اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ وَعَافِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنْهُ وَأَكْرِمْ نُزُلَهُ وَوَسِّعْ مُدْخَلَهُ وَاغْسِلْهُ بِالْمَاءِ وَالثَّلْجِ وَالْبَرَدِ وَنَقِّهِ مِنَ الْخَطَايَا كَمَا يُنَقَّى الثَّوْبُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ وَأَبْدِلْهُ دَارًا خَيْرًا مِنْ دَارِهِ وَأَهْلًا خَيْرًا مِنْ أَهْلِهِ وَزَوْجًا خَيْرًا مِنْ زَوْجِهِ وَأَدْخِلْهُ الْجَنَّةَ وَأَعِذْهُ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ وَمِنْ عَذَابِ النَّارِ 🔊

O Allah, forgive him/her, have mercy on him/her, give him/her peace and pardon him/her. Make his/her rest honourable and his/her entry spacious. Wash him/her with water, snow and hail, and cleanse him/her of sins as a white garment is cleansed of dirt. Exchange his/her home for a better home, family for a better family, and spouse for a better spouse. Admit him/her to Paradise and protect him/her from the punishment of the grave and of the Fire. (Muslim)

1. Confirm death and notify family / local mosque / Islamic funeral service promptly.
2. Ghusl — ritual washing by same-gender Muslims (or trained helpers).
3. Kafan — shrouding in simple white cloth (typically 3 layers for men, 5 for women).
4. Ṣalāt al-Janāzah — funeral prayer (standing, no rukūʿ/sujūd).
5. Burial (dafn) — preferably in a Muslim cemetery or Muslim section; body on the right side facing the Qiblah; haste is recommended.

Avoid cremation. Embalming is generally avoided when possible; scholars allow exceptions for legal/transport necessity.

• Local mosques and municipal Islamic burial offices usually handle ghusl, kafan, janāzah and cemetery allocation quickly.
• Follow local health and civil registration requirements (death certificate) while keeping the ritual sequence intact.
• Contact your neighbourhood mosque or the national Islamic affairs authority for the nearest facility.

• Contact the nearest mosque or a Muslim funeral director experienced in Islamic rites as soon as possible.
• Prefer burial where the person died (local Muslim cemetery or Muslim section). Repatriation is costly, often requires embalming or sealed caskets, and delays burial — many scholars discourage it unless there is a clear need.
• If only a non-Muslim cemetery is available, bury there under necessity (ḍarūrah); request Qiblah orientation and a plot near other Muslims when possible.
• Obtain the legal burial permit / death certificate; funeral directors familiar with Islamic practice coordinate paperwork, ghusl facilities, and cemetery booking.

• Preparation of the Deceased (PDF) – IslamHouse
• Alim.org – Islamic funeral procedure (ghusl to burial)
• Gardens of Peace (UK) – What to do when someone dies (PDF)
• IslamOnline – Burying a Muslim in a non-Muslim cemetery
• IMAM-US – Islamic laws of death and burial

The Prophet ﷺ encouraged writing a will. A Muslim may bequeath up to one-third of the estate; the rest follows fixed Qurʾānic inheritance shares (farāʾiḍ) after debts and funeral costs. The will should also record funeral wishes, unpaid religious obligations (missed prayers/fasts, zakat, Hajj), trusts held for others, and an executor (waṣī).

• ANIC (Australia) – Last Islamic Will (Wasiyah) template
• FreeIslamicWill.com – Sample will templates
• The Blessed Nights – Islamic will generator
• Try Barakah – How to write an Islamic will (guide)
• Shariawiz – Sharīʿah-compliant will tools
• IslamQA – Ruling on writing a will

Have any will reviewed by a local scholar and a lawyer so it is both Sharīʿah-compliant and legally enforceable in your country. Store copies with family, the executor, and your lawyer.

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ وَعَافِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنْهُ 🔊

O Allah, forgive him/her, have mercy on him/her, grant him/her well-being, and pardon him/her. (Muslim — duʿāʾ of the funeral prayer, adapted for visit)

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِحَيِّنَا وَمَيِّتِنَا وَشَاهِدِنَا وَغَائِبِنَا وَصَغِيرِنَا وَكَبِيرِنَا وَذَكَرِنَا وَأُنْثَانَا 🔊

O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those present and those absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi)

رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْحِسَابُ 🔊

My Lord, forgive me and my parents and the believers on the Day the account is established. (Qur’an 14:41)

اللَّهُمَّ نَوِّرْ قَبْرَهُ وَوَسِّعْ مَدْخَلَهُ 🔊

O Allah, illuminate his/her grave and make his/her entry spacious.

• He taught that constant remembrance of death softens the heart, reduces attachment to the world, and prepares the soul for the grave. “Remember often the destroyer of pleasures (death).”
• The grave itself addresses the deceased: if the person was obedient, it becomes a garden of mercy and light; if rebellious, a place of constriction. Good deeds done in life answer on behalf of the believer.
• The living benefit the dead through sincere duʿāʾ, seeking forgiveness, charity given on their behalf, and the reward of Qurʾān and righteous actions intended for them.
• He urged visiting graves to awaken the heart and to send light ahead while one is still able to act.

Read more from Ihya on Ghazali.org → · Archive.org English collection →

• Duʿāʾ and istighfār made for them
• Ṣadaqah given on their behalf
• Hajj and ʿUmrah performed on their behalf (when conditions are met)
• The reward of righteous deeds that the deceased themselves had set in motion (ongoing charity, knowledge that is benefited from, righteous children who pray for them)

• Duʿāʾ & Istighfār — the most agreed-upon and powerful gift
• Ṣadaqah (including ongoing charity / waqf) on behalf of the deceased
• Qurʾān recitation with the intention that its reward reaches them (widely accepted)
• Ḥajj / ʿUmrah and fasting on their behalf when appropriate
• Righteous offspring who continue to pray and do good
• Ṣalawāt upon the Prophet ﷺ — a light that accompanies the believer

• IslamQA – Can the dead benefit from the living?
• IslamQA – Duʿāʾ and charity for the deceased
• Sunnah.com – Narrations about the grave
• Ghazali.org – Ihya resources
• Abu Amina Elias – Hadith on the grave