Is it permissible to prostrate upon reciting a verse of prostration in a cemetery?
A graveyard (Maqbara) is a place where the dead are buried. Prayer therein is forbidden () and invalid, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "The entire earth is a masjid (place of prayer) except for the graveyard and the bathhouse (hammam)," and "May Allah curse the Jews and Christians; they took the graves of their prophets as masjids." Furthermore, praying in a graveyard may lead to the worship of graves or imitation of their worshippers.
Scholars have differed on whether prostration of recitation ( al-tilawah) is considered a prayer or not. If it is not a prayer, then it is permissible in a graveyard, provided one does not face the graves. However, if it is considered a prayer, then it is not permissible.
As for reciting the Qur'an in a graveyard, it is a reprehensible innovation (bid'ah). Graveyards are not places for recitation or worship, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "Make some of your prayers in your homes and do not turn them into graves," and "Do not turn your homes into graveyards. Indeed, Satan flees from the house in which Al-Baqarah is recited." However, if one recites the Qur'an incidentally during a visit to the graves, there is no harm in that.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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