Of Death and Dying - 3

Upon death the deceased body is being washed and family and friends are invited to participate as token of last respect to the dear departed. It is part of the preparation for burial that the deceased is being given the final ablution. 

The deceased body is then accordingly dried with all the orifices plugged up with cotton balls to avoid the dripping of  blood and mucus before being wrapped in the burial shroud and laid in rest with only the face area exposed for any final viewing for late comers.

The deceased is then taken to the mosque where a special prayer for the dead is being performed before it is taken to the cemetery and finally laid in the ground. It is the Islamic way that the physical form is being disposed off soonest possible into the ground to be absorbed and dissolved so as to deprive the body identification of the ego-mind or soul state to its physical form. Hence the coffin is simply made and of the softest wood with the bottom part holding up the body is of fabric rather than wood and this fabric is cut through to drop the on to the earth as soon as the coffin is laid down. Earth is also placed into the coffin surrounding the body this is to allow for a speedy decay of the physical form as opposed to the manner in which the Christian or certain Chinese burial is carried out where the coffin is often made of hard wood and the inside cushioned. Islam does not permit cremation of the physical form upon decease.  

A short 'instructional prayer' or the 'Talkin' is being performed when the grave is fully prepared. The deceased is being informed of what to expect as soon as his life in the afterlife begins. The deceased is called by his true name three times and informed of the presence of two angels whole will question him of his faith while being alive on earth, like who is his God and what his religion is and so forth.

 The grave is watered with scented water and flowers as a final farewell to the deceased. This performed by family, relatives and close friends who so desires to do so. This is briefly what takes place when death occurs to a Muslim. 

"Ultimately, the question of whether or not consciousness survives after death is one that each individual must answer for themselves. There is no right or wrong answer, and there is no scientific evidence to prove or disprove the existence of an afterlife. However, the question is one that is worth pondering, as it has important implications for how we live our lives.  

The question of whether or not consciousness survives after death is ultimately a matter of faith".- Ref -Bard