Question
Is it legally permissible in Sharia to call the Adhan at the grave after the burial of the deceased? Our brothers from the Hanafi school have the custom of giving Adhan after burying the deceased in the grave, and they cite Imam Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, in support of its permissibility.
Answer
Calling the Adhan at the grave after the burial of the deceased is not established in Sharia and this act is considered an innovation (Bid’ah). Every matter in religion depends on a Shariah proof, and there is no authentic evidence in the Quran or Hadith regarding calling Adhan at the grave after burial. Therefore, this act is an innovation and misguidance.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said:
“من احدث في امرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو رد”
“Whoever introduces into this matter of ours (Islam) something that does not belong to it, it is rejected.”
There is no Shariah evidence for giving the Adhan after burial, and those who perform this act are committing an innovation (bid’ah). This practice is not authentically proven from the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, nor from the Rightly Guided Caliphs or the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with them all.
Incorrect Reference to Imam Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him)
Some people cite Imam Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) to justify this practice, but the truth is that there is no established evidence from Imam Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) supporting such an act. The great scholar Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani (may Allah have mercy on him) has clearly refuted the claim that Imam Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) permitted this practice. Rather, he explicitly rejected the notion that giving Adhan after burial is permissible anywhere in the Shariah.
Allama Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, has clearly rejected the opinion of the followers of the Shafi’i school that it is permissible to give the call to prayer (Adhan) at the grave in his book “Sharh ‘Abab.” He emphasized that it is an innovation (Bid’ah).
It is also clearly stated in fiqh books like Fatawa Shami and Radd al-Mukhtar that giving Adhan after the burial of the deceased is not a customary practice and is an innovation.
Summary
➊ Giving Adhan at the grave after the burial of the deceased is not established by Shariah and is an innovation.
➋ Citing Imam Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, in this regard is incorrect and baseless.
➌ There is no Shariah evidence for giving Adhan after the burial of the deceased, and such a practice is equivalent to introducing a new thing in the religion, which the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has declared rejected.
