بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In the name of Allah the Exceptionally Merciful, the Perpetually Merciful.

ﷺ

Several people in the community have asked me regarding whether it is permissible for Muslim women to visit a graveyard. In this article, I will discuss the various opinions that are derived from the Prophetic tradition, the rulings which are practiced upon, agreed upon, and disagreed upon.

I am also providing a disclaimer that this article is written with the intention of providing a general overview of the various opinions that exist on this subject. In no way is this list exhaustive of every medieval scholar’s opinion on this subject, methods of deriving Islamic personal law, and the like. Also, this is not a binding Islamic edict—commonly known as a ‘fatwa’. Rather, this article is written with the intention of providing a brief insight into this subject for the average Muslim seeking to understand the issue at hand.

Before delving into this issue, we need to divide this inquiry into three parts:

Muslim women attending the Janazah prayer. Muslim women attending the burial. Muslim women visiting the graveyard.

Historically, attending the burial and visiting the graveyard were simultaneous issues. But since there was some differences of opinion regarding both of these issues, I have separated them for the sake of this article.

Since this issue is not discussed within the Qur’an, we will look at Prophetic narrations (hadith) and the opinions of the scholars of hadith (muhadditheen) to get a broad understanding of this subject.

Lastly, please note how I will emphasis the term “Muslim” women in this article, as the issues that will be discussed below simply do not apply to someone who is not a Muslim woman.

Muslim Women Attending the Janazah Prayer

As for the first point, it is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and Musnad Ahmad that there is a great reward for the one who attends the Janazah prayer, regardless of their gender. Though different hadiths are mentioned with different narrators and wordings in the hadith collections, I will mention the hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari in the Book of Funerals (كتاب الجنائز):

مَنْ شَهِدَ الْجَنَازَةَ حَتَّى يُصَلِّيَ عَلَيْهَا فَلَهُ قِيرَاطٌ، وَمَنْ شَهِدَ حَتَّى تُدْفَنَ كَانَ لَهُ قِيرَاطَانِ ‏”‏‏.‏ قِيلَ وَمَا الْقِيرَاطَانِ قَالَ ‏”‏ مِثْلُ الْجَبَلَيْنِ الْعَظِيمَيْنِ

“Whoever attends the funeral procession till he offers the funeral prayer for it, will get a reward equal to one Qirat, and whoever accompanies it till burial, will get a reward equal to two Qirats.” It was asked, “What are two Qirats?” He replied, “Like two huge mountains.”

This hadith is graded authentic (sahih). There is agreement unanimously between all major scholars from the four schools of thought (madhab) that it is permissible for Muslim women to attend the Janazahh prayers, regardless if it is inside the mosque, outside, in someone’s home, or any other place. Further, the famous commentators of these collections discussed solely the amount of reward for the one attending the Janazah, not the gender of the attendee. Those who discussed it as such include Imam Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani in Fath al-Bari, and Imam al-Nawawi in his commentary of Sahih Muslim. There is no discussion of any form on it being impermissible for Muslim women to attend the Janazah prayer. Rather, it is permissible and encouraged according to the above scholars.

Muslim Women Attending the Burial

The second point to address is whether it is permissible or not for Muslim women to attend the burial. There are two hadiths that cover this subject. The first hadith is reported from Umm ‘Atiyah, and though this hadith is mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan ibn Majah, and Musnad Ahmad, I will use the narration in Sahih al-Bukhari for the sake of this article:

حدثنا قبيصة بن عقبة حدثنا سفيان عن خالد الحذاء عن أم الهذيل عن أم عطية رضي الله عنها قالت نهينا عن اتباع الجنائز ولم يعزم علينا

“On the authority of Umm ‘Atiyyah who said, “We were forbidden from following the funeral procession [into the graveyard], but [the prohibition] was not binding.”

Though this hadith is graded authentic (sahih), one must understand how its wording is understood, as well as the context surrounding the hadith. It was common during the days of jahiliyyah for families of the deceased to hire professional female mourners (نائحات) who would wail loudly, rip their clothes, slap their cheeks, and eulogize the deceased in hyperbolized ways. Due to the transference of this practice of from the days of jahiliyyah to the days of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, it was considered disliked for women to follow funerals to their burials, as there was a significant chance that these professionally hired female mourners would be present amongst them. One of the main issues surrounding the mourners was that they would rip their own clothing and expose immodest parts of their bodies while the janazah would be going on.

Even in this context, the prohibition mentioned in this hadith is not an actual prohibition, rather, it is referring to a prohibitively disliked action. It is common in many hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to use a negating statement to express dislike, as opposed to a prohibited action.

In regards to this hadith, I have provided the Arabic text from Ibn Hajar’s commentary from Fath al-Bari, along with a partial translation from Imam Luqman Ahmad, who has also discussed this issue in his post “The Islamic Ruling Regarding Muslim Women Following Funeral Processions.” I would recommend readers here to also read Imam Luqman’s article on this subject.

“The textual prohibition of women going to the graves is found in the hadith of Umm Atiyyah; :”We have been forbidden to accompany funeral processions but it wasn’t strict upon us” In explaining this hadith, Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalaani says: “The phrase ‘but it wasn’t strict upon us’ [wa lam yu’zam alainaa] means; he didn’t make it a firm prevention for us like he made other things that were prohibited. So it’s as if she [Umm Atiyyah] said; he disliked for us to follow the funeral procession without making it prohibited”. In this respect, Imam al-Qurtubi said: “the apparent wording of Umm Atiyyah indicates that the nahiy [prohibition] here is nahiy tanzeeh [generally disliked]. The hadith is also a daleel (proof) that there are degrees in prohibition and that not all statements of prohibition from the Prophet (SAWS) have the same meaning. Imam al-Qurtubi goes on to state: This is the position of the majority of people of knowledge, and Imam Malik leans towards it being permissible outright, which was the position of the people of Medina. The permissibility of women attending the gravesite is further supported by what was related by Ibn Abi Shayba in the hadith of Abu Hurraira that the Messenger of Allah was at a funeral and Umar saw a woman (following the funeral procession). He yelled at her, but the Prophet (SAWS) said to him: “Leave her alone, `Umar! Verily her eyes shed tears, the soul feels the pangs, and the promised hour is near.”

Text from Fath al-Bari in Arabic:

عن الثوري بإسناد هذا الباب، بلفظ: ” نهانا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم “. أخرجه الإسماعيلي، وفيه رد على من قال: لا حجة في هذا الحديث؛ لأنه لم يسم الناهي فيه، لما رواه الشيخان وغيرهما أن كل ما ورد بهذه الصيغة كان مرفوعا، وهو الأصح عند غيرهما من المحدثين، ويؤيد رواية الإسماعيلي ما رواه الطبراني من طريق إسماعيل بن عبد الرحمن بن عطية، ” عن جدته أم عطية قالت: لما دخل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم المدينة جمع النساء في بيت، ثم بعث إلينا عمر، فقال: إني رسول رسول الله إليكن، بعثني إليكن لأبايعكن على أن لا تشركن بالله شيئا.” الحديث. وفي آخره: ” وأمرنا أن نخرج في العيد العواتق، ونهانا أن نخرج في جنازة ” . وهذا يدل على أن رواية أم عطية الأولى من مرسل الصحابة. قوله: ( ولم يعزم علينا )؛ أي: ولم يؤكد علينا في المنع، كما أكد علينا في غيره من المنهيات، فكأنها قالت: كره لنا اتباع الجنائز من غير تحريم. وقال القرطبي: ظاهر سياق أم عطية أن النهي نهي تنزيه، وبه قال جمهور أهل العلم، ومال مالك إلى الجواز، وهو قول أهل المدينة. ويدل على الجواز ما رواه ابن أبي شيبة من طريق محمد بن عمرو بن عطاء، عن أبي هريرة ” أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان في جنازة، فرأى عمر امرأة فصاح بها، فقال: دعها يا عمر. ” الحديث. وأخرجه ابن ماجه، والنسائي من هذا الوجه، ومن طريق أخرى عن محمد بن عمرو بن عطاء، عن سلمة بن الأزرق، عن أبي هريرة ورجاله ثقات، وقال المهلب: في حديث أم عطية دلالة على أن النهي من الشارع على درجات. وقال الداودي: قولها: ” نهينا عن اتباع الجنائز: ” . أي إلى أن نصل إلى القبور، وقوله: ” ولم يعزم علينا ” . أي أن لا نأتي أهل الميت فنعزيهم، ونترحم على ميتهم من غير أن نتبع جنازته. انتهى. وفي أخذ هذا التفصيل من هذا السياق نظر، نعم هو في حديث عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص: ” إن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم رأى فاطمة مقبلة، فقال: من أين جئت ؟ فقالت: رحمت على أهل هذا الميت ميتهم. فقال: لعلك بلغت معهم الكدى ؟ قالت: لا ” . الحديث، أخرجه أحمد، والحاكم وغيرهما. فأنكر عليها بلوغ الكدى، وهو بالضم، وتخفيف الدال المقصورة، وهي المقابر، ولم ينكر عليها التعزية. وقال المحب الطبري: يحتمل أن يكون المراد بقولها: ” ولم يعزم علينا “؛ أي كما عزم على الرجال بترغيبهم في اتباعها بحصول القيراط ونحو ذلك، والأول أظهر. والله أعلم

