Home
Discover Islam
Quran Recitations
Lectures
Fatwa
Articles
Fiqh
E-Books
Women
Boys & Girls 
Enter Question
View By Subject
Fatwa Of The Week
Selected Fatwa
Fatwa CenterNo harm in living next to a graveyard
Question
Asa Is it permissible to buy a house and live right next to a grave yard? Are there any harms of having a cemetery right behind your garden? I live in London, in a populated area but there is a large Jewish cemetery in the center of many houses, with many houses bordering with the walls of the cemetery, including our one. Many people suggest that there is more likelihood of Jinn activity and their effects if living near a grave yard. Please help me understand the issue. Jazakallah.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
There is no harm in living in a house next to a graveyard and this does not necessarily entail putting the inhabitants of the house in danger (of being possessed by the Jinn, for example) or increasing the likelihood of any Jinn activity in the house.
In principle, a Muslim should keenly shield himself and his household against the Jinn and their evils in any given time or place. This objective can be accomplished by performing obligatory acts of worship, carrying out acts of obedience to Allaah, reciting the morning and evening Athkaar (reported Thikr and supplications), reading the Surah of Al-Baqarah (Ch. 2) of the Quran, and the like. Allaah, The Exalted, says (what means): {And say, "My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the incitements of the devils,* And I seek refuge in You, my Lord, lest they be present with me."} [Quran 23:97-98]
Moreover, Ibn ‘Abbaas 
said, “The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, used to seek refuge in Allaah for Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn 
and say: ‘Your forefather (i.e. Ibraaheem [Abraham], may Allaah exalt his metnion) used to seek refuge in Allaah for Ismaa'eel (Ishmael) and Is'haaq (Isaac) by reciting the following: 'O Allaah! I seek refuge in Your Perfect Words from every devil and from poisonous pests and from every evil envious eye.’” [Al-Bukhari]
Jaabir reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Cover your vessels, tie your water skins, extinguish your lamps and lock your doors, for Satan does not untie a water skin, open a door or uncover a vessel. If a person cannot find anything but a stick with which to cover his vessel and mention the Name of Allaah, then let him do so. And the mouse could set fire to the house with its people inside..” [Muslim] In addition, Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Do not turn your houses into graveyards. Satan runs away from the house in which Surah Al-Baqarah is recited.” [Muslim]
Allaah Knows best.
Search Fatwa
Fatwa Subject
