Question Summary:
Hazrat my mother passed away on 7th of june (may Allah bless her with eternal peace). A couple of questions arose at the time of the funeral.

Question Detail:

BismillahirRahmanirRaheem
Assalaamualaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Hazrat my mother passed away on 7th of june (may Allah bless her with eternal peace). A couple of questions arose at the time of the funeral.
1. who is more rightful for the imamat of funeral prayers - the imam of masjid or the wali (i.e son)?
2. can the wali suggest anyone to do the imamat despite the prescence of the imam of the masjid??
3. it was my wish to do the imamat of my mother's funeral prayers but i wasnt allowed as some said that i dont have a proper beard. should have i done the imamat?
4. how should a corpse be placed in grave. do we only have to turn the face of the deceased towards Qiblah or the whole body has to be slightly turned towards Qiblah using the support of the side of the grave?
5. can we give the fidyah for the prayers she missed, due to her illness, from her belongings or we should give it from other sources?
6. can i perform hajj on her behalf as it was her deepest desire? i havent performed my hajj as its not mandatory for me yet since i havent started to earn on my own.
7. what in your opinion is the best sadqa e jariah for her. what will be the best gift for her from me?

Answer :

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
 
1.  The Imām has more of a right than the walī for the imāmah of the funeral prayers.  Therefore, it is not correct for the walī to ask someone else, including himself, to lead the prayers [i].
 
2.  Please see #1.
 
3.  Please see #1.
 
4.  The whole body should be turned towards the qiblah in the grave, not just the head [ii].
 
5.  If the deceased did not make a will (wasiyyah) to offer fidyah for her missed prayers, then her loved ones may give the fidyah from their wealth, not the deceased’s wealth [iii].
 
6.  If hajj is not mandatory on you, you may still perform a nafl hajj on behalf of your mother.  However, you will still need to perform hajj for yourself in the future when it becomes mandatory on you [iv].
 
7.  There are several ways of making sadaqah jāriyah on behalf of your mother, such as donating to a Masjid, madrasah, sponsoring a hifz/’ālim course student, placing copies of the Qur’ān or other Islāmic books in the Masjid or another library, etc.  The best of these would be that which is most needed.
 
[i]
ذكر محمد رحمه الله تعالى في كتاب الصلاة أن إمام الحي أولى بالصلاة على الميت...ثم بعد إمام الحي ولي الميت أولى
(المحيط البرهاني، كتاب الصلاة، الفصل الثاني الثلاثون: 3/86؛ إدارة)
 
فذكر في الأصل أن إمام الحي أحق بالصلاة على الميت
(بدائع الصنائع، كتاب الصلاة، فصل في بيان من له ولاية الصلاة على الميت: 2/58؛ ديوبند)
 
[ii]
ويوضع في القبر على شقه الأيمن متوجها إلى القبلة
(المحيط البرهاني، كتاب الصلاة، الفصل الثاني الثلاثون: 3/90؛ إدارة)
 
[iii]
(فتاوى محمودية، كتاب الصلاة، باب فضاء الفوائت، فصل في فدية الفوائت: 7/388؛ فاروقية)
 
[iv]
(فتاوى رحيمية، كتاب الحج: 4/521-523؛ رشيدية)
 
And Allah knows best
Wassalamu Alaikum
Ml. Abrar Mirza,
Student Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah