How do Muslims deal with death?
Muslims believe that life and death are in God’s hands, and that God appoints a time for each person to pass from this existence into the next. Muslims are reminded regularly that death is inevitable and that the actions of this life determine one’s status in the Hereafter. When a person dies, his or her relatives are urged to be patient and accepting of God’s decree. It is permissible to cry and express grief at the death of a loved one, though excessive lamentation is discouraged. Though grieving may never fully end, the period of outward mourning typically lasts no more than three days. “Every human being is bound to taste death; and We test you (all) through the bad and the good (things of life) by way of trial: and unto Us you all must return.” (Qur’an, 21:35). As soon as possible after death, the body of the deceased person is washed and wrapped in plain white linen and placed in a simple wooden coffin (if one is necessary). The body is then taken to the cemetery, where it may be
