ANPI Islamic gravestones
NOS Nieuws·vandaag, 18:11
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Fitria Jelyta
editor News & Co
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Fitria Jelyta
editor News & Co
The number of Islamic funeral companies in the Netherlands has almost doubled since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Before the pandemic, there were ten companies in the Netherlands organizing Muslim funerals. There are now seventeen, reports the Dutch Association of the Islamic Funeral Trade (BIUN).
In addition to the growth in the number of Islamic funeral homes, the trade association notes that more and more Muslims are interested in some aspects of Islamic funeral services. There is a lot of interest, for example, in the course on washing the dead, as noted by the Islamic funeral home organization Al Qadr in Utrecht.
Washing of the dead, where the deceased are purified before burial, is an important part of the Islamic funeral. “Young Muslims in particular are interested in learning how to wash the dead according to Islamic norms,” says Siham Qoubaa of Al Qadr, which means “destiny” in Arabic.
Discuss death
According to Qoubaa, death is a topic that has not been discussed in Muslim communities for a long time, but younger generations of Muslims think differently. “They want to make it a topic of discussion, because they deal with death through social media, among other things. Death notices are shared, but also images of war, for example.”
Interest in Islamic funerals and washing the dead has also increased due to the coronavirus pandemic, Qoubaa says. “Death was suddenly very close. Many of the young Muslims who came to us lost their families during the pandemic. Those family members could not be repatriated to Morocco, for example, because of the lockdown.”
In Islam, washing the deceased is seen as the responsibility of the next of kin. “Young people have begun to wonder whether they should master Islamic washing of the dead, so that they can also perform it on their loved ones when they die.”
Mental preparation
“It’s practical preparation, but also mental,” says Ilman Sulchan, who attended a course last week. “I want to be prepared for the possible washing, bandaging and burial of my father, who is still alive, but also of other relatives and friends.”
Sulchan had already gained practical experience in Islamic funeral care when two of his closest friends died at a young age. “Then I became interested in the rituals associated with Islamic funerals. That’s why I became a member of a committee that organizes funerals for Muslims within my Indonesian mosque community.”
As a Muslim, I think it is important to gain more knowledge and experience about this, so that I know what is expected of me when it happens to a loved one.
Without Sulcha
In the end, Sulchan decided to take the death washing course to confirm in practice what he had learned previously. “It is basically unknown what the deceased will be like when he is lying on the table to be washed. This has to do, for example, with whether the person died due to a serious illness or an accident. When you see the body, you have to do it, so we’re already mentally prepared,” he says.
“That’s why I think it’s important as a Muslim to gain more knowledge and experience about it, so that I know what is expected of me when it happens to a loved one.” Washing the dead must be done with the greatest possible care and respect, Sulchan continues. For example, the genitals are always covered during ablutions.
According to Siham Qoubaa of the Utrecht Al Qadr funeral organisation, Muslims learn more during the death washing course than just the actions performed during the funeral. “We also give students the opportunity to ask all kinds of questions about the profession of Islamic funeral director. We also make death a topic of discussion and ask the participants questions. For example, have they thought about their own death?”
2023-12-28 17:11:46
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