Death and Dying Rituals in Islam - Term Paper Example

Death and Dying Rituals in Islam In Islam there is a strong belief among Muslims that there is a life after death and that had Heaven and Hell exists. The belief that there is an afterlife has led the Islamic faith to compartmentalize their thoughts and beliefs into three basic principles which are 1) The Unity of God, 2) Prophecy and 3) Eschatology. In this paper we would be discussing about the third phase which pertains to death and afterlife. According to the Holy Koran, every person that dies would be judged by God and would receive their everlasting abode which could either be Heaven or Hell. According to Islamic traditions, after an individual’s life comes to an end, the corpse has to be buried and hence elaborate rituals involving the burying of the dead takes place when an individual is diseased. Death, according to Islam, is a passage from an earthly existence, to a pure and eternal sacred realm. (Kassis 51) Muslims believe that only God is permanent while all else perishes after a time. The Quran clearly states – “All that dwells upon the Earth is perishing, yet still abides the Face of thy Lord majestic and splendid.” (Kassis 50) According to (Chittick 126) in Islam, an individual fails to fulfill his existence on the Earth, if they follow their own desires, outside the boundary of Divine structure. Thus, such a failure causes a problematic condition for the human. Shedding light on this problematic condition, Streng states that “human life that does not duplicate the eternal structure of meaning and order as found in the Sacred Realm is merely a profane existence, characterized by weakness, ignorance, impurity, and meaningless.”(44). Streng also believes that if human existence fails to fall within the parameters of eternal structure, then life becomes meaningless and results in endless suffering in the after world. According to (Chittick, 126) every human being who is created by God, is placed on this Earth for a specific purpose and how successful they are in fulfilling God’s purpose determines the judgment of God and this is seen reflected in the passage to eternal life after death. Shedding light on the purity and impurity of things Streng states that, “The sacred reality is pure, whereas the profane world is impure” (46) In Islam, the different customs and rituals during the burial incorporate the concept of purity and impurity of the individual’s existence. The ritual of ghusl according to Islamic culture is the preparation of the corpse for the day of resurrection. According to (Kassis 52), the corpse is washed an odd number of times to purify it from its earthly existence. During this ritual, a white shroud is wrapped around the corpse, demonstrating that though all individuals lead different lives on this earth, yet they leave this world as equals. Islamic traditions view the impure nature of the world and are emphatic about purifying the individual before entering the Sacred Realm. (Streng 46) is of the opinion that the impure nature of the person’s existence reflects the problematic condition he faces during judgment. F. Bird (35) discloses that the washing and purifying of the corpse according to the Islamic ritual in a regulative communicative manner symbolizes the washing ritual by the family members, to be the purification of the individual from the profane world and into eternal light. (Sacred Realm) Shedding light on the meaning of this ritual Bird states that partaking in this ceremony helps to reinforce the myths that surround it and reaffirm ‘the beliefs they embody.’ (Bird 35) According to Islamic belief man is created in the image and likeness of God and represents and reflects varying degrees of light and darkness (131) based on the quality of their existence. Human existence is provided a special place in the universe because they are created by God. Islamic traditions believe that “the structure of the universe is like a globe of infinite dimensions. The crust or outside shell is made of clay and is the visible universe that we see. The first creation of God which is a pure white light is situated at the core of the globe. Between the outer shell and the center are creatures of varying hierarchy that reflect varying ‘mixtures of light and darkness.’ (131) According to Islamic belief every individual’s body represents darkness and the inner soul represents the light. These individuals can choose to spend their lives within the Sacred Realm (living according to the teachings and guidelines of the Koran) or live their life in the profane world by giving into their desires and bringing about the problematic condition. Islam believes it to be a circle or wheel representing the wholeness of one’s life and it is the problematic condition of the individual that destroys this wholeness into fragments. The five pillars of Islam, attempt to reinforce the individual’s equilibrium, by addressing the fragmentation of the wholeness. Upon judgment of the person after death, the problematic condition attempts to get resolved by questioning the deeds and faith of the individual and how they have served their life on this Earth. Describing this ritual Chittick explains that “When the veil of the body is removed, the soul- which is an imaginary creature- manifests itself in its true form.” By this he means that content of the soul is hidden no longer by the physical being of the person and the true nature of the soul is revealed for everyone to see. According to Muslim belief, in order to be rid of the problematic condition during their lifetime, the individual should stay as close as possible to God. Streng explains that death is only a passageway that leads from the worldly life which is only temporary, to God which is permanent. (51) Death rituals in Islam are interconnected to eternal reality which can be procured only after the person dies on the day of Resurrection. Explaining what ‘Ultimate Reality’ is Streng says that “the original and eternal resource for happiness and order is the Sacred Realm (Being), which sets limits for the profane existence and provides creative power for all long-lasting success in existence” (44). However, Hanna Kassis associates the Sacred Realm to Paradise stating that it is “the total picture of the mercy and compassion of God bestowed upon the faithful, a picture not unlike the locus amoenus, the location of pleasance, a garden motif borrowed by Christian poets to depict Paradise” (61) According to the Islamic teachings, Mohammed the Prophet has outlined the Divine Structure in the Koran and people are encouraged to live by these scriptures if they wish to attain Paradise. In Streng’s opinion individuals should perform repetitive chants, stories and symbolic activities that fall within the parameters of the ‘divine model’ (Streng 47) to reach their destiny which is Paradise. (Kassis) further reinforces this idea, stating that people who repented and who were righteous, would be forgiven of their sins and be admitted into Paradise (61) Therefore in order to attain the Ultimate reality, Muslims try to keep as close as possible to purity and Godliness while they exist on this Earth. In Streng’s opinion, these rituals and customs are performed with great fervor in order to achieve the Sacred Realm. (134) Kassis (49) argues that prayer is a very important part of the Islamic faith and as such an essential necessity in their daily lives. Prayer serves to remind Muslim brethren of the omnipotent Sacred Being and his final prophet Mohammed. (Bird 35) believes that prayers that are chanted at funerals are an integral part of the Islamic understanding or comprehension of Life and Death. According to the Islamic faith, “Death is not a punishment but a natural termination of life. God alone is everlasting, and it is God who ordains both death and life” (Kassis 49). Kassis explains that for Muslims, death is a form of prayer and “It is as if dying is an act of prayer with the rituals of prayer being applied” (52). Bird affirms that ritualistic prayers help the Muslims to reinstate that God is omnipotent and it also enables them to play a “pedagogical and socializing role” (Bird 35). Bird also explains how Invocative communication during Islamic rituals helped to bring about a desired state by invoking the spirits of the Gods. He further explains how the Ka’ba, chants the shahadah when a child is born and when an individual completes his life on Earth making sure it is the first and last thing an individual hears. After life leaves the person, the body is placed on a stretcher with the head facing towards the direction of Mecca, the Muslims holiest center, prayers are chanted attempting to direct the person’s spirit towards the Ultimate Goal. The purifying of the body is the next phase that takes place through constant chanting invoking God and the Prophet Mohammed. Kassis affirms that “The funeral ritual is then concluded with the recitation of the invocation of peace upon the Prophet, his household, and all believers” (Kassis 54). Bird describes how in Islamic tradition rituals are used to give expression to emotions such as grief, pain, fear, anger and even embarrassment. (32) Streng explains how the ‘shahadah’ is the first pillar in Islam and serves as a testimony of faith and is a clear example of ritualistic communication that enable Muslims to express their grief and loss in terms of their faith and hope. Such ritualistic practices helps to emphasize the Islamic worldview by illustrating that God is omnipotent and the only thing that is permanent in this world above everything else. The ultimate transformation of the body through ritualistic purification reinstates the Islamic world view that though we live our lives in a different manner, we all leave this world as equals to reach our ultimate goal with God. References F. Bird, Rituals in Communicative Action, Chap. 2 Hanna Kassis, Islam book reading. Streng, Creation of Community through Sacred Symbols, Chap. 3 Read More