Muslim Funeral Customs Author(s): A. S. Tritton Source: Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, Vol. 9, No.

3 (1938), pp. 653-661 Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the School of Oriental and African Studies Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/608227 Accessed: 15/11/2010 18:59
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Muslim Funeral Customs

By A. S. TRITTON HERE is no article " funeral " in the Encyclopwdiaof Islam so it seemed good to collect the material on this subject. The first charge on a Muslim's estate was the cost of his funeral, the provision of grave-clothes, tomb, and the expense of washing the body.

WASHING The body was washed by those nearest to the dead ; normally men prepared a man for burial. " They turned up their sleeves, tucked their shirts into their belts, washed him, and wrapped him in the winding sheet." Abfi Bakr was washed by his widow and Jabir b. Zaid gave orders that his widow should wash his body; this rule is generalized in al-Mudawwana. 'All helped to wash Muhammad though 'Alsha said that he should have been washed by the widows. Fatima, being a saint, washed herself in readiness for death and, after her death, 'Ali washed her again. The body was not always stripped; Muhammad's was not and in A.U. 195 a man gave orders that he was to be washed through his clothes. Water was used for washing and sometimes salt was sprinkled in it. The washings must be an uneven number, three, five, or more. A common custom was once with water, once with water in which acacia leaves had been steeped, and once with water and camphor. The washing began on the right side of the body with the places of the minor ablution. A piece of cloth is put over the private parts or the washer's hand is wrapped in a cloth. It was customary to wash the head with camphor. On a journey near relatives of the opposite sex may wash the dead but a woman must be washed through her clothes. If only strangers are present, there is no washing, only tayammum, a rubbing with sand. In any case, if the body is covered with sores or if infection is feared, it is enough to pour lots of water over it.
GRAVE-CLOTHES

Sometimes ordinary clothes were used, sometimes special. Muhammad was buried in his clothes, in three white garments from Yemen but without shirt or turban. He gave his loincloth (hkw) to the women, who washed his daughter, that it might be put next her skin; he gave a shirt that 'Abdullah b. Ubai might be buried in it.

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Mu'awiya was buried in a shirt which the prophet had given him. Sa'd b. Ab-i Wakkas was buried in the jubba which he had worn at Badr. One was buried in old clothes, because the living have a better right to the new. 'Ali was buried in three garments but not in a shirt; alBukhari was also in three but not in a shirt or turban. Two were considered enough. One man gave orders for two but three were used; in the morning the third was on the clothes-stand. The winding sheet might have buttons but they were not always fastened and there is a reference to sewing the sheet. One man was buried in an unbuttoned shirt, turban, and three sheets. Ibn Sirin said that a woman should be buried in an undergarment (shi'ar) not in an izdr, a word which is unfortunately ambiguous. In later times white was the recognized colour though green was allowed ; red was not because it was the colour of Korah. When a man's cloak was not long enough to cover the whole body, it was put over his head and his feet were covered with reeds. Martyrs were buried in their clothes without being washed. So Hujr b. 'Adi wished to be buried in his clothes. 'Amr b. al-'As gave orders that he should be buried in three garments with the loin-cloth fastened for " I am a litigant ". Those who died at 'Arafa were buried with the head uncovered as they would be raised crying, " labbaika." When Maimfina, Muhammad's widow, was buried someone put a cloak under her head ; Ibn 'Abbas threw it aside and put a stone in its place. A man gave instructions that, when he was put in the pit, they should draw aside the cloth so as to put him on the bare earth, meaning tear the sheet beneath him. Elsewhere they objected to the body's lying on the earth and it had to be raised four fingers. Spices were used; sometimes they were put on the body and sometimes between the graveclothes but not outside them. They might be put on the clothes before they were wrapped round the body. Dust might be strewn on it. Mu'dwiya gave orders that some parings of the prophet's nails should be ground to powder and put in his eyes and mouth. Some said that spices might not be used at the funeral of one who died on pilgrimage. There was some difference between the funeral of a man and that of a woman. When the prophet was buried, a man threw his cloak into the grave crying, " No one shall wear it more." This looks like an aetiological tale; for opinions differed on this extra covering. Some allowed a cloth to be spread on the grave, apparently meaning on the body in the grave. " A white cloth was spread on the grave and Hasan alBasrI did not change it or object till the burial was complete " is difficult

