Question 1

What is the ruling on building over graves?

Accepted Answer

Building structures over graves — domes, mausoleums, mosques — is forbidden by clear Sunnah, and is one of the chief means by which idolatry entered earlier nations. The Prophet (ﷺ) said in his final illness: "Allah cursed the Jews and the Christians: they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship." — warning against what they did (al-Bukhari 435, Muslim 529). And ''A''ishah said: "Were it not for that, his grave would have been made apparent — but it was feared it would be taken as a place of worship." The Prophet (ﷺ) commanded ''Ali ibn Abi Talib: "Do not leave any image but that you have erased it, nor any raised grave but that you have levelled it." (Muslim 969). Imam ash-Shafi''i said: "I dislike that any structure be built over a grave, or that it be plastered, or that anything be written upon it." The wisdom is that excessive veneration of the graves of the righteous is the historical pathway to shirk: it began with the people of Nuh — Wadd, Suwa'', Yaghuth, Ya''uq, and Nasr — who were righteous men over whose graves images were erected, and after generations they were worshipped (al-Bukhari 4920, on ibn ''Abbas). Whoever desires to honour the dead, let him do so by following their guidance — not by building over their graves.

Question 2

How long may one mourn for the deceased?

Accepted Answer

Imam Ahmad ruled, based on the hadith of Umm ʿAtiyyah in Bukhari and Muslim, that no Muslim woman may mourn for any deceased person more than three days, except for her husband — for whom she observes ʿiddah of four months and ten days. Wailing, slapping the cheeks, and tearing garments are forbidden by the Prophet's ﷺ disavowal: "He is not of us who slaps the cheeks, tears the garments, or calls with the call of jahiliyyah" (Bukhari).

Question 3

What happens to the soul after death?

Accepted Answer

Ibn al-Qayyim devoted Kitab ar-Ruh to this question. He affirmed: the soul leaves the body and is taken by the angel of death; the believer's soul is welcomed and taken up through the heavens, while the disbeliever's is rejected. The deceased is questioned in the grave by Munkar and Nakir about his Lord, religion, and Prophet. The grave is then either a garden of Paradise or a pit of Fire until the Day of Resurrection — all by authentic prophetic texts.

Question 4

What is the ruling on euthanasia, suicide, or assisted dying?

Accepted Answer

The act of intentionally ending a life to relieve suffering, known as euthanasia or 'mercy killing,' is strictly forbidden (haram) in Islam and is considered a form of murder, which is a major sin. The same ruling applies to suicide and assisted suicide.

The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta' has ruled decisively on this matter. Life is a sacred trust (amanah) from Allah, and only He has the right to give it and to take it away. Human beings do not have the right to end their own lives or the lives of others, regardless of the perceived motive. The challenges, illnesses, and pains of this world are a test from Allah, and a Muslim is required to bear them with patience (sabr). Doing so serves as an expiation for sins and a means of raising one's rank in the sight of Allah.

The argument of 'mercy' is invalid in this context, as true mercy lies in respecting the decree of Allah and caring for the sick through permissible means. It is not merciful to transgress the limits set by Allah. Killing a patient, even one who is terminally ill and in great pain, is a clear violation of the sanctity of life.

However, it is important to distinguish between active euthanasia and the cessation of medical treatment. If a trustworthy medical team determines that a treatment is futile and is merely prolonging the process of death without any hope of recovery, it is permissible to withhold or withdraw that treatment. This is not considered killing; rather, it is allowing the natural process of death, as decreed by Allah, to take its course. The intention is not to end the life, but to cease an intervention that is no longer beneficial. The fundamental prohibition remains on any action taken with the express intention of causing or hastening death.

Question 5

What happens after death in Islam?

Accepted Answer

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen explained that what happens after death is a cornerstone of Islamic belief ('aqeedah), detailed in the Qur'an and Sunnah. When a person dies, their soul is extracted by the Angel of Death. If the person was a believer, the soul comes out gently and is received by angels of mercy. If they were a disbeliever, it is torn out harshly and received by angels of punishment.

After burial, the person enters the first stage of the afterlife: the life of the grave (al-barzakh). Two angels, named Munkar and Nakir, will come to the deceased and ask them three fundamental questions: 'Who is your Lord?', 'What is your religion?', and 'Who is your Prophet?'.

The believer, whom Allah grants steadfastness, will answer with certainty: 'My Lord is Allah, my religion is Islam, and my Prophet is Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).' As a result, their grave is made spacious and luminous, like a garden from Paradise, and they are shown their place in Jannah, which they will enter after the Resurrection. They are then left in a state of bliss until the Day of Judgment.

Conversely, the disbeliever or hypocrite will be unable to answer, stammering, 'Uh, uh... I don't know. I heard people saying something, so I said it too.' They will be struck with an iron hammer, and their grave will be constricted upon them, becoming like a pit from the Hellfire. They are shown their place in the Fire and remain in a state of torment until the Day of Judgment. This state in the grave, whether of bliss or torment, is real and is experienced by the soul and the body in a manner that Allah knows best.

Question 6

How long is the mourning period for a deceased relative?

Accepted Answer

A woman mourns for her husband for four months and ten days (the iddah). For any other deceased — father, mother, brother — she does not mourn more than three days. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn for any deceased more than three days, except for her husband — four months and ten days."

Question 7

Is it permissible to build structures over graves?

Accepted Answer

Building over graves is forbidden, as established by an authentic hadith from Jabir. Likewise plastering them, writing on them, or making them into mosques. All of this leads to shirk and the worship of the dead.

Question 8

Is it permissible to build structures over graves?

Accepted Answer

Erecting domes and mosques over graves is forbidden and is among the means leading to shirk. The Prophet (ﷺ) cursed the Jews and Christians for taking the graves of their prophets as places of worship. Whatever leads to a haram is itself haram.

Question 9

How long is the mourning period for a deceased relative?

Accepted Answer

For a husband: four months and ten days, with avoidance of adornment, perfume, and leaving the home except for need. For others: a maximum of three days only. Excessive mourning, wailing, and gatherings for condolence beyond the prescribed period are forbidden innovations.

Death & Janaza

What is the ruling on building over graves?

How long may one mourn for the deceased?

What happens to the soul after death?

What is the ruling on euthanasia, suicide, or assisted dying?

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