Ethnic and religious practices are now key features of most societies, with Muslims representing century with the revelatory experiences of Prophet Muhammad. His life represents a second largest group in the world. The Muslims share a common belief centering on the unity of Allah and the unity message from the holy Quran. The history of Islam dates back to the seventeenth prayerful and sensitive person raised by his uncle after he was orphaned. After his death, the religion spread worldwide from Asia to Spain and Africa (Marzband, Rahmatollah. & Ali p3). Muhammad had revelations that criticized the two components of the Meccan society 'the worship of many gods and the plight of the needy. In this narrative, we consider core Muslim beliefs in relation to death and bereavement and draw our personal experiences to reflect on possible implications of life after death.
According to Islam, the Quran contains divine law, principle, and mandates for everyday practices. A key theme in the Quran is the contrast between the permanent abode of the Akhirah and the transitory nature of the world. The major pillars of Islamic practices include the recitation of the shahadah, recitation of salat or liturgical prayer, zakat: Sawn, and hajj. As a symbol of their submission to God, Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a year to represent God's unity and Muslim as a universal community. Muslims wear ihram, which is a white-shroud like the garment to symbolize unity and equality among humans.
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The Quran highlights the times of trials, rejections, and persecutions encountered by Muslim prophets and how God provided wisdom and hope that sustained them. It summarizes the deeds, mercies, and revelation of God. At times, the Quran criticizes the Jewish and Christian practices and conquers with other beliefs (Marzband, Rahmatollah. & Ali p56). It affirms that life has a purpose and that events in human history are in the hands of a merciful and just God. It considers death not an end but a passage to a new eternal life. Moreover, it emphasizes faith and caring for parents, orphans, relatives, and the needy.
Life and death are believed by Muslims to be in accord with three major qur' anic themes, which include creation, revelation, and the end time. In the qur' anic theme of creation, the goal and hope of individual existence is to return to a time of unity with God. The revelatory theme focuses on prophet Muhammed's revelations of an interior unitive state of return to God in this life. The end-time theme reveals about the day of the resurrection; an individual can see the truth of oneself with clarity and honesty that separates one from God.
The theme of creation is much discussed in the Quran and speaks of how God created human beings, both male and female, from his soul. God created Adam and asks him to name things that the angels could not. Muslims interpret the ability of Adam to name things as a demonstration of the human capacity for creative knowledge (Ahaddour et al., p56). The Quran describes human beings as having within them pre-existencee with God, thus perennially forget their submission to God. Adam and Eve disobey God in the Garden of Eden, but God forgives them. In this context, Islam does not breach or rupture the relationship between man and God. Adams's sin, according to Muslims, is a stage in the human soul that commands evil.
The Quran interprets the process of death, the structure of heaven, and the day of resurrection, eschatological, or end-time themes. Death is not a taboo subject, and Islam encourages Muslims to be aware of the non-eternal life on the earth and instead focus on their spiritual life and growth. Prophet Muhammad reminded Muslims to 'be in the world as if you are a stranger or a traveler.' Muslims are told to view death as a new beginning rather than an end.
For those who die as Muslims, death marks the transition to the hereafter or eternity. Any pain and suffering experienced when one is dying represents a source of divine recompense experienced in the world. The words of Prophet Muhammad are encouraging to many. He says that any form of suffering by the dying or the bereaved can serve as a reward in the hereafter. Further, the Quran describes Allah as 'the most merciful. The most kind' thus he is aware of the pain and suffering associated with losing a beloved one. In response, Allah sheds of sins of those who show patience and remain faithful in their beliefs.
In the case of bereavement, Muslims practice typical and traditional Islamic customs as outlined in the Quran. The purpose of the human existence and the promise made by Allah regarding the comfort, strength, and reward after death helps shape Muslims' response towards end (Ahaddour et al. p64). Muslim's reaction towards the death of a loved one is rarely accompanied by anger, bewilderment, or denial, instead Muslim believers take comfort in knowing that Allah is aware of their pain and that trials are signs of love.
The belief in the hereafter reduces the pain of losing a loved one since they look at it just as a temporary separation. Through prayers or Dua, the bereaved find solace and a motivation to keep on with life with the hope to re-unite in paradise (Ahaddour et al. 76). Bereavement allows Muslims to reflect on their social and spiritual life and readjust life accordingly. It's believed the loss of a loved is a blessing a chance to return to Fitrah in which they get attached to Allah [a1].
Islamic death rituals and traditions simply describes Islamic burial customs stated in the Quran. The customs prescribes how a body of a deceased is handled from sickness to burial (Marzband, Rahmatollah. & Ali p32).it is presumed that the dead is aware of events, actions, and attitudes performed during his death. Friends and relatives of the family visit prior to death to show social support both for the family and the patient. The visitors recite a few verses of the Quran and help the dying recite the shahadah and remember his Islamic beliefs.
When a Muslim is approaching death, they often reflect and review lives and ask God for forgiveness for their wrongs. This is usually private between the patient and God (Ahaddour et al.76). There is no need to confess to another person but seek God's forgiveness for their wrongdoing. Even those around the bed do not need to know what the sick person is asking God for forgiveness. There is also reconciliation with family members in case there were quarrels and disagreements before. Members of the family maintain vigil and take turns reading the Quran at the bedside.
According to Muslim customs, whenever a Muslim dies, he's to be buried within twenty-four hours of death (Murray p12). Cremation and embalming is not allowed. Cemetery or burial grounds should be located in the strategic legal zone or places so as not to delay the burial. By any chance, burials are not to be seen as a business opportunity for anyone, and rather everyone should be involved in helping out during the funeral. The funeral committee makes burial arrangements with the mosque community members
The deceased is washed and buried as per the ways that emulate the ways of the Sunnah of prophet Muhammed. The body and hair are washed according to guidelines of sanctity, modesty, and tenderness (Murray p18). Men clean fellow men, whereas women clean fellow women. Children may also be involved in washing their parents. They recite prayers during the ablution of the body. The body is then shrouded in unhemmed white cotton clothes, folded and tied in a similar way like prophet Muhammed's burial. The body is then placed in a wooden casket and taken to the mosque for the recitation of funeral prayers.
Men who are present carry the body to the burial site while women are to stay at a distance. The body is removed from the casket, they loosen the shrouds and lower the body into the grave facing towards the direction of Mecca. The deceased is laid to rest among wooden slats. Wooden slats are also placed on top of the burial chamber so that no soil will bear down the body. The burial atmosphere is peaceful to protect the bereaved family from extreme grieving, sadness, and attachment to the deceased.
Later the grave is then filled with soil. Small stones are placed to cover the burial mound. In most Muslim communities, wooden slats are placed at each end of the mound, which is symbolic of the deeds in one's life. When all this is over they recite the talqin (Murray p12). Men around the grave, recite questions that the angelic messengers will ask the deceased and the appropriate responses. They recite Fatihah, the opening chapter of the Quran and offer a supplication on behalf of the dead. It's believed after the last person has taken seven steps from the grave, the angels Munkir and Nakir start questioning the departed soul within the grave. In the evening after the burial, the community is invited to the mosque to recite ya sin.
In general end of life, care is at the heart of the Muslim community. The Islamic customs and traditions at the time of death emulate Prophet Muhammad and what is in the Quran. The customs involve maintaining death bed vigil, reading the Quran to the sick, extorting dying persons to make an Islamic declaration of faith. After death, the eyes and mouth closed, and the limbs straightened. The body is then washed, shrouded, taken to the mosque for prayers, and finally to the burial site within 24 hours of death. The final prayer is said as the deceased is laid to rest.
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