Muslims observe funerals in the case of a death and are always buried in a grave, not cremated. It is preferable to bury the body as soon as possible, and for this reason, most burials will occur within 24 hours of the death of the person.
Preparation of the Body
Before the body can be buried it must be washed and put into special clothes. The body is washed by one or more people of the same gender as the deceased, or if none is available, a close relative of the opposite sex. The process of washing the body is quite involved and too involved to explain here. However, the people responsible for washing the body leave the private parts of the body covered at all times and will simply wash underneath a covering cloth. The body is washed in much the same way as if the person was making ghusl (full ablution) where water touches every part of the body. It is then wrapped in three pieces of white cloth and perfume or camphor put on the body. A woman has an extra two pieces of cloth to cover her hair.
Burial
Unlike most burials in New Zealand, the deceased is only carried to the gravesite in a coffin, but not buried in it (the body is removed from the coffin when it is buried). Instead the grave is dug in such a way that there is an 'underground cave' or simply a pit. After the body is placed in the grave, wood is put across the cave entrance or laid across the pit. This prevents the loose soil touching the body when it is put back into the grave. However, because not all the soil can be replaced (due to the space taken in the grave up by the body), the extra soil is heaped on top of the gravesite and fresh Muslim gravesites are characterised by a hump. This hump disappears over time due to natural weathering and Muslim graveyards essentially look as they would of before any graves were dug there and the body returns back to what it was originally, i.e. dust. As such, there is no gravestone or permanent covering (such as a tomb) to mark the place where the body is buried (as can be seen in the picture to the right).
When the body is buried it is laid on its right side with its face pointing towards Mecca. Alternatively, it may have its feet pointing towards Mecca with the head raised slightly so that the face also points in this direction. Nothing else, such as the deceased's possessions, is put in the grave except for the body and the shroud they are wrapped in.
Muslims are buried away from non-Muslims since non-Muslims undergo sever torment in the grave and it is undesirable for the deceased Muslims to witness this. For this reason, in New Zealand the Muslim community in a city will buy a certain number of plots away from the other gravesites in a cemetery to use when necessary.
Funeral Prayer
Once at the gravesite, a funeral prayer will be made for the deceased and then the body is put in the grave. Only men attend the actual burial and women may go later to visit the grave. Consequently, the men will pray the funeral prayer at the gravesite, whilst the women usually congregate at the house of a female relative (such as the wife) of the deceased and pray there. The funeral prayer differs from the normal prayer (salaah) in that there is no prostration on the ground and the whole prayer is made whilst standing. Often additional funeral prayers will be made later by other people who did not attend the funeral prayer once the news of the death reaches them. It is an obligation for a Muslim to pray the funeral pray for another Muslim (if they are known to them) when they die.
'Iddah
Under normal circumstances it is not permitted for any person to mourn the loss of a person for longer than three days. The exception is for a wife, if her husband passes away. In the case that a Muslim woman is widowed she must observe a mourning/waiting period known as 'Iddah. If she is not pregnant, then her 'Iddah is four months and ten days. If she is pregnant, then her 'Iddah ends when her baby is born. During her 'Iddah she is not permitted to remarry or accept proposals to marry, nor allowed to wear perfume or beautify herself.
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