Q232 :Is it necessary to speed up the preparation
for burial, or can the body be kept at home for some time to allow
people who are neting from distant places to attend the funeral?
A232 : It is a well known tradition throughout the
Muslim world that when a person dies, arrangements for his funeral and
burial start without delay. If the death occurs in the morning, the
deceased is often taken to the mosque for prayer at the time of Dhuhr
or Asr. If he dies in the evening, he is sure to be buried before
midday the following day. And this is considered a gesture of doing
what is right for the deceased person. There is a Hadith to support
this attitude. Al-Bukhari relates on the authority of Abu Hurairah who
quotes the Prophet as saying: “Speed up the funeral; if it is one of a
good person, you are only taking that person to a good prospect. If
otherwise, then he is no more than an evil you are putting off your
shoulders.” Some scholars understand this Hadith as an instructions to
walk fast when taking the body to be buried, while others take it to
mean speeding up the preparations for prayer and burial. This latter
view is supported by other Hadiths. The first one is related by
At-Tabarani on the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar who says: “I heard
Allah’s messenger (peace be upon him) say: When anyone of you dies, do
not keep his body. Be speedy when taking him to his grave.” Another
Hadith related by Abu-Dawood quotes the Prophet as saying: “It is not
right that the corpse of a Muslim is kept at home with his family.”
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )