Dear Ms. AnaruLayla:

 

First of all I welcome your question and you both. You are always welcome to

ask. Let me rewrite below what you have asked:

Recently my nephew passed away and as his mother is a new zealander and father a

muslim there was a lot of arguments on where he was to buried etc.  It was a

complete shock to us to discover that he was to be wrapped and placed in the

ground and also to find out that he had to be buried in a mulim grave.  As there

are 2 different cultures involved I thought that it should of been fair that he

at least be buried with his grandfather(who has passed also).  I am very curious and would like to know more as i have 3 children and thier dad is muslim also and i wouldnt  feel at peace if they were to go like that.  Do they have to be

wrapped, and why dont they leave the deceased in the casket and why do they

have to be buried with muslims??  Is there any way to compromise, so both

families are at peace.  please e-mail me with your feedback. As i need to know.

 

Answer:

Islam is not only a religion of certain rites to be performed in a church or

mosque, but a complete code of life as well. It is active and effective not only inside a mosque or church, but outside in every sphere of life as well. In fact all religions teach that man should lead his life so as to please his God. Does God of any religion say that you only please me inside a mosque or church or temple, and forget my teachings outside the building of worship? Naturally, your answer will be No! Then why not apply it in every aspect of life? Muslims try their best to do the same, where as generally peoples of other religion practice secularism outside their building of worship. Second point you should understand that a non-Muslim must consider this attitude of Muslim before marrying him. The two contradictory cultures can not exist together. Problems such as those of names, worships, dress code, foods, marriage ceremony, and death or burial rituals are bound to arise one time or the other. One must be ready to face such problems amicably. Peoples of Middle Eastern religions bury their dead, where as peoples of eastern Asia mostly burn their dead. How would you resolve it? In a family life, it is universally accepted norm that men are heads of families. Their decisions of how to run their families are acceptable in all matters of life. Islam says children of Muslims are also Muslims, unless they change their

religion after becoming adults. After death, they should be buried with Muslims,

because they believe that they would be raised alive on the day of judgment

along with those buried with them. A Muslim would like to be raised with

Muslims. However, if there is no separate place available from non-Muslims, he

can be buried along with non-Muslims. Regarding, dress at the time of burial, white clean sheets are recommended as a symbol of purity and clarity. After burial, the body disintegrates and mixes with the earth, and/or eaten by insects any how, irrespective of the fact that it is buried in a casket or without a casket. The dead body does not feel any pain or comfort inside or outside a casket. Islam teaches simplicity in all its rituals. Man is made of earth, and should be given to earth as soon as possible after his death. If a society requires casket, there is no harm in doing that to obey the law of the land.

I hope this will satisfy you and remove your worries.

Please feel free to ask in future as well.