Muslims view death as a transition from one state of being to another, not as an end. They believe that actions follow you to the afterlife. So, if you live a good life you will be rewarded in the afterlife.

Islamic funeral customs require that:

  • The body be buried as soon as possible after death
  • The body is bathed and covered in white cotton.
  • The body is not placed in a casket, it is placed directly on ground
  • The body is turned to face towards Mecca, the holy center of Islam.
  • The right cheek must touch the ground, with the whole body turned to the right side
  • A person sitting next to the body reads verses from the Quran and gifts its deeds to the deceased, as if they have read it themselves. This is also regularly done by loved ones from anywhere and anytime.

The Quran is the Holy Book in Islam, just like the Bible is to Christianity or the Torah is to Judaism. The most common verses read at the deceased person’s body or their grave is from the chapter “Al-Fatihah,” or “The Opening,” as it is the first chapter of the Quran. It has seven verses (Al-Islam, n.d.):

  1. “In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.”
  2. “(All) praise is (only) Allah’s, the Lord of the Worlds.”
  3. “The Beneficent, The Merciful.”
  4. “Master of the Day of Judgement.”
  5. “Thee (alone) do we worship and of Thee (only) do we seek help.”
  6. “Guide us (O’ Lord) on the Straight Path.”
  7. “The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy bounties, not (the path) of those inflicted with Thy wrath, nor (of those) gone astray.”

After the body is buried, people visit the house of the family of the deceased over a period of several days to mourn the deceased. This is usually for 3 days. All the guests and the family wear black clothing. The family of the deceased serve food to the guests at intervals. Once at the third day, once at the first week, and once at 40th day. These offerings are gifts for soul of the deceased. They believe that this helps the deceased in their afterlife. The family does not engage in any cheerful activities and do not wear a colour other than black for 40 days, as a way to respect the death of the loved one.

They visit the grave for each of the first 3 days and after that they usually visit every Thursday night. In Islam, it is believed that Thursday is a blessed day and that the spirit of the deceased comes back to their grave every Thursday night. Families bring flowers to the grave every time they visit. People gather at the family of the deceased’s house to mourn again every year on the anniversary of their death. Most families also frame a big picture of the deceased, from a time when they were alive, and hang it in their homes.

Furthermore, there are no restrictions as to what time or day funerals or burials are done in Islam. That is because burials must happen as soon as possible after one’s death, so it does not matter what day it is done.

(Funeralwise, n.d.)