Asalaamu alaikum -
On another thread, our sister was discussing the need for reverts/converts to have the conversion certificate.
Well, I wanted to stress how important it is for us to also have a will (I believe in Islam is called "wasiah"?) without mashing up her thread, so I decided to start another...
I can't speak for the non-Western countries, but for North American countries at least a certificate of conversion will do very little good in telling a deceased convert's family how to properly arrange a Muslim burial. If I were killed in an automobile accident on the way home tonight (subhanAllah, may Allah in His mercy protect me, amin!), "they" (the authorities) would contact my mother as my next of kin. She's Catholic. Now, if my mother were the grudge bearing kind she could very easily have my body sent up to our family burial ground in Alaska to be interred with those who have gone before me, complete with a Catholic Mass & rosary etc. But since she's not, she knows she's to contact my Masjid (and the three or four brothers who's phone numbers she has been given) and then she leaves the rest up to them.
Likewise, my Masjid - and those three or four brothers who volunteered to be her contacts - know that my family are all NON-Muslim so there will need to be a liason to let them know what is expected of them at my Janaza. My biggest fear is for my grief-stricken family to be left standing in the parking lot of my Masjid without knowing what to do, or for them to be treated negatively in their grief because they are confused and don't know what is expected of them (wow my throat closed up at the thought as I was typing that sentence).
My mother knows what to expect - at least on the surface. Two of the brothers who have given her their phone numbers are converts also and know how to explain things to non-Muslims.
However, I also need to have all this in a will, in writing, because when grief is involved we are all human and some things can get dismissed or easily overlooked.
A brother at the masjid brought this up to me last week in our dawah meeting. There were two of us revert brothers in the meeting; a 3rd brother from Syria just lost his uncle. So he made mention the "wasiah" to us and said it was "Sunnah" to have it (I haven't verified this yet).
But anyway... May Allah in His mercy protect us all and give us long and prosperous lives, amin! In the mean time, get a will!!
Asalaamu alaikum!
D.
On another thread, our sister was discussing the need for reverts/converts to have the conversion certificate.
Well, I wanted to stress how important it is for us to also have a will (I believe in Islam is called "wasiah"?) without mashing up her thread, so I decided to start another...
I can't speak for the non-Western countries, but for North American countries at least a certificate of conversion will do very little good in telling a deceased convert's family how to properly arrange a Muslim burial. If I were killed in an automobile accident on the way home tonight (subhanAllah, may Allah in His mercy protect me, amin!), "they" (the authorities) would contact my mother as my next of kin. She's Catholic. Now, if my mother were the grudge bearing kind she could very easily have my body sent up to our family burial ground in Alaska to be interred with those who have gone before me, complete with a Catholic Mass & rosary etc. But since she's not, she knows she's to contact my Masjid (and the three or four brothers who's phone numbers she has been given) and then she leaves the rest up to them.
Likewise, my Masjid - and those three or four brothers who volunteered to be her contacts - know that my family are all NON-Muslim so there will need to be a liason to let them know what is expected of them at my Janaza. My biggest fear is for my grief-stricken family to be left standing in the parking lot of my Masjid without knowing what to do, or for them to be treated negatively in their grief because they are confused and don't know what is expected of them (wow my throat closed up at the thought as I was typing that sentence).
My mother knows what to expect - at least on the surface. Two of the brothers who have given her their phone numbers are converts also and know how to explain things to non-Muslims.
However, I also need to have all this in a will, in writing, because when grief is involved we are all human and some things can get dismissed or easily overlooked.
A brother at the masjid brought this up to me last week in our dawah meeting. There were two of us revert brothers in the meeting; a 3rd brother from Syria just lost his uncle. So he made mention the "wasiah" to us and said it was "Sunnah" to have it (I haven't verified this yet).
But anyway... May Allah in His mercy protect us all and give us long and prosperous lives, amin! In the mean time, get a will!!
Asalaamu alaikum!
D.
