What Should Be Done After a Late Miscarriage Practically and Emotionally?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum,

A friend of mine miscarried at almost 6 months into her pregnancy. Due to the traumatic experience and very difficult personal circumstances, she buried the fetus by herself in a remote area. Could you advise what could be done now to acknowledge the life that was lost? What steps are usually taken when a baby is miscarried at such a stage?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

I pray that this message finds you well, insha’Allah.

May Allah grant her fortitude and strength, and bless her with other righteous, healthy children.

The sunna would have been to wash the foetus, name it, wrap it in a cloth, and then to bury it. [`Ala’ al-Din `Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-`Ala’iyya]

Thereafter, it is recognising the gifts of Allah in your life, appreciating your blessings, taking heed in the reality of life and death, and that death is not the end, but merely a separation, and striving to attain unto contentment with Allah’s Decree– inwardly and outwardly– seeking Allah therein, and knowing that He will give full requital. That, and that you will be with your child in the next life, for eternity.

It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The miscarried child will pester its glorious and mighty Lord for His entering its two parents into the Fire until it is told, ‘O miscarried child that pesters its Lord! Enter your father and mother into Paradise.’ Then it will drag them with its umbilical cord until it makes them enter Paradise.” [Ibn Majah]

Allah Most High says, “Exalted is He who holds all control in His hands; who has power over all things; who created death and life to test you [people] and reveal which of you does best––He is the Mighty, the Forgiving.” [67.1-2]

Please also see: How Can I Deal with Several Pregnancy Losses? and: The Loss of a Child: Seeking & Turning to Allah in Difficult Times and: Answers Regarding Miscarriage and: Struggling to Have Children: Ten Key Etiquettes of Du’a and: How Do You Distinguish Between a Test From Allah and Punishment? and: A Reader on Patience and Reliance on Allah

And Allah alone knows best.

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani