Janazah guide · 3 min read
Taking a loved one abroad
What repatriation involves legally and religiously — and why many scholars advise burying locally.
On matters of religious practice, your own masjid and scholars are the authority. This guide covers the process around them.
The legal side
Moving a body out of England and Wales requires authority from HM Coroner for the district where the death occurred — even when the death was entirely natural. That authority can take several days, and funeral directors should not book repatriation flights before it is signed. Airlines have their own additional requirements; ask them early.
The religious consideration
Repatriation requires embalming — a multi-stage process involving chemical preservatives, during which much of the body is left uncovered. Without a strong reason, scholars consider this to violate the sanctity of the deceased, and the general advice is therefore to bury locally, promptly, in the country where the person died.
Families weighing this decision should talk it through with their imam — both the religious question and the reality that repatriation usually delays the burial by days.
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.