The Third-Day Memorial Gathering in the Mosque or at Home

Question

What is the ruling on a third-day memorial gathering in which, inside the mosque, the kalima tayyiba is recited over chickpeas, a collective Qur’an recitation is held, and flowers are dipped in rose water? For Mawlana ‘Abd al-Haqq Muhaddith Dihlawi ﵀ wrote in the book “Adab al-Salihin” that it is makruh: collective Qur’an recitation by juz’ (sections) of the Qur’an in the mosque is makruh. And what of dipping chickpeas and flowers, and of sitting in the mosque for mourning?

Answer

Reciting the Holy Qur’an and conveying its reward (isal al-thawab) — without binding oneself to a date, a form and the like — is correct both in the mosque and at home, and reward is obtained. The customary third-day memorial gathering and the like is a bid‘a. Sitting in the mosque for mourning, so that people may offer condolences, is makruh (“Radd al-Muhtar”, vol. 2, p. 931).

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.