the burial ·
28 May 11

So my family is Muslim. Privately I’m not, though I have sometimes vocally told my mother that I do not believe in Islam or any religion. I think the closest example of what I am is either Atheist or Agnostic. It really depends on the sort of day I’m having.

So yeah, my mother isn’t dead yet, but I’m supposed to be the guy that’s going to help bury her. I don’t really know much about Islam any more, not since 20 years ago when I stopped praying, and stopped believing in all that mumbo jumbo.

I’ve done some googling for: how do Muslims bury their dead?

I found this article: http://www.al-islam.org/laws/burial.html

It’s such a looooooooooooooooooong process. I mean I don’t think I can do it. It’s such a hassle. All these rules and stuff, plus I think you have to grieve for 40 days or something. I’m not sure I can do that. I need my Internet, and other distractions to stop me getting bored. Can’t turn on the TV, can’t read books or anything. Just grieve. Who on Earth wants to grieve that long. My thoughts are bury the body and move on, don’t look back. But that’s not how Muslims do it.

No one I know accepts that I don’t believe in Islam, which makes it all the more difficult to not get involved. Ideally I would cremate my mother, it’s cheaper and I can throw the ashes. If I have to bury her, then I’ve got to carry the body, help bury the body, then recite some prayers and maybe say a few words. I think. I’m actually taking some of this from Christian burials.

I’ve never been to a funeral, or a wedding, I find them polar opposites of extreme situations.

So are there any Muslim/Islamic experts here that can help learn what I need to on how to bury the dead.

I’m being serious by the way. I gotta learn this shit before she dies so she has life insurance, so I will get a lump sum to pay for the burial costs. I can’t remember how much it is, but it’s not a lot.