why do Muslims have to bury their dead so quickly?

“I won’t give any figures because I don’t know”recognized Bruno Retailleau on Wednesday December 18. Five days after the devastating passage of Cyclone Chido on the island of Mayotte, it is difficult to establish a human toll. The latest figures from the Mayotte hospital center show 22 deaths and more than 1,400 injured, including 48 serious. For François-Xavier Bieuville, prefect of the island, “this result is not plausible” given the scale of the destruction.

In the Muslim tradition of the Sunni rite, very anchored in the Indian Ocean archipelago, the deceased must be buried within twenty-four hours of their death, recalled the prefect. Thus, many people have already been buried, without having been recorded by emergency services.

This is the case in Kaweni, the largest slum on the island, which was ravaged by the cyclone. Out of a population estimated at 20,000 inhabitants, 5,000 people had to take refuge in shelters. However, only two deaths were recorded by the authorities. And the day after the tragedy, the Mayotte la 1ère channel broadcast images of people being buried.

Preserve dignity

The Muslim religion prescribes that the burial must take place quickly, during the day: before sunset if the death occurred in the morning, the next morning if it occurred in the evening. “Hurry up the funeral!” If he is a pious person, this is a service you are rendering him. If it is not, it is a burden from which you take off your shoulders.wrote Bukhari and Mouslim, two Islamic scholars reporting the words of the Prophet Mohammed.

Thus, delaying the burial may be considered disrespectful. The speed aims to preserve the integrity of the body, which must be underground before the first signs of decomposition are visible. The human body being considered a trust of Allah, Muslims have the obligation to take care of it, even after death. Born in the Arabian Peninsula, Islam established rites adapted to hot climates, where bodies decompose quickly.

Unlike other burial traditions, Islam generally does not practice embalming or other preservation processes. The body is simply washed, wrapped in a white shroud (kafan), and buried, in accordance with the principle of modesty and humility. But in densely populated areas and in times of natural disasters, large numbers of simply buried bodies can pose health risks.