The second hadith which discusses the permissibility or impermissibility of a Muslim woman attending the burial is reported in the Sunan of Ibn Majah:

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُصَفَّى الْحِمْصِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْرَائِيلُ، عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ سَلْمَانَ، عَنْ دِينَارٍ أَبِي عُمَرَ، عَنِ ابْنِ الْحَنَفِيَّةِ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَإِذَا نِسْوَةٌ جُلُوسٌ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ مَا يُجْلِسُكُنَّ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قُلْنَ نَنْتَظِرُ الْجِنَازَةَ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ هَلْ تَغْسِلْنَ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قُلْنَ لاَ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ هَلْ تَحْمِلْنَ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قُلْنَ لاَ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ هَلْ تُدْلِينَ فِيمَنْ يُدْلِي ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قُلْنَ لاَ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ فَارْجِعْنَ مَأْزُورَاتٍ غَيْرَ مَأْجُورَاتٍ

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out and saw some women sitting, and he said: ‘What are you sitting here for?’ They said: ‘We are waiting for the funeral.’ He said: ‘Are you going to wash the deceased?’ They said: ‘No.’ He said: ‘Are you going to lower him into the grave?’ They said: ‘No.’ He said: ‘Then go back with a burden of sin and not rewarded.’”

Firstly, this hadith is graded weak (da’eef) due to the presence of Isma’il ibn Sulayman and Deenaar Abu ‘Umar in the chain (سند), as the scholars of hadith disagreed on both of their reliability in hadith narration. Al-Sindi mentions in his commentary on Sunan Abi Majah in regards to this hadith and the disagreement of the scholars of hadith over these narrators, ‘In its sanad is Deenar Abu ‘Umar. Wakee’ considered him reliable, and Ibn Hibban [mentions him] from the reliable narrators. [But] Abu Hatim said, ‘He is not known.’ Al-Azdi said [his narrations are] ‘abandoned.’ Al-Khalili said in ‘Al-Irshad’ [that he is] a ‘liar’, along with Isma’il ibn Sulayman. [In regards to Isma’il], Abu Hatim said, ‘He is pious.’ Ibn Hibban mentioned him from the reliable narrators, but said he makes mistakes [as well].’”

