THESE INSTRUCTIONS RELATED TO BURIAL, FUNERAL AND OTHER OBLIGATIONS
IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE HELPFUL INFORMATION IN AN ATTEMPT TO FOLLOW
ISLAM’S GUIDANCE ON THESE MATTERS. THIS INFORMATION AND
WORKSHOP IS ONLY PROVIDED AS A SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY. IT
IS PROVIDED WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT:
MEMPHIS ISLAMIC CENTER, THE PRESENTERS OF THIS WORKSHOP, THE
VOLUNTEERS OF THIS WORKSHOP, AND ANY PROFESSIONAL
EDUCATIONAL OR OTHER ENTITIES OR INDIVIDUALS AFFILIATED WITH
MEMPHIS ISLAMIC CENTER, ANY OF THE PRESENTERS, ORGANIZERS OR
VOLUNTEERS OF THIS WORKSHOP
ARE
NOT
ENGAGED
IN
RENDERING
LEGAL, ACCOUNTING
OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND ACCORDINGLY DO
NOT
ASSUME
ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS USE. IF LEGAL
ADVICE OR OTHER EXPERT ASSISTANCE ARE REQUIRED, THE
SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL SHOULD BE SOUGHT.
NO GUARANTEES ARE MADE.
USE OF ANY PORTION OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS RELATED TO BURIAL,
FUNERAL AND OTHER OBLIGATIONS.
AS WITH ANY LEGAL OR PROFESSIONAL MATTER, COMMON
SENSE SHOULD DETERMINE
WHETHER
YOU
NEED
THE
ASSISTANCE OF AN ATTORNEY / PROFESSIONAL. WE URGE YOU TO
CONSULT WITH AN ATTORNEY / PROFESSIONAL WHENEVER
SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF MONIES ARE INVOLVED, OR FOR ANY
MATTER WHERE YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TO PROPERLY
COMPLETE THESE INSTRUCTIONS RELATED TO BURIAL, FUNERAL AND
OTHER OBLIGATIONS OR QUESTION ITS ADEQUACY TO PROTECT YOU.
IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT BY USING THESE INSTRUCTIONS RELATED TO
BURIAL, FUNERAL AND OTHER OBLIGATIONS YOU ARE ACTING AS
YOUR OWN ATTORNEY / PROFESSIONAL. U S E
OF
THESE
INSTRUCTIONS RELATED TO BURIAL, FUNERAL AND OTHER
OBLIGATIONS I S N O T L E G A L A D V I C E A N D S H O U L D N O T B E
U S E D I N P L A C E O F L E G A L A D V I C E . ACCORDINGLY, MEMPHIS
ISLAMIC CENTER, THE PRESENTERS OF THIS WORKSHOP, THE
VOLUNTEERS OF THIS WORKSHOP, AND ANY PROFESSIONAL
EDUCATIONAL OR OTHER ENTITIES OR INDIVIDUALS AFFILIATED WITH
MEMPHIS ISLAMIC CENTER, ANY OF THE PRESENTERS, ORGANIZERS OR
VOLUNTEERS OF THIS WORKSHOP, SHALL HAVE NEITHER LIABILITY
NOR RESPONSIBILITY TO ANY PARTY FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE
CAUSED OR ALLEGED TO BE CAUSED BY USE OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS
RELATED TO BURIAL, FUNERAL AND OTHER OBLIGATIONS.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR
OUTSTANDING RELIGIOUS OBLIGATIONS, FUNERAL AND BURIAL RIGHTS OF
Preamble
I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, the One, the Merciful, the Almighty— Creator of the heavens
and the earth and all therein—God of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and all the Prophets, mercy and
peace be upon them all. He is One God and He has no partner. And I bear witness that the Prophet
Muhammad is His Servant and his Messenger and the last of all the Prophets, mercy and peace be upon him.
I bear witness that Allah is the Truth, that His promise is Truth, and that the Meeting with Him is Truth. I
bear witness that Paradise is Truth and that Hell is Truth. I bear witness that the coming of the Day of
Judgement is Truth, there is no doubt about it, and that Allah, who is exalted about all deficiencies and
imperfections, will surely resurrect the dead of all generations of mankind, first and last and those in
between.
This is my counsel to my relatives and friends, my Muslim brothers and sisters, and all those who remain
after me: that they strive to be true Muslims, that they submit to their Creator—may He Be exalted—and
worship Him as He alone is to be worshiped, fear Him as He alone is to be feared, and love Him and His
Prophet Muhammad with a complete love that is rivaled by nothing besides them. Let them obey Him and
hold Fast to His Shari’ah. Let them spread and firmly establish His religion of Islam, and let them die only in
a state of complete submission to His Will. I remind them that no man and no woman dies before his/her
time. The exact duration of each life span is precisely determined before we are born by the All-Powerful
Creator, may He be exalted. Death is tragic only for the one who lived out his/her life in self-deception
without submitting to the Creator and preparing for the final return to Him. So, do not preoccupy yourselves
with my death, but instead make the proper preparations for your own.
