Journey to the Afterlife – A Muslim Funeral Guide

Journey to the Afterlife A Muslim Funeral Guide / Musharraf Hussain al-Azhari

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Islamic Rituals for the Dying and Deceased. Most followers of Islam practice special rituals for preparing the dying and the deceased. The Talqeen is performed for those who are dying to ensure they are spiritually ready for the journey into death. The person leading the Talqeen says to the dying person:. In the name of Allah and on the creed, religion and faith of Rasulullah apostle or messenger of God. Allah, ease upon him his matters, and make light for him whatever comes hereafter, and honor him with Your meeting and make that which he has gone to better than that which he came out from.

After those who are present have the opportunity to share their own prayers, the person leading the Talqeen then encourages the dying person to recall the Shahada before taking their last breath: The ghusl can can be done by most adult family members of the same sex as the deceased. After the body is washed, it is then enshrouded, typically in plain, white cloth. The funeral that follows the washing and shrouding is guided by the Salat al-Janazah, the Islamic funeral ceremony and prayer set. In addition to family and close friends, adults from the local Muslim community who are able to attend should be present, as it is considered an obligatory duty to do so.

The Imam then guides a set of prayers that are as follows:. Allahu Akbar prayer, said by Imam and then echoed by those present: Sanaa prayer, recited only by the Imam: In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. You alone we worship, and to You alone we turn for help. Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom You have favored, not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor those who have gone astray.

Durood prayer, recited only by the Imam: It is felt that this discourages people from becoming attached to any particular geographic site. Guests may dress according to personal preference and local custom. The family arranges for the officiate to read the prayers. Buddhist View of Death. Sign up to receive the entire free series of Word to the Wise Guides. Meet the Wise Guys. Torah law forbids embalming. The Jewish shiva tradition discourages family members from cooking, so food is brought by friends and neighbors. The decedent's closest friends and relatives who are unable to attend frequently send flowers to the viewing, with the exception of a Jewish funeral, [31] where flowers would not be appropriate donations are often given to a charity instead.

Obituaries sometimes contain a request that attendees do not send flowers e. The use of these phrases has been on the rise for the past century. By the middle of the century, they had grown to The viewing typically takes place at a funeral home , which is equipped with gathering rooms where the viewing can be conducted, although the viewing may also take place at a church.

The viewing may end with a prayer service; in a Roman Catholic funeral, this may include a rosary. A visitation is often held the evening before the day of the funeral. However, when the deceased person is elderly the visitation may be held immediately preceding the funeral.

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This allows elderly friends of the deceased a chance to view the body and attend the funeral in one trip, since it may be difficult for them to arrange travel; this step may also be taken if the deceased has few survivors or the survivors want a funeral with only a small number of guests.

A memorial service, often called a funeral, is often officiated by clergy from the decedent's, or bereaved's, church or religion. A funeral may take place at either a funeral home, church, or crematorium or cemetery chapel. A funeral is held according to the family's choosing, which may be a few days after the time of death, allowing family members to attend the service. This type of memorial service is most common for Christians, and Roman Catholics call it a mass when Eucharist communion is offered, the casket is closed and a priest says prayers and blessings.

A Roman Catholic funeral must take place in a parish church usually that of the deceased, or that of the family grave, or a parish to which the deceased had special links.

Islamic Rituals for the Dying and Deceased

Sometimes family members or friends of the dead will say something. If the funeral service takes place in the funeral home mostly it takes place in the funeral home's chapel it can be directed by a clergy mostly for Protestant churches and sometimes for Catholic churches or hosted by a very close family member most common a parent. In some traditions if this service takes place in a funeral home it is the same if it would take place in a church. These services if taking place in a funeral home consists of prayers, blessings and eulogies from the family.

The open-casket service which is common in North America allows mourners to have a final opportunity to view the deceased and say good-bye. There is an order of precedence when approaching the casket at this stage that usually starts with the immediate family siblings, parents, spouse, children ; followed by other mourners, after which the immediate family may file past again, so they are the last to view their loved one before the coffin is closed.

This opportunity can take place immediately before the service begins, or at the very end of the service. Open casket funerals and visitations are very rare in some countries, such as the United Kingdom and most European countries, where it is usual for only close relatives to actually see the deceased person and not uncommon for no one to do so. The funeral service itself is almost invariably closed casket. Funeral homes are generally not used for funeral services, which are almost exclusively held in a church, cemetery, or crematorium chapel.

