Islam for Muslims
- THE FAITH OF MUSLIMS
- GOOD DEEDS IN PERSONAL LIFE
- GOOD DEEDS IN SOCIAL LIFE
The Essentials of Death & Funeral
31: THE ESSENTIALS OF DEATH & FUNERAL
Introduction: Death marks the end of temporary earthly life when the deceased enters the gateway of Afterlife “bare and all alone” with only 2-3 pieces of plain clothes, “leaving behind you” all the favors God gave you including your beloved family and abundance of wealth (6:94). It is also a great equalizer, for God does not discriminate among people (by their ranks or riches) in “causing death” (80:21). The death as an event is a matter of 100% certainty but nobody except God knows the exact time and place of death. After death, your beloved spouse who shared your bed entire life will be scared to spend even a night beside you. After death, you are “put in the grave”, thereby the ground which you used as floor all your life will now be your roof in the dark grave (80:21).
God created “both the life and the death” (7:158); life being a journey to the destination of Afterlife and death being the gateway to that destination. While you may be knowledgeable about your birth date, your hour of death is known only to God. He affirmed, “The death that you try to avoid will certainly get you, as I did not grant permanent life (here on earth) to anybody before you. To (God) is (all) their (definite) return” (62:8; 21:34; 31:23). The assigned Angels will “tear out (the souls of the bad people) with violence” by “striking their faces and backs” (79:1; 47:27). By contrast, they will “gently draw out (the souls of good people)”, saying “Peace be upon you; you enter the Garden because of what you did” (79:2; 16:32). In this way, those who “passed away” shall start to “reap the fruits according to their deeds (good or bad)” (2:134).
Acceptance of Death: You should accept the death of your beloved ones as an unavoidable reality. It should convey quietly dual messages to you. (i) At the personal level, you should always remember death as a sure and near event for why you should always be well-prepared by piling up good deeds for success in the life beyond. (ii) At the social level, you should accept the reality of death of your beloved ones by not doing anything in excess of silent weeping which the Prophet found usual and useful for comforting mind through discharge of emotion.
Avoiding Over-Reaction to Death: Your 3-day mourning for the deceased should avoid committing excesses like lamenting by hurting your body, tearing clothes, wearing black, decorating, caressing, asking or praying at the grave, choosing particular days e.g. 4th or 40th day for feasting people, eating only vegetables or blaming God for taking away your loved ones etc. which are far from being Islamic. In response to excessive mourning following the death of the Prophet, his closest companion, the first Caliph Abu Bakr delivered a significant declaration: “The worshippers of Muhammad (pbuh) know him as dead and the worshippers of God know him as alive”. Praying for and following any good examples left behind by the dead is therefore a right response to death.
On-going Blessings beyond Death: Truly, the door to your personal good deeds is closed upon death and lavish funeral services can help very little, if any at all. However, the Prophet identified your 3 following legacies for continued benefits to your soul beyond death. One, if you leave behind your children whom you groomed up as religious, their good deeds will have a percentage for you, in addition to ‘dua’ they would make for you. Two, in your lifetime if you donated money to build factories of good deeds like mosques, orphanages, schools etc., you will have a share therefrom even beyond your lifetime. Three, if you left behind the legacy of knowledge such as through writing, teaching etc. in the forms of Islamic books, audio-visual devices on Islam or students whom you taught Islam or disciples whom you inspired for virtuous deeds, you will co-share from their positive deeds even after you breathe your last.
Obligation to the Dead: God urges you “not to die except in a state of Islam” (3:102). Because dying as a Muslim makes a world of difference from dying as a non-believer when it comes to Afterlife salvation. You should therefore recite the verses of Quran, phrases of faith or repentance next to a dying person to inspire or remind him to utter his last words befitting a faithful. After the exit of soul, Islamic tradition requires burial of the dead as soon as possible. It is a social mandate for the Muslims to perform the funeral services of fellow dead Muslims, if necessary by even bearing expenses for the poor ones. Likewise, you can see your money better spent by contributing to a cemetery project in shortage area particularly in non-Muslim localities.
Four Obligatory Funeral Rites:
(1) Bathing the Body: The whole body (including the designated parts for ablution) is to be properly washed by the same sex person(s), using gloves, towel, soap, disinfectant etc. without glancing at or exposing the private parts. Prior to this, any visible impurities on the body are to be cleaned.
(2) Clothing the Body: After cleaning, the body has to be wrapped up with few sheets of clean clothes: preferably 3 white pieces for the males and 5 for the females.
(3) Prayer for the Body: Family members and friends are supposed to pray informally for the departed soul any time through recitation from the Quran, ‘dua’ etc. However, the central part of formal prayer is the compulsory prayer named ‘salat-us-zanajah’. This prayer is to be led by an Imam, facing Mecca, with the coffin placed in his front on the ground and the Muslims line up behind him, with shoes on or off. This is an all-standing prayer without any bowing, prostration or final sitting and conforming to the following:
(i) After making intention, the Imam starts by saying “Allahu Akbar” and the Muslims will follow him by doing the same. Then the Imam as well as the Muslims will quietly read ‘thana’ (beginning with the words subhanaka Alla humma…) used in other prayers.
(ii) The Imam will say ‘Allahu Akbar’ without bowing or raising hands and then the followers will quietly repeat the same and then will recite the darud-e-Ibrahim, the same one recited after Tashahud in the concluding session of every prayer.
(iii) The Imam will again say “Allahu Akbar” without bowing or raising hands and then the followers will quietly repeat that and offer ‘dua’ specific for the deceased or by reciting sura Fatiha or any other verse or ‘dua’ you know of.
(iv) The Imam will finally say “Allahu Akbar” and then turn face to the right and then left: in both cases by offering salam. You will simply follow him to conclude the prayer.
(4) Burying the Body: The above prayer will be followed by placing the body “in him/her grave” (80:21) as an essential formality. A watery grave may be an exception if only the entire neighborhood areas come under flood water. But the body will never, ever be cremated following the Hindu or Buddhist tradition. Historically, underground burial was introduced by God when “He sent a raven who scratched the ground to show” how to hide the corpse of the first man ever died, a son of Adam (5:31). Accordingly, burial is the only divinely approved culture, in preference to any alternatives including cremation, bio-cremation, mummification etc.
The burial ditch is to be dug along north-south direction. The covered body with bare face in straightened fashion will be placed in the ditch either directly or by means of a wooden box. The head will point toward the north in eastern hemisphere (e.g. China) or toward south in western hemisphere (e.g. America) and the face will be turned to Kaaba. Holy recitations and making dua for the dead on or off-sites are encouraged.
Some Essentials about Funeral: Funeral services are due only to those who die as Muslims regardless of their some sinful records. But you can “never pray for anyone who dies as an infidel” “nor (even) stand at his grave” (9:84). Still births qualify only for burial by skipping washing, clothing or prayer formalities. In extreme shortage of Muslim devotees in a locality, even only one person may perform this prayer in preference to totally skipping this prayer. Single prayer will make do for multiple bodies if all placed in front of the same prayer congregation. The conditions of regular prayer (like cleanliness of place, body and clothes, or ablution etc.) equally apply to the funeral prayer and the reasons for invalidation are also the same.
Conclusion: You need to follow the above essentials in order to clear your social obligations to the dead.