بِكُمْ لَاحِقُونَ أَسْئَلُ اللهَ لِی وَ لَكُمُ الْعَافِيةَ", then face the graves and read whatever portion of the Quran you can, along with sending blessings (Durud) to the deceased.
- It is allowed for the family of the deceased to mourn for three days. However, a woman must mourn her husband for four months and ten days.
Related
- Carrying the bier to the grave How the bier is carried, who may walk where in the procession, and why women do not take part in it.
- The funeral prayer: ruling and conditions Why the funeral prayer (salat al-janazah) is a communal obligation (fard kifayah), its conditions, who has the right to lead it, and when it may not be prayed.
- The shroud (kafan): pieces and how to wrap it How many pieces of cloth make up the shroud (kafan) for a man and for a woman, what cloth may be used, and the order of wrapping.
- Washing the dead (ghusl): who may wash whom, and special cases Who is allowed to wash whose body, and what to do for a martyr, a newborn, a drowned person, a decayed body, or when water or a same-sex washer is not available.