FatwaNationalFunerals & Death
Hukum Mengguna Semula Tanah Perkuburan Islam
Can an Islamic cemetery be dug up and reused for new burials?
Short answer
The Muzakarah of the National Fatwa Committee ruled that re-excavating a cemetery is permissible when there is an urgent need or necessity for reasons allowed by Islamic law.
A reference, not a fatwa. First sentence of the summary below — read the original fatwa and consult your state authority before acting.
- Authority
- National Fatwa Committee (JAKIM)
- Date
- Status
- Fatwa committee decision
- Series
- Kompilasi Pandangan Hukum Muzakarah Jawatankuasa Fatwa MKI (JAKIM, terbitan 2016)
- Topic
- Funerals & Death
No evidence of gazettement in the source — this is not a gazetted fatwa.
Summary
The Muzakarah of the National Fatwa Committee ruled that re-excavating a cemetery is permissible when there is an urgent need or necessity for reasons allowed by Islamic law. It is also permissible once the authorities have established that the bodies have decomposed, so that the land can be used to bury new bodies.
Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.
Adalah diharuskan menggali semula tanah perkuburan setelah dikenal pasti mayat itu telah reput oleh pihak berkuasa untuk digunakan bagi mengebumikan mayat yang baru.
Read the full fatwa on the National website (new tab)
How to cite
Cite the original fatwa and its authority. Rujuk Fatwa is only where you found it.
National Fatwa Committee (JAKIM). “Hukum Mengguna Semula Tanah Perkuburan Islam”, 27 January 2004. https://www.islam.gov.my/images/ePenerbitan/KOMPILASI_MUZAKARAH_MKI_2016.pdf#hukum-mengguna-semula-tanah-perkuburan-islam. Found via Rujuk Fatwa: https://rujukfatwa.com/en/fatwa/reusing-islamic-cemetery-land-ruling/