Reviling and Insulting the Dead

Question: What is the ruling on cursing and insulting a deceased person? Does such abuse harm him or affect him in any way?

Answer: The prophetic texts prohibit reviling the dead, for they have gone on to face the outcome of their deeds. It is not permissible to speak ill of them unless mentioning them brings about a legitimate religious benefit—such as when the deceased was a scholar of misguidance or left behind harmful influences. In that case, Muslims must be warned about his errors and misguidance so that they may steer clear of them. Merely backbiting about him or hurling insults that serve no beneficial purpose is forbidden.

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The Sanctity of the Deceased

Question: We have a large mosque in which we pray, and it is bordered on three sides by a cemetery. Because the population has grown, the people wish to enlarge the mosque. They have therefore taken a substantial portion of the cemetery on all three sides, widening the mosque at the expense of the graves and transferring some of the remains elsewhere. What is the Islamic ruling on this action? Kindly advise us, and may you be rewarded.

Answer: This issue must be referred to the local judge or to a qualified mufti so that he can examine it. As a general principle, if the cemetery predates the mosque, it enjoys sanctity, and once the dead are buried in land that was permissible for burial, they acquire the strongest right to those graves. They may not be moved except for a lawful justification. The mosque, on the other hand, may be expanded without encroaching on the cemetery, or it could be relocated to a place