Funeral (Janazah) Services

Inna Lillahi-wa-Inna ilayhi Raji’un.

Islamic Foundation provides assistance with Funeral services. Here are the contacts who can help you with setting up Funeral Services:

Contact info:

Abdul Baseer (708) 261-6654
Jawed Aslam (630) 926-0235

Haroon Firdose, Muslim Funeral Services (815) 549-9400        Jawed Aslam,  Grave Site (630) 926-0235

In the unfortunate event of death of a family member or friend, Islamic Foundation in partnership with Muslim Funeral Services provides complete Islamic funeral arrangements including:

  • Transportation from home/hospital to funeral home
  • Arrangements for storing a body.
  • Ghusl (washing) before burial.
  • Acquiring a burial plot at a number of cemeteries
  • Transportation from funeral home to mosque and to the cemetery
  • Janazah (funeral) prayer at Islamic Foundation
  • Obtaining the death certificate.

Gravesites can be purchased from Islamic Foundation for Chapel Hill Gardens West Cemetery/Al-Fatiha Garden, Oak Brook Terrace and Arlington Cemetery, Elmhurst

Funeral estimated cost

    • $1,600 – $1,800 – Services to prepare the required documents to process the filing of the death certificate and obtaining a disposition permit. Includes transportation of the deceased. Ghusl (Washing), Kafan (Shrouding), Cardboard Casket, and transporting the body to the cemetery.
    • $1,500 – 5,000 – Grave Plot at local cemeteries, Oakbrook Terrace, Elmhurst, and Darien (Paid to Islamic Foundation)
    • $3,000 – $5000 – Burial expenses – includes concrete liner, concrete cover and border installation and grave opening and closing. (Paid to Cemetery of your selection)
    • $6,000 to $11,000 Estimated Total Cost

What to do before imminent death?

Family members of the dying person and their most pious friends should be present at their side to help turn the final thoughts to Allah, reminding him or her of all the good deeds they did, about Allah’s mercy, and Allah’s favors. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Let no Muslim die except expecting and hoping the best from Allah” (Muslim).

Family members and friends can advise the dying person very gently (encouragement without insistence) to say the shahada: “La Illaha illallah”, which means there is no God but Allah, in a very kind and sincere manner as these may be their last words. Abu Saeed Al-Khuduri reported that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Help Muslims who are dying to say “La Illaha illallah” (Muslim).

Family members should make Dua (supplication) to Allah to help make the final moments easy, and to forgive them.

What can Islamic Foundation and Muslim Funeral Services do for you?
1. Arrange transportation of the body
2. Wash the body (Ghusl)
3. Shrouding (kafan) and a casket
4. Arrange for the congregational funeral prayer

All items 1-3 take place at Funeral Home where body is transported   (usually – Albanian Islamic Center)
5825 St Charles Rd (5.38 mi)
Berkeley, Illinois 60163

Burial can be at Arlington Cemetery in Elmhurst /Chapel hill Garden West in Oakbrook Terrace or any other Cemetery in the area.

What information you’ll need? What to do after death?

Immediately after the death has occurred and it has been verified, close the eyes of the deceased eyes; the mouth and jaws are held gently with broad bands or pieces of cloth so that they do not remain wide open; the legs should be held in the same way. The body should be covered, and must always remain covered, preferably with a white sheet of cloth.

Invoke Allah and say: “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un” (To Allah we belong and to Him is our return).

Crying with no wailing is permitted. The prophet (pbuh) wept on the death of his son, Ibrahim and said: “The eyes shed tears and the heart feels pain, but we utter only what pleases our Lord. O Ibrahim! We are aggrieved at your demise.”

Contact Islamic Foundation or Muslim Funeral Services funeral Director for funeral arrangements without delay; Relatives and friends should be notified. The body must not be kept waiting unnecessarily. Immediate family and friends are to prepare food for the bereaved family for three days.

When you contact the funeral representative to seek advice, arrange for paper work and cemetery plot, please have the following information available:

Determine if the dying person has any preferences for people who will carry out the Ghusl (washing) and Kafan (burial cloth). If there is none, then the next of male kin to males, and next of female kin to females should be available to perform the Ghusl.

Also when you talk to the funeral director, please prepare the following information for the dying person to facilitate the process and help in finalizing the paperwork:

⦁ Current location of Deceased
⦁ Social Security Number
⦁ Address
⦁ Date of Birth
⦁ Date and Time of Death
⦁ Phone Number
⦁ eMail

If the death occurred over the weekend, most cemetery and related offices are open only during weekdays and for a few hours on Saturday. Furthermore, the cemetery does not typically open graves and allow burials on Sundays. As such, in the event of death on Saturday, the burial may have to wait until Monday afternoon.

It typically takes about 3 to 6 hours to make all the arrangements at a minimum (Open/Close the grave, arrange the transportation, set prayer area). As such, a person can be buried on the same day if the death occurred prior to 8 AM. If the death occurred after that time, the arrangements will be typically made for burial the next day.

Typically the Janaza prayer is performed right after the Dhuhr prayer (12:30 PM in winter months or 1:30 PM during daylight savings time) On Friday’s Janaza prayer is always after 2nd Juma prayer at Islamic Foundation. The Ghusl is typically performed before the Janaza prayers (around 10 AM or 11 Noon).