Cremation...

Now I know cremation is not allowed in Islam.. but we live in a multi-cultural, multi-religion society where people will be cremated.. A recent death of someone I know.. (who will be cremated) has got me thinking and it’s been the topic for debates..

Burial V Cremation..

When discussing the options.. Alot of people think about being 6ft under and being eaten by insects..whilst Versus being cremated - you’re gone like a poof of smoke.. Gone!!

I just typed ‘cremation’ in Google.. and came across this:-

The information in this article is intended to help you more fully understand what occurs in the cremation process. The steps are detailed and should be carefully considered.

Please note that this article has been prepared on a general informational basis. Because of variations in state/provincial and local laws, there may be some difference in legal requirements.


All cremations are performed individually. Exceptions can be made only in the case of close relatives, and then only with the prior written instructions of the authorizing agent(s) and only if the state/provincial or local laws allow this.

The cremation process begins with the placement of the casket/container in the cremation chamber where it’s subjected to intense heat and flame reaching temperatures between 1,400 and 1,800 degrees fahrenheit. All substances are consumed except bone fragments (calcium compounds) and any non-combustible materials, such as jewelry, dental gold, prosthesies, latches, hinges, etc., that were not removed prior to cremation as the temperature is not sufficient to consume them.

During the cremation process, it may be necessary to open the cremation chamber and reposition the deceased in order to facilitiate a complete and thorough cremation.

The time for cremation to be completed varies with the size and weight of each human remains, but usually takes between 1 1/2 and 3 hours.

Following a cooling period, the cremated remains are then swept or raked from the cremation chamber. Every effort is made to remove all human remains. However, a small residue my remain in the cremation chamber, resulting in incidental commingling with other cremated remains.

After the cremated remains are removed from the cremation chamber, all non-combustible materials that have not been removed prior to cremation will be separated and removed from the bone fragments by visible or magnetic selection and will be disposed of by the crematory in a non-recoverable manner.

Once the bone fragments have been separated from the other material, they may be further processed to reduce the size of the bone fragments to uniform particles.

Cremated remains, depending on the bone structure of the decedent, will weigh between three and nine pounds, and are usually white in color, but can be other colors due to temperature variations and other factors.

The crematory should be provided with an urn in which the cremated remains will be placed. If no urn is provided or the urn is not large enough to hold all the remains, the crematory will place the remains or any excess in a container made of plastic, light metal, cardboard, unfinished wood, or other suitable material to hold the remains until an urn is acquired or the cremated remains are scattered.*

I mean.. that just seems really bizarre… I couldnt see anyone I loved to go like that..?? I find the whole process really inhumane… :frowning:

Re: Cremation...

Some people.... well nowadays, alot of people would rather be cremated because it is a quick and final way to dispose of their body..... they dont want their body to be eaten up by slimy worms and creepy crawly insects.

Why is it inhumane? the body is and empty shell........... it can feel nothing!

whats really inhumane is over the centuries the possible hundreds of thousands of people who have gone into a coma and have been buried by their relatives mistakingly thinking they are dead.

If they had been cremated they would have died a relatively qiuck death (choked) instead of waking up in a coffin six feet under and dying a slow death...............

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Lazy Daisy.. but Us as muslims.. surely there is a life after death process??
Otherwise why wud it be haram in Islam?

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If this is going to turn religious Im going to keep out of it..... I dont know enough to discuss in a religious sense and I'm not going to make things up based upon statements i've heard years ago.

I wrote the above to counter balance what you said, there are positve and negatives in everything.

We as muslims get buried because it is a law from Allah...... I guess if you asked people and if they had the choice Im not sure they'd all choose to be buried.

People can be disposed of in a great manner of ways.
Parsees put their dead on a pillar or tall building and let the vultures eat them
Rich Hindus cremate them four hours and hours on wooden pyres.
Poor Hindu's throw their dead relatives into the Ganges River to be eaten up by the turtles that the government introduced to "clean" up the river.

Some people have signed up to cryogenics, where they are frozen/or parts of them frozen and will be defrosted (they hope) when we have the technology to bring them back to life by giving them a new body.

Some people opt to hand their bodies over the scientific reseach and study colleges for doctors.

some decide to be buried in forests in cardboard coffins with a tree planted on top of them, in order for their body (waste product of life) to act as nutrition for this new life (the tree)

some are cremated and some of their ashes can be passed onto a company to be turned into diamonds.... to be handed on to to their loved ones.

What Im trying to say is that crematon isnt all that bad..... to some people.

As for the life after death process........... Im sure someone with real Islamic knowledge would be better qualified than I, to answer that.

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blimey lazy daisy.. there's some interesting ways to go... I dont know if the way I feel about Cremation is partly due to my religious programming.. but I guess if I knew there was no life after death.. then I wouldnt bother either way..

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Did you here about the chap in the states who stacked up all the dead bodies he was given to cremate on his farm...he did this for years and handed people jars of ash from a bonfire to take home with them.

and the chap in the uk who mixed his jars of dead peoples ashes up, and gave someone a jar containing his dead aunts ashes when they came in to collect their fathers.

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oh blimey.. see id rather get buried :p

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^^^ but think of the crawly creepies

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what about land that is used up for burial in a country like japan and india ?

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Lazy Daisy.. as a muslim I dont have a choice.

Rvikz.. so what do you suggest? Forget what my religion says and be burnt to a cinder??
Id rather get shipped to Pakistan

Re: Cremation…

there is no ban on burial for hindus or muslims in india . still you cant use
good agricultrual land for dead instead feeding living. technically 1 billion
cementries will fill all the land.

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the Japanese for the most part cremate, and in India the larger Hindu population, Jains, Sikhs and a few of the others even some of the Christians opt for cremation.

but I believe they bury babies.....

India doesnt really have a land space problem

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creamtion also pollutes and need lot trees to be cut down for firewood. mass burial may be solution?

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burial where?

you could have mass cremation and use the bodies to create electricity.

or turn them into food for animals.

Re: Cremation…

which animal ?

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stop deviating guys.

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Rvikz.... animals in the zoo, household pets

wouldnt it be great and very ecologically sound if when you die, your body is made into dog food and given to your dog to eat.

this way the dog gets power from you and you live on in your dog.

In the Congo there are number of tribe fighting each other, one thing they do is to capture each other and kill and eat bits of the body like the heart...in order to get a bit of the spirit/ and strength of the dead person.
Now thats very nasty but the sentiment is the same

and some parts of africa if your parents die you eat their heart so their spirit lives on in you.

In that way if your dog / cat/ gold fish ate you ...you'd go on living in them.

Re: Cremation…

human meat is not suited to be fed to cattle (<-- if you meant these animals). That’s how mad cow disease evolved. Human remains should be digested by bacteria and used as compost for plants

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Nescio, you are right ...I would never advocate giving these animals ANY KIND OF MEAT PRODUCTS..they are naturally vegetarian and should only be provided with veg food.
any animal for human consumption shouldnt be provided with meat.

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thanks i am happy with creamtion or burial