Text from Al-Sindi in Arabic:

في إسناده دينار أبي عمر وهو وإن وثقه وكيع وذكره ابن حبان في الثقات فقد قال أبو حاتم ليس بالمشهور وقال الأزدي متروك وقال الخليلي في الإرشاد كذاب وإسماعيل بن سليمان قال فيه أبو حاتم صالح لكن ذكره ابن حبان في الثقات وقال يخطئ

As for the ruling on Muslim women following a funeral procession to the burial, scholars of all four madhabs hold various opinions on this subject. The common opinions are that it is either permissible for Muslim women to follow the funeral procession for the burial, or conditionally disliked, if there is a possibility of the presence of na’ihaat who will wail, rip their clothes, slap their cheeks, or commit similar types of prohibited practices from the days of ignorance (jahiliyyah). This dislike is further categorized into either a “general dislike (makruh tanzihi), or “prohibitive dislike (makruh tahrimi),” where the former is closer to permissible, and the latter is closer to impermissible.

Hanafi

The Hanafi school leans towards the ruling of it being prohibitively disliked for Muslim women to attend the burial. Later day Hanafi scholars leaned towards it being either generally disliked or permitted based on the lack of or presence of practices from the days of jahiliyyah.

Imam Ibn ‘Abideen writes in his famous Hanafi fiqh commentary Radd al-Muhtar, “It is prohibitively disliked, [but] this was the specific [practice] in accordance with that time, for it was permissible for [women] to go out to the mosques and Eid prayers.”

أنه نهي تنزيه فينبغي أن يختص بذلك الزمن حيث كان يباح لهن الخروج للمساجد و الأعياد

In essence, Ibn ‘Abideen considered it disliked (makruh tanzihi) at that time, but prohibitively disliked (makruh tahrimi) after the passing of the first generation. But the cause of the dislike (karaahah) is the potential of fitnah that was present at that time of women showing up to graveyards with their ‘awrah exposed. To add, “fitnah” is subjective to time and place as it always has been, as the ruling of Muslim women attending a burial is connected to whether Muslim women should also attend the mosque or the Eid prayers, as Ibn ‘Abideen mentions them together.

According to Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Ibn Mundhir reports that Sufyan al-Thawri “considered it an innovation for women to attend the burial.” This is one of the uncommon opinions present within this school of thought.

وقال الثورى : اتباع النساء الجنازة بدعة

Shafi’i and Maliki

“The meaning of ‘The Prophet, ﷺ, forbade us’ refers to it being prohibitively disliked, not an actual prohibition. Our opinion, and the opinion of our madhab is that [Muslim women visiting graves] is disliked. [But] It is not [considered] impermissible according to this hadith. Qadi [‘Iyad] said that the majority of scholars considered the prohibition [as such] in regards to following the Janazah [to the graveyard]. [But] The scholars of Madinah considered it [generally] permissible. Imam Malik considered it permissible, [but] considered it disliked for young women.”

نهانا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن ذلك نهي كراهة تنزيه ، لا نهي عزيمة تحريم . ومذهب أصحابنا أنه مكروه ، ليس بحرام لهذا الحديث ، قال القاضي : قال جمهور العلماء بمنعهن من اتباعها،وأجازه علماء المدينة ، وأجازه مالك ، وكرهه للشابة

Hanbali

In regards to women visiting the graves and attending the burial, two opinions are reported from Imam Ahmad in the Hanbali madhab. The first opinion is that it si disliked for Muslim women to visit the graveyard, while the second opinion is that it is permissible for them without any dislike.

في حكم زيارة المرأة للقبور: روايات عن الإمام أحمد يقول المنقح المرداوي رحمه الله في: “الإنصاف”(/) : “قوله (وهل يكره للنساء على روايتين).

وأطلقهما في الهداية والمذهب والمستوعب والكافي والتلخيص وابن تميم والشرح.

-إحداهما يكره لهن وهي المذهب جزم به الخرقي والوجيز والمنور وغيرهم وصححه بن عقيل وابن منجا في الخلاصة وقدمه في الفروع والمحرر والرعايتين والفائق قال في مجمع البحرين هذا اظهر الروايات قال في النظم وهو أولى ورجحه المصنف وغيره.

-والرواية الثانية لا يكره فيباح.

