The ruling on raising the Voice with the Recitation of the Noble Qur'an in the House where Condolences are being given and during the Funeral Procession

Question :

When a person dies, the people raise the volume of the recitation of the Qur'an by using microphones in the house where the condolences are being given. Also, when they carry the deceased in the hearse (in the funeral procession) they use a microphone so that one will know simply by hearing the Qur'an that someone has died, and thus, feel sorrow upon hearing the Qur'an. This is such that the recitation of the Qur'an is not played except when a person dies. What is the ruling regarding this and what advice can you give to the likes of these people?

Answer:

Verily, this practice is undoubtedly an innovation. For verily it did not exist in the time of the Prophet or in the time of his Companions. The Qur'an only lightens the person's sorrows when he recites it to himself and not when he plays it out loud with a microphone. Likewise, the gathering of the family of the deceased to receive people coming to offer condolences is also from the matters that were not known (before). Some of the scholars have said that it is an innovation. For this reason, we do not think that the family of the deceased should gather to accept condolences. Rather, they should close their doors and if anyone meets them in the market or if someone comes from their acquaintances, without them making the preparations for this gathering, then there is no harm in that.

In reference to receiving people (at a set function), then this was not known in the time of the Prophet. This was to such an extent that the Companions used to consider the gathering of the deceased's family and their preparing food as a part of wailing. And wailing, as is well known, is from the major sins, because the Prophet cursed the woman who wails and the woman who listens to it. He said:
"If the woman who wails does not repent before her death, she will be made to stand on the Day of Resurrection wearing a garment made of tar and a shirt made of mangy (scabby) material."

We ask Allâh for security from this. Thus, my advice to my brothers is that they abandon these innovated matters. That is better for them with Allâh and it is also better in reference to the deceased. Because the Prophet informed that the deceased is tormented due to the crying of his family over him and their wailing over him. His being tormented means that he feels pain from this crying and this wailing, even though he will not be punished with the punishment of the one who does it. This is because Allâh says:
"No person shall bear the burden of another."

This torment (which the deceased will experience) is not a punishment (for him), as the Prophet said:
"Verily, travel is a piece of torment."

Rather, pain, suffering and whatever is similar to them is considered a torment. From the words that circulate among the people is their saying: "I tormented myself."

So in conclusion, I advise my brothers to avoid the likes of these customs that do not increase anything except for distance from Allâh, and they only increase the deceased in their torment.