The deceased is usually transported from the funeral home to a church in a hearse, a specialized vehicle designed to carry casketed remains. In a number of jurisdictions, special laws cover funeral processions — such as requiring most other vehicles to give right-of-way to a funeral procession. Funeral service vehicles may be equipped with light bars and special flashers to increase their visibility on the roads. They may also all have their headlights on, to identify which vehicles are part of the cortege, although the practice also has roots in ancient Roman customs.

If the deceased is to be cremated, the funeral procession may then proceed to the crematorium. Religious funeral services commonly include prayers, readings from a sacred text, hymns sung either by the attendees or a hired vocalist and words of comfort by the clergy. Frequently, a relative or close friend will be asked to give a eulogy , which details happy memories and accomplishments rather than criticism.

Sometimes the eulogy is delivered by clergy. Church bells may also be tolled both before and after the service. In some religious denominations, for example, Roman Catholic, and Anglican , eulogies from loved ones are somewhat discouraged during this service. In such cases, the eulogy is only done by a member of the clergy. This tradition is giving way to eulogies read by family members or friends.

In these religions the coffin is traditionally closed at the end of the wake and is not re-opened for the funeral service.

During the funeral and at the burial service, the casket may be covered with a large arrangement of flowers, called a casket spray. If the deceased served in a branch of the armed forces, the casket may be covered with a national flag; however, in the US, nothing should cover the national flag according to Title 4, United States Code, Chapter 1, Paragraph 8i. If the funeral service is held in a church, the casket is normally covered in a white pall, which recalls the white garments of baptism. Funeral customs vary from country to country. In the United States, any type of noise other than quiet whispering or mourning is considered disrespectful.

A traditional fire department funeral consists of two raised aerial ladders.

Once there, the grave service includes the playing of bagpipes. The pipes have come to be a distinguishing feature of a fallen hero's funeral. Also a "Last Alarm Bell" is rung. A portable fire department bell is tolled at the conclusion of the ceremony. At a religious burial service, conducted at the side of the grave, tomb , mausoleum or cremation, the body of the decedent is buried or cremated at the conclusion. Sometimes, the burial service will immediately follow the funeral, in which case a funeral procession travels from the site of the memorial service to the burial site. In some other cases, the burial service is the funeral, in which case the procession might travel from the cemetery office to the grave site.

Other times, the burial service takes place at a later time, when the final resting place is ready, if the death occurred in the middle of winter. If the decedent served in a branch of the Armed forces, military rites are often accorded at the burial service. In many religious traditions, pallbearers , usually males who are relatives or friends of the decedent, will carry the casket from the chapel of a funeral home or church to the hearse, and from the hearse to the site of the burial service.

The pallbearers often sit in a special reserved section during the memorial service. Most religions expect coffins to be kept closed during the burial ceremony. In Eastern Orthodox funerals, the coffins are reopened just before burial to allow mourners to look at the deceased one last time and give their final farewells.

Greek funerals are an exception as the coffin is open during the whole procedure unless the state of the body does not allow it.

Islamic Rituals for the Dying and Deceased

Morticians may ensure that all jewelry, including wristwatch, that were displayed at the wake are in the casket before it is buried or entombed. Custom requires that everything goes into the ground; however this is not true for Jewish services. Jewish tradition stipulates that nothing of value is buried with the deceased. In the case of cremation such items are usually removed before the body goes into the furnace. Pacemakers are removed prior to cremation — if left in they could explode. The family of the deceased may wish to have only a very small, private service, with just the deceased's closest family members and friends attending.

This type of ceremony is not open to the public, but only to those invited. A memorial service, or a commemoration is one given for the deceased when the body is not present. The service takes place after cremation or burial at sea , after donation of the body to an academic or research institution, or after the ashes have been scattered. It is also significant when the person is missing and presumed dead , or known to be deceased though the body is not recoverable.

These services often take place at a funeral home; however, they can be held in a home, school, workplace, church or other location of some significance. A memorial service may include speeches eulogies , prayers, poems, or songs to commemorate the deceased. Pictures of the deceased and flowers are usually placed where the coffin would normally be placed.

After the sudden deaths of important public officials, public memorial services have been held by communities, including those without any specific connection to the deceased. For examples, community memorial services were held after the assassinations of US presidents James A. Garfield and William McKinley.

A good funeral as they were called had one draw the curtains for a period of time; at the wake, when new visitors arrived, they would enter from the front door and leave through the back door. The women stayed at home whilst the men attended the funeral, the village priest would then visit the family at their home to talk about the deceased and to console them.

