http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=67566&d=27&m=7&y=2005&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom
Wednesday, 27, July, 2005 (20, Jumada al-Thani, 1426) Woman Teaches How to Wash the Dead Razan Baker, Arab News JEDDAH, 27 July 2005 - Rarely are people prepared for the death of a loved one. Whether it is a friend, mother or father, it can be difficult to let a stranger wash the body. This dilemma has encouraged women to take a course by a specialist in Islamic studies that teaches how to prepare somebody for burial. A doctor of psychology who took the course and who spoke to Arab News wanted to remain anonymous because she said she did not learn it "for publicity or praise." She will soon begin to give the course for those who are interested. The doctor believes that at least one member of every family must know how to wash the dead, just as at least one should know how to perform first aid. "Why expose a family member to strangers?" she asked. "Most of them would not appreciate it when they were alive." The procedure is not complicated. The initial ablution of the body is followed by its bathing. Then there is a second and final ablution. Anything else are additions such as sidir, kafoor and cad, various kinds of herbs and flowers. They are put between the sheets of the fabric that covers the dead body in order to keep insects away from the grave and to prevent the body from smell during burial. Many people get someone to perform this at Al-Sharshoura, where they are trained for it. Some of them do it correctly whereas others may let a thing or two slip. "If you are lucky you will find someone available, but if it is late you will have to wait. This can pose a problem since it is stated in one of the Hadiths that we must honor our dead by burying him or her as soon as possible," the woman doctor continued. She first thought of learning the ritual at the time of confusion after the death of a relative. Her relative had suffered internal bleeding and those who came to wash the body did not know what to do. The other relatives did not know what to do either and they finally left the decision to the people from Al-Sharshoura. A faulty decision was made and they had to wash her twice because the blood did not stop flowing. That day the doctor realized how important it is for a dead person to have only his or her close relatives present at the washing. In preparation, she filled bags with all that is required and offered them for free. It is important for each house to have the required material, just like every house should have a first-aid box. "If a year passes and the bag does not come to use, they can offer it to a family that cannot afford to get one and get a new one." One of the women who was interested in attending the course was Somayya Rashid, who works for a private company. "Although a course like this may make us feel closer to death; it also makes us appreciate life," she told Arab News. "Life is not about luxury; we need these kinds of courses and knowledge from time to time, as a reminder. Every single individual will meet his fate and if he wants to be well rewarded, he must do well during his life." The doctor concluded that she hoped that the College of Education and other government institutions would organize courses for both students and employees in how to wash the dead. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Milis Wanita Muslimah Membangun citra wanita muslimah dalam diri, keluarga, maupun masyarakat. Situs Web: http://www.wanita-muslimah.com ARSIP DISKUSI : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanita-muslimah/messages Kirim Posting mailto:wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com Berhenti mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Milis Keluarga Sejahtera mailto:keluarga-sejahtera@yahoogroups.com Milis Anak Muda Islam mailto:majelismuda@yahoogroups.com This mailing list has a special spell casted to reject any attachment .... Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanita-muslimah/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/