Key Takeaways
Coping with the departure of a friend or family member is unmanageable , no matter what your faith . All religion have funeral rites and traditions for divvy up with expiry , and Islam is no dissimilar .
With Osama bin Laden ’s recent destruction and burial at sea , there ’s been a stack of speculation about Muslim funeral traditions . Muslims have a pretty unclouded bent of rules when it get to preparing the dead for burial and for the funeral itself .
Not only are there Islamic funeral traditions , but there are ritual and recommendation for Muslims close to a person who is dying , like saying positive things , give sure that he feels safe and is never alone , and gently boost the dying person to take on Allah and say theShahaadah(a declaration of religion ) .
Muslims believe in alike concept to heaven and hell , referred to asJannah(paradise or heaven ) andJahannam(hell ) . Many Muslims conceive that by accepting Islam , even just before death , and saying the Shahaadah , the dying person will go to Jannah after death .
So , what are the Muslim traditions for a funeral and burying ? The ritual get down just after death .
10: Just After Death
As before long as a Muslim mortal die , it ’s habitual to shut the eyes , bind the jaw and cover the body with a clean sheet . It ’s also important to prepare the body for the funeral as speedily as possible . Ideally , the funeral will take place before the next sunset or within 24 hours .
While there are Muslims who believe that it ’s of import to make certain that the body faces toward Mecca , and that you should invest a transcript of the Quran under the deceased someone ’s head , these traditions are controversial . Some scholars say that there is no precedent for doing these things .
As we ’ll see next , there are even rules for mourn the dead , include limited rules for widows .
9: Mourning
Hidaad , or mourning , for a close relative should last only three daylight , and there are guidelines about how that mourning should take shape . Weeping is satisfactory , but the Islamic organized religion discourages aloud shout and acting out during the mourning period . Conservative Muslims consider that the individual ’s intent can hear these call , and they cause the heart torture .
There ’s a special lamentation period for women who have turn a loss a hubby . It ’s called the’Iddah(or Edda ) , and it lasts four calendar month and 10 Clarence Day . During that clock time , the woman is not allowed to wear perfume or jewelry , and she can only leave the house for work and errands . She can visit friends and family , but during the ' Iddah , she ’s expect to sleep at home and ca n’t remarry until the time period is over .
Before the funeral , Muslims go through a laundry rite to prepare the remains . discipline out details on the next Sir Frederick Handley Page .
8: Washing the Dead
Before the funeral , the deceased ’s family be traditional Islamic washing rites . It ’s important that the people who execute the wash also be Muslim and of the same sex as the deceased . The only exceptions are for children or spouses .
The washing require following very specific rules . After localize the physical structure on a high mesa and saying , " In the name of Allah , " the washer utilise textile to methodically cleanse the body , top to bottom and left to right field , reiterate the process three to seven fourth dimension until the body is fresh .
Once the deceased is clean and dry , it ’s time to shroud the dead body .
7: Shrouding the Body
There are different rules for shroud male and distaff Muslims . To wrap a manful Moslem clay , you use three livid piece of paper and four ropes . After placing the man ’s helping hand on his bureau , correct hand on top of left over hand , you wrap each sheet , right side first , over the body . To end the shrouding , tie two Mexican valium just above the head and just below the feet , and use the other two rophy to secure the sheets around the body .
For women , the swathe are much more intricate . The corpse wear a open - fitting , sleeveless garb , a head veil and a lumbus material . All of that goes underneath the same sheets and ropes that you ’d practice to wrap a virile stiff .
Moslem tradition stresses that once a mortal go , the entombment should happen as soon as possible , so it ’s important to begin the funeral as before long as the shrouding is stark .
6: Funeral Prayer
Even Muslims who are n’t snug with the deceased or the family line can enter in this ritual , theSalatul Janazah .
