Islamic Funeral

We received a sad news of the death of an ex-classmate's husband recently. There are plans to collect money for the family, as well as attending the commonly practised "Tahlil" events.

So, what's the Islamic way of handling a death? Here's the procedure of the Islamic funeral, summarized as follows:

1. (Immediately after the death, gently close the eyes, tie the jaw, tie the legs, and cover the body). Wash the body, preferably done by the spouse or other same-sex close relatives (children, siblings)
2. Shroud the body in white sheets, preferably topped with the deceased own prayer clothes
3. Perform the funeral prayer
4. Bury the dead, reciting “Bismi Allah, wa `ala millat rasuli Allah salla Allahu `alaihi wa sallam. Minha khalaqnakum wa fihah nu`idukum wa minha nukhrijikum taratan ukhra.” In the name of Allah, and in accordance with the way of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). “From the earth We have created you and unto the earth We shall return you and from it, again, We will resurrect you once again!” (Taha: 55)
5. Say prayers invoking Allah's mercy on the deceased. Make farewell with “Greetings of peace to you all. Allah-willing, we will also join you. May Allah forgive you and all of us!”

• Make funeral arrangement without delay
• Extended family and friends prepare food for the bereaved family (not the other way round) for 3 days
• Wailing is prohibited
  

Afterwards, what we can do to the deceased? We can:

• Pay their outstanding debts
  
• Constantly make du'aa for the deceased parents
• Perform Umrah/Hajj on their behalf, after we have done so ourselves

But we may NOT conduct that on specific days (3rd, 7th, 40th). This is not Islamic, in fact it could actually originate from Hinduism (known as kriya/shraddha). So be careful.

And we must remember that the Prophet said: “It is not permissible for a person believing in Allah and in the Last Day to mourn a dead person for more than three days except in the case of a woman mourning her dead husband, in which case she should wait four months and ten days of mourning.”

Sure we would like to benefit the dead, not to burden the dead with things contradictory to Islam in the first place.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clearly warned us against all sorts of innovations in worship when he said, “Leave it as I have left it. Remember the nations before you perished because of their excessive questioning and their departure from the ways of their prophets.”

More details here Gathering to Recite the Qur’an on Behalf of the Dead

And while we're still alive, why not do good deeds ourselves, sincerely for Allah, in the ways prescribed by Him exemplified by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) the Last Messenger.

May Allah guide us all. Amin!