Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (raḥimahullâh) was asked about a Christian woman whose husband is a Muslim.

Question: She (the Christian woman) died while being seven months pregnant. Is she to be buried with the Muslims or with the Christians?

Answer: She is not to be buried in the graveyard of the Muslims nor in the graveyard of the Christians. That is because there is a Muslim and a Kāfir united together (in her). Therefore the Kāfir is not to be buried with the Muslims and the Muslim is not to be buried with the Kuffār. Rather she is to be buried by herself and her back is to be turned to the Qiblah (direction of prayer, which is Makkah). That is because the face of the child (in the womb of the mother) is (facing) towards her back. Therefore if she is buried like that, the face of the Muslim child (in her womb) is facing towards the Qiblah. Also the child is considered to be a Muslim due to the Islam of his father even if his mother is a Kāfirah according to the consensus of the scholars.

Source: Majmū’ al-Fatāwā, v. 24, pg. 295-296

Translated by Abu Yusuf Khaleefah
8th of Rabī’ al-Thāni, 1437 (01-19-2016)
Masjid Nur Allah, Queens, NYC

Original Arabic

سئل شيخ ألإسلام بن تيمية رحمه الله عن امرأة نصرانية ، بعلها مسلم : توفيت وفي بطنها جنين له سبعة أشهر . فهل تدفن مع المسلمين؟ أو مع النصارى؟

:فأجاب
لا تدفن في مقابر المسلمين ، ولا مقابر النصارى ، لأنه اجتمع مسلم و كافر ، فلا يدفن الكافر مع المسلمين ، ولا المسلم مع الكافرين ، بل تدفن منفردة ، ويجعل ظهرها إلى القبلة ؛ لأن / وجه الطفل إلى ظهرها ، فإذا دفنت كذلك كان وجه الصبى المسلم مستقبل القبلة ، و الطفل يكون مسلما بإسلام أبيه ، وإن كانت أمه كافرة باتفاق العلماء

المصدر: مجموعة الفتاوى لشيخ الإسلام مجلد رقم 24 صفحة 295-296