A Practical Guide to Funeral Rites in Islam

A person is born into this world spends a little time and then passes away. Allāh (Swt) mentions in the Holy Qur’ān:“Every soul has to taste death”The one thing we can all be sure about and cannot deny is the fact that one day we will all be leaving this earth. Our life on this earth is merely a journey to our real abode in the hereafter. The Messenger of Allāh (Swt) mentions in a Ḥadīth: “Live in this world as if you are a traveller or a wayfarer”.In another Ḥadīth the Messenger of Allāh (saw) mentions:“The intelligent person is the one who controls his self-desires and performs deeds for after his death and the helpless person is the one who follows his self-desires and relies on Allāh (Swt)”This booklet does not go over all the preparations one must make before they pass away as our whole lives should be preparation for the hereafter but I will cover the necessary steps we must take as Muslims when another Muslim is about to pass away or passes away.This is a time of great grief and sadness which can lead people to perform acts which are against Sharīʿah and are classified as ‘Bidʿah’ - innovation. People sometimes spend lavishly on funerals in the same way as they spend at weddings. People become a burden on the family of the deceased expecting to be dined on several occasions and the atmosphere at the funeral house may become contrary to the event. Many actions are done with the thinking that there is a basis for it in our religion but the reality is that there is no evidence to support them.ather than go through all the innovative practises I have identified the actions for which there is sound evidence. I have provided references where required so we can have peace of mind that we are carrying out all of the rituals correctly. We will comprehensively review the process which will enable the burial to take place quickly easily and most importantly in accordance with Sharīʿah.Some of the subjects we will cover are as follows:What do we do when we see someone passing away?What legal paperwork do we need to go through with the burial?How to prepare the Kafan (shroud) and bathe the body of the deceasedThe correct burial process according to SharīʿahThe period of mourning and information on ʿIddahEtiquettes of visiting the house of the deceasedWhat can we do for those who have passed away?