preview

Religion And Culture On Practices Surrounding Death

Better Essays

Death is a traumatic experience that every human being experiences at some point in his or her life. However, everyone views and handles death differently. There are many distinct influences of religion and culture on practices surrounding death. Cultural and religious backgrounds have been known to greatly impact an individual’s bereavement process. For instance, Islam provides a strong basis for Muslims in their expressions of grief and loss (Kausar et al., 2011).
Islamic Beliefs and Assumptions about Death and Beyond
In the Islamic faith, there are distinct beliefs and rituals on death and bereavement. Muslims define death as the point at which the soul leaves the body and the heart stops (Salman, 2010). This means that death …show more content…

Paradise is achieved when one has carried out good deeds, prayed, served their community, and followed the Islamic principles (Salman, 2010).
Islamic Death Practices
As mentioned before, it is unlawful in the Islamic faith to prepare the processes for an impending death before a “complete death”. A Muslim has not reached death until his or her last heart beat (Bedir & Aksoy, 2011). Muslim practice is to bury rather than cremate the deceased. Preparations of the body for burial take place within twenty-four hours. Funerary rituals involve final washing and shrouding the body in white cloth. Before the burial, the body is taken for recitation of prayers. The body is to be laid facing Mecca, an Islamic holy city in Saudi Arabia. It is customary for the women to stay at home or at a mosque and pray, while the men escort the body to the burial ground (Shaw, 2014). In Muslim countries, the body is buried without the casket while this is not the case in the United States (Salman, 2010). Following the burial, visitors attend the home of the deceased to offer condolences to the surviving family. Funerary rituals are usually performed collectively in the sense that people travel from near and far to acknowledge the deceased. The Islamic faith does not include placing flowers, burning candles, playing music, or singing.
Most Muslims prepare an Islamic will when they become adults. The will lists the people such as family members, neighbors and friends who

Get Access