Poonch Muslim Funeral Association
F U N E R A L G U I D E
THE PROCEDURES listed below are a basic and brief outline of the steps required to ensure a quick burial of a departed relative in England and Wales.
The first step in all cases is to contact the following people immediately:
- Family Doctor
- Funeral Director
- Close relatives
STEP 1
- Death at Home
When someone dies, a state-registered healthcare professional (such as a registered doctor) needs to confirm that the person has died (known as ‘formal verification of death’). They do this by making certain checks to be sure that the person has died. It’s best not to move the body from the home before this has taken place. If a healthcare professional is already with the deceased, they may be able to verify the death. If not, you will need to call the GP practice who can arrange for someone to visit. If the person dies in the evening, at night, at the weekend or on a bank holiday, call the GP and they’ll provide you a number to phone for a doctor.
b) Medical Certificate of Cause of Death
The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) is a legal document that must be completed by a registered doctor who attended the deceased during their last illness, or another registered doctor with access to the deceased person’s medical history and circumstances of death. Where the death is expected and due to natural causes, the doctor may issue the MCCD if they are satisfied as to the cause of death.
If the death is sudden, unexplained, or occurs in circumstances that may require further investigation (e.g. potential neglect, trauma, or unknown cause), the death must be reported to the Coroner. In such cases, an MCCD must not be issued until the Coroner’s involvement is complete.
c) What happens after a death is certified?
Once the death has been certified, what you do next depends on whether you’re using a funeral director or
handling the arrangements yourself. If you are using a funeral director, you can contact them when you are
ready.
STEP 2
If someone dies at a hospice or hospital
Hospices and hospitals have their own arrangements for verifying and certifying a death. In England and
Wales a doctor will complete the MCCD and share it with the medical examiner for review (unless they need to report the death to the coroner). The hospital can also give you information about registering the death. A member of staff will offer you advice about contacting a funeral director. The body would
normally be transferred from the ward to the hospital mortuary. But if arrangements are made swiftly the body can be collected by the Funeral Director from the ward and taken to the mosque or funeral director’s mortuary, ready to be bathed.
If a post-mortem is needed
The coroner may decide to conduct a post-mortem under circumstances such as (i) if the cause of death is unknown or cannot be confirmed by the attending doctor, (ii) if the death was sudden or unexpected, (iii) if the death occurred under suspicious, violent, or unnatural circumstances (iv) there are concerns about medical care or neglect.
This is an examination of a body to try to find out the cause of death. The consent of the relatives is not needed for this. They are however entitled to be represented at the examination by a doctor. A post-mortem is carried out by a pathologist working for the coroner’s office. A pathologist is a doctor who helps to find out the cause of death. Once the pathologist has identified the cause of death, the coroner will send a form to the registrar stating the cause of death. They will also send a certificate to the Funeral Director.
After the post-mortem
If the cause of death is uncertain or was due to an accident, violence or industrial disease, then an inquest will be held. An inquest is an enquiry into the medical causes and circumstances of death. It is held in public and sometimes with a jury. It is up to the coroner to decide how to organize the enquiry in a way to best serve the public interest and the interest of the relatives.
It may be important to have a lawyer to represent you if the death was caused by a road accident, or an accident at work, or other circumstances which could lead to a claim for compensation. Contact your nearest citizens advice bureau to see if you can get legal aid for this.
After the inquest the coroner will give you, free of charge an order form for burial (form 101), this gives permission for the body to be buried and should be given to the funeral director so that the funeral can be held. The coroner will also send a certificate after inquest (form 99), stating the cause of death to the registrar. This allows the death to be registered.
STEP 3
Funeral Arrangement
The relatives should choose a Funeral Director of their choice. A list can be found on the internet, or
alternatively, many Mosques also make these arrangements.
Inform the Funeral Director that a Medical Certificate has been issued. In some cases, the Funeral Director
will ask for a copy of the Medical Certificate. The Funeral Director will then make arrangements with the hospital to transport the body to his/her premises and contact the designated cemetery, or alternatively, if the body is to be transported to Pakistan, make the necessary arrangements with the Airline. The Funeral Director will also provide a hearse for transportation.
STEP 4
Registration of death
- All deaths need to be registered with the Registrar for births, deaths and marriages. This must be done within five days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This includes weekends and bank holidays. It may be different if the registrar agrees to extend the period, or if the death has been referred to the coroner. If a death has been referred to the coroner, or procurator, you’ll need to wait for them to give permission before you can register the death. There is no cost for registering a death. But you will need to pay to get copies of the death certificate. To register a death in England and Wales, it’s best to use the Register Office closest to where the person died. You can ask the doctor, or at the hospital, about your local office or look it up online. You can
try to use a register office in another area, but the paperwork may take a few days which could delay funeral arrangements. Many register offices will only see someone by appointment, so it’s best to call in advance to book a time. It usually takes around half an hour to register a death.
- To register the death, you should take the medical certificate to the Registrar of births and deaths of the area where the death took place (the registrars is usually situated at the Civic offices or the Town hall – your doctor, local council, post office, police station, should know the address.
- You do not have to make an appointment to see a Registrar, but without one you may have to wait.
When you contact your local register office, they will inform you what they would like you to bring with you to the appointment.
- When you go to the registrar you should also take the following:
the deceased’s NHS medical card if available, birth and marriage certificates if available and any valid
passports. You should inform the registrar of: the date and place of death, the deceased date, town, and
country of birth; the deceased occupation and if married the date of birth of the deceased’s widow/er.
- The registrar will give you two documents: A Certificate for Burial. This is often known as the green certificate or form. It gives permission for the body to be buried and you should give this to the funeral director. A Certificate of Registration of Death (form BD8). You may need to fill this in and return it if the person was getting a state pension or benefits (the form will come with a pre-paid envelope, so you know where to send it).
- Registering the death itself is free, but you have to pay for each certified copy of the death certificate. You’ll usually need one certified copy (not a photocopy) for each insurance, bank or pension company you’re dealing with. You may also need to give copies to the executor or administrator who is dealing with the property of the person who’s died. The executor of the Will and the registrar should be able to help you work out how many copies you need. The cost of a certified copy varies across the UK. It’s best if you can buy enough copies when you first register the death, as buying them later is sometimes more expensive. If you find you need more copies, you can get these from the local register office or the General Register Office.
Certificate for Burial (green form) this form should be given to the funeral director as an authorisation for burial.
Certificate for Registration of Death (form BD8) this is for Social Security purposes and for notifying government departments of the death, This certificate can be taken to the social security office if you wish to claim death grant or widows benefit. You have to wait for this certificate otherwise it will be posted to you.
Funeral costs
Try not to feel pressured into paying for a funeral you cannot afford. It’s important not to arrange a funeral that you will struggle to pay for later. The person who died may have had a prepaid funeral plan, insurance or other money set aside. Funeral costs usually come out of the person’s estate. In reality, they will often need to be paid upfront and recovered from the estate later. If there is not enough money to cover the costs, the organiser of the funeral (usually a close relative or spouse) must meet the difference.
Questions to ask a Funeral Director;
- What services do you provide?
- What do your charges include?
- Are any items included in your quote optional?
- When do we pay the bill?
- Do we have to pay a deposit?
If the deceased person is members of the above Funeral Association, some of the cost will be paid by the Association. For details of latest rules and bylaws, please contact any of the Committee members or the General Secretary of the Association.
Other useful information
- It is recommended that at least four persons be present to help with the ritual bathing (Ghusl) and carrying the body. Washing will normally take place at the funeral directors premises or Mosque. The funeral director personnel should be available to provide the washing and Kafan (shroud). However, family and community members (men or women) can be called upon to perform Ghusl and Kafan.
- In the U.K, during the summer months the last time for burial is usually 4pm and during winter it is normally 3pm.
- Certain cemeteries do not allow coffin boxes to be opened at the graveyard. Therefore, to ensure the head of the deceased is facing the “Qibla” and where it is in relation to the coffin, make sure this is done before closing the coffin and entering the cemetery.
- Some cemeteries are now allowing bodies to be buried without using a wooden coffin so that Muslims can be buried in the Kafan only. The funeral director should be able to advise and assist in this regard.
Embalming
Embalming is the process of treating the body after death to prevent it decaying. You may also hear it
called ‘hygienic treatment’. Some funeral directors offer this service, and they may suggest it, particularly if there is a gap of several weeks between the death and the funeral, and friends or family members want to
view the body. Some green burial grounds do not permit bodies that have been embalmed to be buried there. You may want to discuss these issues with your funeral director.
Telling organisations about someone’s death.
After someone has died, you need to inform number of people and organisations about their death. This
can be overwhelming, but it will be easier if you start by making a list of who you need to contact.
If you have a friend or family members who can help you with this, then you might also want to ask them.
Here are examples of the people or organisations you may need to contact:
- Employers, colleagues, and Government Departments,
- The person’s GP,
- Bank, credit card and mortgage companies.
- Insurance companies,
- Utility companies, such as gas, water, electricity, and telephone,
- The landlord (if applicable),
- Royal Mail.
- TV and internet companies.
- DVLA (if applicable),
- Child Benefit Office (if applicable),
- Newspaper delivery shops (if applicable).
Issue 2
(October 2025)