-وعنه رواية ثالثة يحرم كما لو علمت أنه يقع منها محرم ذكره المجد واختار هذه الرواية بعض الأصحاب وحكاها بن تميم وجها.

قال في جامع الاختيارات وظاهر كلام الشيخ تقي الدين ترجيح التحريم لاحتجاجه بلعنه عليه الصلاة والسلام زوارات القبور وتصحيحه إياه وأطلقهن في الحاويين”أ.هـ.

To add, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah considered it impermissible for women to attend the burial because of this, but the endorsed opinion of the madhab is of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal. Ibn Taymiyyah’s opinion has become the normally followed opinion among the current day scholars of the Hijaz.

يُكْرَهُ لِلْمَرْأَةِ اتِّبَاعُهَا، عَلَى الصَّحِيحِ مِنْ الْمَذْهَبِ [نَصَّ عَلَيْهِ، وَعَلَيْهِ أَكْثَرُ الْأَصْحَابِ، وَقِيلَ: يُكْرَهُ لِلْأَجْنَبِيَّةِ قَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي مُوسَى: قَدْ رَخَّصَ بَعْضُهُمْ لَهَا فِي شُهُودِ أَبِيهَا وَوَلَدِهَا وَذِي قَرَابَتِهَا، مَعَ التَّحَفُّظِ وَالِاسْتِحْيَاءِ وَالتَّسَتُّرِ] وَقَالَ الْآجُرِّيُّ: يَحْرُمُ، وَمَا هُوَ بِبَعِيدٍ فِي زَمَنِنَا هَذَا قَالَ أَبُو الْمَعَالِي: يَمْنَعُهُنَّ مِنْ اتِّبَاعِهَا، وَقَالَ أَبُو حَفْصٍ: هُوَ بِدْعَةٌ، يُطْرَدْنَ فَإِنْ رَجَعْنَ وَإِلَّا رَجَعَ الرِّجَالُ، بَعْدَ أَنْ يَحْثُوَا عَلَى أَفْوَاهِهِنَّ التُّرَابَ قَالَ: وَرَخَّصَ الْإِمَامُ أَحْمَدُ فِي اتِّبَاعِ جِنَازَةٍ يَتْبَعُهَا النِّسَاءُ قَالَ أَبُو حَفْصٍ: وَيَحْرُمُ بُلُوغُ الْمَرْأَةِ الْقَبْرَ.

Ibn Mundhir

Ibn Hajar mentions the statement of Ibn Mundhir in Fath al Bari, “We have narrated from Ibn Mas’ud, Ibn ‘Umar, Abu Umaamah, and ‘‘Aisha, that they found it disliked for women to follow the funeral procession [to the graveyard]. It was also disliked by Abu Umaamah, Masrooq, Al-Nakha’i, Al-Hasan, Muhammad ibn Sireen, and a narration of Al-Awzaa’i, Ahmad, and Ishaaq.

قال ابن المنذر : روينا عن ابن مسعود ، وابن عمر ، وأبى أمامة ، وعائشة أنهم كرهوا للنساء اتباع الجنائز ، وكره ذلك أبو أمامة ، ومسروق ، والنخعى ، والحسن ، ومحمد بن سيرين ، وهو قول الأوزاعى ، وأحمد ، وإسحاق ،

Though this is the recorded view of Aisha رضي الله عنها, we will read below about her visiting the grave of her brother.

Conclusion

As it has been detailed above, an absolute prohibition against women following the Janazah to the graveyard is not the endorsed opinion (jumhoor) of any of the scholars of hadith , fuqaha, nor the madhabs. The difference of opinion that arose was due to whether the women would engage in customs of the days of jahiliyyah.

Muslim Women Visiting the Graveyard

In the beginning of Islam, the Prophet ﷺ had forbade men and women equally from visiting the graveyard due to the weak nature of the people’s faith, and their predisposition to practices of the days of jahiliyyah. Eventually, the Prophet ﷺ lifted this prohibition, and instead encouraged the Muslim community to visit graves.