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to explain; perhaps it was like the tent, which will be mentioned later. On the other hand, no cloth was to be spread on the grave of Shuraih and similar words are used in several accounts of another funeral. " He took the cloth off him and I saw the unguents on his graveclothes." "He refused to let them spread a cloth on the grave for 'he is only a man '." " Take the cloth off him; this is only done with women." It is clear that an extra covering was put over a woman's body. The prophet's daughter, Zainab, had her hair arranged in three plaits.
PROCESSION

It is the duty of a Muslim or at least a good deed to follow a funeral. Men should stand when one passes, even if it is that of a Jew. Men carry the bier ; if possible, the mourners should take it in turns to carry. The pace had to be quick, not like a marriage, and noise was forbidden. Hence the rule that no woman might attend a funeral. The pay of a woman mourner is unlawful. In A.H. 62 a man forbade women to follow his bier as he feared " the announcement of the Time of Ignorance ", i.e. wailing. Another revoked any legacy to an umm walad if she wailed. Custom is summarized in the words " we are of the prophet's mind; none of us lament, shave, or rend ". Al-Ahnaf gave these orders, " No woman shall wail or weep for me; tell none of my death ; hurry the procession." Guardswere set at the ends of the roads to keep the women away. One gave orders that no poet should be employed to sing his praises. Those present at a funeral should not stand ; at first the prophet had stood but later he sat. Walid b. Yazid and his brother, clad in shirt and cloak, walked by the bier of Ma'bad. In A.H. 358 at the funeral of Nasir al-Dawla his sons went barefoot before the bier. Some objected when a man came to his son's funeral in fine clothes. He replied by quoting, " Those who say, when calamity befalls them, we belong to God and to him we return." Muhammadwas buried at night so this became a favourite time for and his son were both buried at night. Torches, funerals; Shuraih. made of palm fronds with rags dipped in oil, were used. was Al-Ra.di buried at night and ten servants carried torches. Light was also forbidden, " do not follow with fire." Later, fire was explained as incense, which was forbidden during the procession. Feeling was strong that a funeral ought to be private ; " tell no one " is a common injunction. Important men sometimes rode in the procession on a
VOL. IX. PART 3. 43

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mule or donkey; this is told of Shuraih and of HIasanal-Basri though one account makes it a concession to his age. Muhammadand the first caliphs walked before the bier and it is permissible to go on ahead to the grave and wait for the procession there. The body should not be set down in a mosque for the prayers. If there are several at once, the men should be laid nearer to the imam and the women nearer to the kibla. Malik allowed women to follow the funerals of relatives.
RITUAL IMPURITY

There are two views. A Muslim is not impure, alive or dead. " I do not know anyone who regards washing as a necessity after washing the dead nor the ablution after carrying him." " We were at prayer and returned to prayer; is there any need of ablution for what is between ? " this was said by those who carried a bier and attended the funeral. Men perfumed, wrapped, and carried a corpse and then went to the mosque without ablution. The other view. Asma was fasting and it was cold when she washed AbniBakr so it was decided that she need not wash. Men, after washing the dead, performed the minor ablution and carried him out of the house. A tradition says, " Let him, who has washed the dead, wash." Ibn al-Athir says that this is sunna, and most agree. Al-Shafi'i approved, " If the tradition is right, I hold by it."
PRAYER

It is called prayer (saldt) though there is neither prostration, genuflection, nor spoken words. The mourners stand in rows, the boys with the men. At Muhammad's funeral, men, women, boys, and slaves prayed in succession without an imam. Al-A'mash saw one where the slaves, slave-girls, Bactrian camels, and cow-camels were ranged separately. The prayer might be in the mosque though the place for funerals was beside it. Malik assumes that a relative will lead the prayer, a brother being nearer than a grandfather. With a woman, a blood-relative leads the prayer and the husband enters the grave. Some men made a habit of leading these prayers, like al-Harith the One-eyed. Al-Jahiz mentions a chief of Tamim who always prayed over his dead tribesmen. It was usual for the leader to be someone important. Aban b. 'Uthman was asked to lead over Ibn al-Hanafiya. At the funeral of 'Umar I, the two rivals, 'Ali and 'Uthman, stood one at the head and the other at the foot of the body. Both had to give place to Suhaib. Here was an opportunity for showing one's colours. Both Ibn Mas'tid and 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Awf left orders that 'Uthman

