When someone dies: what to do and who to call

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Ask your masjid whether it has a funeral committee or works with a Muslim funeral service, and save that number in your phone. Many masjids run one. The Scarborough Muslim Association in Toronto, for example, lists body release, washing and shrouding, cold storage, the death registration, the burial permit and burial at a Muslim cemetery. That is one example of the kind of service to look for, not a recommendation.

If your masjid does not offer this, ask which service it uses. A regular funeral home may not know what a Muslim burial needs, so the masjid's contact is the one to call first.

What to do in the first hours

• If the death was expected, at home or in hospital, a doctor or nurse confirms it.
• If the death was sudden or unexpected, call 911.
• Tell the hospital staff or the coroner right away that the family wants a Muslim burial and why timing matters.
• Call the masjid funeral contact. They explain the next steps, the paperwork and the cemetery.
• If you are not the next of kin, stay close and offer to make the calls. The family decides.

The Islamic steps in plain words

First the body is washed (ghusl of the deceased), usually by trained volunteers from the masjid. Then it is wrapped in plain cloth (the shroud, kafan). The community prays the funeral prayer (salat al-janazah), and the burial follows as soon as it can be arranged. Muslims do not cremate.

The funeral prayer is short. Everyone stands in rows behind the imam and there is no bowing or prostration. There are four takbirs (saying Allahu Akbar). In the method IslamQA teaches, you recite Al-Fatihah after the first, send blessings on the Prophet after the second, make dua for the person who died after the third, then say the fourth takbir and end with the salam. The schools differ on the words after the first takbir and on the number of salams, so follow the imam and ask him about your school.

The details of washing and shrouding also differ between the schools. The masjid team knows them, and you do not need to learn them before you help.

The paperwork, with Ontario as the example

Each province has its own offices and forms. In Ontario, the province's guide sets out these steps. A doctor or nurse practitioner completes the Medical Certificate of Death. A Statement of Death is filled in with the person's details. The death is registered with the municipality, which issues a burial permit. The province also says families can make the arrangements without a funeral service provider, although most people use a masjid service or a funeral home.

In other provinces, ask the masjid service or the hospital which forms apply. The Government of Canada has a checklist for what comes after, such as telling federal programmes about the death, benefits, and estates and wills.

Sudden deaths and the coroner

A coroner looks into deaths that are sudden or unexpected. Ontario's coroner service asks families to say straight away if they have religious or cultural needs about timing, and the coroner considers those concerns. The decision on whether to do an autopsy belongs to the coroner, and in Ontario it is legal and binding.

An autopsy can delay the burial, but the washing, the funeral prayer and the burial still happen once the body is released. Speak up early and calmly, and let the masjid service talk to the coroner's office if that helps.

Cemeteries and costs

Some areas have Muslim cemeteries and others have a Muslim section in a municipal cemetery. Ask your masjid which one it uses and what a plot and the service cost, because prices differ a lot between cities. If money is a worry, say so. Many masjids know where to find help for a family that cannot pay.

Women and the funeral

Women can attend the funeral prayer. Whether women follow the procession and attend the burial is discussed differently in the schools, and masjids have their own practice. Yaqeen Institute's series For Those Left Behind has an episode on women praying the funeral prayer and visiting graves. Ask your masjid what it does, and ask your imam about your school.

Protect your wishes: a checklist for converts

After you die, your legal next of kin may not be Muslim. In most provinces they, or the executor of your will, make the decisions about your body and your funeral. Without written wishes and an executor who agrees to follow them, a Muslim burial may not happen. This is worth doing quietly, now, even if you are young and well.

• Write one short paragraph saying you are Muslim and want a Muslim burial. A sample is in the scripts below.
• Make a will that names an executor (called an estate trustee in Ontario) who has agreed to arrange a Muslim burial. Ask them first.
• Tell one Muslim friend and one family member where your will and your written wishes are.
• Put your masjid's funeral contact in your phone and in the note.
• Tell your family kindly, when it feels safe, so it is not a surprise.

Who decides in your province

This depends on provincial law, and the rules differ.

In British Columbia, the Cremation, Interment and Funeral Services Act gives the right to decide first to the executor named in the will, then to the spouse, an adult child and other relatives in order (section 5). A written preference in a will or a preneed funeral contract is binding unless it is unreasonable, impracticable or a hardship (section 6).

In Ontario, the province's guide does not say who controls the funeral. Lawyers usually describe the estate trustee as the person with that right and written burial wishes as guidance that is not binding. We have not confirmed this from a primary legal source, so ask an Ontario lawyer. If it is right, naming an estate trustee who will honour a Muslim burial matters more than the written note.

In other provinces, ask a lawyer how it works where you live. Our wills and inheritance topic has more on making a will.

If your wishes are not followed

Some converts worry that their family will cremate them. An answer from IslamWeb's fatwa centre to a convert with this fear says she should put her wishes in writing and give them to Muslims who will carry them out, and that she carries no sin if her family cremates her against her will. Do what you can, then leave the rest to Allah.

If your conversion is still private, keep the note somewhere safe or with a Muslim friend. Our red flags and staying safe guide has a section on keeping your conversion private.

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