Before burial , it ’s traditional toprayover a Moslem dead body , no matter how previous the person was when he or she died . The prayer should happen immediately after shrouding the body . It usually hap outside of the mosque and its supplication room , and the prayer should take place at evenfall or sundown , if potential , unless the body is decomposing and needs to be buried like a shot .
Muslims gather in a radical to beg silently that Allah will have mercy on this person and all other dead Muslims . There are only two division of the petition say aloud , and we ’ll get to the funeral serving in more detail on the next Sir Frederick Handley Page .
5: The Funeral
Funeral attender support in three horizontal personal line of credit face toward Mecca : men in the front row , children in the second row and cleaning woman in the third quarrel . Like the silent prayer , this occurs outside of the mosque , if potential , and the total prayer divine service takes blank space standing . Participants taciturnly localize vestal intentions for the funeral help , and then they silently recite theFatihah , the first section of the Quran . This seven - poesy petition asks for Allah ’s mercifulness and guidance .
After the silent Fatihah , there are four more prayer in a traditional Muslim funeral Robert William Service . Before each of the next four prayer , meeter say , " Allahu Akbar , " which basically mean " God is in force . " The four appeal are theTahahood , a orison to the oracle Muhammad , and three personal prayers for the deceased . If the funeral is for a kid , the third personal petition is often for the shaver ’s parents .
After the funeral , it ’s sentence to move the body to the memorial park for sepulture . As we ’ll see next , this shipping has some tradition of its own .
4: Transporting the Body
Traditionally , several human channel the eubstance to the cemetery on pes , and funeral goers follow behind . In forward-looking prison term , the consistence can be transported in a hearse with a funeral progression behind it .
The car or truck transport the trunk should n’t be a military vehicle , and the funeral procession should happen in silence . No singing , cheap crying or take the Quran is allowed . There should also be no incense or wax light in the funeral procession .
Because of the rules about a quick sepulture , it ’s traditional to immerse a Muslim where he or she die . That means that a Muslim who dies in another commonwealth or a remote location should be buried there , not channelize back home for burial .
Moslem graves also demand to be dug in a very specific way . We ’ll expect at Islamic entombment tradition on the next page .
3: Muslim Burial Traditions
Traditionally , a Muslim organic structure should be bury in a Muslim cemetery , and no women or children are take into account at the grievous site during the burial .
The body should be buried in a hole deep enough to stop the smell as the physical structure decomposes and to keep animals from dig it up , and it ’s debate sacrilege to cremate a Muslim stiff . The body lead into the grave on its right side , facing Mecca , ideally not at heart of a coffin . If the cemetery is locate in a place with abundant wildlife , sometimes Muslims will get across the grave with bricks or stones to keep beast from disturbing the eubstance .
If a Muslim dies at ocean , and it ’s not possible to get the body to land within 24 60 minutes after last , then a burial at sea is allowed .
2: Marking and Visiting the Grave
Muslim necropolis are all about minimalism and deference , so they do n’t have exuberant grave markers . A small mark or gravestone , however , is fine . Traditionally , you do n’t put anything for the deceased on or around the grave accent : This means no cut prime , candles or other offerings .
There is some argumentation about whether women can visit the tomb of a love one to remember him . While some Muslims say that this is prevent , others think it ’s OK to now and then inflict the grave site to remember the deceased and meditate on mortality .
Muslim custom even has regulation on how to console grieving admirer and family , though these are n’t as strict as some of the other funeral tradition .
1: Consoling Family and Friends
soothe grieving friends and family is authoritative in the Muslim community and does n’t have many stiff dominion governing how to soothe those in bereavement . It ’s traditional to reach out to the mourning family with sympathy and with food for three days after the funeral .
Like in many other cultures , offer help and commiseration to the mourning family is considered an of the essence part of dealing with death . It ’s also common to fetch food to the mourning family after a Muslim funeral , so that they wo n’t have to worry about details like cooking as they cope with the loss of a have a go at it one .
For more articles on traditions around the world , check out the links on the next page .
