Fatwa ID: 09106
Answered by Mufti Mohammad Ateiq-ur Rehman
Question:
As-salamu alaykum brother,
I need your urgent response to this message. My sister is 22 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Yesterday, the doctors couldn’t detect the baby’s heartbeat, and they declared that the baby is no longer alive. They plan to deliver the baby tomorrow. We’re seeking guidance on what to do after the baby is born. Should we name the baby, perform the ritual washing, offer the janazah prayer, and bury the baby?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
“Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.”
(Surah al-Baqarah 2:156)
Thank you for your question. May Allah ﷻ grant your family patience, ease your grief, and replace your loss with immense reward.
In this situation, the rulings depend on whether the baby shows any signs of life after delivery.
If the baby is born and shows any sign of life, such as movement, crying, or breathing, even briefly, then the baby is treated as a living person. In that case, the child should be named, given ghusl, shrouded, and janazah prayer should be performed, and the child should be buried.
If the baby is born with no signs of life, then the ruling is different. At 22 weeks, the child has reached a stage where the body is formed. In this case, the child should still be treated with dignity. The baby should be gently washed, wrapped, and buried.
As for the janazah prayer, it is not performed if the baby was not born alive. This is based on the principle that janazah prayer is only for one who had life after birth. However, the honour of burial and care is still given due to the stage of development.
The jurists mention that a miscarried or stillborn child, especially when the body has formed, is treated with dignity. Naming the child is part of this honour and respect. It is not obligatory, but it is encouraged.
You should also know that there is great reward and intercession for parents who are patient in such a loss, and the child will be a means of mercy for them in the Hereafter.
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Mufti Mohammad Ateiq-ur Rehman
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
“ومن استهل بعد الولادة سمى وغسل وصلي عليه” لقوله ﷺ “إذا استهل المولود صلي عليه وإن لم يستهل لم يصل عليه” ولأن الاستهلال دلالة الحياة فتحقق في حقه سنة الموتى “وإن لم يستهل أدرج في خرقة” كرامة لبني آدم “ولم يصل عليه” لما روينا. ويغسل في غير الظاهر من الرواية لأنه نفس من وجه وهو المختار
كتاب الهداية في شرح بداية المبتدي 91:1
(ومن استهل بعد الولادة سمي وغسل وصلي عليه) ش: – استهل – بفتح التاء على بناء الفاعل، لأن المراد ها هنا رفع الصوت لا الإبصار، ففي ” المغرب ” أهلوا الهلال، استهلوا رفعوا أصواتهم عند رؤيته وأهل واستهل على بناء المفعول إذا أبصر، والمراد رفع الصوت بالبكاء عند ولادته، وفي ” الإيضاح ” الاستهلال أن يكون منه ما يدل على حياته من بكار أو تحريك عضو وأن يطرف بعينه، وبه قال الشافعي وأحمد، وقال مالك: لا يصلى عليه إلا أن يطول ذلك فيتحقق حياته. وعن مالك وأحمد في رواية الاستهلال أن يستهل صارخا
كتاب البناية شرح الهداية 3:232