إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
What to do when a Muslim
loved one passes
Short, practical guides to the first hours, days and weeks in the UK — written plainly, for the moment when nobody has the presence of mind to research.
On matters of religious practice, your own masjid and scholars are the authority. These guides cover the process around them.
Start here · 5 min read
The step-by-step overview
The whole process in seven steps — start here if you only read one guide.
4 min read
The final moments, and the first
Being present as death approaches — the talqeen — and what to do in the minutes just after.
4 min read
Verifying and certifying the death
Who confirms a death at home or in hospital, and how you get the medical certificate.
5 min read
Unexpected deaths and the coroner
When a death is referred to HM Coroner, what a post-mortem involves, and how to keep the burial moving.
5 min read
Registering the death
The five-day rule, what to bring, what you'll be asked, and the green form that authorises the burial.
6 min read
Ghusl — washing the deceased
Who performs the washing, how the body is prepared, and the sequence of the ghusl itself.
5 min read
Kafan — shrouding the deceased
The sheets used for a man and for a woman, how they are laid out, and how the shroud is closed.
5 min read
The janazah prayer and the burial
Carrying the janazah, how the funeral prayer is structured, and what happens at the graveside.
5 min read
Losing a baby or a child
What Islamic practice asks for a premature baby, a stillbirth or an early loss — and the help you should never be charged for.
3 min read
Taking a loved one abroad
What repatriation involves legally and religiously — and why many scholars advise burying locally.
7 min read
After the burial
Sadaqah jariyah, headstones, wills and probate, tax, funeral costs — the weeks that follow.
2 min read
The one-page checklist
Everything that needs doing, in order, on one page — print it or keep it open.
These guides are adapted, with gratitude, from “What to Do When Someone Dies — A Practical Guide for Muslims” by the Rochdale Council of Mosques (Registered charity no. 1148918), generalised for families anywhere in the UK.
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