The main hadith recorded in the books of hadith which has been used by some scholars to say that it is impermissible for Muslim women to visit the graveyard is reported in Sunan Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, Jaami’ al-Tirmidhi, and Musnad Ahmad. For the sake of this article, I will use the narration from Jaami’ al-Tirmidhi:

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جُحَادَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم زَائِرَاتِ الْقُبُورِ وَالْمَتَّخِذِينَ عَلَيْهَا الْمَسَاجِدَ وَالسُّرُجَ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَعَائِشَةَ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى حَدِيثُ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ ‏.‏ وَأَبُو صَالِحٍ هَذَا هُوَ مَوْلَى أُمِّ هَانِئٍ بِنْتِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ وَاسْمُهُ بَاذَانُ وَيُقَالُ بَاذَامُ أَيْضًا

“The Messenger of Allah cursed the women who visit the graves, and those who use them as mosques, and [those who] put torches on them.”

Firstly regarding this narration, Imam al-Tirmidhi mentions in the Book of Janaa’iz, “This [curse] was before the Prophet ﷺ allowed the visiting of graves. When it was made allowed, men and women were [equally] included in this allowance.”(Tuhfah al-Ahwadhi)

أن هذا كان قبل أن يرخص النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم في زيارة القبور, فلما رخص دخل في رخصته الرجال و النساء

Secondly, even though Tirmidhi graded this narration as acceptable (hasan), this narration is graded weak (da’eef) in Sunan Abu Dawud and Nasa’i due to the presence of Abu Salih (who was also known as Baadhaam). Though many considered him to be a reliable narrator, several major scholars of hadith considered Abu Salih to be a weak narrator, including ‘Ali al-Madeeni, Ahmad ibn Zuhayr, Abu Hatim al-Razi, Al-Nasa’i, Al-Daaraqutni, Ibn Hibban, and many others. But due to other supporting narrations on the same subject, the issue of this hadith’s authenticity is not a major point of contention for scholars of hadith.

As for the hadiths which indicate a permissibility for women to visit the graveyard, the first hadith I will share is reported in Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud, Jaami’ al-Tirmidhi, Sunan al-Nasa’i, Muwatta Imam Malik, and Musnad Ahmad. For the sake of this article, I have used the narration from Sahih Muslim.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُمَيْرٍ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، – وَاللَّفْظُ لأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَابْنِ نُمَيْرٍ – قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ فُضَيْلٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سِنَانٍ، – وَهُوَ ضِرَارُ بْنُ مُرَّةَ – عَنْ مُحَارِبِ بْنِ دِثَارٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْ زِيَارَةِ الْقُبُورِ فَزُورُوهَا وَنَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْ لُحُومِ الأَضَاحِيِّ فَوْقَ ثَلاَثٍ فَأَمْسِكُوا مَا بَدَا لَكُمْ وَنَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنِ النَّبِيذِ إِلاَّ فِي سِقَاءٍ فَاشْرَبُوا فِي الأَسْقِيَةِ كُلِّهَا وَلاَ تَشْرَبُوا مُسْكِرًا ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ فِي رِوَايَتِهِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ

Ibn Buraida reported on the authority of his father that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “I forbade you from visiting graves, but you may now visit them; I forbade you to eat the flesh of sacrificial animals after three days, but you way now keep it as along as you feel inclined; and I forbade you nabidh except in a water-skin, you may drink it from all kinds of water-skins, but you must not drink anything intoxicating.”

This hadith is used by the majority of scholars of hadith and fuqaha to prove that it was permissible and encouraged to visit the graveyard if there is no fear of any types of actions taking place from the days of jahiliyyah. At the same time, the command of “visit the graves” (فزوروها) is a command which indicates a recommended action, not something compulsory. Ibn Hazm was the only faqih who said it was obligatory for men to visit a graveyard at least once in their lifetime.

