Question 1268: Is it forbidden for women to attend a funeral procession?

Answer
✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:
1 عَنِ الْحُسَیْنِ بْنِ زَیْدٍ عَنِ الصَّادِقِ عَنْ آبَائِهِ عَنِ النَّبِیِّ فِی حَدِیثِ الْمَنَاهِی أَنَّهُ نَهَی عَنِ اتِّبَاعِ النِّسَاءِ الْجَنَائِزَ.
📚 Al-Faqih, Vol. 4, p. 5
Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, narrated from his ancestors that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, in the Hadith of Prohibitions, forbade women from following a funeral procession!
2 عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو وَ أَنَسِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِیهِ جَمِیعاً عَنِ الصَّادِقِ عَنْ آبَائِهِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ فِی وَصِیَّتِهِ لِعَلِیٍّ قَالَ: لَیْسَ عَلَی النِّسَاءِ عِیَادَةُ مَرِیضٍ وَ لَا اتِّبَاعُ جَنَازَةٍ وَ لَا تُقِیمُ عِنْدَ الْقَبْرِ.
📚 Al-Faqih, Vol. 4, p. 364
Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, narrated from his ancestors that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, in his will to Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, said: Visiting the sick and attending a funeral procession are not incumbent upon women, and they do not stay at the grave.
3 عَنْ أَبِی الْمَغْرَاءِ عَنْ سَمَاعَةَ عَنْ أَبِی بَصِیرٍ عَنْ أَبِی عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: لَیْسَ یَنْبَغِی لِلْمَرْأَةِ الشَّابَّةِ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ إِلَی الْجِنَازَةِ تُصَلِّی عَلَیْهَا إِلَّا أَنْ تَکُونَ امْرَأَةً قَدْ دَخَلَتْ فِی السِّنِّ
📚 Al-Tahdheeb, Vol. 3, p. 333
Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: It is not proper for a young woman to go out to a funeral and pray over it, unless she is a woman who has reached a certain age!
4 عَنْ یَزِیدَ بْنِ خَلِیفَةَ الْخَوْلَانِیِّ وَ هُوَ یَزِیدُ بْنُ خَلِیفَةَ الْحَارِثِیُّ قَالَ: سَأَلَ عِیسَی بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَ أَنَا حَاضِرٌ فَقَالَ تَخْرُجُ النِّسَاءُ إِلَی الْجَنَازَةِ وَ کَانَ مُتَّکِئاً فَاسْتَوَی جَالِساً ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ الْفَاسِقَ عَلَیْهِ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ آوَی عَمَّهُ الْمُغِیرَةَ بْنَ أَبِی الْعَاصِ وَ کَانَ مِمَّنْ هَدَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ دَمَهُ... ثُمَّ ذَکَرَ حَدِیثَ وَفَاةِ زَوْجَةِ عُثْمَانَ بِطُولِهِ إِلَی أَنْ قَالَ وَ خَرَجَتْ فَاطِمَةُ وَ نِسَاءُ الْمُؤْمِنِینَ وَ الْمُهَاجِرِینَ فَصَلَّیْنَ عَلَی الْجِنَازَةِ.
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 251
Yazid ibn Khalifah said: Isa ibn Abdullah asked Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, in my presence and said: Should women go out to a funeral? The Imam, who was reclining, sat up straight and said: Indeed, the transgressor (meaning the usurper Uthman, may Allah's curse be upon him), gave refuge to his uncle, Mughirah ibn Abi al-As, while he was one of those whom the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, had declared a person whose blood was forfeit... and then the Imam narrated the story of the death of Uthman's wife, until he said: Then Fatima, peace be upon her, and the women of the believers and the immigrants went out and prayed over the funeral!
5 أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَلِیِّ بْنِ أَبِی طَالِبٍ الطَّبْرِسِیُّ فِی الْإِحْتِجَاجِ قَالَ مِمَّا وَرَدَ مِنْ صَاحِبِ الزَّمَانِ إِلَی مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ الْحِمْیَرِیِّ فِی جَوَابِ مَسَائِلِهِ حَیْثُ سَأَلَهُ عَنِ الْمَرْأَةِ یَمُوتُ زَوْجُهَا هَلْ یَجُوزُ لَهَا أَنْ تَخْرُجَ فِی جَنَازَتِهِ أَمْ لَا التَّوْقِیعُ تَخْرُجُ فِی جَنَازَتِهِ
📚 Al-Ihtijaj, p. 482.
Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him, in response to the questions of Himairi who had asked about a woman whose husband dies, is it permissible for her to go out to her husband's funeral or not? So a letter came that said: She goes out in his funeral procession!
✅ Based on the above narrations and others, attending a funeral procession is not incumbent upon women, and although attending a funeral procession by women is forbidden in narration 1, this prohibition is limited to young women in the third narration, while in narrations 4 and 5 and others, the permission for women to go out to a funeral has been explicitly stated, and Fatima Zahra, peace be upon her, and the women of the believers and the immigrants went out to pray over the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and therefore, the permission for women to go out for a funeral is established and clear in the narrations.
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