Al Sufian

iconSufa 17 - The Funeral (Al-Janaaza)

1O People! There is no other deity but Allah!
2The Compassionate, the Beneficent, the Gracious;
3All glory and honor be to Allah and no other!
4While the dead body shall rot and decay and return to the soil;
5The mind and soul must be given time to detach itself from its former vessel.
6Yet the body upon death is an open door to all manner of unhealthy;
7Thus the Christian invites sickness upon their home when they refuse to bury the dead in a timely manner.
8Instead, they mimic all kind of ritual and bemoaning around the corpse of loved ones;
9As if such grief and wailing aids in their passing.
10Do not extend such grief of days over the body, for it does no help to those who have gone;
11But manifests greatly the woe.
12Instead, let the body rest before the setting sun upon the first opportunity.
13First, let the body be cleansed one last time that the spirit of the beloved be reminded of their forgiveness;
14Then let the body be wrapped in clean white cloth.
15As for the place of burial, let it be a place sacred to those of the Way;
16But if not, then let it be a place sacred for burial and remembrance.
17As for ceremony at the time of burial, let there be prayers of forgiveness for the dead, the honor of their memory and the prosperity of those who still live.
18Let not the words of funeral speak of revenge or judgment or hate, nor curse.
19As for the body, lay it flat or on its side so that the face is towards Al-Baqa and in prayer for the redemption of such sacred place, but do not allow the body to be placed upright.
20Behold! This is the Way of honoring the dead, the living and Allah.
21And when a much beloved member of Islam dies, do not make it such ceremony that would shame a poor bride;
22Than to honor the memory of those who lived well, by striving to live honorably our own lives.
23Verily, if one seeks to truly respect the words of Allah, then let him honor the dead of his slain enemy as if it be his own sons;
24That not one corpse be defiled;
25That not one raven or bird of prey may feast upon such dead flesh.
26So, if it be the custom of the enemy that their bodies be burned, let them be burned;
27If it be the custom of the enemy that their bodies be buried, then let them be honored so.
28Lo, any man who disgraces the dead of his enemy, disgraces Allah and is no Muslim;
29Truly, one of the most gravest of transgressions is to mock the dead.
30Behold, if it be a matter of siege, that prevents the proper burial of the dead;
31Then it honors those fallen that they be not a plague upon the living and their bodies be burned;
32For their bones shall remain and in good time, a burial shall come.
33Woe then any scholar who would seek to mock the Way, by showing such ignorance to sense.