FatwaKedahFunerals & Death
PENGKEBUMIAN JENAZAH YANG TIDAK MENGIKUT ARAH KIBLAT
What is the ruling if a deceased person was buried not facing the qibla, and must the grave be reopened?
Short answer
A deceased Muslim must be buried facing the qibla.
A reference, not a fatwa. First sentence of the summary below — read the original fatwa and consult your state authority before acting.
- Authority
- Kedah State Mufti Department
- Status
- Opinion (irsyad)
- Series
- Irsyad Al-Hukmi
- Topic
- Funerals & Death
No evidence of gazettement in the source — this is not a gazetted fatwa.
Summary
A deceased Muslim must be buried facing the qibla. According to the Shafi'i view cited in the fatwa, if the body is found misdirected and has not yet changed, it must be turned toward the qibla, but if the body has changed, the grave is not required to be reopened and it is not permissible to dig it up. In the two Langkawi cases, the burials were stated to have taken place a period after which, by custom, the bodies would have changed and decayed, so the parish committee was forbidden from reopening the graves. The committee was advised to be more attentive and careful in future.
Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.
Dalam hal ini, Jawatankuasa Kariah dilarang menggali semula untuk memperbetulkan arah kiblatnya.
Read the full fatwa on the Kedah website (new tab)
How to cite
Cite the original fatwa and its authority. Rujuk Fatwa is only where you found it.
Kedah State Mufti Department. “PENGKEBUMIAN JENAZAH YANG TIDAK MENGIKUT ARAH KIBLAT”, date not stated. https://ifatwa.kedah.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Irsyad-al-Hukmi-Hukum-Mengenai-Pengkebumian-Jenazah-Yang-Tidak-Mengikut-Arah-Kiblat-06-JULAI-2022.pdf. Found via Rujuk Fatwa: https://rujukfatwa.com/en/fatwa/burial-not-facing-qibla-ruling/