Death and The Living
This morning I attended a course related to preparing a deceased person (body, to be exact) for burial.
In Islam, it is usually a communal thing whereby (after the authorities are notified of the death & the coroner certifies the person dead) the family members under guidance of trusted elders clean the body and wraps him/ her up in the burial shroud.
Well my interest to attend is not really to make it as a profession, but rather to be able to handle the 'process' after a loved one's passing.. or perhaps to teach it to my children in case the knowledge might come as useful.
Generally what I saw was how dignified the whole process was. How the 'body' was cleaned with soft cotton, bathed with bath soap& aromatic water and finally covered with white cloth sprinkled with the best perfume. After tying all the strings, the face area is left open for a while for families to kiss him/ her face and bid their final goodbye. Once that is done, the body is carried for burial at its final resting place.
The other matter that struck me was how reliant I (we) will be on the living & abled to do everything for us once we leave this world. I (we) would be lain down on a plank/ bathtub-like contraption for our final bath on earth: unmoving, helpless and lifeless (pun intended).
Willingly or unwillingly, I (we) will say goodbye to the world and our prayer is that I (we) have done enough good to merit all the good things Allah has to offer in the Hereafter.
In Islam, it is usually a communal thing whereby (after the authorities are notified of the death & the coroner certifies the person dead) the family members under guidance of trusted elders clean the body and wraps him/ her up in the burial shroud.
Well my interest to attend is not really to make it as a profession, but rather to be able to handle the 'process' after a loved one's passing.. or perhaps to teach it to my children in case the knowledge might come as useful.
Generally what I saw was how dignified the whole process was. How the 'body' was cleaned with soft cotton, bathed with bath soap& aromatic water and finally covered with white cloth sprinkled with the best perfume. After tying all the strings, the face area is left open for a while for families to kiss him/ her face and bid their final goodbye. Once that is done, the body is carried for burial at its final resting place.
The other matter that struck me was how reliant I (we) will be on the living & abled to do everything for us once we leave this world. I (we) would be lain down on a plank/ bathtub-like contraption for our final bath on earth: unmoving, helpless and lifeless (pun intended).
Willingly or unwillingly, I (we) will say goodbye to the world and our prayer is that I (we) have done enough good to merit all the good things Allah has to offer in the Hereafter.
posted by elya at 3:48 am
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