The passing of a loved one is an overwhelming experience for everyone. Therefore, it is a good idea to get acquainted with the funeral arrangements and the possible decision family members may be asked to make for the deceased.
Here, we give an overview of the Islamic funeral process gathered from veteran Islamic funeral managers in the process of the Islamic funeral in Brunei. For a deep dive, sign up for our Islamic Funeral workshop series.
1. Notify the relevant authorities
Either the police or the ambulance has to be informed of a death. If the death is suspicious, the police must be contacted, and the scene of death should be left undisturbed for police investigation.
During this time, the family can begin contacting relatives and friends of the deceased.
2. Making funeral arrangement
The four roles essential to the Islamic funeral process:
- The funeral manager (usually an Imam) oversees the funeral processes and leads the prayers.
- The Pengapai (gender-sensitive) leads family members of the deceased in bathing and enshrouding the deceased.
- The hearse driver handles the transportation of the deceased to the cemetery.
- The gravediggers are usually the caretaker of the cemetery chosen. They helped with the labour involved in the burial process.
3. Preparing for the burial
The deceased’s relatives go to the cemetery to select the burial plot, accompanied by the gravediggers. At the same time, the construction of the coffin begins at home or in the mosque.
4. Preparation for the deceased
The Pengapai leads the bathing of the deceased, usually involving the family of the deceased. The deceased is then enshrouded.
Before proceeding to the cemetery, the funeral manager will lead a funeral prayer for the deceased.
5. Burial
The burial involved the gravediggers and family members of the deceased. Following the burial, the family often hold Tahlil gatherings for the deceased on the first, third and seventh days.
To gain in-depth know-how of the stages of the Islamic funeral process, you can sign up for the Islamic Funeral series of the Legacy Matters workshops. The hands-on practical sessions will teach you how to execute proper Jenazah management from experienced Islamic funeral managers.
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.
Infographics design: Wina
Research assistance: Aisyah and Hazimah