Death, Janazah, and Burial
Updated: Dec 15, 2022
The death, Janazah (i.e., prayer for the deceased Muslim), and burial takes place in the order without delay. It is a difficult moment for a family, relatives, and friends to cope with, but it is inevitable as no one can escape this. The pronouncement and confirmation of death are usually done after the physician's confirmation then Hospital issues the death certificate. Near the end of life, a person may be facing situations that are sometimes difficult to ascertain death. It's extremely important to comply with Islamic bioethics and legal requirements before death is pronounced.
After the death is confirmed, The funeral is the priority after death. The funeral expenses may include the cost of the shroud, the cost of the grave, including excavations, and the expenses for relatives who came from outside. The funeral expenses are usually managed by the deceased's family, relatives, community members, or sponsors. Most of the time, it is managed by a local Muslim mosque or organization. As soon it is pronounced, a city Muslim community help to complete the Janazah and burial. It is mainly ignored on most funeral occasions, but Burial should not occur before Debts are paid off.
This is where your estate planning comes in handy, as the deceased should have left all information and documents related to Debts accessible to the family so they can decide on burial as soon as possible. Debt is a big part of salvation that most Muslim families do not handle properly. Unfortunately, most people primarily concern about arranging food for relatives rather than debts.
Debt is not just personal or business mortgages, loans,, and credits but it also includes the religious obligatory pending debts such as Zakat (i.e., an obligatory charity), Hajj (i.e., pending obligatory pilgrimage if applicable), Fidya (i.e., pending money for the expiation of fasting) and Nadhr (i.e., pending money for the expiation of vows).
After the fulfillment of Debts, Janazah, and Burial completion, the expenses and tax payment come before the bequest is calculated. Apply the bequest portion as per Will (must not exceed one-third), and the remaining goes to Islamic legal heirs as per Islamic inheritance law. You can learn through our Islamic Inheritance course.
We suggest reading the below books to further expand your knowledge. Wassiyyah appreciates the Courtesy of respective authors or institutions publishing this literature.