Environmental benefits of Islamic burials

While Green Burial is a new phenomenon in the world today, Muslims consider this a “natural” method, that matches the guidelines of Islamic law, practiced for over 1400 years.

Islamic burials are an environmentally friendly that aims to have as little impact on the earth as possible to lessen your impact and reduce your “carbon footprint.”

Islamic law instructs that the deceased be washed and buried within 24 hours of death, with only a wrapping of white cloth to preserve dignity. No chemical preservatives or embalming fluid are used, nor any burial vault, coffin, or casket. Graves are encouraged without concrete construction.

Islamic burial is the simplest natural burial with low financial cost and least environmental impact.

• Embalmment is not allowed in Islam, unless required. Because of the prohibition on embalmment and the urgency with which the body must be buried, environmental resources which could be utilized for embalming are therefore conserved for the living, hence contributing to the sustenance of the resources.
• Speedy burial of Muslim corps prevents spread of every form of diseases and viruses. For example, with the outbreak of Covid 19, Ebola or any pandemic diseases, application of speedy burial of affected corpses is a measure of preventing their spread.
• Transporting deceased to another country/state/town is not allowed; this preserves and conserves environmental resources involved in transportation process.
• Playing music for funeral processions is discouraged, keeping low noise pollution.
• Islam encourages simplicity in all its ramifications, the shrouding of every Muslim (poor, rich, leaders, followers) must be plain white which is devoid of sewing. Cosmetic, jewelleries and the likes are not allowed to be part of the dressing of Muslim corps.
• At the grave yard, woods for coffin; cement for plastering the grave and building tombs on the grave are conserved. Conserving these resources would make the decomposition process under the ground easy; hence, enhances ecological system for survival of other vital species in the environment.