❖ Sharʿī Ruling on Positioning the Bier Toward the Qiblah While Carrying the Deceased ❖
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb al-Janāʾiz, p. 538
Is it Sunnah to keep the bier (چارپائی) of the deceased facing the Qiblah while carrying it for burial? Please explain with evidences.
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾAmma baʿd!
✔ There is no explicit or definitive (ṣarīḥ or qaṭʿī) evidence in the Sunnah regarding the requirement to carry the bier with the Qiblah direction.
✔ It has been the consistent practice of the Muslim Ummah — without objection or dispute — that:
While carrying the bier, the head of the deceased is placed forward, i.e., the body is not turned toward the Qiblah during transport.
✔ This continuous practice is considered a reliable source of juristic weight, especially when no conflicting evidence exists.
A narration states:
"البيت الحرام: قِبْلَتُكُمْ أَحْيَاءً وَأَمْوَاتًا"
"The Kaʿbah is your Qiblah — in life and in death."
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Waṣāyā, Ḥadīth: 2875)
✔ The chain of transmission for this narration is weak (ḍaʿīf).
✔ However, despite its weakness, the long-standing and uninterrupted practice of Muslims gives it practical reinforcement, according to principles accepted by many scholars.
✔ Ibn Ḥazm mentions this in al-Muḥallā, Vol. 5, p. 173, under Masʾalah 615, reinforcing that:
Facing the deceased toward the Qiblah is recommended (mustaḥabb), especially when laying the body down, not necessarily during transportation.
✔ There is no Sharʿī requirement to align the bier or the deceased toward the Qiblah while transporting to the grave.
✔ The continuous practice of the Ummah is to carry the deceased with the head side forward.
✔ Positioning the deceased toward the Qiblah becomes relevant after burial or at the time of laying in the grave, and not while carrying the bier.
✔ Therefore, directing the bier toward the Qiblah while carrying is not Sunnah, but facing the Qiblah after burial is mustaḥabb, and there is ijmāʿ (consensus) on its recommendation.
(Shahādat Magazine, September 2001)
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Vol. 1, Kitāb al-Janāʾiz, p. 538
❖ Question:
Is it Sunnah to keep the bier (چارپائی) of the deceased facing the Qiblah while carrying it for burial? Please explain with evidences.
❖ Response:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾAmma baʿd!
➊ Is There Any Explicit Evidence?
✔ There is no explicit or definitive (ṣarīḥ or qaṭʿī) evidence in the Sunnah regarding the requirement to carry the bier with the Qiblah direction.
➋ General Practice of Muslims
✔ It has been the consistent practice of the Muslim Ummah — without objection or dispute — that:
While carrying the bier, the head of the deceased is placed forward, i.e., the body is not turned toward the Qiblah during transport.
✔ This continuous practice is considered a reliable source of juristic weight, especially when no conflicting evidence exists.
➌ Reported Narration
A narration states:
"البيت الحرام: قِبْلَتُكُمْ أَحْيَاءً وَأَمْوَاتًا"
"The Kaʿbah is your Qiblah — in life and in death."
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Waṣāyā, Ḥadīth: 2875)
➍ Status of the Narration
✔ The chain of transmission for this narration is weak (ḍaʿīf).
✔ However, despite its weakness, the long-standing and uninterrupted practice of Muslims gives it practical reinforcement, according to principles accepted by many scholars.
➎ Referenced by Scholars
✔ Ibn Ḥazm mentions this in al-Muḥallā, Vol. 5, p. 173, under Masʾalah 615, reinforcing that:
Facing the deceased toward the Qiblah is recommended (mustaḥabb), especially when laying the body down, not necessarily during transportation.
Conclusion:
✔ There is no Sharʿī requirement to align the bier or the deceased toward the Qiblah while transporting to the grave.
✔ The continuous practice of the Ummah is to carry the deceased with the head side forward.
✔ Positioning the deceased toward the Qiblah becomes relevant after burial or at the time of laying in the grave, and not while carrying the bier.
✔ Therefore, directing the bier toward the Qiblah while carrying is not Sunnah, but facing the Qiblah after burial is mustaḥabb, and there is ijmāʿ (consensus) on its recommendation.
(Shahādat Magazine, September 2001)
ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب
