Funeral Rites in Islam

About the Book: Dr. Bilal Philips has written this book in order to serve the needs of English-speaking Muslims, using easy-to-understand explanations and instructions based strictly on the fundamental sources of Islam—the Qur’an and the Sunnah—to show what are and are not the correct practices of Islamic burials. No (English-speaking) Muslim’s library is complete without a copy of this book. This book paints a clear picture of how to deal with dying and death according to the authentic sunnah. The author clearly seeks to revive the sunnah by pointing out the many religious innovations that have unfortunately spread across the Muslim world.

This indispensable reference directs the reader with authentic evidence, step-by-step through the process of implementing the way of the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions in handling this essential and inevitable issue. From the deathbed to the washing and shrouding to the burial, this guide prepares its reader with the necessary how that will benefit both the dead and the living at the time of bereavement.

About the Author: Dr Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips is a Jamaican Canadian Islamic Scholar born on the 17th of July 1947 who converted to Islam in the early seventies after journeying politically and intellectually from Christianity to Communism. Shortly after his reversion to Islam, he embarked on a spiritual academic journey to the other side of the world seeking Islamic knowledge. This journey took him to Saudi Arabia where he completed a BA in Islamic studies in Madeenah, and an MA in Islamic Theology in Riyadh, then to the University of Wales, UK, where he completed a PhD in Islamic Theology in the early nineties.

After graduation from Madeenah, Dr Bilal became a teacher of Islamic studies for 10 years in an Islamic High School, Manaret Riyadh, and a lecturer of Arabic and Islamic studies in the American University in Dubai, UAE, for another 10 years. During his 10 years in the UAE, he founded and taught at the Islamic Information Center in Dubai, and during his subsequent 7 years in Qatar he has been an Islamic consultant and lecturer for the Islamic Information wing of Sh. Eed Charity.

Dr. Bilal Philips has written, translated and commented on over 50 published books on various Islamic topics. He has also edited and published the 56 book Eemaan Reading Series for children and presented Islamic programs for a number of years on Riyadh Channel 2TV, Sharjah TV for ten years, as well as Peace TV, Huda TV, Islam Channel, UK, and the Deen Show, Chicago, USA.

In 2002, Dr. Philips founded and headed the Islamic Studies department of Preston University, Ajman, UAE, and in 2007 he founded and headed the Islamic Studies Academy, Doha, Qatar, while simultaneously launching the International Open University (IOU), previously known as the Islamic Online University, which offers affordable degree and diploma courses to hundreds of thousands of registered students from over 200 different countries world wide, and for which he was included in the Jordanian publication, The 500 Most Influential Muslims.

Dr. Bilal subsequently founded and headed, in 2008, the English medium Islamic studies department of Knowledge International University, who’s Chancellor is Shaikh Dr. ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn ‘Abdil-Azeez Al Sudais and who’s President of the board of trustees is Shaikh ‘Abdul-Azeez ibn ‘Abdullah Al Shaikh, Mufti of Saudi Arabia. More recently, in 2009, Dr. Bilal Philips founded and headed the College of Da’wah and Islamic Culture (English Section), Omdurman Islamic University, Sudan, and established and directed Preston International College in Chennai, India.

In March 2010, Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips launched, for the first time in history, an accredited tuition-free BA in Islamic Studies degree course at the International Open University.