Contact: Phone: 313-584-4143 | Email: Secretary@icdonline.org
Call the ICD secretary to reserve FREE Azaa at the ICD (you can donate as much as you would like to ICD if you wish as Sadaqah for the deceased):
Funeral Services
“Verily, we are Allàh’s and verily to Him shall we return.” (Holy Quran – 2:156)
Funeral arrangements for loved ones can be made through Rahman Funeral Home, which is located at 12924 Joseph Campau in Detroit, 48212. Rahman Funeral Home is the only 100% Muslim owned and operated Islamic funeral service in southeast Michigan. The funeral director, Helon Rahman and the Administrator, Imam Abdallah El-Amin are available 24 hours a day and seven days a week for funeral services.
If a death occurs at home, it is recommended that Hospice or the local police are contacted and informed that the death has occurred and that Rahman Funeral Home will remove the body. After that, Imam Abdullah El-Amin can be contacted.
To learn more about Rahman Funeral Home you can visit www.rahmanfuneral.com and if you need funeral services for a loved one, Imam Abdullah El-Amin can be reached at (313) 999-4953.
As with any religious funeral, the planning of a Muslim funeral should take place with members and leaders of the Muslim community. Islamic laws and customs will guide this planning process, which begins from the moment it becomes clear that a Muslim is close to death. When it becomes known that a Muslim is dying, family members should be at his or her side. During this time family members should help the dying to think of his or her own transgressions, to ask for forgiveness and then to ponder Allah’s mercy and forgiveness.
Upon Death
- If the death occurs at home, relatives should call emergency services in order to have the death registered and a death certificate released.
- If a death occurs in a hospital or other institution, relatives should not attempt to move the body until a death certificate is released.
- When a Muslim is in the process of dying, it is good if family members recite the chapter of (ya-sin) from the Quran.
- Upon death, those with the deceased should close the eyes of the deceased, bind the deceased’s lower jaw to his head and cover the body with a clean sheet.
- It is the duty of the deceased’s family to wash the body in accordance with Islamic law.
- Unless a spouse is present, males will only wash males and females will only wash females.
- The washing should take place in a private place, with water, soap and a cloth, and be carried out three or five times.
- After washing, the body should be shrouded with white material.
- Embalming the body of a deceased Muslim is prohibited, and having the body undergo an autopsy is prohibited unless it is required by law.
Funeral Prayer:
- Funeral prayers (Salat-ul-Janazah) is a collective obligation for Muslims, so the community should perform these prayers with the deceased’s family.
- The purpose of these prayers is to request pardons for the deceased and all deceased Muslims.
Burial
- Only men attend Muslim burials, and only Muslim men should put the body of the deceased in the grave.
- Females should only be put in the grave by a male relative.
- After the burial all Muslims may stay and supplicate for the deceased.
- Marking the grave is permitted, however decorating the grave or allowing construction on top of it is not.
- Cremation is prohibited for Muslims, even if it is requested.
- After the burial, loved ones observe a three day mourning period. The preparation and burial of a deceased Muslim occurs according to Islamic law and custom. The family actively participates throughout the preparations, prayers and burial as does the wider Muslim community. Particularly in non-Muslim countries this time can be challenging as obtaining necessary items and following procedures that are not common in particular locations can be difficult. Local funeral directors such as the staff at Rahman Funeral Home may also be able to give advice on the requirements for Muslim funerals.
