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What is the ruling in Islamic Sharia on observing a minute of silence for martyrs?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Standing for a minute of silence as a sign of mourning or respect for martyrs is one of the reprehensible innovations (bid'ah muhdathah) because it has no basis in Islamic law. The Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions did not do it. It is also an imitation of the disbelievers, which is forbidden, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them." Mourning the dead is an act of worship with specific prescribed methods and places, and it is not among the customs for which leniency is granted. Therefore, it is not permissible to stand in mourning for martyrs because it is an innovation, and every innovation is rejected, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever introduces into this matter of ours that which is not from it will have it rejected."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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