Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers has asked this question:

Could you please discuss islamic reasons for the burial as we practise as opposed to creamation as practised by hindus

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Answer:

Burial vis-à-vis Cremation

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and who-ever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Since the very first man died on earth, Allah has guided man to bury their dead in the earth.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 20 Surah Ta Ha verse 55: We have created you from this earth and We shall return you into it, and then We shall bring you forth out of it once again!

We can try and determine the wisdom behind humans being buried, so that it may increase our faith in our guidance from the Holy Quran.

There is a definite amount of dignity of the dead person in burial in Islam. We wash the dead person, then we perfume him, then we dress him in dignity, and then the muslims gather and pray to Allah for the forgiveness of the dead person’s soul. And then we bury him in the ground. Then we mark the grave so that the dead man’s family can visit the grave and pray to Allah constantly to forgive him, and also remember to straighten their lives as one day they too will have to lie down in their own graves.

To bury the dead is in tandem with the environment from the very first day. If we were to leave the body above the earth as some people do, they would either be brutalized by wild animals, or if left alone the body would rot, giving rise to germs, bad smell and diseases. In burial, the human body is laid to rest in dignity.

Some religions prefer to cremate their dead. Fire has always been a sign of Allah’s wrath and anger and the promised torture for the dis-believers is the eternal burning fire of Hell. All the three divine religions Judism, Christianity and Islam have always buried their dead in guidance from their Prophets.

There are numerous other blessings in burying the dead, and the one reason that should suffice for the muslims is that this is the way shown to us by Allah and His Messengers of putting our dead to rest.

May Allah guide you and us all to the Siraat al-Mustaqeem

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan