Question
I want to find out if Muslims can be cremated instead of buried.
Kindly advise. Thank you.
Answer
The religion of all the prophets, Islam, has established the tradition of the burial of a deceased human body as the appropriate and dignified way of dealing with it.
The Sunnah (practices established as a part of the religion) requires the Muslims to bury their dead after washing the corpse and clothing it in a shroud. This practice is based on divine guidance, distinguishing the Muslim tradition from others. We see that all three Abrahamic religious traditions follow this practice. Therefore, we believe that cremation should be avoided.
Additionally, there are some indications within the text of the Qur’an that support the idea of burial. The following passages are helpful:
مِنۡہَا خَلَقۡنٰکُمۡ وَ فِیۡہَا نُعِیۡدُکُمۡ وَ مِنۡہَا نُخۡرِجُکُمۡ تَارَۃً اُخۡرٰی
from this very earth We have created you, to it We shall return you and from it bring you out again.
Qur’an 20:55
اَلَمۡ نَجۡعَلِ الۡاَرۡضَ کِفَاتًا ۔ اَحۡیَآءً وَّ اَمۡوَاتًا
Have We not made this earth one that accumulates the living and the dead?
Qur’an 77:25-26
In the account of the murder of one of Adam’s (pbuh) sons, the Qur’an expressly talks of God sending a raven to teach his brother the way to bury the corpse of the deceased.
فَبَعَثَ اللّٰہُ غُرَابًا یَّبۡحَثُ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ لِیُرِیَہٗ کَیۡفَ یُوَارِیۡ سَوۡءَۃَ اَخِیۡہِ
Then God sent a raven who began digging the earth to show him how to hide the corpse of his brother.
Qur’an 5:31
Even though cremation is not directly addressed in the Qur’an or the Sunnah, still burning a human body is not considered good because ‘fire’ in the Qur’anic text is linked to the punishment of hell in the hereafter.
The only exception to burying the dead on land is if someone dies on a ship far away from land, in which case, the body is washed and shrouded; the funeral prayer is offered and then the body is tied to a heavy object and lowered in the sea.
It is better to adhere to the ways of the prophets.
I hope this helps.
Answered by: Mushfiq Sultan
Date: 2018-04-18
