Are fasting and giving in charity on the day when an individual wishes to perform Janazah Prayer

Q: The director of the Masjid (mosque) in the district where I live here in Britain announced that there will be a funeral Salah (Prayer) tomorrow at noon. He urged the worshippers existent at that time to turn up and offer Salah Janazah (Funeral) Prayer, which is so far normal. Later on, one of the worshippers came forward and gave a piece of admonition to people reminding them of the incident that: "One day the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked his companions while they were sitting with him: Who from among you is fasting today? Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: I am, Oh Messenger of Allah! Once again the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked his companions: Who from among you has given in charity today? Again Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: I have, Oh Messenger of Allah! Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked his companions: Who (Part No. 7; Page No. 210) from among you has attended a funeral prayer today? Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: I have, Oh Messenger of Allah! Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) declared: Whoever performs these three actions (regularly), paradise has become certain for him, or as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stated. Therefore" - the man who gave the brief admonition commenting on the announcement of the director of the mosque about Janazah (Funeral) Prayer in the following day continued - "from this Hadith I urge you, dear worshippers, to come to perform Janazah (Funeral) Prayer and fast and give charity tomorrow. This is because, as you have heard in the Hadith that whoever has performed these three actions, paradise is certain for him." The people in the Mosque and I understood that whoever intended to come to perform Janazah (Funeral) Prayer should - or at least is recommended - to fast that day and to give or intend to give in charity on that day so that he may get the great reward, which is paradise In sha’a-Allah (if Allah wills) as mentioned in the Hadith.Now the question is: Does the request of that man who commented on the director of the Mosque in urging people to fast and give in charity on the day when they perform the Janazah (Funeral) Prayer conform to the Sunnah (action following the example of the Prophet Muhammad Are fasting and giving in charity on the day when an individual wishes to perform Janazah (Funeral) Prayer in conformity with the teachings of the Sunnah and Shari`ah (Islamic Law)? Kindly give us the correct ruling on this matter. May Allah reward you with the best!


A: It is not denied in the Shari`ah (Islamic Law) to combine between two or more types of goodness, (Part No. 7; Page No. 211) such as giving in charity and fasting. However, it is not required or indicated in Islamic Law that the one coming to perform funeral prayer and follow it to the burial spot should fast and give in charity when intending to do so, for the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not order us to this effect. Also Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) did not fast or give in charity for the sole purpose of attending the funeral; but his attendance of the funeral coincided with his fast and giving in charity on the same day. What this preacher mentioned is not correct. You should draw his attention to this (incorrect direction).May Allah grant us success. May Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and companions!


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