Tuesday 10/March/2026 – 07:04 PM
The doctor answered Ali JumaaHe, the former Mufti of the Republic and a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, asked him a question from a girl about the ruling on women visiting cemeteries and the prohibition that came from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, in this regard. He explained that the origin of the prohibition was not for the visit itself, but rather it was linked to the extent of the woman’s commitment to the etiquette of cemeteries and not deviating from it, such as “slapping faces” or “slitting pockets” (which is tearing clothes at the chest area), or screaming as an expression of alarm, indicating that Islam is a universal message addressed to all people of all cultures, and it was It aims to improve common behaviors.
Jumaa explained during his Ramadan program, Nour al-Din and al-Shabab, that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, forbade women from going to cemeteries at that time to confront a culture that was called in the Arabic language “happiness,” a culture that imposed on women a social duty of screaming, slapping, and ripping clothes to show how dear the deceased was to his family. The clear prophetic directive came by saying: “He who slaps the cheeks and rips the pockets is not one of us,” with the aim of developing this culture and replacing The values of tranquility, sophistication, and contentment with destiny replace inappropriate expressions of anxiety.
Ali Jumah: It is permissible for women to visit the graves and shrines of saints and righteous people with peace and quiet
He added that these customs were so deeply rooted that a woman would see her mother and grandmother doing this, and it was considered a “disgrace” in the eyes of society for a woman not to scream or tear her clothes at the grave. However, the Prophet’s teachings over the course of 1,400 years succeeded in changing this point of view and changing the societal culture, until the norm today has become that women go to visit in peace and quiet, which is something that is not legally prohibited in light of this state of discipline.
Dr. Ali Jumaa concluded his speech by pointing out that scholars, even before the completion of this cultural transformation in society, stipulated that it was permissible for women to visit the shrines of saints. Because she did not witness those forbidden manifestations or departure from dignity and appropriate sadness, stressing that the lesson lies in maintaining the appearance of tranquility and staying away from everything that puts question marks on the visitor’s behavior.
