The Islamic Funeral Undertaking In Malaysia

Assallamualaikum. Dear brothers and sisters of Islam, I am taking this opportunity as a non profitable body highlighting the importance of the Islamic funeral services in many areas of our community. Only a few funeral directors and practitioners are available and the numbers are declining. Others have attended funeral courses conducted by mosques, suraus, schools and institutions of higher learning. But none or a few yet to practice the noble profession. To do that one has to be strong with sound mind and body and above all the 'Knowledge'. Knowledge alone is not enough if he or she is not brave to perform the funeral duties. I have conducted many classes on Islamic funeral services and I do understand the declining situation and I am sure in the near future hoping there will be many 'Funeral Directors' and 'Funeral Practitioners' around. InshaAllah.

The Islamic funeral undertaking in Malaysia, could be traced back to 12th century where Islam was first brought to the Malay Peninsula by the Arabs through India, Indonesia, Fatani and the Chinese  traders during Sultan Muzaffar Shah I of Kedah later on in Trengganu and Melaka. The religion of Islam exercised Syariah laws especially on its Islamic funerals that had taken place within the Muslim community. The funeral undertaking tradition was brought down from generation to generation and had continued without any change in its Islamic funeral rules. 

However in the 20th century the rules known to change a little from its lawful modus operandi, whereby the deceased's next of kin were mostly found to be in the reluctance of performing the funeral undertaking of their own family and Islam discouraged this. In Islam all family's funeral undertakings should be carried out by the nearest family group. Due to the family's reluctances, or perhaps lacking the knowledge of Islamic funeral undertaking, and the unpreparedness during the hard trying, in turned the imam in a nearby mosque  and his comity will be normally asked to perform all matters pertaining to the funeral or at its best leaving to the trustworthy  hands of  funeral undertakers. In Malaysia, the funeral undertakers and directors were considered nonprofit making and an unlucrative position held compared to their counterparts in other countries, but in Islam performing God's duty is the most prime and important task to fulfill.