❖ Ruling on Raising Hands in Du‘a After Burial – In Light of 3 Authentic Hadiths ❖
Source: Fatawa al-Deen al-Khalis, Volume 1, Page 234
Is it permissible to raise the hands while making du‘a after the burial of the deceased?
Wa ‘alaykum al-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh!
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
It is established through authentic Hadith that the Prophet ﷺ used to make du‘a after completing the burial.
Imam Abu Dawud (2/3221) and similarly Mishkat al-Masabih (1/27) have reported on the authority of ‘Uthman (رضي الله عنه):
“When the Prophet ﷺ would complete the burial of the deceased, he would stand by the grave and say:
‘Seek forgiveness for your brother and ask for his steadfastness, for he is now being questioned.’”
This Hadith has an authentic chain and is a clear proof for the legitimacy of making du‘a after burial.
Regarding raising the hands during this du‘a, there is also a Hadith with an authentic chain.
In Musnad Abi ‘Awanah, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (رضي الله عنه) narrates:
“I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at the grave of Dhul-Nijadatayn. When he had finished the burial, he faced the Qiblah and had his hands raised.”
This Hadith has been cited by Imam Ibn Hajar (رحمه الله) in Fath al-Bari (11/120) under the chapter: “Du‘a While Facing the Qiblah.”
This Hadith clearly proves the permissibility of raising hands while making du‘a at the grave.
In addition, there is also a narration from ‘A’ishah (رضي الله عنها) regarding raising hands during the visitation of graves, which has already been cited earlier.
The opinion of those scholars who claim that making du‘a or raising hands after burial is an innovation (bid‘ah) is incorrect.
The explicit and authentic evidences mentioned above refute their claim.
✔ Making du‘a after burial is Sunnah,
✔ and raising the hands during that du‘a is also permissible,
because both are supported by authentic Hadiths.
هذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatawa al-Deen al-Khalis, Volume 1, Page 234
❖ Question:
Is it permissible to raise the hands while making du‘a after the burial of the deceased?
❖ Answer:
Wa ‘alaykum al-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh!
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
❖ Evidence for Making Du‘a After Burial:
It is established through authentic Hadith that the Prophet ﷺ used to make du‘a after completing the burial.
Imam Abu Dawud (2/3221) and similarly Mishkat al-Masabih (1/27) have reported on the authority of ‘Uthman (رضي الله عنه):
“When the Prophet ﷺ would complete the burial of the deceased, he would stand by the grave and say:
‘Seek forgiveness for your brother and ask for his steadfastness, for he is now being questioned.’”
This Hadith has an authentic chain and is a clear proof for the legitimacy of making du‘a after burial.
❖ Raising Hands While Making Du‘a After Burial:
Regarding raising the hands during this du‘a, there is also a Hadith with an authentic chain.
In Musnad Abi ‘Awanah, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (رضي الله عنه) narrates:
“I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at the grave of Dhul-Nijadatayn. When he had finished the burial, he faced the Qiblah and had his hands raised.”
This Hadith has been cited by Imam Ibn Hajar (رحمه الله) in Fath al-Bari (11/120) under the chapter: “Du‘a While Facing the Qiblah.”
❖ Additional Evidence:
This Hadith clearly proves the permissibility of raising hands while making du‘a at the grave.
In addition, there is also a narration from ‘A’ishah (رضي الله عنها) regarding raising hands during the visitation of graves, which has already been cited earlier.
❖ Commentary on the Opinions of Some Scholars:
The opinion of those scholars who claim that making du‘a or raising hands after burial is an innovation (bid‘ah) is incorrect.
The explicit and authentic evidences mentioned above refute their claim.
❖ Conclusion:
✔ Making du‘a after burial is Sunnah,
✔ and raising the hands during that du‘a is also permissible,
because both are supported by authentic Hadiths.
هذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