Believing that it was wrong to bury a corpse, and thereby pollute the earth, Price decided to cremate his son's body, a practice which had been common in Celtic societies. The police arrested him for the illegal disposal of a corpse. The case set a precedent that, together with the activities of the newly-founded Cremation Society of Great Britain, led to the Cremation Act In Finland, religious funerals hautajaiset are quite ascetic. The local priest or minister says prayers and blesses the deceased in their house.

Nowadays the deceased is put into the coffin in the place where they died.

The undertaker will pick up the coffin and place it in the hearse and drive it to the funeral home, while the closest relatives or friends of the deceased will follow the hearse in a funeral procession in their own cars. The coffin will be held at the funeral home until the day of the funeral. The funeral services may be divided into two parts. First is the church service siunaustilaisuus in a cemetery chapel or local church, than the burial. The majority of Italians are Roman Catholic and follow Catholic funeral traditions. Historically, mourners would walk in a funeral procession to the gravesite; today vehicles are used.

The body, brought by a hearse from the mortuary, may be taken to a church or to a cemetery chapel,Then there is a funeral mass or service at cemetery chapel. Following the mass or Service the casket is carried in procession usually on foot on a hearse to the grave. Once at the gravesite, the priest will commence the graveside committal service and the casket is lowered. The mass or service usually takes place at the cemetery.

In some traditional rural areas, the wake czuwanie takes place in the house of the deceased or their relatives.

The body lies in state for three days in the house. The funeral usually takes place on the third day. Family, neighbors and friends gather and pray during the day and night on those three days and nights. There are usually three stages in the funeral ceremony ceremonia pogrzebowa , pogrzeb: After the funeral, families gather for a post-funeral get-together stypa.

It can be at the family home, or at a function hall. In Poland cremation is less popular because the Catholic Church in Poland doesn't allow it. Cremation is popular among non-religious and Protestants in Poland. An old funeral rite from the Scottish Highlands involved burying the deceased with a wooden plate resting on his chest.

On the plate were placed a small amount of earth and salt, to represent the future of the deceased.

The earth hinted that the body would decay and become one with the earth, while the salt represented the soul, which does not decay. This rite was known as "earth laid upon a corpse". This practice was also carried out in Ireland, as well as in parts of England, particularly in Leicestershire, although in England the salt was intended to prevent air from distending the corpse. In Spain, a burial or cremation may occur very soon after a death.

Most Spaniards are Roman Catholics and follow Catholic funeral traditions. First, family and friends sit with the deceased during the wake until the burial. Wakes are a social event and a time to laugh and honor the dead. Following the wake comes the funeral mass Tanatorio at the church or cemetery chapel.

Following the mass is the burial. The coffin is then moved from the church to the local cemetery, often with a procession of locals walking behind the hearse. A growing number of families choose to hold a life celebration or celebration of life [41] [42] event for the deceased in addition to or instead of a traditional funeral. Such ceremonies may be held outside the funeral home or place of worship; restaurants, parks, pubs and sporting facilities are popular choices based on the specific interests of the deceased.

Originating in New Orleans, Louisiana , U. Traditional jazz funerals begin with a processional led by the funeral director, family, friends, and the brass band, i. After the body is buried, or "cut loose", the band begins to play up-tempo, joyful jazz numbers, as the main line parades through the streets and crowds of " second liners " join in and begin dancing and marching along, transforming the funeral into a street festival.

The terms "green burial" and "natural burial", used interchangeably, apply to ceremonies that aim to return the body with the earth with little to no use of artificial, non-biodegradable materials. As a concept, the idea of uniting an individual with the natural world after he or she dies appears as old as human death itself, being widespread before the rise of the funeral industry.

Holding environmentally-friendly ceremonies as a modern concept first attracted widespread attention in the s. In terms of North America , the opening of the first explicitly "green" burial cemetery in the U. However, the Green Burial Council, which came into being in , has based its operations out of California. The instition works to officially certifies burial practices for funeral homes and cemeteries, making sure that appropriate materials are used. Religiously, some adherents of the Roman Catholic Church often have particular interest in "green" funerals given the faith's preference to full burial of the body as well as the theological commitments to care for the environment stated in Catholic social teaching.

Those with concerns about the effects on the environment of traditional burial or cremation may be placed into a natural bio-degradable green burial shroud. That, in turn, sometimes gets placed into a simple coffin made of cardboard or other easily biodegradable material. Furthermore, individuals may choose their final resting place to be in a specially designed park or woodland, sometimes known as an "ecocemetery", and may have a tree or other item of greenery planted over their grave both as a contribution to the environment and a symbol of remembrance.

