Funeral Rites in Islam (part 1 of 3): Everyone Shall TasteDeath (2024)

One of the practices prevalent beforeIslam was excessive wailing and lamenting for the dead. This was denounced byIslam and is strictly forbidden. Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessingsof God be upon him, made this abundantly clear when he told his companions andthus the believers until the end of time, ‘the deceased suffers when someonebewails loudly’.[1]No amount of wailing or grieving can change the situation or bring the deadback to life, therefore Islam insists that death be handled with dignity andacceptance of God’s decree.

Mourning

A woman may mourn the death of a loved one for threedays. This period is considered long enough for a person to immerse himself ingrief and sadness. Islam emphasizes that death is not the termination of aperson rather it is the beginning of a journey, from a transient stop to lifeeverlasting. The only exception to this duration is at the death of a woman’s husband.

It is prohibited for a woman who believes in Godand the Last Day to mourn for a deceased person for more than three nights,except for her husband.[2]

A wife must observe a mourning period, known in Islam asiddah, of four months and ten days for her deceased husband. This periodis considered an extension of her marriage and she is not allowed to receiveany new proposals of marriage during this time. This period is prescribed forwidows in order that they mourn the death of their husbands, fulfill anyrequired obligations and to see if the widow is pregnant. If pregnancy isconfirmed then the mourning period is extended until delivery.

Condolences

Offering condolences to the relatives and friends of thedeceased is an important act of kindness. It is not limited to three days, andcan be extended for as long as there is a need. Offering condolences meanssharing in the grief and helping to lighten the feelings of sadness andmisfortune, however it also means gently reminding the bereaved to be patientand accept the will of God. The words should be chosen carefully and offeredwith sympathy. Among the actions recommended at the time of offeringcondolences are to leave relatively quickly, unless the family requires andasks for assistance, and to prepare food for the grieving family.

So far we have learned a great deal about Islam’sattitude towards dying, death and funerals. The overall theme encompassescomplete submission to the will of God, being patient in the face of adversityand simplicity involving a distinct lack of worldly rituals and procedures. Thebasic procedures of washing, shrouding, prayers and burial are exactly the samefor every believer, be he rich, poor, black, white, a king or a commoner, youngor old. We now take a brief look at the funeral rites of other religions tofurther emphasize the uncomplicated rites inherent in Islam.

Cremation, a practice forbidden in Islam is practiced inmany parts of the world and in many religions. In Hinduism, cremation is theprimary mode of body disposal. Taken from the belief that the soul could notenter a new body until its former one had totally disappeared, cremation is consideredthe fastest way to expeditiously dispose of the body. Antyesti funeral ritesare important sacraments in Hindu society. While extensive texts of such ritesare available there is wide inconsistency in theory and practice, and proceduresdiffer depending upon the location, caste, social group, and the status of thedeceased person.

In Sikhism the preferred method of disposal iscremation, and the ashes are taken to be submerged in the nearest river. InJapan it is estimated that 99.81%[3] ofall deceased persons are cremated, the majority of them after a Buddhistceremony. However before the 20^th century most bodies in Japan wereburied and cremation was limited to the wealthy.

In a Buddhist funeral a wake is performed before theburial, this involves a special prayers and giving of condolence money by theguests who are in turn given departure gifts based on the value of theircondolence contribution. After cremation the guests return to pick the bonesof the deceased out of the ashes with chopsticks, transferring them to urn feetfirst. In some cases, the ashes of the deceased will be divided between morethan one urn for transporting to different locations and depending upon thelocal custom, the urn may stay at home of the deceased for a specific number ofdays before being transported, to the grave site.

Some African funeral ceremonies are purely animist, andwithout any set ritual. Often the females of the deceased wail loudly andsometimes work themselves into a frenzy heightened by the use of alcohol. Thefuneral service may last as long as a week.

Chinese funerals and burial customs are determined bythe age of the deceased, the cause of death, the marital status and thedeceased's status and position in society. Improper arrangements are believedto bring ill fortune and disaster on the family of the deceased. A ChineseBuddhist funeral ceremony traditionally last 49 days but if finances are anissue, this period may be shortened to 3 days. It is customary for thedaughters of the deceased to pay for the funeral expenses.

The Zoroastrian religion strictly prohibits burying deadbodies in the ground, cremation and disposal in waterways of any kind. Inaccordance with religious injunctions, Towers of Silence (circular raisedstructures for the exposure of the dead) are built with a view that they maylast for centuries without the possibility of decaying bodies polluting theearth or contaminating any living beings. The deceased is carried to the Towerof Silence on an iron bier by official corpse-bearers and is followed inprocession by the mourners, dressed in white flowing robes, walking behind inpairs and joined hand in hand by holding a white handkerchief.

Once at the tower the body must be exposed and leftwithout clothes so that birds of prey are able to completely devour the body. Asa post script, now days in large cities such as Mumbai, there are seriousconcerns about the sanitary conditions at Towers of Silence due to the factthat birds of prey[4] nolonger exist in numbers great enough to dispose of the number of bodies left todecay.

Death is a very painful and emotional time both for thedying and the loved ones left behind. The simplicity of Islam’s rites andrituals fill the believers with hope. Hope of life everlasting surrounded bytheir loved ones and hope in God’s forgiveness, mercy and justice.