Having covered the stages of an Islamic funeral arrangement in Brunei, this article focuses specifically on one of the most important stages in the funeral process: preparation of the Jenazah (the deceased).
Based on our research and also consultation with veteran Imams, we are listing the 12 items necessary for the preparation of the deceased below:
1. White cloth (‘Kain Kafan’)
The main item that is used for enshrouding the deceased. The sheet of cloth should be clean and plain. Male deceased requires 3 wraps, while female deceased require 5 wraps to cover the “aurat”. Small quantity of the cloth is also used for cleansing the deceased (more details below).
2. Rubber gloves and apron
These items are needed during the bathing of the body. Funeral managers usually wear an apron to avoid getting wet and the rubber gloves to clean the body easily.
3. Scissors
A handy tool used by funeral managers, as there are many items require cutting. The scissor is mainly used on the white cloth “Kain Kafan”.
4. Camphor (“Kapur barus”)
Camphor is an important item to reduce the smell of the body and delaying the process of decay. Camphor is divided into two, one is in powder form and the other will be mixed with water. The powder form will be sprinkled onto the white sheet and cotton roll before enshrouding. The mixed water is to be used as the final wash after the body is thoroughly cleaned with soap.
5. Soap
Soap is the first item used to clean the body before the final wash with camphor water. Washing should be done gently but thoroughly.
6. Cotton bud and toothpick
These items are used to clean parts of the body that is difficult to reach such as the ears, nose, and teeth. Small pieces of white cloth are also cut and wrapped around fingers as a makeshift glove to brush the teeth.
7. Cotton Roll
Cotton roll is used as a layer before shrouding the deceased, the cotton roll will be coated with camphor powder and to be put as padding to wrap the joints. (“kapur barus”)
8. “Attar” oil
This is a unique fragrance of perfume and aroma oil to be applied onto the white cloth and cotton roll when enshrouding the deceased.
9. Coffin and “Kain Jawi”
The coffin is made on the spot after the measurement of the deceased has been taken. The measurement will be done before the body is washed to ensure that the body will fit. The green cover cloth (“Kain Jawi”) will be provided by the funeral manager.
10. Needle and white thread
These are used to keep the green cloth covering the coffin in place when the coffin is being carried to its selected cemetery location.
11. Mat
Used for a variety of purposes. Mainly used to perform the enshrouding and to carry the deceased easily. It is also used as a sitting spot at the cemetery.
12. Tombstone
The tombstone (‘batu nisan’) is to indicate the grave temporarily. It should have a simple design and properly erected. At a later date, a permanent tombstone will be used as a replacement.
There are also other items (e.g. Lime, water dipper or nail polish remover) which are convenient to have on hand. However, they are used depending on certain situation only.
If you are interested to learn more about Islamic funeral management, you can do so by joining the Legacy Matters’ Islamic Funeral workshop series, which provides a safe and understanding interactive learning opportunities.
Legacy Matters workshops are held at least once a month, so keep an eye out for the next one by following us on Instagram and Facebook.
If any of our stories and information have been inaccurate or incomplete in our coverage, please get in touch with us immediately at ask@memori.io. (Full disclaimer)
Written by:
Li En Ru — Project Lead at Memori. Content writer with 3 years of experience in copywriting and research. Formerly associate editor at Borneo Bulletin in Brunei. En Ru’s favourite food is this sticky stuff called Ambuyat.
Izaaz Syazwi — Part of Memori’s Digital Marketing team. Experienced in marketing. Copywriting and content creation. Izaaz’s favourite philosopher is Socrates.
Infographics design: Izaaz & Wina
Research assistance: Hazimah
Vetted by: Ar-RazaqBN