Went to an Islamic funeral last week. We started at the house, where the widow was reading the Quran and told us the we should all read as much quran as possible over the next three days, because thats how long God takes to tott up all the good we have done against all the bad.
Not sure how us reading the quran adds to his good deeds but I digress.
The poor man was on a flight to the UK after visiting his son in Dubai. He died from a heart attack whilst having a poo in the toilet, half an hour before the flight was due to land.
At the funeral, the mullah started asking where Kaaba was and told them to stop the lowering of the coffin.
He then started pointing to the screws of the lid, and asked the distraught sons to open the coffin!! They opened it, and he asked them to pull down the white sheet to reveal their father's grey sullen face.
The mullah then grabs the head and ratchetted it sideways (he looked like rigamortice had set in as he had to apply some pressure) . All this just so the face could point to Kaaba.
I found it quite disturbing, and when I got home I sent this email to my brothers & sister in case I die before getting round to making a will and my mum overrides everyone else and carries out my funeral the way she wants too
Hi
For the record guys/girls – just been thinking about ... having his rigamortised head yanked into the direction of Kaaba on his burial.
If I die & .. not around either, then I want a proper Humanist burial, with no tribal burial customs with Islamic influence eg. no naked body washing etc.
Just stick my body in the ground near a tree and turn my into worm fodder and tree fertiliser so the end of my life can hopefully help breathe life into new ones.
It should be a happy and jovial occasion not one surrounded by sorrow. Photos of my family, my life, mistakes, etc so the new generation can learn from my mistakes/successes.
Yours
Bijaan
P.S Also pls send a donation from my estate to coem or an equivalent exmuslim forum/venture at the time ..