Muslim graves

[glo]

Today I was walking across a cemetery, looking at and reading the grave stones.

I came across a Muslim section - something I had never seen before. There was just a few graves, positioned at a different angle to all other graves (presumably pointing towards Mecca)

It made me realise that I have never seen any Muslim graves before - despite there being quite a Muslim population in our area. I am not aware of a specific 'Muslim cemetery' ...

What are the practices for burial for Muslims?
Can bodies be incinerated, or are they buried? If so, where? Are the bodies of Muslims who have died in the UK flown 'home' (wherever that may be?)
What are the customs for burial?
Is it true that a body should be buried before sunset?

Thanks

[FBI]

What are the practices for burial for Muslims?- muslims bodies are washed then clothed with three white sheets then there is a prayer called janaza

Can bodies be incinerated, or are they buried? If so, where? Are the bodies of Muslims who have died in the UK flown 'home' (wherever that may be?)-It's haraam for bodies to incinerated as the body still feels the pain

What are the customs for burial?-After the janaza the body is taken for burial, expect if it's a shaheed then there is no janaza, dua is made for the decesed.

Is it true that a body should be buried before sunset?-It'd make sense to bury before sunset as there would be more people to attend the funeral prayer

[SUMMAYAH]

Hi Glo,

The majority of muslim burials are all the same, no matter which part of the world the person is from.

The body is bathed and a simple white shroud is used to wrap the body in.

We don't really have a planned ceromony and try to make things as prompt and simple as possible.

Many people fly the body back to their homeland, however numberous scholars of Islam disagree to that and say it is best to burry dead closest to where they passed away.

And lastly all graves of Muslims point towards the Ka'bah in Makkah.

[snakelegs]

in muslim countries, do muslims use coffins?
also, how do you feel about enbalming? (i think it's creepy)

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[glo]

Hi Glo,

The majority of muslim burials are all the same, no matter which part of the world the person is from.

The body is bathed and a simple white shroud is used to wrap the body in.

We don't really have a planned ceromony and try to make things as prompt and simple as possible.

Many people fly the body back to their homeland, however numberous scholars of Islam disagree to that and say it is best to burry dead closest to where they passed away.

And lastly all graves of Muslims point towards the Ka'bah in Makkah.

So I wonder where all the Muslim graves are here in the UK?
Are there special Muslim cemeteries?
Would it be acceptable to be buried next to a Christian church (as the Muslim graves I saw were ...)?

Is it Islamic practice to visit the graves of deceased relatives?

Thanks

[Malaikah]

You might have noticed the simplicity of the graves- we don't use tombstones or stuff like that...

[glo]

You might have noticed the simplicity of the graves- we don't use tombstones or stuff like that...

The Muslim graves I saw did have gravestones.
There were not many ornaments or flowers, but then, many other graves don't have them either.

Generally speaking, they did not look greatly different from other graves - except they were laid out at a different angle and some (not all) were engraved in Arabic script. And, of course, the names on them were Islamic ones.

Peace

[Malaikah]

Oh, ok. Well, they aren't meant to have that... the most on can do is place like a stone or something to indicate that it is a grave... anything else is sinful.

We don't do coffins either... coffins are disliked and may be permissible if they are needed, for example, if their is fear that the grave might be disturbed by wild animals...

[IbnAbdulHakim]

hey Glo,

My fathers burial is in a place in UK, haighnault its called "Gardens of Peace" (MUSLIM cemetary). Each and every grave there is soo simple, the headstone must be extremely simple (if any) i prefer no headstone, and theres idhkaar leaves on the graves :D and the body is always burried facing makkah shrouded in simple white cloth. Its so beautiful you would think it a park and not a graveyard, but subhanAllaah, imagine the family of 10,000 muslims praying everyday with each visit for the mercy of the inhabitants of the graves.

i love islams simplicity!!!

[SUMMAYAH]

I have a graveyard at a 2 minute walk from my house. It's really big and sectioned of for graves belonging to different faiths. There's Muslim grave there, Christian graves and I think, (although I'm not too sure) Jewish graves there.
There's a drive that leads very close to the graves. My husband visits the graveyard quite often. Sometimes I happen to be with him. Although I just stay in the car and keep my veil down.
Every time i'm there, I feel a great sense of sadness. I'm reminded that this life is very short and the silly things we sometimes waste our time and energy over are going to come to an end.

[glo]

hey Glo,

My fathers burial is in a place in UK, haighnault its called "Gardens of Peace" (MUSLIM cemetary). Each and every grave there is soo simple, the headstone must be extremely simple (if any) i prefer no headstone, and theres idhkaar leaves on the graves :D and the body is always burried facing makkah shrouded in simple white cloth. Its so beautiful you would think it a park and not a graveyard, but subhanAllaah, imagine the family of 10,000 muslims praying everyday with each visit for the mercy of the inhabitants of the graves.

i love islams simplicity!!!

Thank you, brother.

I love simplicity, too! :)

Every time i'm there, I feel a great sense of sadness. I'm reminded that this life is very short and the silly things we sometimes waste our time and energy over are going to come to an end.

Thank you, sister.

Grave yards don't make me feel sad - other than making me miss my loved ones who have gone out of my earthly life.
But death itself is only a step into greater and better things to come. :)

Peace

[MinAhlilHadeeth]

Hi Glo:)

You may find this useful.

[syilla]

In islam simplicity is the most important thing...

we don't have to be rich to do a burial...The simpler the better.

this is muslim malaysian burial

[Malaikah]

:sl:

^What are those white things?:?

[syilla]

^^usually they put name and the date of death...(but which writing actually?)

so it is easier for the relatives to come and visit

[IbnAbdulHakim]

thats what i find a bit weird, isnt it enough to know the location? I mean arent we suppose to be praying for everyone around that graveyard and not just one person. Its strange because i dont see the point of headstones and stuff in islam :?

[glo]

Thank you for the link, Umm 'Abdullah. It was helpful! :)

Non-Muslims are often buried in family graves, i.e. members of the family or couples are buried next to each other.
Does that happen in Islam?

[IbnAbdulHakim]

sometimes, i dont see anything wrong with it as long as the islamic rulings are obeyed :), my grandparents were buried in the same place.

[syilla]

Asalaam alaikum... I have two questions which insha allah you will be able to answer.
1. My grandmother passed away a week ago (may Allah SWT bless her) and the discussion in the family is about what to write on the tombstone. I have read that only the name of the deceased should be on the tombstone ,but the family want to put the dates of birth and death along with a moon and star. Is this bidah?

If it is then should I say something? I am only 22 years old and the decisions will be made by my elders.

2.Is there a reason why people turn the corner of the prayer mat over once finished reading salat? I know this may sound trivial, but it is common practice and i have been unable to find a sunnah or anything relating to it.

Jazaak Allah Khair
Answer Wa Alaikum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullah,

1. I don’t see anything wrong with putting the name and the date of birth with the design of the crescent and the star on the tombstone. Some people also write verses from the Qur’an, it is better not to do that, especially if the tombstone will be placed in such a way that people may walk over it. But if it is in the standing position, then it is permissible.

source

[Emperor]

Oh, ok. Well, they aren't meant to have that... the most on can do is place like a stone or something to indicate that it is a grave... anything else is sinful.

Where in the Quran are tombstones prohibited?

[Malaikah]

^It isn't in the Quran, but it is a teaching of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him):

It is not permissible to write anything on the grave, whether it be verses of the Qur’aan or anything else, on iron, stone tablets or anything else, because it was reported from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that it is forbidden to plaster the walls of graves, to sit on them or to build over them. This was narrated by Imaam Muslim in his Saheeh; al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasaa’i added, with a saheeh isnaad, “or to write on them.”

http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=9986&ln=eng

Not all Islamic rulings are derived from the Quran, they are also derived from the commands of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

[S_87]

Is it true that a body should be buried before sunset?

Peace Glo :)

it is preferable for the body to be buried as soon as possible and not be unnecessarily delayed. so if a person dies in the night they should prefereably be buried as soon as preperations are made. not necessarily sunset, basically just asap

[Afifa]

:sl:
was going to make another thread but found this one :)
one thing which im a bit confused about

are we allowed to put flowers on the graves or not?

:w:

[FatimaAsSideqah]

As Salaam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

To sister Afifa

Answer
Asalamu aleykum

The sources I consulted are unanimous in saying that it is not allowed. Please read the following:

Islam Questions & Answers
www.islam-qa.com
Question Reference Number:: 48958
Title: It is not prescribed to put palm-leaf stalks or flowers on graves



Home > Jurisprudence and Islamic Rulings > Acts of Worship > Funerals and rulings on graves >
Question:
I read a hadeeth which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) put a palm-leaf stalk on a grave. Is it Sunnah for the one who visits a grave to do that?.

Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.

The hadeeth referred to by the questioner was narrated by al-Bukhaari (218) and Muslim (292) from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) passed by two graves and said: “They are being punished, but they are not being punished for something that was difficult to avoid. One of them used not to take precautions to avoid (his body or clothes being soiled by) urine, and the other used to walk around spreading malicious gossip.” Then he took a fresh palm-leaf stalk and split it in two, and placed one piece on each of the two graves. They said: O Messenger of Allaah, why did you do that?” He said: “Perhaps the torment will be reduced for them so long as this does not dry out.”

Some of the scholars said that the reason why the torment would be reduced for them was that the fresh palm-leaf stalk glorifies Allaah, so that would be the reason why the torment would be reduced. This is subject to further discussion.

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
This is the view of many or most of the mufassireen concerning the verse (interpretation of the meaning):

“and there is not a thing but glorifies His Praise”
[al-Isra’ 17:44]

They said: What this means is everything that has life in it. Then they said: The life of everything is in accordance with its nature, and wood is alive so long as it has not dried out and a rock is alive so long as it has not been cut. Some mufassireen and others were of the view that this is to be understood in general terms.

i.e., that the tasbeeh (glorification of Allaah) does not apply only to the fresh leaf in exclusion of the dry; rather everything, fresh or dry, glorifies and praises Allaah.

Al-Khattaabi and those who followed him criticized the action of placing palm-leaf stalks and the like on graves, following this hadeeth. He said concerning this hadeeth: it is to be understood as meaning that he prayed that their torment might be reduced so long as these stalks remained fresh, not that the stalk had any significance in and of itself, nor that there is any significance in the fresh stalk that is not in the dry.

Based on this, this action was something that was only for the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and it is not recommended for anyone to place palm-leaf stalks or anything else on graves.

It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah:
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) put the palm-leaf stalk on the two graves and hoped that the torment of the two people on whose graves he placed it would be reduced, that was a specific incident related to those two people only, is not to be taken as generally applicable; it applies only to the two whose torment Allaah caused him to know of. That is something that was only for the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and it is not a universal Sunnah to be done to the graves of the Muslims. Rather it only occurred two or three times, if we count the number of times that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did it. It is not known that any of the Sahaabah did that, and they were the keenest of all Muslims to follow the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and to benefit the Muslims. There is only one report from Buraydah al-Sulami, who left instructions that two palm-leaf stalks should be placed on his grave. But we do not know of any of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) who agreed with Buraydah in that.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz said:
That is not prescribed in Islam, rather it is bid’ah (an innovation), because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) only placed the palm-leaf stalk on the two graves of the people whose torment he was made aware of; he did not place them on any other graves. From that we know that it is not permissible to put them on graves, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it, will have it rejected.” According to a version narrated by Muslim: “Whoever does anything that is not part of this matter of ours (Islam), will have it rejected.”

Similarly, it is not permissible to write on graves or to place flowers on them, because of the two hadeeth quoted above, and because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade plastering over graves, erecting structures over them, sitting on them and writing on them.
Majallat al-Buhooth al-Islamiyyah, 68/50.

Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)

[MustafaMc]

Grave yards don't make me feel sad - other than making me miss my loved ones who have gone out of my earthly life.

Grave yards and cemeteries are great reminders of our own personal mortality.

But death itself is only a step into greater and better things to come. :)

Peace

Yes, I always hear this at wakes, "At least he/she is not suffering any more and is in a better place than we are now." ... but this applies only for those who gain Paradise. Those being punished in the graves and who will be sent to the Hellfire, definitely haven't taken a "step into greater and better things to come".
:muddlehea:scared::skeleton:

[Afifa]

As Salaam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

To sister Afifa

does that include evergreen plants?

[FatimaAsSideqah]

does that include evergreen plants?

Yes. :)

[Afifa]

Yes. :)

jazakallah ukht