A Condolence Meeting for the Deceased

Question

Nowadays this practice has become common: when a member of some religious institution or some Muslim organisation (jama‘at) passes away, then at the meeting of the institution or organisation with which that person was connected, resolutions of condolence are passed for him and a du‘a for forgiveness is made for him — while the meeting takes place after three days. Is there scope for this practice in the Shari‘a or not?

Answer

This condolence is not the condolence of the Shari‘a; rather, it is an expression of connection on the part of the institution or organisation, and [is done] to express sympathy. This too gives support, and in some measure it brings patience and consolation to the relatives of the deceased; therefore there is scope for it in the Shari‘a.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.