🕌 Worship in the home · #38
Must a miscarried or stillborn baby be washed, shrouded and prayed over?
According to the Shafi'i school: a baby born alive who then dies is treated like any deceased adult; a foetus miscarried after four months with no sign of life is washed, shrouded and buried but not prayed over; a foetus of less than four months is simply wrapped and buried.
The four-month mark relates to the breathing in of the soul mentioned in the hadith on the stages of human creation (Sahih al-Bukhari 3208). Give a name to a baby miscarried after that stage. Parents who lose young children are promised a great reward; the Prophet ﷺ said that a Muslim whose three children die before puberty will be admitted to Paradise by Allah's mercy (Sahih al-Bukhari 1248), and in another narration two. Hospitals in Malaysia usually help arrange matters with the mosque or funeral services. Grief after a miscarriage is real; give the mother time and support. See Preparing for death.
The four-month mark relates to the breathing in of the soul mentioned in the hadith on the stages of human creation (Sahih al-Bukhari 3208). Give a name to a baby miscarried after that stage. Parents who lose young children are promised a great reward; the Prophet ﷺ said that a Muslim whose three children die before puberty will be admitted to Paradise by Allah's mercy (Sahih al-Bukhari 1248), and in another narration two. Hospitals in Malaysia usually help arrange matters with the mosque or funeral services. Grief after a miscarriage is real; give the mother time and support. See Preparing for death.
Sources
Sahih al-Bukhari 3208Sahih al-Bukhari 1248Surah al-Baqarah 2:156