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should not pray over them. Another said, " Do not ask Ibn Ziyad to pray over me." A friend of Muhammadwas buried at night and the prophet was not told; in the morning he prayed by the grave. In A.H. 219 a descendant of Ja'far b. Abti Talib was asked to lead the prayer. When it was finished the governor came, angry that he had not been told, so he moved a little way from the grave and prayed again. Ibn Mas'tidstood by the middle of a man and the shoulders of a woman. The prophet stood by the middle of a woman who had died in childbed. There are four takbir, the hands are raised at the first only. It is petition, not a reading of the Qur'an. It must not follow the dawn prayer immediately but must wait till full daylight. Similarly, in the afternoon it must wait till the sun is yellow. Here is a typical prayer : O God, he is thy servant, the son of thy servant and thy handmaid; you led him to Isldm, you have taken his spirit and know him in secret and in the open. We have come to intercede for him and we have made intercession for him. I take hold of the rope of thy protection for him; he is faithful and under thy care; guard him from the discord of the grave and the punishment of Jahannam. At the funeral of AbMi Hanifa prayers were said six times because of the crowd ; his son led the last. The usual prayers are said over a suicide.
GRAVE

The grave was a pit with a narrowertrench at the bottom or a niche at the side; the niche was customaty at Medina. A tale of Muhammad'sburial says, " We sent for a nicher and a trencher and we let the one, who came first, do the work." The instructions of A.H. 105, which have been quoted so often, demand a brick grave with a niche, not a new-fangled vault The specifications, which follow, show that there was no uniformity. If there is a gap in the brickwork, it (.j). must be repaired as no bad workmanship is allowed. A brick must be removed from above the head. If brick is not available the worms must do their work. There must be no lime, brick, or wood in the grave. A square grave; wide with a niche; not long and covered with reeds. 'Umar II wanted a shallow grave. The prophet's grave was humped, yet one level with the ground was often demanded. Stonework above ground was not approved. One man wanted a new grave, not one which had been redug. Another did not want his grave to be known to the

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tribe of Bakr because he had raided them in the Ignorance. A man liked to lie alone. One of those buried in a double grave after the battle of Uhud was dug up six months later and reburied alone. One gave strict orders that no woman should lie with him. It became the rule that man and woman should not be put in the same grave; if this were unavoidable, there must be a barrier between them. It was all simple. During the funeral of Bishr b. Marwan,four black slaves buried a friend. One, who had attended the funeral of the prince, walked away a few steps and then turned back; he could not tell which grave was which. It seems that the body was taken into the grave head first; it was laid on the right side, facing the KIibla,with a stone or brick under the head. One gave command not to lay him on his face. The nearest relatives descended into the tomb to arrange the body; they should be an uneven number and not be women. Muhammadsplit a palm frond into two and planted the halves on the graves of two sinners. " Perhaps it will ease the punishment as long as it does not wither." Once in Khurasan two fronds were planted on a grave; the only ones to be found came from the sack of a donkey driver. When the grave was filled up, water was sprinkled on it. When Zaid b. 'All died, they caused the water to flow over the grave. Once when a funeral took place in summer, there was a sudden storm which wetted the grave and no more. The sons of 'Umar II bought the site of his grave from a monk. It was customary in the Ignorance to put a tent over the grave.' The funeral of Zainab, the prophet's daughter, was on a hot day so a tent was pitched over the grave diggers; it was the first time this was done. This looks like an attelnpt to rationalize the practice. The widow of a grandson of 'Ali kept a tent over his grave for a year. When it was struck, she heard a voice saying, " Have they found what they had lost ? " " Nay, they despair and have turned back." 'Abdullah b. 'Abbas was buried in the mosque at Taif and a tent pitched over his grave. Sometimes the tent was expressly forbidden.
BIER

The body was carried to the grave on a bier as was the custom in the Ignorance. That used for the prophet was used for all funerals in Medina till 'Abd al-Malik made several, one for each quarter of the town, and the prophet's was kept for persons of distinction. A
1 Wellhausen, Reste, 183.

