Fatwa ID: 07661

Answered by: Maulana Abdoullah limvoonheek

Question:

Salam sheikh,

Please tell me, can a person do namaz janazah for a person whose body is not present?

There is also a case where someone sends the dead body of his relative to his country. Is this allowed?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Wa alaikumus salaam

1- In the hanafi madhab it is not allowed for a person to perform janazah salah if the body is absent. The body of the deceased must be present for the salah to be performed.

If a person didn’t participate in the janazah salah, he can still convey reward and make dua for the deceased person. The janazah salah is a form of dua of forgiveness for the deceased.

2- As for sending the body to another country, this involves many wrongful act in the process. Just as how a living person is honored, likewise when he passes away, he should be honored.

Firstly the burial procedure is delayed while in Shariah a person must be buried quickly.

Secondly to prevent decomposition, chemicals containing alcohol is used to preserve the body.

Lastly as mentioned by the jurists, a person should be buried in the place where he passed away. So the body shouldn’t be sent somewhere else. This is undesirable to the extent of unlawfulness.

Hope this answers the question.

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Maulana Abdoullah limvoonheek

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

Reference:

وَأَمَّا حَدِيثُ النَّجَاشِيِّ فَيُحْتَمَلُ أَنَّهُ دُعَاءٌ؛ لِأَنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تُذْكَرُ وَيُرَادُ بِهَا الدُّعَاءُ، وَيُحْتَمَلُ أَنَّهُ خَصَّهُ بِذَلِكَ.

وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ: إنَّ لِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ النَّاسِ حَقًّا فِي الصَّلَاةِ عَلَيْهِ قُلْنَا: نَعَمْ لَكِنْ لَا وَجْهَ لِاسْتِدْرَاكِ ذَلِكَ لِسُقُوطِ الْفَرْضِ، وَعَدَمِ جَوَازِ التَّنَفُّلِ بِهَا، وَهُوَ الْجَوَابُ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ: ” إنَّهَا دُعَاءٌ وَاسْتِغْفَارٌ “؛ لِأَنَّ التَّنَفُّلَ بِالدُّعَاءِ وَالِاسْتِغْفَارِ مَشْرُوعٌ، وَبِالصَّلَاةِ عَلَى الْجِنَازَةِ غَيْرُ مَشْرُوعٍ.

وَعَلَى هَذَا قَالَ أَصْحَابُنَا: لَا يُصَلَّى عَلَى مَيِّتٍ غَائِبٍ

بدائع الصنائع ج١ ص٣١٢

وَمِنْ الشُّرُوطِ حُضُورُ الْمَيِّتِ وَوَضْعُهُ وَكَوْنُهُ أَمَامَ الْمُصَلِّي فَلَا تَصِحُّ عَلَى غَائِبٍ

الفتاوى الهندية ج١ ص١٦٤

أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ “‏ أَسْرِعُوا بِالْجِنَازَةِ، فَإِنْ تَكُ صَالِحَةً فَخَيْرٌ تُقَدِّمُونَهَا ‏{‏إِلَيْهِ‏}‏، وَإِنْ يَكُ سِوَى ذَلِكَ فَشَرٌّ تَضَعُونَهُ عَنْ رِقَابِكُمْ

Sahih Bukhari hadith 1315

(قَوْلُهُ: يُنْدَبُ دَفْنُهُ فِي جِهَةِ مَوْتِهِ) أَيْ فِي مَقَابِرِ أَهْلِ الْمَكَانِ الَّذِي مَاتَ فِيهِ أَوْ قُتِلَ، وَإِنْ نُقِلَ قَدْرَ مِيلٍ أَوْ مِيلَيْنِ فَلَا بَأْسَ شَرْحُ الْمُنْيَةِ، وَيَأْتِي الْكَلَامُ عَلَى نَقْلِهِ. قُلْت: وَلِذَا صَحَّ «أَمْرُهُ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – بِدَفْنِ قَتْلَى أُحُدٍ فِي مَضَاجِعِهِمْ» مَعَ أَنَّ مَقْبَرَةَ الْمَدِينَةِ قَرِيبَةٌ، وَلِذَا دُفِنَتْ الصَّحَابَةُ الَّذِينَ فَتَحُوا دِمَشْقَ عِنْدَ أَبْوَابِهَا وَلَمْ يُدْفَنُوا كُلُّهُمْ فِي مَحَلٍّ وَاحِدٍ (قَوْلُهُ وَتَعْجِيلُهُ) أَيْ تَعْجِيلُ جِهَازِهِ عَقِبَ تَحَقُّقِ مَوْتِهِ، وَلِذَا كُرِهَ تَأْخِيرُ صَلَاتِهِ وَدَفْنِهِ لِيُصَلِّيَ عَلَيْهِ جَمْعٌ عَظِيمٌ بَعْدَ صَلَاةِ الْجُمُعَةِ كَمَا مَرَّ

رد المحتار ج٢ ص٢٣٩