Islamic Funerals : the Epitome of Respect

Nusaybah Ritchie
Muslim Link Contributing Writer

The State of Maryland recently passed legislation allowing Muslim funeral 
directors to be certified without embalming requirements. That legislation 
recognized and respected the fact that embalming is forbidden in Muslim 
burial practice. Yet many deceased Muslims are getting embalmed. Why? The 
main reason is the family’s desire to have the deceased buried “back home” – 
either in another state or country.

Please know that if you or your loved one dies and the body is transported 
within the country or overseas on an airline, the body will almost certainly 
have to be embalmed. If you don’t know what embalming is, you can find 
descriptions on the Internet.

Basically, in embalming, the mouth is wired shut using a needle injector and 
the eyes are kept closed using instruments (eye caps) placed between the 
eyelid and eyeball. Incisions are made to access the arteries and organs, 
which later have to be sewn up with needle and thread. The body is nude and 
the genital area may or may not be covered during the process. Men can 
embalm women and women can embalm men. Next, all the blood – all of it - is 
pumped out of the deceased’s body and is replaced with a highly toxic 
compound of formaldehyde, methanol, and other solvents. Embalming fluid 
includes 9% to 56% ethyl alcohol (the same intoxicating alcohol that is 
found in alcoholic beverages). The embalming fluid is treated to simulate 
blood color and provide the skin with a “natural” look. A similar process is 
done to the organs, during which an 18-inch long metal needle (trocar) is 
stuck into the abdominal and thoracic cavities.

Airlines require embalming because it supposedly disinfects the body of its 
impure internal fluids. However, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) 
declared that our dead are not najis (impure or unclean). He (peace be upon 
him) ordered ghusl for the body, not embalming and ghusl. Another reason for 
embalming is to preserve the look of the corpse for open casket viewing that 
might occur a week or more after death. Muslims have no need for artificial 
preservation as burial should occur immediately and family mourning (except 
for the widow) should finish 3 days after death. The airline requirements 
are the main cause, but many factors go into why a body is embalmed. Even if 
a particular airline did not require embalming on a domestic flight, a state 
might require it when transporting a body out of state. A state can require 
embalming if the body is not buried within a certain amount of time. The 
local funeral home might do embalming by default unless specifically asked 
not to do it.

Apart from embalming, shipping the body is itself problematic. People often 
lose their luggage during travel. Can this happen to a body being shipped 
overseas? Yes, it can. Do airlines go on strike, airports get shut down, and 
flights get missed or cancelled? Yes, they do. Such incidents can delay the 
burial for days, even weeks. When it goes wrong, shipping can inflict 
additional pain and chaos on a grieving family. Even when it goes “right,” 
the overseas janazah and burial can typically take place a week after death 
occurs.

It should suffice us to know that the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered us 
to hasten the funeral rites and taught us to bury Muslims where they die. 
His direction is clear and takes priority over our feelings and the feelings 
of our relatives. If we claim to love the Prophet (peace be upon him) more 
than ourselves, a good way to prove it is by obeying him (peace be upon 
him).
Imam An-Nawawi (known for the 40 Hadith of An-Nawawi) said: “If a dead 
person requested in his will to be transferred to a different land for 
burial, this should not be executed for him, because it is prohibited to 
transfer the dead. This is the correct and chosen opinion held by most of 
the elite ulama.” (Al-Athkar).

In Islam, we are forbidden from buying extravagant shrouds. If we cannot be 
extravagant in what is obligatory, we should definitely not be extravagant 
in something we are not supposed to do. It costs about $7,000 to $12,000 to 
embalm and ship a body “back home.” That is a high price to pay for one last 
look at a loved one. That is money that does not go to support the 
deceased’s widow and orphans. That is money that can burden the family with 
debt when they should be paying off the debts of the deceased. That money 
could have been used to help the poor to eat. But instead it was used to 
help embalm a Muslim.

Islam teaches utmost respect for the dead. The Prophet (peace be upon him) 
forbade us from mutilating dead bodies. He (peace be upon him) said that 
breaking the bones of a dead person is like breaking them when he is alive. 
Muslims cannot cut the nails or hair of the deceased. Then what about 
cutting the flesh, sucking out all the blood, replacing it with toxins, and 
sewing it up again?

How can we make ghusl for our dead brother or sister, taking great care to 
wash away outer impurities, but meanwhile we pumped the body full of a 
substance that contains drinking alcohol? Imagine you spent your entire life 
avoiding alcohol only to have your blood replaced with it upon death. Where 
does your blood go after it’s been pumped out? Hint: It isn’t buried with 
your body.
In an interview posted on www.deviantbodies.com, Owen Leitsch describes his 
first experience embalming a body: “I felt really odd actually plunging this 
sharp instrument into a person, similar to stabbing. However, after I did 
it, I felt very comfortable with the procedure.” May Allah Almighty protect 
us from such hardening of our hearts against the dead. Did you know that the 
skin of a dead person can get goose bumps when water is applied?  I have 
seen it. I have seen the shining and smiling faces of our righteous dead 
Muslimahs. Masha’Allah.

Apparently there are fatawa out there allowing Muslims to embalm their dead 
under certain circumstances. If there are ever occasions when embalming 
might prevent a greater harm, then they would necessarily be very rare 
exceptions. One example is when the state requires embalming in cases of 
death by contagious disease (like typhoid). But what we are seeing is 
blanket permission for routine embalming when transporting Muslim bodies 
across the country or overseas.
One reason given for allowing embalming and shipment back home is to bring 
comfort and closure to the deceased’s family. But no real and enduring 
comfort can result from harming our dead or defying the sunnah. If the 
family wants to pray salat ul janazah it can be prayed from afar, so that is 
no real reason.
So why permit it and what is next? Will we follow the Christians in allowing 
cremation so that we “feel at peace” knowing the ashes of our loved ones are 
close by in jars on the mantelpiece? Why not permit wailing and slapping the 
cheeks if it makes mourners feel better and brings them “closure”?

Some may believe that since we live in the United States we must change our 
practices according to our environment. But we should realize that the vast 
majority of Muslim embalming occurs when we insist on, and pay for, 
something that requires embalming.
Further, many Americans are beginning to reject embalming. So, let us not 
adopt this practice just to “modernize” and “get along” in society when 
embalming is slowly on its way out anyway, insha’Allah. Never doubt that 
Islam is far ahead of the curve on all matters of human dignity.
Please make this a personal priority. You might first have to do some 
serious soul-searching. For example, if you know it would devastate your 
parents for you to be buried here in America, you need to ask yourself some 
tough questions. Are you serving your parents to the level required in 
Islam? Are you visiting them as often as you could? Should you move back 
home or re-locate them over here? Immigration can cause a great deal of 
emotional pain. The time to heal the hurt of separation is before death, not 
after. Now is the time to nurture the ties of kinship, not when you’re dead.
Please don’t delay discussing the matter with your loved ones here and 
overseas. Tell them not to transport your body in any manner that requires 
embalming. In case you travel often, you need to research the options. If 
you do not deal with this issue while alive, you are putting the community 
and your family in a very difficult position. Don’t count on anyone to stop 
a relative who wants you shipped back home.
If you are arranging burial for deceased loved ones, make sure embalming 
will not be required. When in doubt, ask the funeral home.  Tell them you 
are Muslim and want to prevent embalming. You are paying them for a service. 
If you ask them, they should assist you in getting your objectives met, 
insha’Allah.
Proper burial of Muslims is fard kifayah – a community obligation. If it’s 
not done properly by individuals, we are all liable for punishment. May 
Allah Most-Merciful forgive us for what was done out of ignorance.


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