Maintain patience and self-composure as the religion of Islam requires. Islam permits relatives to mourn for
no more than three days, although a widow is allowed to mourn for four lunar months and ten days, until her
iddah (period of waiting) is completed. Wailing and excessive lamentation is forbidden by the Creator, and it
reflects only a lack of understanding and dissatisfaction with the Will of the Creator, may He be exalted.
Finally,I ask all my relatives, friends, and all others—whether they choose to believe as I believed or not—to
honor my Constitutional right to these beliefs. I ask them to honor this document which I have made, and not
to try to obstruct it or change it in any way. Rather, let them see that I am buried as I have asked to be buried
and let my properties be divided as I wanted them to be divided.
Outstanding Religious Obligations
I direct that outstanding religious obligations (“HuquqAllah”), that are required under Islamic
Jurisprudence, be fulfilled as soon as possible, including but not limited to unpaid alms (zakah), expiation
(kaffarat), or unperformed pilgrimage (hajj) if it could have been a duty upon me. I ask my
____________________ to ensure any such obligations are fulfilled using any of my wealth that may be
required. Any such expenses should be paid before any of my wealth goes to any of my inheritors or
creditors.
I also desire that my lapsed sawm (fast) be completed by my (relationship) _____________, (name)
_____________________ as soon as possible. However, if it is not possible for ___ to do so, then I
request ______________, ________________ to do so.
Funeral and Burial Rights
I ordain that no autopsy or embalmment be done on my body unless required by law, that without
unjustified delay my body be washed, wrapped with cloth free of any ornaments and other articles, prayed
for, and then buried, which all shall be done by Muslims in complete accordance with Islamic
Jurisprudence.
a: I hereby nominate and appoint my (name) _________________________________, (relationship)
_________________________________,
currently
residing
at
(address)
________________________________________________, to execute these and other necessary
provisions for my Islamic funeral and burial. In the event that ___ shall be unwilling or unable to execute,
I
nominate
and
appoint
my
(relationship)
_____________,
(name)
_________________________________________________,
currently
residing
at
(address)
___________________ to execute these and other necessary provisions for my Islamic funeral and burial,
and in the event that _____ shall be unwilling or unable, I nominate and appoint the president of the local
Muslim community or association in the area where I die to execute these provisions of funeral and
burial.
I ordain that no autopsy be performed on my body nor my body embalmed unless required by law.
Furthermore, I ordain that without unjustified delay, my body be washed, shrouded in white cloth, free of
any ornaments, prayed for and then buried, all in accordance with Islamic Jurisprudence.
b: I ordain that no decorations be placed on my coffin or music be involved at any stage of my funeral and
burial.
c: It is my desire to be buried in the city where my surviving spouse or children reside. I ordain that except
for the purpose of transporting my dead body to the nearest Muslim cemetery, or to respect the desire of
my surviving Muslim family, my body should not be transported over any unreasonable distance from the
locality of my death.
d: I ordain that my grave be dug deeply and my dead body be buried without any casket or
encasement that would separate my shrouded body from the surrounding soil, in complete
accordance with the Islamic Jurisprudence, such that my body faces the direction Qiblah (the direction
of city of Mecca ). In case the local law requires a casket encasement, it should be of simple, plain,
modest, least expensive and preferably made of wood. Furthermore, it should be left open during burial if
allowed by law.
e: I ordain that my grave should be simple without any decoration or ornament.
f: In the event of legal difficulties arising in the execution of any or all parts of this article, I ordain that an
expert
Islamic
opinion
is
obtained
from
__________________________________
or
____________________________________ or ______________________________. An Islamic jurist's
verdict would be final and abiding in all cases, over ruling anyone else's.
g: I direct that my instructions be followed both in letter and spirit
Copies of these Instructions have been delivered to:
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand on this ____ day of April, 2011, to this my
Instructions for Outstanding Religious Obligations, Funeral and Burial Rights of
, and have subscribed each of the foregoing ________ pages at the bottom thereof for the purpose of
identification.
______________________________
Signed, signified and declared by the said _________________, being of sound mind and disposing
memory, as and for his/her Instructions for Outstanding Religious Obligations, Funeral and Burial Rights
of, in the presence and sight of me, present at the same time, who, at ___ request, in __ presence and
sight, and in the presence and sight of each other, have subscribed our names as attesting witnesses on the
day and year last above written.
WITNESS:
______________________________________________________________
NAME: ______________________________________________________________
ADDRESS:
_______________________________________________________________
[This document may also be notarized]