Death, Resurrection, and Human Destiny: Christian and Muslim Perspectives

Selected Passages from Journey to the Afterlife

Selected Passages from Journey to the Afterlife Preparations for the Funeral and Burial THE time lapse between death and burial should be short; after the death the deceased should be buried as soon as possible. The body should not be kept for too long unnecessarily. Postmortem should not be allowed; the Prophet (PBUH1 ) said ‘‘Breaking a bone of a dead person is like breaking a bone of a living person’’ (Tirmidhi). It is against the dignity of a Muslim. Immediately after the death, preparations are made for washing the body, shrouding, the funeral prayer and the burial. Washing the Body To wash (ghusl) the dead body is a communal obligation (fardun kifayah). Someone from the community must do it. The method of washing the body is as follows: 1. The body is laid on a platform, which is fumigated with scent and sweet fragrance. 2. The body will be covered between the navel and the knees with a cloth. 3. The washing starts by cleaning the private parts by pouring water over them three times. The washer of the body should wear plastic gloves and must not even look at, let alone touch, the private parts. This is followed by wudu (ablutions); the mouth and nose wiped with cotton swabs, the face and the arms to the elbow washed three times. The head is wiped and feet washed. 4. Wash the head using shampoo then turn the body to the left hand side and pour water from head to feet, soap can be used. Repeat this method for the right hand side. 187 188 Texts and Commentaries 5. Gently rinse the head and the upper part of the body, gently massage the abdomen. If there is excretion wash it away. There is no need to wash the whole body again. 6. Finally pour camphor scented water over the whole body and dry with a towel. Miscellaneous Points 1. It is compulsory to pour water once over the whole body and Sunnah to do so three times. When washing the body it is recommended that the body should be placed in such a way that the face is towards Ka‘bah. 2. The person doing the washing should be in a state of wudu. 3. The husband cannot wash the body of his wife, nor can he touch her. 4. If the deceased died in a state of major impurity (junub) or state of menses or post-natal bleeding, the above described washing sequence is enough. 5. If the body is swollen and cannot be touched, it is sufficient to just pour water over it. 6. Both hands should be placed on the sides, not on the chest. 7. The hair should not be cut or combed; nails should not be cut either. The Shroud To shroud the body after washing is a communal obligation. The shroud for men is: 1. A large sheet used as an envelope and wraps the whole body. It should be longer than the length of the body. 2. An inner envelope. 3. A qamees (long shirt or tunic)—from the neck to below the knees. The shroud for women has the following two extra items: 1. An apron to cover the head this should be 1 metre by 0.5 metre. 2. A cloth tied around the chest down to the abdomen. Selected Passages from Journey to the Afterlife 189 How to Put on the Shroud After the body has been washed and dried it is shrouded in the following way. 1. Put perfume on the shroud and the body as well, and then spread the large envelope of the shroud on a dry platform. 2. Lay the inner envelope of the shroud on top of this then lay the qamees on top of this. Now put the body on top of this. 3. After putting on the qamees, wrap the inner sheet around the body, then wrap the outer sheet and tie it at the bottom of the feet and at the other end on the top of the head. 4. For women tie chest band last of all, also split hair in two halves and put one half on top of the left hand side of the chest and the other on the right. It is permissible to lay an embroidered and colourful sheet on top of the shroud. Similarly to lay wreaths of flowers on the shroud or the grave...