Q82 :If a foreign worker dies, how soon should he
be buried? Is it appropriate for the employer to delay burial until he
receives the consent of the worker’s parents or next of kin? Does this
not intervene the rule which specifies a time limit for burial?
A82 : Let me first of all say that there is no
time limit for burial. Islam does not say that a dead person should be
buried within a particular number of hours or days after the death has
occurred. Having said that, it is well known that it is more
appropriate from the Islamic point of view to bury a person as soon as
possible after his death. Burial is not to be delayed unnecessarily.
When it is feared that the body of a deceased person could begin to
denetpose, preparation for burial should be started with maximum speed.
On the other hand, if there is a valid reason for a delay in burial,
then this is acceptable. Such delay may be necessary if a crime is
suspected. A coroner may require a postmortem to be carried out in
order to determine the cause of death. This will inevitably delay
burial, but this is certainly acceptable. In the case you have
mentioned, the employer may have felt that the relatives of the
deceased worker may wish to have the body returned to the worker’s home
country for burial there. From the Islamic point of view, it is
undesirable that a person be sent from one country to another for
burial. [or, for that matter, from one town in the same country to
another town.] Even when a Muslim dies in a non-Muslim area, it is
perfectly appropriate for him to be buried there. There is no need for
him to be taken away to a Muslim country. The whole earth belongs to
Allah and wherever we are buried, He resurrects us on the day of
judgment.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )