Funerals in Islam (called Janazah in Arabic) follow fairly specific rites, though they are subject to regional interpretation and variation in custom. In all cases, however, sharia (Islamic religious law) calls for burial of the body, preceded by a simple ritual involving bathing and shrouding the body, followed by salah (prayer). Burial rituals should normally take place as soon as possible.
Last February, a wife of one of our beloved friends who stay and work in Saudi Arabia has passed away in a hospital in Al-Khobar, Eastern Region, Saudi Arabia (May her soul be placed with those who are pious and blessed by Allah Ta'ala). That time we (Malaysia citizen in Jubail, Saudi Arabia) had the opportunity to arrange funeral. Although the basic Islamic requirement was the same but there were many new things we learned during the arrangement.
That was the first time for Malaysia in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia facing the incident. As soon as death certificate and burial permit were obtained the body were brought to a masjid which was chosen by the family. The process began there. There were people in-charged to execute the bathing and shrouding of the body. When it is complete, the body was brought to a masjid for salah (prayer). Immediately after salah, the body was brought to the graveyard for burial with a funeral van.
During funeral salah, we observed many Saudi came to the masjid together to perform salah for the death. Obviously they were not our family neither nor or friends. They were the community who lives around the area who did not even know who was the deceased. The only thing they know we were Muslims.
At the graveyard people from unknown came to the help the burial, not one or two but many. They came to help and some of the them continue perform salah on the graveyard because they missed in the masjid.
The difficult part was during the process to obtain death certificate and permit of burial because almost none of us could speak and communicate in Arabic because the person in-charge on their side did not read or speak Arabic. These are always a problem when we face with the government services. However, Allah is the all-knowing has sent us two Arabs to assist us until all were done.
Thank you to the husband of this funeral for allowing me to write this article based on the incident.
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