The Funeral Rites

It is religiously obligatory to call the deathly ill person to repentance of sins; sincere adherence to the rights of Allah, the Exalted; and sincere adherence to the rights of creation immediately. If one is unable he/she must be responsible for bequeathing a will and urged to pronounce the testimony of faith. Whenever someone dies, they must be hastily prepared.

It is permissible to cry; however, it is prohibited to wail, raise voices, scratch one’s face, and rip one’s clothing as is mentioned in the narrated reports prohibiting such.

It is religiously obligatory to bathe the Muslim even if s/he began to shout, sneeze, or movement that might indicate life. It is absolutely prohibited to do such for a disbeliever or openly disobedient person.

The martyr in the way of Allah is shrouded in whatever he is killed in.

The one who bathes should be upright and of the same sex or one who of the opposite sex who is permitted to do so. It is religiously obligatory to cover the private parts of the dead. One should wrap one’s hand in a cloth to bathe the private parts or else he/she has sinned and his/her uprightness is affected. It is recommended for one to bathe it with three washings—first, with a cleansing herb (al-harď), then, with lotus jujube (as-sidr), and finally, with camphor. One who is exempt performs the dry purification. It is prohibited to pay the one who bathes.

One shrouds with that which will cover all of the body. The legal amount is seven [shrouding cloths] and an odd number.

The description of the shrouding is the following:

• One is to find something that will cover the body completely until nothing remains. 
• If one shrouds with three pieces, one clothes it in a waist-wrapper (izar) and roll it in two shrouding cloths.
• If one shrouds with five pieces, one clothes it with an unstitched shirt, a turban for the man/a head covering for the woman, and three shrouding cloths.
• If one shrouds with seven pieces, one clothes with an unstitched shirt, a waist-wrapper, a turban for the man/a head covering for the woman, and four shrouding cloths.

The prayer upon the believer is a collective obligation, and it is impermissible upon anyone else. Knowing the correct method is an individual obligation.

There can be no prayer leader except a great imam or his representative (wāli); afterwards, the righteous closest relative from the most immediate family. [The prayer] is relinquished without the permission of the first.

Its obligations are the following:

• Intention;
• Five declarations of Allāhu Akbar while standing;
• Final salutations.

It is recommended to recite al-Fātiha (Q. 1) after the first [declaration of Allāhu Akbar]; as-Šamad (Q. 113) (Q. 112) after the second; al-Falaq (Q. 113) after the third; and the prayer upon the Prophet and his progeny, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, after the fourth, as well as a supplication for the dead according to his state.

The imam faces the qibla at the navel of the man and the chest of the woman. Then, one buries the dead and lays it facing the qibla. No one enters him into the hole except one who is permissible to bathe him.

The grave of the Muslim and protected caste (adh-dhimmi) are prohibited to use as plantation fields to profit from. One does not walk on it, sit upon it, or utilize it in any way.