Who should sit in the hearse with the driver?
Q: Is there any particular ruling as to who should sit in the hearse with the driver?
Janaazah
At what speed should the hearse be driven?
Q: What speed must the hearse be driven? Normally the hearse is driven slowly at around 80km to the qabrastan, however when transporting the body from the hospital to the ghusal facility or when traveling a long distance from Harrismith to Durban, the hearse is driven fast.
Placing a cloth over the grave when burying a female
Q: Is it fardh to place a cloth over a female’s grave when burying her?
Method of placing the planks in the grave
Q: Is there any order in placing the planks in the grave e.g. starting from head side for females and starting from the feet side for males?
Reserving a grave
Q: Can a qabar be reserved for family members perpetually?
Reciting Qur'an at the graveside
Q: When I visit the qabrastaan, I sit near the grave of my relative and recite a Surah from the Qur'an and I make esale sawab of that surah to them and make dua for them. I want to know whether this is allowed. Is there anything wrong that I am doing?
Purchasing a grave for oneself before one's death
Q: Is it permissible for one to purchase a grave for oneself before one's death?
Placing threads of the Ka'bah in the grave
Q: I wanted to inquire that is it permissible to place threads of the Ka'ba with the intention of tabarruk in the grave?
Partaking of meals at the funeral house
Q: Could Mufti Saheb please clarify the following issues regarding meals at the funeral house:
1. We notice that after the burial, an announcement is made for those who attended to partake of meals at the funeral house, is it permissible for those who attended (e.g. family, neighbours, friends, etc) to partake of the meals?
2. What is the shar’ee ruling if relatives from far attend the funeral and no arrangements have been made for their meals and accommodation. Will it be permissible for the family of the deceased to provide accommodation and meals for them? Could Mufti Saheb please provide some guidelines in this regard.
3. If a person goes for ta’ziyat on the second or third day and is served some sweets or something to drink, will it permissible for him to accept it? Similarly, if he comes for ta’ziyat at a mealtime and he is asked to partake of meals, will it be permissible for him to partake of meals?
Bequest of the deceased to be buried in a specific place
Q: If a person made a wasiyyat (bequest) to be buried in a specific graveyard, is it incumbent upon the family of the deceased to fulfill the wasiyyat? At times it is difficult for the family to fulfil such a wasiyyat. Will the family be sinful if they do not honour and fulfil the wasiyyat of the deceased?