The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (815 page)

Funeral rites
.

From extremely early times (and possibly even among the Neanderthals), archaeology reveals that humans have treated the bodies of the dead with care and respect. However, despite much speculation, it is not possible to state what beliefs about the status of the dead accompanied these early practices. By the time texts mediate beliefs about the dead, it is clear that almost universally there was no belief that there would be a worthwhile life after death. The funeral rites of the major world religions now express and reflect the consequence of subsequent human experience and reflection in which a continuity of life beyond death is clearly more probable, and is certainly a matter of faith expressed through the rituals and liturgies.
On the importance of being buried/cremated in particular places see KA
I;
KARBAL
’;
MASHHAD
. See also
DEATH
;
CREMATION
;
RITES OF PASSAGE
.
Judaism
In biblical times, the dead were buried preferably near their family graves—hence the expression, ‘slept with his fathers’. Traditionally, men are buried wrapped in their
tallit
, and coffins were not used until the Middle Ages. Different communities observe different burial practices, but normally the coffin is escorted to the grave and
Kaddish
is recited. Burial in the land of Israel is a desideratum, but failing that, earth from Israel should be placed on the head or under the body. Among
Reform Jews
, embalming and cremation are permitted.
Christian
Christian respect for the body, and expectation of its resurrection, derive from the resurrection of
Christ
.
Cremation
was opposed and eventually became exceptional.
Opposition to cremation began to erode at the end of the 19th cent., and is now common; the prohibition against it among
Roman Catholics
was lifted in 1963, and is now allowed provided it is not done for reasons contrary to the Christian faith.
Islam
Jin
za/jan
za
refers to the stretcher and to the corpse on it, and thus to the funeral itself. The
Qur’
n
gives no detail, but much description occurs in
ad
th
, and
fiqh
is extremely detailed in its prescription. Generally speaking, burials should be carried out as speedily as possible. As soon as a Muslim is dead, he is laid on the stretcher with the head facing the
qibla
. The
ghusl
then takes place, and the body is covered in a shroud or shrouds (the number is disputed).
al
t
is then said over the dead person, and if possible there should be recitation of the Qur’
n, or at least of
s
ra
6. Mourning is restricted, because it disturbs the dead—though in practice lamentation (
niyaha
) occurs. Forty days later, a family commemoration is held (
al-Arba‘ayn
, ‘the Forty’).
Hinduism
see
ANTYE