Sarwar Alam Raz

General

TAKFEEN (WRAPPING THE BODY IN THE KAFAN)

General

Funeral practices in various countries often reflect the influence of local traditions and other religions. Muslims are required to confine all related rituals within the bounds prescribed by The Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (pbuh).

A few general guidelines for burial are given below. Most of these are based on common sense. They are included here for completeness:

(1) A man's body should be washed by men and a woman's body by women for obvious reasons.

General

The following Arabic terms are used in this handbook for reasons of brevity and conciseness.

Awrah: The private parts of an individual

Azan: The call to Salat

Bida'h: An innovation in religion

The publication of a Handbook of Muslim Burials may need some explanation. A review of the available literature on Islam in English shows a marked paucity of useful information on this important and sensitive subject.