Fariq Naik – Visiting the Graves for Women
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AI: Transcript ©
We'll take the next question.
Assalamu alaikum.
Can women visit graveyards according to Islam?
My name is Syed Simra.
I am a student from Srinagar, Kashmir.
First we'll discuss regarding the basic ruling of
graveyards.
As far as visiting graveyards is concerned, there's
a hadith of Beloved Prophet Muhammad, may peace
and blessings be upon him, which says Nahaitukum
an ziyaratil quboor, fazooruha.
That I prohibited you from visiting the graves,
but now visit the graves.
Previously, the ruling as far as visiting the
graveyard for the Muslim was concerned, it was
prohibited.
Because during the early stages of Islam, it
was prevalent that people used to go to
the graves, revere the graves, ask from the
dead, and do things that would lead to
shirk.
So it was prohibited.
And later on, when Muslims, they learned more
about Islam, and they knew the rulings regarding
Islam, it was permitted.
But not only it being permitted, our Beloved
Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon
him, encouraged an individual to go to the
graves, as it reminds us regarding death.
As far as visiting the graves for men
is concerned, it is a sunnah.
And this is the opinion of all the
four madahib.
The Hanafi school of thought, the Maliki school
of thought, the Shafi'i school of thought,
and the Hamli school of thought.
And in fact, certain scholars have said that
it is ijma, as reported by Ibn Abdul
Barr.
He says that it is an ijma, that
it is a sunnah for the men to
visit the graves.
And the evidence that they give is the
hadith that I quoted.
Now as far as visiting the grave or
the graveyards for the women is concerned, the
scholars have deferred upon this into three opinions.
The first opinion is that it is permitted
for women to visit the graveyards, and this
is the opinion of the Hanafi school of
thought, as well as one of the opinions
of the Shafi'i school of thought, and
one of the opinions of the Maliki school
of thought, and a riwayah in Imam Ahmad,
one of the opinions of Imam Ahmad as
well.
So mainly this is the opinion of the
Hanafi school of thought.
They say that it is permitted for women
to go to the graves, and the evidence
that they give is the hadith of the
Beloved Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be
upon him.
That I prohibited you from visiting the graves,
but now visit the graves.
Previously it was prohibited for people to visit
the graves for the Muslims, and then later
on it became permitted, and our Beloved Prophet
Muhammad, peace be upon him, encouraged.
So the hadith which says, so visit the
graves, it is general, which includes men and
women.
And the purpose for visiting the graves, as
it is mentioned in other hadiths, that it
reminds a person regarding death.
And this includes both men and women.
The hadith does not specifically say regarding visiting
the graves that it is only for men.
So the Hanafi school of thought and the
first group of scholars, they say that it
is permitted for women to visit the graves.
The other evidence that they give is the
hadith of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad, may peace
and blessings be upon him.
Other hadiths, and one of the hadiths that
they mention is, when our Beloved Prophet Muhammad,
peace be upon him, he was passing by
a graveyard.
And there was a woman who was weeping
and was crying.
So our Beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon
him, told her, Fear Allah and be patient.
Our Beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
did not prohibit this woman from visiting the
graveyard.
If it was haram, the Prophet, peace be
upon him, would have prohibited her from visiting
the graveyard.
Another evidence that they give is regarding Aisha,
may Allah be pleased with her, wherein she
visited the graveyard.
And she visited the grave of her brother,
Abdur Rahman bin Abi Bakr.
And when she was told that the Prophet,
peace be upon him, prohibited from visiting the
graveyard, so she said that he prohibited and
then he permitted it.
The second group of scholars, they say that
it is makrooh, it is discouraged or disliked
for women to visit the graveyard.
And this is the opinion of the Humbly
School of Thought as well as the opinion
of the Shafi'i School of Thought.
That they say that it is makrooh for
women to visit the graveyard.
And the evidence that they give is the
hadith of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad, may peace
and blessings be upon him, that the Prophet,
peace be upon him, cursed the woman who
visited the graves.
And they say that this does not refer
to it being prohibited but rather it refers
to it being makrooh.
And the evidence that they give is the
hadith of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad, may peace
and blessings be upon him, that the Prophet,
peace be upon him, passed by a graveyard
and there was a woman who was weeping
in the graveyard.
And the Prophet, peace be upon him, told
her, fear Allah and be patient.
So they use this as evidence.
And the third opinion is the opinion, one
of the opinions of the Hanafi School of
Thought as well as one of the opinions
of the Shafi'i School of Thought.
And it is the opinion of Sheikhul Islam
Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Baz and Ibn Uthaymeen,
may Allah have mercy on all of them,
that it is prohibited for the woman to
visit graveyards.
And they base it on the hadith of
our Beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
the hadith that I mentioned, لَعَنَ اللَّهَ زُوَّارَةُ
الْقُبُورِ that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
prohibited the woman, the Prophet, peace be upon
him, cursed the woman who visited the graveyards.
And in this hadith it says that the
woman, the Prophet, peace be upon him, that
لَعَنَ اللَّهَ زُوَّارَةُ الْقُبُورِ that Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala curses the woman who visits the
graveyards.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has cursed
the woman who visits the graveyards.
This clearly proves that it is haram, it
is prohibited for a woman to visit the
graveyard.
And the reasons that they give regarding the
prohibition is that they say that the woman
she is emotionally weak and when she goes
to the graveyard, when she sees that her
relative is being buried, she may cry and
she may not be able to bear it.
So that's the reason the third group of
scholars, they give these reasonings and they say
that it is prohibited for a woman to
visit the graveyard.
So I would request the sisters that to
avoid visiting graveyards.
As I have mentioned the opinion, several scholars
say that it is makroor, certain scholars even
go to the extent of saying that it
is haram, it is prohibited.
So the sisters should avoid going to the
graveyards but naturally they can offer Salatul Janaza
and they can do dua for the person
who has passed away, when he is at
home they can do dua for him, there
is no problem in this.
But visiting the graveyard, the sister should see
to it that they avoid visiting the graveyard.
So I hope that answers your question.