Burying the deceased in the direction of the qiblah
Question
Which direction must the body of the deceased face when placed in the qabar, e.g. if the right side of the body faces the qiblah then must the body be made to lie on the front wall of the qabar or the back wall of the qabar?
Answer
It is mustahab to turn the mayyit on the right side so that the entire body and face are turned towards the qiblah. The fuqaha have written that a little sand should be placed behind or in front of the mayyit to keep the body secure and prevent it from falling. Hence, the mayyit could be made to face the front wall and some sand may be placed behind him or the mayyit could be placed at the back wall with some sand in front of him to prevent the body from falling or moving away from the qiblah.
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
References (Arabic / Urdu sources)
( ويوجه إلى القبلة على جنبه الأيمن ) بذلك أمر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وفي حديث أبي داود البيت الحرام قبلتكم أحياء وأمواتا
قال الطحطاوي : قوله ( بذلك أمر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ) عليا لما مات رجل من بني عبد المطلب فقال يا علي استقبل به القبلة استقبالا وقولوا جميعا باسم الله وعلى ملة رسول الله وضعوه لجنبه ولا تكبوه على وجهه ولا تلقوه على ظهره كذا في الجوهرة وفي الحلبي ويسند الميت من ورائه بنحو تراب لئلا ينقلب اه (حاشية الطحطاوي علي مراقي الفلاح ص609)
- Answered by
- Mufti Zakaria Makada
- Checked & approved by
- Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)
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