Introduction
The thesis consisting in the issue whether women are allowed to visit graves has to either proven or denied. The former will be analyzed from different point of view with simultaneous answers to other questions arising in terms of whether women are permitted to visit graves; if yes, are there any restrictions regarding such visits; if no, what is the reason for it.
The issue regarding the matter whether women are allowed to visit both grave and graveyard is still highly debated. It does not merely a discussion between the scholars, who analyze the Middle East tradition, but for the representatives of Islam as well.
This is due to widely spread voluntary interpretations of the Muhammad’s sayings or traditions, namely hadiths. The Prophet per se has made different statements regarding this issue, thus, there is enough evidence for both parties of the dispute.
Main Body
The point is that the dominant view of the Muslims consists in the persuasion that a cemetery is a place for men (Jansen, p.75). This is often used to explain women’s exclusion from visits to the graveyard.
The majority of the scholars support the position, according to which, it is permissible to visit graves. The main argument the former rely on is hadith of Aisha who was asked in terms of visiting the graveyard. The questions was where she had been; she responded that she had gone out and visited her brother Abd ar-Rahman’s grave (Leaman, 2006, p.175).
Even at that time, there were certain prejudices towards such step, thus, later on, she is asked why she did this, if the Prophet prohibited that. The woman answers that the Prophet prohibited to visit graves only during the early days, but later on Muhammad ordered to visit them (Leaman, 2006, p.175).
The other habith supporting the first position is connected with the statement made directly by Muhammad. When the former saw a woman who was crying by the grave of her son, the Prophet asked her to be patient and to fear Allah (Leaman, 2006, p.175). Woman replied that it was not the problem of a man (she did not know whom he was).
After that, the crying woman came to Prophet’s house in order to apologize for her reaction, but Muhammad said: ‘It is certainly the case that patience is needed at the time of the first loss’ (Leaman, 2006, p.175). It is interpreted in such way that in this case the Prophet did not order to stop visiting cemetery as well as the former did not insist on certain punishment for such actions; on the contrary, Muhammad expressed his position concerning the disapproval of such women’s reaction as crying.
El Fadl, in contrast, claims that women’s visiting to graves is forbidden, being among the greatest sins (El Fadl, p.283). Leaman (p.176), developing his attitude towards this issue, says that, even though it is permissible, it is not recommended, as the weeping at the grave is considered to be a great sin. However, here we can see that not the fact of visiting is thought to be a sin, but the weeping.
Additionally, among the actions which are not tolerated by Islam and which relate to the graveyard visiting, the frequency of such visits is to be mentioned. In particular, Mohammad commented this issue in the following way: May Allah curse the women who are frequent visitors of the graves (Leaman, 2006, p.176).
It is developed by Al-Qurtubi, who emphasizes that only those women who are frequent visitors of the graves could be cursed. The motivation for such punishment is based on women’s respect to their husband, namely that the aforementioned action involved infringement of the rights of the husband, and leads to adornment and exhibition of their beauty to strangers (Leaman, 2006, p.176).
The other position, expressed by the Muslim scholars, is the term during which women are permitted to mourn for their husbands as well as other people. For instance, al-Shawkani admits that women are allowed to do so, in particular, by visiting the graves of their husbands, however, it is limited in time, namely a wife is able to mourn for her husband for four months and ten days (Leaman, 2006, p.176).
Zainab bint Abi commenting the term during women are allowed to mourn for those who passed away says: ‘It is not legal for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to mourn more than three days for any dead person, except for her husband, for whom the former can mourn for four months and ten days (Leaman, 2006, p. 176).
Even though, it is not formally prohibited to visit the graveyard, as we can conclude from the previous statements, certain limitations, the majority of which have been mentioned, exist. Additionally, women are always discouraged from doing so by their men. Even if they obtain men’s permission to attend a cemetery, it is usually held only on Fridays (Jansen, p.75). Moreover, when they are chaperoned by other kinswomen (p.75),
This common vision in terms of Fridays’ visiting is explained in the following way: it is sinful to go on ordinary day and cause the spirit to fly around senselessly; on the contrary, Fridays are considered by spirits and angels, who inform the former, to be the visiting day (pp.75-76)
Additionally, women, according to Islam, have certain limitations in terms of the funeral procedure. Only the men can take the corpse from the house to the graveyard, dig the grave and bury the body, whereas women are both excluded from such activity a priori and excluded from the possibility for all the sins to be forgiven (Jansen, p.75).
Jansen (p.77) concluded that there are certain common reasons for women to be excluded from the possibility of visiting the graves, which are often expressed by men: women are accused of visiting graveyard because of boredom, to take the sun, to meet a lover, to gather magical substances, or to seek any other forbidden pleasures.
Such state of affairs, of course, is greatly caused by the conscious of the Muslim men, but not by the provisions of Sharia: the former are often jealous, they are used to considering women as completely dependent on their will and so on.
Among the way outs regarding the issue how to regulate women’s visiting graveyards, Egypt’s example deserves attention, as women are formally allowed to visit graveyards, but under certain circumstances, prescribed by law. In particular, only the elderly women were allowed to visit the graves, and that all other women were to be accompanied by their husbands to visit relatives (Meshal, 2014, p.150).
Conclusions
References
Desai, E. (n.d.) “Why aren’t woman allowed into a graveyard? And is it true that the dead see woman naked and unclothed?” Retrieved from:
http://islamqa.org/hanafi/askimam/13857
El Fadl, K.A. (2001). Speaking in God’s Name: Islamic Law, Authority, and Women. Oneworld.
Jansen, W. (1987). Women without Men: Gender and Marginality in an Algerian Town. Leiden: Brill
Leaman, O. (2006). The Quran: an Encyclopedia. New York: Routledge.
Meshal, R.A. (2014). Sharia and the Making of the Modern Egyptian: Islamic Law and Custom in the Courts of Ottoman Cairo. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press.