Another hadith that indicates the permissibility of women visiting the graveyard is taken from Sahih Muslim:

عن عائشة رضي الله عنها أنها قالت للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : ( يا رسول الله : كيف أقول لهم – ( يعني أهل القبور ) – قال : قولي السلام على أهل الديار من المؤمنين والمسلمين ويرحم الله المستقدمين منا والمستأخرين وإنا إن شاء الله بكم للاحقون ) رواه مسلم

“‘Aisha narrates that she said to the Prophet ﷺ, “O Messenger of Allah, what should I say in regards to them [people in their graves]. He ﷺ said, “Say: Peace be upon the inhabitants of the abodes of the believers and Muslims. May Allah have mercy on those that went before from us, and those who will go later. And we, if Allah wills, will join you all.”

If it was impermissible for women to visit the graves, The Prophet ﷺ would not teach his wife a supplication that was specific to saying when entering the graveyard.

The last hadith regarding the permissibility of women visiting the graveyard is when ‘‘Aisha رضي الله عنها visited the grave of her brother ‘Abdur Rahman. This narration is recorded in Jaami’ al-Tirmidhi:

حَدَّثَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ حُرَيْثٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ يُونُسَ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ، قَالَ تُوُفِّيَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ بِحُبْشِيٍّ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَحُمِلَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ فَدُفِنَ فِيهَا فَلَمَّا قَدِمَتْ عَائِشَةُ أَتَتْ قَبْرَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ فَقَالَتْ وَكُنَّا كَنَدْمَانَىْ جَذِيمَةَ حِقْبَةً مِنَ الدَّهْرِ حَتَّى قِيلَ لَنْ يَتَصَدَّعَا فَلَمَّا تَفَرَّقْنَا كَأَنِّي وَمَالِكًا لِطُولِ اجْتِمَاعٍ لَمْ نَبِتْ لَيْلَةً مَعَا ثُمَّ قَالَتْ وَاللَّهِ لَوْ حَضَرْتُكَ مَا دُفِنْتَ إِلاَّ حَيْثُ مُتَّ وَلَوْ شَهِدْتُكَ مَا زُرْتُكَ

“Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Bakr died in Al-Hubshi” He said: “He was carried to Makkah to be buried there. So when ‘Aisha arrived she went to the grave of Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Bakr and she said: “We were like two drinking companions of Jadhimah for such a long time that they would say: ‘They will never part.’ So when we were separated it was as if I and Malik – due to the length of unity – never spent a night together.” Then she said, ‘By Allah, if I was present [at the time when] you were buried and died, I would not have visited you now.”

Firstly, it is noted that ‘Aisha visited the grave of her brother ‘Abdur Rahman. Al-Mubarakpuri mentions in Tuhfah al-Ahwadhi regarding her statement “by Allah, if I was present [at the time when] you were buried and died, I would not have visited you now,” that this is a hyperbolized way of speaking. ‘Aisha is saying that if she could have been present initially at his death and burial, she would have come. But since she was not able to, she is now visiting him in Makkah. Imam al-Tirmidhi does not say much regarding this hadith, as he established the allowance of women visiting graves in the chapter before this hadith titled “The Allowance in Visiting the Graves” (باب ما جاء في الرخصة في زيارة القبور). He mentions this hadith to show the permissibility of women visiting graves, as ‘Aisha رضي الله عنها visited her brother’s grave.

Secondly, the chain in this hadith has a disputed narrator by the name of Abu Jurayj. Though many scholars of hadith such as Mahmood ibn Ghaylaan, Ahmad ibn Zuhayr, and ‘Ali al-Madeeni considered him to be a reliable narrator, Abu Jurayj was accused of often not disclosing who he would narrate from (tadlees). This accusation was held by Al-Nasa’i, Al-Daaraqutni, Ibn Hibban, Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, and Al-Dhahabi. But due to other supporting narrations on the same subject in Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq, the issue of this hadith’s authenticity is not a major point of contention for the scholars of hadith.

