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Fatwa CenterBuried an unknown man in the Islamic way
Question
We are Muslim but our question is that a man who died in jungle and you did not about his religion. Can you bury him in Islamic way?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
Ibn Qudaamah
said in Al-Mughni: 'If a person is found dead and it is not known whether he is a Muslim or a non-Muslim, then one has to look for some signs, like circumcision, clothes, and whether his hair (or beard) is dyed [with henna] or not. If there are no signs which suggest who he was, then if he was in a Muslim country, he should be washed and people should pray on him, but if he was in a non-Muslim country, then he should not be washed and people should not pray on him. This is what Imaam Ahmad has stated because, in principle, if a person is in a given country, he is considered amongst its people, and the rulings that apply to them apply to him as well as long as there is no evidence which suggests otherwise.' Other scholars
stated the same, like Imaam An-Nawawi regarding a person who is not known whether he is a Muslim or a non-Muslim, and who is found dead, then he is considered among the people of the country where he is found if there are no signs that could distinguish him. However, in general, it is possible to distinguish a Muslim from a non-Muslim according to his characteristics as Allaah says (which means): {The criminals will be known by their marks.}[55:41].
Allaah knows best.
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