Darul Uloom Trinidad & Tobago

RULING ON BURYING MUSLIMS AMONG NON MUSLIMS  IN A PUBLIC CEMETERY

With respect to the issue of burying a deceased Muslim among non-Muslims in a public cemetery, the great Jurist experts of the former and latter times have unanimously stated that this is not permissible. In this regard, the great 7^th century jurist expert, Imam An Nawawi writes, ‘Our scholars have unanimously declared that it is not permissible to bury a Muslim in a cemetery of non-Muslims’

(Al Majmoo’ Sharh Al Muhazzab Vol. 6 page 285 Dar Al Kitab Al Ilmiya Beirut 2007).

In the famous, well known ‘Al Mawsoo’ah Al Fiqhiyyah’, it is written, ‘All the expert jurists have fully agreed that it is Haram (totally prohibited) to bury a Muslim in the cemetery of non-Muslims, and it is also prohibited to bury a non-Muslim in a Muslim cemetery except in case of a dire necessity’.

(Al Mawsoo’ah Al Fiqhiyyah Vol. 21 page 19 Maktaba Uloom Al Islamiya Chaman Baluchistan Pakistan 2011).

(Note. The Mawsoo’ah Al Fiqhiyyah is an encyclopedia of Islamic Jurisprudence written in 45 volumes over a period of 40 years by the greatest scholars living at that time. It comprises of the jurisprudence of the four Sunni Schools of thought and gives the most reliable and sound Islamic verdicts and rulings).

Based on these rulings, Muslim scholars throughout the world hold the opinion that it is not permissible for Muslims to be buried in public cemeteries where non-Muslims are buried. Instead, Muslims are required to have their own cemetery where only Muslims shall be buried.

10^th September 2021

Mufti  Waseem  Khan                                                                                             Date

Head Jurist

Department of Islamic Formal Verdicts

Darul Uloom Trinidad and Tobago