Islam – Muslim funeral

Here at E Nilssons we have good contact with the Muslim communities and are often trusted to act as undertakers for these funerals. Muslims come from different countries with different languages and cultural backgrounds. There may therefore be several communities within one city.

Graves shall be arranged so that the deceased is placed towards Mecca. The deceased shall always be buried and it shall take place as soon as possible. The burial is preceded by a religious cleaning ceremony after which the deceased is swaddled in cotton fabric.

If a coffin is used it must be a simple coffin, flowers are not used as a rule. Muslims reject post-mortem examination for traditional reasons.

The burial takes place after midday prayers, Salat al-Zuhr, and is initiated with a short prayer before the men go to the burial site. They help each other place the deceased in the grave. Women are as a rule not present but pray at home instead. The burial site act is concluded with a prayer.

The grave shall be marked with a simple grave marker that indicates where the head and the foot of the grave is placed. Headstones occur and they are often adorned with a crescent and a star.