Controversy over offering telephonic condolences to the bereaved families

‘Caution and precaution are two duties’

KUWAIT CITY, April 21: Serious controversy is brewing at the moment, tugging at responses related to the duty of consoling the bereaved family by following the funeral procession or visiting the family of the deceased to offer condolences, in the wake of the ban imposed on social and religious gatherings to curb the infection rate of the “COVID-19” pandemic, reports Al-Rai daily.

The debate is between those who are strict on seeking rewards at funerals and keen on personally offering condolences to the family of the dead, and those who see the current conditions as a kind of caution and safety based on opinion and the fact that Islam is keen on human safety.

The daily opened a file in search of answer to the question: How do we receive reward for funerals and seek solace for relatives of the deceased from God?

It surveyed the legal opinion of several religious scholars on condolences through phone communication and messages via social media, and whether they’re equal in rewards for attending funeral or offering condolences to the bereaved family in person.

In light of what the country is going through with the epidemic, guided by measures that prevented the obligatory Sunnah activities and offering condolences through the traditional means, a Muslim is allowed to seek the same reward from God with the excuse of ban preventing him from performing the deed in kind.

In this context, Sheikh Hay Al-Hay stressed that “consoling the bereaved through telephone and social communication is sufficient for a Muslim than to follow the funeral procession and offer direct condolences – in an obligation to God through obedience to the guardian, as the country battles the Corona pandemic, which prohibits mixing and gathering due to grave danger it poses to Muslims.”

He declared that caution and precaution are two duties, because Allah the Almighty instructs us to take caution and precaution, adding all things take place by the will of God, “so we are now suffering and living under the weight of the new Corona epidemic spreading globally”. He affirmed that epidemic prohibits physical contact and gatherings; that’s why government decided to take precaution, which is a good thing, “so we obey our leaders preventing Muslims from praying in the mosques our hearts yearn for.”

“In obedience to our leaders, we’ve seen that offering condolences to the Muslim brother via telephone, WhatsApp or other social networking sites makes up for attending the funeral in person, which is commendable. The essence of the duty is that we comfort our brothers by phone and urge them to be patient, which is a good thing,” he added.

For his part, Sheikh Khaled Al-Saeedi said God’s ruling on this matter is apparent, noting God the Almighty said (We command humans to perform Hajj if they have the means). “The poor desires to visit the house of God but God waives this obligation from him for not being able to do so”, adding the scholars maintain that religion is to bring benefit and what took place is meant to yield benefit for the country and its people.

He reaffirmed that one of the origins of religion is to bring benefit and ward off spoilage, and Sharia stands on this accordingly. And, God grants a Muslim reward for everything he used to do before the epidemic in these circumstances.

Al-Saeedi pointed out that “the deed greater than condolences and considered to be Sunnah is the banning of congregation and attendance of mosques. God excuses us, because meeting in the place of worship may lead to a catastrophe or infection. Also, following the funeral procession and attending the burial may lead to the same result and this has been proven by the Prophet (PBUH) who said, “Concerning the plague, the fit should not go to the sick, while the sick should not go out to the fit, so that it does not spread”.

According to Dean of the College of Sharia at Kuwait University Dr Fahd AlDabbis, all preventive and precautionary measures imposed by the State in light of the new Corona virus pandemic are among the duties to follow and it is permissible to close mosques and stop gatherings and congregation as a duty, but other than the current circumstances, it is not permissible to close mosques. Rather, it’ll be considered an infringement and injustice.