Bohra Burial after Zakat and Sabil

Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

who is the owner of the kabarastan?

 

Why people who have some dues of zakat or sabil not allowed to be buried.

 

Is it human to make people clear all their sabil and zakat dues and then take the body of the person died. As far as I know and have knowledge all burial grounds are the property of the government and is given to all communites free of cost so that they can carry out their last rites in their own system. But does that mean that the leaders and heads of the community will become the owner of the burial grounds and will decide who is to be buried and who is not to be.

 

It is very shameful to learn that their are amils and sheiks who first see the receipt of death persons sabil and zakat and then allows his body to be brought for bath. If money is everything for us then why don`t we open a company known as Dawoodi Bohra Company Ltd. 

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Bohra Burial after Zakat and Sabil

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol,  no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

One of the rights of a muslim on his brother muslims is that they will bury him when he meets with his appointment of death.   To pray the ‘janaaza’ over a believer is an obligatory duty Allah and His Messenger have prescribed for the believers, and is known in Islam as ‘fard-kifaaya’. 

 

‘Fard-kifaaya’ means that if some believers attend or arrange to do the deed, the whole community will share its reward.   But if no one arranges or attends the burial, it will be a sin on the whole community.   

 

Your Question:  who is the owner of the kabarastan?

The ownership of the Muslim graveyard depends on the laws of the country.   In an Islamic Country, the graveyards are generally owned by the State to facilitate the burial of the believers.  But in non-Islamic countries like India, USA, UK, etc.  the property of the graveyard is purchased by the Islamic Centre or an Islamic Charity Organization,   and dedicated to the burial of the believers.

 

Your Question:  Why people who have some dues of zakat or sabil not allowed to be buried. Is it human to make people clear all their sabil and zakat dues and then take the body of the person died.

There is absolutely no law in Shariah that one who owes dues like zakat or sabil, will not be buried in the muslim graveyard.  This is indeed absolutely inhuman and unfair to the heirs of the deceased, that some community leaders use this type of emotional blackmail, and refuse to bury their followers, unless their dues to the community are paid.    

 

For the community leaders to themselves collect funds the way they do in the names of ‘zakat’ and ‘sabil’ by such emotional blackmail, is in itself illegal and un-Islamic…  And to stop the burial of a brother muslim, until his heirs pay the deceased’s  zakat and sabil dues to the community, is absolutely inhumane and un-Islamic.   At a time when the believers should strive to console and help the grieving heirs of the deceased, some unscrupulous so called ‘holy-men’ use this incident to fill their coffers!  Rest assured that Allah Subhanah is watching all the evil deeds they do in the name of Islam; and on the Day of Judgement, Allah will take full retribution from these evil money-mongers.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verses 34-35 :O you who believe!  There are indeed many among the priests and the holy men who devour the wealth of others by evil means, and debar the people from the Way of Allah.   Give them the good news of a painful torment, who hoard up gold and silver and do not expend these in the Way of Allah.  The Day shall surely come when the same gold and silver shall be heated in the fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their foreheads, their bodies and their backs.  (And it will be said): “Here is that treasure you had hoarded up for yourselves!  Taste now the evil of your hoarded treasure!”

 

This system of emotional blackmail is done only in some illegal sects of Islam.  The normal muslim community have no such hassles.   If a believer dies, all they have to do is report it to the local mosque, and the believers there will take care of the full burial and janaza, and arrange to give an honorable Islamic burial to their muslim brother.

 

Your Question: As far as I know and have knowledge all burial grounds are the property of the government and is given to all communites free of cost so that they can carry out their last rites in their own system. But does that mean that the leaders and heads of the community will become the owner of the burial grounds and will decide who is to be buried and who is not to be.

Even if they have received the burial grounds free of charge from the governments, the maximum these community leaders can do is refuse to pray the janaza and arrange the burial, which is a grave sin in itself.

 

The problem with the followers of this particular community is that they themselves do not want to be buried in the mainstream muslim graveyards; and because they wish their loved ones to be buried in the ‘sect’s’ graveyard, they are at the whim and mercy of their community leaders.  

 

The way this particular community is run, only the priestly class are allowed to pray the janaza, nikah, etc.  But in true Islam, any believer is allowed to pray the janaza, nikah, etc.; and every believer should learn these simple rites so that no unscrupulous priest can hold the dead body of his loved one at ransom!    

 

Your Statement:  It is very shameful to learn that their are amils and sheiks who first see the receipt of death persons sabil and zakat and then allows his body to be brought for bath.

It is not only shameful for the community leaders to use the dead body of the believers as ransom, it is inhumane, illegal, and has absolutely nothing to do with the teachings and guidance of the deen of Mercy, Al Islam.

 

Your Statement:  If money is everything for us then why don`t we open a company known as Dawoodi Bohra Company Ltd. 

My beloved brother, if you have not already realized, the ‘company’ is already formed and the unsuspecting followers of this ‘Company’ are lining up to pay cash in the world, in the false hope of buying a plot of Allah’s Paradise in the Hereafter!    But, little do they realize, that the World and the Hereafter, both belong to Allah Subhanah Alone; and He has not authorized anyone to distribute the blessed Gardens of Paradise in His Name!  Allah Alone is the Lord of the Day of Judgment, and on that Inevitable Day, only what Allah Subhanah decides and decrees will happen…. And the falsehood created by the unscrupulous leaders will vanish in front of their very eyes!   

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 165-167:There are people who set up equals and rivals with Allah and adore them with the adoration due to Allah!   Whereas the believers adore Allah most ardently.   Would that these transgressors could realize now what they will realize, when they see the chastisement before them:  that power and authority wholly belong to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment!   When He will inflict punishment, those very leaders and guides whom they followed in the world will disown them. But punishment they shall get and all their bonds shall be cut off.  Then those who followed them will say, “Would that we were given another chance to return to the world.   Then we will disown them just as they have disowned us today!”  Thus Allah will bring before them the deeds they did in the world in such a manner as to make them wring their hands in regret, but they shall be unable to come out of the Fire.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah Furqan verses 26-30:The Real Kingdom on that Day will belong only to the Meciful.   And it will be a very hard Day for the disbelievers.   The unjust man will bite at his hand and say, “Would that I had stood by the Messenger!  Oh, woe to me!  Would that I had not chosen so and so for a friend!   For it was he, who had deluded me to reject the Admonition which had come to me.   Shaitaan has proved indeed very treacherous to man.”   And the Messenger will say, “O my Lord, my people had made this Quran the object of their ridicule.”

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 66:Note it well that all the dwellers of the heavens and the earth belong to Allah.   And those who invoke partners besides Allah, follow nothing but surmises and merely indulge in guess-works!  

 

Allah Subhanah is High and Far Exalted above all the things that they associate with Him.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

 

Your Brother in Islam,

 

 

Burhan

 

 
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