[Encannavalf]

Yesterday, a very influential brother, heavily involved in tabligh and respected by the ulama informed me that he attended a non-muslims funeral at the church. This immediately rang a bell in my head of the following fatwa I read:

http://www.thejamiat.co.za/index.php...-not&Itemid=37

Two things: (1) If someone so influential, knowledgeable and respected can potentially fall in the tentacles of kufr, what chance do lay people like us have? That is the most scariest thing. (2) How do I mention to this elderly, respected person that what he has done is, at best, seriously wrong, and, at worst, kufr?

[BostonDoctorTTT]

Yesterday, a very influential brother, heavily involved in tabligh and respected by the ulama informed me that he attended a non-muslims funeral at the church. This immediately rang a bell in my head of the following fatwa I read:

http://www.thejamiat.co.za/index.php...-not&Itemid=37

Two things: (1) If someone so influential, knowledgeable and respected can potentially fall in the tentacles of kufr, what chance do lay people like us have? That is the most scariest thing. (2) How do I mention to this elderly, respected person that what he has done is, at best, seriously wrong, and, at worst, kufr?

There is a difference of opinion as to whether a Muslim is allowed attend a non-Muslim's funeral. Hence:

Sufyan Ath-thawri rahimahullah said:

If you find a Muslim doing something that you believe to be haram, but you know there's a difference of opinion amongst scholars on that, it is haram for you to try and correct it. (reference)

[hotelhyatt]

Please do not trump up ikhtilaaf when there is no ikhtilaaf on this issue. There is clear nass on this issue.

The Fuqaha are all agreed that it is haraam for a Muslim to carry out this act. You should be very careful in giving non existent rukhsa and placing a Mumin's imaan at risk. May Allah save us all from this type of misguided thinking.

"And never (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) pray (funeral prayer) for any of them (hypocrites) who dies, nor stand at his grave. Certainly they disbelieved in Allaah and His Messenger, and died while they were Faasiqoon (rebellious, — disobedient to Allaah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم)” [al-Tawbah 9:84].

"Imam Maalik (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The Muslim should not wash his father if his father died as a disbeliever, or attend his funeral, or go down into his grave, unless he fears that he may be neglected, in which case he may bury him." End quote from al-Mudawwanah, 1/261

Brother, if you want to quietly advise the brother then contact some scholars who can provide you with a detailed article stating the ijmaa of this ummah regarding the impermissibility and quietly post it to the brother. This will keep you anonymous and lessen the risk of an altercation. Also make dua that Allah guide the brother and us.

[BostonDoctorTTT]

Please do not trump up ikhtilaaf when there is no ikhtilaaf on this issue. There is clear nass on this issue.

The Fuqaha are all agreed that it is haraam for a Muslim to carry out this act. You should be very careful in giving non existent rukhsa and placing a Mumin's imaan at risk. May Allah save us all from this type of misguided thinking.

"And never (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) pray (funeral prayer) for any of them (hypocrites) who dies, nor stand at his grave. Certainly they disbelieved in Allaah and His Messenger, and died while they were Faasiqoon (rebellious, — disobedient to Allaah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم)” [al-Tawbah 9:84].

"Imam Maalik (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The Muslim should not wash his father if his father died as a disbeliever, or attend his funeral, or go down into his grave, unless he fears that he may be neglected, in which case he may bury him." End quote from al-Mudawwanah, 1/261

Brother, if you want to quietly advise the brother then contact some scholars who can provide you with a detailed article stating the ijmaa of this ummah regarding the impermissibility and quietly post it to the brother. This will keep you anonymous and lessen the risk of an altercation. Also make dua that Allah guide the brother and us.

Obviously not the case that there isn't a difference of opinion. Here goes from Sunnipath (Shk Faraz Rabbani):

It is permitted to attend a non-Muslim's funeral when there is some relationship (family, work, friendship, etc) or benefit in doing so.

See:

Attending the Funeral of a Non-Muslim Relative
http://www.sunnipath.com/resources/Q...a00002331.aspx http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.a...=3287&CATE=168

[BostonDoctorTTT]

Please do not trump up ikhtilaaf when there is no ikhtilaaf on this issue. There is clear nass on this issue.

The Fuqaha are all agreed that it is haraam for a Muslim to carry out this act. You should be very careful in giving non existent rukhsa and placing a Mumin's imaan at risk. May Allah save us all from this type of misguided thinking.

Aameen. May I also advise you to stop making blanket statements like the one italicised above or giving fatwas out to the public. If you are a scholar, then please sign with your name, then we all know. Jazakumullah.

[hotelhyatt]

This age is the materialisation of Rasulullah 's prophecy that, "the worst people under the canopy of the sky will be the ulama. Evil will come forth them and the evil will rebound on them." This is obviously not in reference to the few Ulama-e-Haqq that are still standing against all odds.

Place the sunnipath 'fatwa' to one side and safeguard your imaan. I would rather follow the fuqaha who have clearly ruled that attending a funeral of a non-muslim is not permissible and the person is in serious danger of losing his imaan. I do not want to follow the ruling of scholars in this age of fisq, fujoor and jahaalah.

One does not need to be a scholar to warn another mumin to safeguard his imaan or to state the obvious.

"And never (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) pray (funeral prayer) for any of them (hypocrites) who dies, nor stand at his grave. Certainly they disbelieved in Allaah and His Messenger, and died while they were Faasiqoon (rebellious, — disobedient to Allaah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم)” [al-Tawbah 9:84].

