Authored by: Al-Sheikh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani (Hafizahullah)
“The rights of a Muslim over another Muslim are five: responding to greetings, visiting the sick, following the funeral, accepting invitations, and responding to one who sneezes.”
[Bukhari: Book of Funerals, Hadith 1240; Muslim 2162]
Similarly, it is narrated by Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (RA) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Visit the sick and follow the funeral processions, for they remind you of the Hereafter.”
[Musnad Abi Ya’la 1119; Musnad Ahmad 3/31; Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 518]
These authentic narrations indicate that men are commanded to participate in funeral processions, including carrying the coffin. The Prophet ﷺ made no distinction between whether the deceased was a mahram or non-mahram woman.
Additionally, women are generally discouraged from following funerals, as Umm ‘Atiyyah (RA) said:
“We were forbidden to follow funeral processions, but it was not made strict upon us.”
[Bukhari, Hadith 1278; Muslim, Hadith 938]
This shows that following funerals and carrying the coffin is primarily for men, not women.
An example of a non-mahram man assisting in the burial of a woman can be seen in the following narration:
It is narrated by Anas bin Malik (RA):
“We attended the funeral of the daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and the Prophet ﷺ was sitting near the grave. I saw tears flowing from his eyes. He said: ‘Is there anyone among you who did not have marital relations last night?’ Abu Talha (RA) said, ‘I did not.’ The Prophet ﷺ then instructed him to go into the grave and lower her body.’ Abu Talha went down into the grave and buried her.”
[Bukhari, Hadith 1342]
This incident indicates that if a non-mahram man can bury a non-mahram woman, there is no restriction on him carrying her coffin.
Question:
Can a man carry the coffin of a non-mahram woman during the funeral?Answer:
When a Muslim, whether male or female, passes away, one of the rights of fellow Muslims is to attend the funeral and participate in carrying the coffin. The act of carrying the coffin and walking behind it is specifically for men; for women, it is makruh (disliked). The Prophet ﷺ did not differentiate between mahram and non-mahram when it came to carrying the funeral. Any Muslim can participate in carrying the body of the deceased.Evidence from the Sunnah:
It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (RA) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:“The rights of a Muslim over another Muslim are five: responding to greetings, visiting the sick, following the funeral, accepting invitations, and responding to one who sneezes.”
[Bukhari: Book of Funerals, Hadith 1240; Muslim 2162]
Similarly, it is narrated by Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (RA) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Visit the sick and follow the funeral processions, for they remind you of the Hereafter.”
[Musnad Abi Ya’la 1119; Musnad Ahmad 3/31; Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 518]
These authentic narrations indicate that men are commanded to participate in funeral processions, including carrying the coffin. The Prophet ﷺ made no distinction between whether the deceased was a mahram or non-mahram woman.
Additionally, women are generally discouraged from following funerals, as Umm ‘Atiyyah (RA) said:
“We were forbidden to follow funeral processions, but it was not made strict upon us.”
[Bukhari, Hadith 1278; Muslim, Hadith 938]
This shows that following funerals and carrying the coffin is primarily for men, not women.
Carrying and Burying Non-Mahram Women:
Imam Bukhari included a chapter titled “Men carrying the coffins and not women” in his Sahih Bukhari, further explaining that this responsibility lies with men.An example of a non-mahram man assisting in the burial of a woman can be seen in the following narration:
It is narrated by Anas bin Malik (RA):
“We attended the funeral of the daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and the Prophet ﷺ was sitting near the grave. I saw tears flowing from his eyes. He said: ‘Is there anyone among you who did not have marital relations last night?’ Abu Talha (RA) said, ‘I did not.’ The Prophet ﷺ then instructed him to go into the grave and lower her body.’ Abu Talha went down into the grave and buried her.”
[Bukhari, Hadith 1342]
This incident indicates that if a non-mahram man can bury a non-mahram woman, there is no restriction on him carrying her coffin.
Conclusion:
- Any Muslim man, whether a mahram or non-mahram, can carry the coffin of a deceased woman.
- The responsibility of carrying the coffin and participating in funeral processions is for men, while women are discouraged from attending.
- There is no requirement for the person carrying the coffin or lowering the body into the grave to be a mahram of the deceased.
- This ruling is supported by the example of Abu Talha (RA) lowering the body of the Prophet’s daughter into her grave, despite not being her mahram.