Compassionate leave for burial of nephew
Question
Good afternoon, I am wondering whether you might be able to give me some advice regarding Islamic burial and mourning customs and norms please. I was reading your very good and thorough guide to burial rites online funeral-rites-jan-2020.pdf but have a few specific questions please.
I am a Trade Union representative representing a Muslim colleague in a dispute regarding compassionate leave. The dispute relates to an organisational policy which permits paid compassionate leave for attendance at the funeral of direct family (children, spouse, siblings, parents or grandchildren) but this is not available for extended family such as aunts and uncles. My colleague believes that this list is too prescriptive and does not allow for the customs and traditions of his Islamic faith, so we are working together to challenge this so that other colleagues are not left with the potential situation of having to choose between losing income and paying their respects to the deceased, or being paid but causing disrespect and offense to the family.
So, I wonder if you might be able to answer a couple of questions for me regarding the ‘cultural norms’ to help in this case, I appreciate that not all families are the same, but I wonder if you could provide answers based on a typical family in your experience:
- If, for example, a nephew did not attend the burial and prayers for a deceased aunt, would there be any repercussions for the nephew spiritually, from the family, or from the community?
- In the same case, what would be the impact on the family, especially the parent of the nephew who are also the sibling of the deceased?
- Would you think it unusual for a member of extended family such as a nephew not to attend the burial or prayers for the deceased?
- I understand that there is a three day mourning period for the deceased, would it be normal for an extended family member such as this to return home and remain there for that three days, or would it be likely acceptable to attend the funeral and perhaps offer condolences before returning home after, say, 1 day?
Thank you very much for your time in reading this, and I hope that you may be able to advise me on this matter.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
Answer
The burial of a Muslim including the funeral prayer is a communal obligation from a faith perspective which must be attended by a section of the community. Generally, the family and relatives of the deceased fulfil this obligation. Nephews and uncles are among close family members and therefore we agree that paid compassionate leave should include them at least for one day. It would be extremely unusual for a nephew or uncle, and for that matter, a first cousin, not to participate in the burial of the deceased. Unless there was a justifiable reason, other family members would certainly not be happy and take offense.
Once the burial is complete, then a nephew and uncle can return to work. The three-day mourning period is not mandatory; it is merely the maximum period. We therefore suggest that paid leave is granted for one day for nephews and uncles. However, sometimes there may be circumstances wherein they are required to assist in the post-burial arrangements, or there could be delays in the burial process, or the burial location may be far, in which case employers should consider granting them unpaid leave or annual leave beyond the one day.
Allah knows best
Yusuf Shabbir
7 Muḥarram 1448 / 23 June 2026
Approved by: Mufti Shabbir Ahmed and Mufti Muhammad Tahir