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covered bier, said to have been introduced from Ethiopia, was used for women; one account says that it was first used for Fatima. The dictionaries say that na'sh means bier and the cover is called haraj but Ibn Sa'd uses na'sh for the cover. " I saw a na'sh on the bier of Hafsa." " She gave command that she should be carried on the prophet's bier and a na'sh put over her." "I put on her a na'sh, called for green palm fronds, and covered her." In this phrase, according to Semitic idiom, the na'sh may be the fronds or a frame to support them. Some other practices may be mentioned here. The whole body had to be buried, the cutting of the hair and nails was not allowed. A man was sick and the doctor wanted to cut his hair but Malik said, " I will not bury him except whole." On the other hand Abu 'l-Malih charged them to take part of his moustache and nails when he was dead. Some allowed Caesariansection of a dead woman, others did not. A martyr was buried in his clothes and there was neither washing, nor grave-clothes, nor prayer. We read that a Qur'an was buried with a corpse and that hairs of the prophet and paring of his nails were wrapped in the grave-clothes.
AFTER THE FUNERAL

Sometimes animals were slaughtered and a feast made. Visitors to the tomb of Ibn Suraij, the singer, killed a camel, mixed dust from the grave with water and drank it " as a solace ". A widow had to abstain from perfumes for four months and ten days and remain in the husband's house for that period; others should not abstain for more than three days. There is no need to add to what Wellhausen has said about the right of asylum by a grave.
LATER TIMES

The Talb7sIblis mentions some customs which it condemns. Coffins are now in common use, many garments are buried with the dead, and women beat their breasts and rend their clothes. After a funeral people wear mean clothes for a month or a year and do not sleep on the roof. In the middle of Sha'ban they visit the tombs, illuminate the houses, and take dust from the graves. They hang rags on trees, address the dead by means of tablets, and pour perfumes on the graves. The Mudkhal gives a lively picture of the customs of its day. The men mix with the women who expose and blacken their faces and parts of their bodies, let their hair loose, use the cries of the Ignorance,

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wear black or blue, throw dust on their heads, and defile the houses with black stuff. It may be noted that the canons of Cyril II of Alexandria forbid women to blacken their faces and to employ female mourners. Some omit the prayers for a day or even a month. If the body stays in the house overnight a candle is lighted by it. The wailing women use tambourines; they abuse and make believe to beat the woman washer of the dead; and when the body is laid on the bier there is extra noise which they call the farewell to the dead. The water which has been used is mixed with earth and with this they dirty their persons and clothes and so follow the bier. Mats and carpets are spread in the streets and the Qur'an is read there. A man is appointed to recite praises of the dead. It was customary to leave the bodyin the mosque after the prayerwhile the companyrecited petitions. The procession halts while the praises of the dead are recited and all present offer condolences to his representative. Often the company leaves the bier to the porters, who race to the cemetery, and only meets again at the grave. These things are not good. It is wrong to think that all the water in the house at the time of death is unclean, that the dead boast of their fine grave clothes, and are distressed if they are not visited on Fridays as they can see their friends coming out of the city gate. The following customs are also wrong. Those present when the spirit departs do no work for seven days. They kill an animal at the grave and distribute the flesh and bread. For a year the women do not use henna, wear no fine clothes nor jewels, and do not go to the bath. They keep open house at meals for three days, keep lights burning for three nights where the death took place and where the body was washed, put a loaf of bread and a jug of water where the body was washed, and do not wash the clothes of the dead for three days to avert the punishment in the grave. They eat no food between the time of death and the end of the funeral and weep at the morningand evening meals for three days. This authority allows the use of a coffin in soft earth and forbids incense and the sprinkling of rose water in the grave.
ADDITIONAL NOTE

The use of the root sll is puzzling. The original sense is " to take or pull out "; Lane, following late authors, explains " he was taken to the grave or from the bier "; the Lisan and the T&j do not give this usage. Here are instances of the word :-

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Kitdbal-Umm,1, 241. ibn Sa'd, 6, 44. T.abakat,

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Black Tents of Arabia, 63 f.