Hanafi

The Hanafis recorded two different rulings on Muslim women visiting the graveyard within the madhab; impermissible and permissible. As for the ruling of impermissibility, there is nothing clearly recorded from the madhab that says it is outright impermissible for women to visit the graveyard. The only statement that has been recorded is from Ibn Abideen in Radd al-Muhtar, “If they visit graves to renew their sorrows, or to cry and wail, as is the customary practice of many, then it is not permissible. This is how the Prophetic Hadith “Allah has cursed women who visit graves” is understood. However, if they visit for contemplation, compassion and seeking Baraka, then it is not wrong if they are elderly. It is disliked if they are young.”

وقال الخير الرملي: إن كان ذلك لتجديد الحزن والبكاء والندب على ما جرت به عادتهن فلا تجوز، وعليه حمل حديث: لعن الله زائرات القبور وإن كان للاعتبار والترحم من غير بكاء والتبرك بزيارة قبور الصالحين فلا بأس إذا كن عجائز. ويكره إذا كن شواب كحضور الجماعة في المساجد

The second opinion within the Hanafi madhab is that it is permissible without any dislike for Muslim women to visit the graveyard. This is the opinion of ‘Allamah Sarkhasi wherein he said, “The most correct opinion is that it is not wrong.” The above translations are taken from Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari’s article titled “Women Visiting Graveyards & Attending Funeral Prayers” published here.

الأصح أنّه لا بأس بها

Further, it is stated in Al-Fatawa Al-Hindiyyah (فتاوى عالمگيرى), “It is permissible [for women] to visit the graveyard, as that is the opinion of Abu Hanifah and the foremost opinion of [Imam] Muhammad. The permissibility extends to the women as well, and is not specific to just men.”

لا بأس بزيارة القبور و هو قول أبي حنيفة رحمة الله تعالى و ظاهر قول محمد رحمة الله تعالى يقتضي الجواز للنساء أيضا لأنه لم يخص الرجال

Hanbali

The Hanbalis hold the same view that is mentioned in regards to women following the Janazah, where in one view of the Hanbali madhab is that it is disliked, while another view is that it is permissible without any dislike. Please refer to the above section under “Muslim Women Visiting the Graveyard.”

Shafi & Maliki

Both of these madhabs hold the same view that is mentioned in regards to women following the Janazah, where in the Shafi’is said it was disliked, while the Malikis said it was generally permissible, but disliked for young women. Please refer to the above section under “Muslim Women Attending the Burial.”

Conclusion

Mufti Taqi ‘Usmani mentions in his commentary on Jaami’ al-Tirmidhi, “Even the major scholars of the madhabs have disagreement over this issue [within their own madhab].” As you have now seen from the various hadiths and opinions of the scholars mentioned in this article, the main reason it was initially prohibited to visit the graveyard was because of the rampant nature of practices of the days of jahiliyyah. Once the Muslim community progressed in their understanding of Islam, the impermissibility was eventually abolished. As for whether it is permissible or not for Muslim women to attend the burial and/or visit the graveyard, the majority of scholars from all four madhabs believed it to either be permissible or disliked. It was disliked if there is a significant chance of unislamic practices taking place at the graveyard, such as women wearing clothing that depicts their ‘awrah, men and women unnecessarily mixing, and the like. The permissibility came about when the Muslim community became strong enough to not engage in such impermissible practices of that time.

As a Muslim living in the United States who has been to several burials, I have never seen an occasion where women were slapping their cheeks, ripping their clothes, etc. So if a burial or visit to the cemetery will not cause the women in the community to do as such, the ruling of it being permissible is applied.

Lastly, it is important to observe a certain code of conduct within the cemetery for both genders, as it is a time of reflection and remembrance. It is disliked to laugh, speak unnecessarily, and even make dhikr loudly during the funeral procession and burial. The Janazah must be a time where the community comes together to reflect on the passing of the deceased, thinking about the hereafter, and making a commitment to have a changed heart. So whether it is through ripping clothes, loud wailing, or going through social media and news items on a phone with one’s friends while standing next to a grave, the presence of such an individual becomes disliked at the graveyard when others are diverted from taking part in the Janazah with a present mind and soft heart.

Allah knows best.

Like this: Like Loading...