Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
When a funeral passes by, is it permissible to stand in respect for it?
When a funeral passes by, it is recommended (mustaḥabb) to stand.
❀ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما narrates:
A man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, “Should we stand for the funeral of a disbeliever?”
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
“نعم، قوموا لها، فإنكم لستم تقومون لها، إنما تقومون إعظاما للذي يقبض النفوس”
Yes, stand for it. For you are not standing for the deceased itself, but rather you are standing in reverence of the One who seizes the souls.
(Musnad Aḥmad: 2/168; Musnad ʿAbd ibn Ḥumayd: 1340; al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī: 13/17, no. 47, chain ḥasan)
Imām Ibn Ḥibbān (3035) and Imām al-Ḥākim (1/357) authenticated this ḥadīth, and Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī agreed with them.
❀ In another wording of al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr:
“إنما تقومون لمن معها من الملائكة”
You stand because of the angels who accompany it.
❀ Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrates:
A funeral once passed by the Prophet ﷺ. He stood up and said:
“قوموا؛ فإن للموت فزعا”
Stand up, for indeed death is an overwhelming matter.
(Musnad Aḥmad: 2/287; Sunan Ibn Mājah: 1543, chain ḥasan)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله (d. 852 AH) said:
Standing due to the severity of death is actually an expression of reverence for Allah’s decree, and respect for the angels appointed with this matter.
(Fatḥ al-Bārī, Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3/180)
Conclusion:
Standing upon seeing a funeral is permissible and recommended (mustaḥabb). Its obligation (wujūb) has been abrogated, but its recommendation (istiḥbāb) remains.
✦ Question:
When a funeral passes by, is it permissible to stand in respect for it?
✦ Answer:
When a funeral passes by, it is recommended (mustaḥabb) to stand.
❀ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما narrates:
A man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, “Should we stand for the funeral of a disbeliever?”
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
“نعم، قوموا لها، فإنكم لستم تقومون لها، إنما تقومون إعظاما للذي يقبض النفوس”
Yes, stand for it. For you are not standing for the deceased itself, but rather you are standing in reverence of the One who seizes the souls.
(Musnad Aḥmad: 2/168; Musnad ʿAbd ibn Ḥumayd: 1340; al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī: 13/17, no. 47, chain ḥasan)
Imām Ibn Ḥibbān (3035) and Imām al-Ḥākim (1/357) authenticated this ḥadīth, and Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī agreed with them.
❀ In another wording of al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr:
“إنما تقومون لمن معها من الملائكة”
You stand because of the angels who accompany it.
❀ Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrates:
A funeral once passed by the Prophet ﷺ. He stood up and said:
“قوموا؛ فإن للموت فزعا”
Stand up, for indeed death is an overwhelming matter.
(Musnad Aḥmad: 2/287; Sunan Ibn Mājah: 1543, chain ḥasan)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله (d. 852 AH) said:
Standing due to the severity of death is actually an expression of reverence for Allah’s decree, and respect for the angels appointed with this matter.
(Fatḥ al-Bārī, Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3/180)
Conclusion:Standing upon seeing a funeral is permissible and recommended (mustaḥabb). Its obligation (wujūb) has been abrogated, but its recommendation (istiḥbāb) remains.
