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الَّذِى خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْغَفُورُ

(It is He) Who created death and life that He may try you- which of you is best in deeds; and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving, (67:2)

BASIC GUIDELINES ON WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF A DEATH

Insha-Allaah South London Islamic Centre is here to assist you in your time of need. 

At the difficult time of a bereavement, families and friends are sometimes unaware of what is required in order to bury the deceased.

Below is a brief summary of the steps involved after the death of a loved one.

(If you require assistance in any of the following processes, please do not hesitate to contact any of the persons listed at the end of this list of guidelines)

1. Obtain a death certificate. 

If the cause of death is known because the deceased passed away at a hospital or a GP attended the deceased during their last days then the hospital/GP will be able to issue the death certificate.

If the cause of death is not known then the coroner must be informed and it is likely that a post mortem will be required to ascertain the cause of death. Once the cause of death has been established a death certificate will be issued. 

2. Inform the funeral director. The funeral director can start making the necessary funeral service arrangements.

3. Register death. Take the death certificate along with other forms of identification of the deceased (birth certificate, NHS card, etc) to the Registrar’s Office. This office normally resides at the Town Hall or Civic Offices in the Borough of death. Some Registrars offer an out of hours service. The Registrar will issue 2 certificates

  i. Green Form – to be given to funeral director

  ii. White BD8 form – to be used for social services purposes

4. Organise Grave. The family will need to decide on the location of the deceased is buried. The options are either at the cemetery of a local Borough (out of Borough normally costs more than the residential Borough) or a private burial ground such as Gardens of Peace (Ilford - https://gardens-of-peace.org.uk/) or Eternal Gardens (Sidcup - https://eternalgardens.org.uk/). SLIC can help in arranging a grave but the family will be required to pay the cemetery directly for all land costs involved.  

5. Pick up body. The body can only be picked up once the green form has been obtained from the Registrar. The funeral director will then transport the body to the mortuary at the local Masjid

6. Prepare Body. Once the body has arrived at the Masjid it will be required to be washed (Ghusl) and wrapped in a white cloth (Kafan).

7. Funeral Prayer. The funeral prayer will be recited either at the Masjid or the Cemetery.

8. Bury The Deceased. The funeral director will transport the body of the deceased to the cemetery and ensure that the burial takes place according to Islam. 

South London Islamic Centre provide a free Muslim Funeral Service. Going forward the bereaved family will only be required to pay the Cemetery fees, all other services listed above will be provided free of charge. 

If you require this service due to a bereavement or would like more information then please contact

• Br `Abdul Rauf – 07939 868677

• Br `Ata – 07484 199684