Humanists UK organises a network of humanist funeral celebrants or officiants across England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Channel Islands [48] and a similar network is organised by the Humanist Society Scotland. Humanist officiants are trained and experienced in devising and conducting suitable ceremonies for non-religious individuals. In areas outside of the United Kingdom , the Republic of Ireland has featured an increasing number of non-religious funeral arrangements according to publications such as Dublin Live. This has occurred in parallel with a trend of increasing numbers of people carefully scripting their own funerals before they die, writing the details of their own ceremonies.

The Irish Association of Funeral Directors has reported that funerals without a religious focus occur mainly in more urbanized areas in contrast to rural territories. Although such non-religious ceremonies are "a rare scene in Maltese society" due to the large role of the Roman Catholic Church within that country's culture , according to Lovin Malta , "more and more Maltese people want to know about alternate forms of burial Actual events during secular funerals vary, but they frequently reflect upon the interests and personality of the deceased.

For example, the ceremony for the aforementioned Keith Floyd , a restaurateur and television personality , included a reading of Rudyard Kipling 's poetic work If— and a performance by musician Bill Padley. Civil funerals are an alternative to religious or humanist ceremonies in the UK. Unlike a humanist funeral, a civil funeral can contain some religious content, such as hymns or reading if the family wish. Funerals specifically for fallen members of fire or police services are common in United States and Canada. A Masonic funeral is held at the request of a departed Mason or family member.

The service may be held in any of the usual places or a Lodge room with committal at graveside, or the complete service can be performed at any of the aforementioned places without a separate committal. Freemasonry does not require a Masonic funeral. There is no single Masonic funeral service. Some Grand Lodges it is a worldwide organisation have a prescribed service.

Some of the customs include the presiding officer wearing a hat while doing his part in the service, the Lodge members placing sprigs of evergreen on the casket, and a small white leather apron may being placed in or on the casket. The hat may be worn because it is Masonic custom in some places in the world for the presiding officer to have his head covered while officiating. To Masons the sprig of evergreen is a symbol of immortality. A Mason wears a white leather apron, called a "lambskin," on becoming a Mason, and he may continue to wear it even in death.

In these societies, white or off-white robes are traditionally worn to symbolize that someone has died and can be seen worn among relatives of the deceased during a funeral ceremony. In Chinese culture, red is strictly forbidden as it is a traditionally symbolic color of happiness.

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Exceptions are sometimes made if the deceased has reached an advanced age such as 85, in which case the funeral is considered a celebration, where wearing white with some red is acceptable. Contemporary Western influence however has meant that dark-colored or black attire is now often also acceptable for mourners to wear particularly for those outside the family.

In such cases, mourners wearing dark colors at times may also wear a white or off-white armband or white robe. Contemporary South Korean funerals typically mix western culture with traditional Korean culture, largely depending on socio-economic status, region, and religion. In almost all cases, all related males in the family wear woven armbands representing seniority and lineage in relation to the deceased, and must grieve next to the deceased for a period of three days before burying the body.

During this period of time, it is customary for the males in the family to personally greet all who come to show respect. While burials have been preferred historically, recent trends show a dramatic increase in cremations due to shortages of proper burial sites and difficulties in maintaining a traditional grave. The ashes of the cremated corpse are commonly stored in columbaria. The new names are typically chosen by a Buddhist priest, after consulting the family of the deceased.

Most Japanese are cremated. In modern practice, specific rites concerning an individual's passage through life are generally ascribed to one of these two faiths. Aside from the religious aspect, a Japanese funeral usually includes a wake, the cremation of the deceased, and inclusion within the family grave. Follow-up services are then performed by a Buddhist priest on specific anniversaries after death. According to an estimate in , In recent years however, alternative methods of disposal have become more popular, including scattering of the ashes, burial in outer space, and conversion of the cremated remains into a diamond that can be set in jewelry.

Funeral practices and burial customs in the Philippines encompass a wide range of personal , cultural , and traditional beliefs and practices which Filipinos observe in relation to death, bereavement, and the proper honoring, interment, and remembrance of the dead. These practices have been vastly shaped by the variety of religions and cultures that entered the Philippines throughout its complex history. Most if not all present-day Filipinos, like their ancestors, believe in some form of an afterlife and give considerable attention to honouring the dead.

Friends and neighbors bring food to the family, such as pancit noodles and bibingka cake ; any leftovers are never taken home by guests, because of a superstition against it.

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