[peakyesno]

I went to a work colleagues funeral couple years back – hard not to seeing as I worked with him for 2 years side-by-side in our small team of 3 (he died of a epileptic fit). I only went as far as to meet his family on the day of the funeral at their house in Newham – consoling them at their time of grief and sorrow with words such as he was a good easy going guy, was a pleasure to have known him, he spoke highly of his family etc. When it came to leaving the house for his cremation at the local crematorium i made my excuses and left though politely told a couple of my work colleagues the actual reason why I cant come (which they perfectly understood without feeling bad)

I think we, as a family, have always done the same for non-muslim neighbours/locals we’ve known for years.

personally speaking i defi wont ever go as far as church, temple etc or even 'inhouse service'. ever.

[Xzmwskxn]

In Malaysia, the consensus is it is permissible to attend funeral of non muslim, but with certain conditions.

A fatwa issued by Mufti Dept of Brunei quoted from
the authors of Hasyiah Qalyubi wa‘Umairah, that Imam Nawawi said;
"It is permissible for a muslim to escort the janazah of his kafir family, yakni not makruh" - Qalyubi wa ‘Umairah 1/406

Wallaahu a'lam.

NOTE: Malaysia & Brunei follow Shafi'e madhhab

[BostonDoctorTTT]

I went to a work colleagues funeral couple years back – hard not to seeing as I worked with him for 2 years side-by-side in our small team of 3 (he died of a epileptic fit). I only went as far as to meet his family on the day of the funeral at their house in Newham – consoling them at their time of grief and sorrow with words such as he was a good easy going guy, was a pleasure to have known him, he spoke highly of his family etc. When it came to leaving the house for his cremation at the local crematorium i made my excuses and left though politely told a couple of my work colleagues the actual reason why I cant come (which they perfectly understood without feeling bad)

I think we, as a family, have always done the same for non-muslim neighbours/locals we’ve known for years.

personally speaking i defi wont ever go as far as church, temple etc or even 'inhouse service'. ever.

I personally may not too (depends who it is and the context) but that does not mean I have the right to rebuke or even gently tell off other people who do, because there is a difference of opinion. See quote of Sufyan ath thawri above.

[peakyesno]

i wasnt in any way insinuating you do – apologies/maaf if it came across like that. Just thought id mention it.

[BostonDoctorTTT]

i wasnt in any way insinuating you do – apologies/maaf if it came across like that. Just thought id mention it.

It didn't come across like that at all, I'm sorry if my response insinuated that. I was just re-iterating the point. I pray all is well with you. Where are brothers enigma and CH?

[mp3 free]

Just a couple of questions.

Surely there is a difference between attending a non-muslims funeral as a friend or work collegue but not partaking in any prayers etc and actually attending a funeral and participating in the prayers and rituals?

Surely one does not lose ones Iman just by visting a church to see what it looks like? After all there is a difference between visting a church to pray and visiting a church to see it as a a site is there not?

[peakyesno]

dont know the clear fiqhi ruling wrt visiting churches purely for the sake of visiting them for looking at design etc but i know a VERY emiment world Mufti who visited St Pauls Catherderal in London just to visit it ....... though let me reconfirm that as it was quite some time since i herd that. An individual scholars actions doesnt asssume thats a thumbs up from a fiqhi perspective but again just to mention it.

[aspinswramymn]

I believe the hanafi madhhab is clear in the impermissibility of entering churches. This is even mentioned on sunnipath.

[DenisMoor]

Brother abd7861 Is correct.

Never go to a funeral of a guy (kafer, non-muslim) thats going to hell, thats what our master Muhammad told us to do.

[WomanBreast40356]

Obviously not the case that there isn't a difference of opinion. Here goes from Sunnipath (Shk Faraz Rabbani):



http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.a...=3287&CATE=168

i think to remembet that in another answer on SP, Faraz Rabbani himself specifies that by "attending a non-Muslim's funeral" he means from afar, visiting the other people and without taking part to the actual rites of funeral. Taking part in a non-Islamic religious rite being absolutely haram.

[Nfxutkpa]

dont know the clear fiqhi ruling wrt visiting churches purely for the sake of visiting them for looking at design etc but i know a VERY emiment world Mufti who visited St Pauls Catherderal in London just to visit it ....... though let me reconfirm that as it was quite some time since i herd that. An individual scholars actions doesnt asssume thats a thumbs up from a fiqhi perspective but again just to mention it.

It's not haram to step into a church, especially if ones is doing so for the sake of dawah. Taking part in a ceremony is a different thing, even if it's a funeral.

@ Br. Umar, ....Shaykh Faraz.

[WomanBreast40356]

It's not haram to step into a church, especially if ones is doing so for the sake of dawah.

I had read that to step in a church - in itself - was deemed as Makruh tahrimi in the Hanafi Madhhab, since it's considered a place of shirk and gathering of Shayatin. Are there different opinions in the school or it depends upon the presence of statues etc. (as I seemed to understand from another slightly different answer by another Mufti)?

[hiedeemom]

The real answer is : If I do it, it's OK [Insert hadith], but if you do it's wrong and you will go to hell [insert hadith]

[drmarshallusa]

The real answer is : If I do it, it's OK [Insert hadith], but if you do it's wrong and you will go to hell [insert hadith]

Sorry that's not how Islamic jurisprudence works.