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Funeral Services

Funeral Services and Burial Arrangement

In the case of a death, please follow these guidelines:

Family members of the deceased cannot handle the body, and neither can the Imam or ordinary Muslim community members. A certified funeral director should be involved. In the past, ICP has dealt with the following funeral homes:

• Elachko Funeral Home
  3447 Dawson St
  Pittsburgh, PA 15213
  (412) 682-3257
  Current price: $1,925
• Spriggs & Watson Funeral Home
  (412) 243 8080
  There is a brother who works there named Amin, who can be reached at (412) 580 6716. The owner of the home is Donald Jones, who can be reached at (412) 795-2128 or (412) 352-3363

The funeral home will transport the body from the hospital or home, and should be advised beforehand that no embalmment is needed since this is a Muslim body. If no family members are able to properly wash the body, the Imam should do so. If the deceased is female, a female should be responsible for washing the body. There is kafan available in the Masjid, which costs $50.00. Janazah prayer can be held at the funeral home, however it is possible to have the body brought to the ICP and Janazah performed here after after Dhuhur.

The Homewood Cemetery in Squirrel Hill has a Muslim section, however they must be contacted one day in advance, or very early in the morning on the same day. If the funeral is handled by Spriggs & Watson they are aware of how to contact the cemetery, and no action is required. However, this cemetery is expensive and it may be preferable to look into other alternatives.

The Imam or an ICP representative should be present at the funeral services. ICP requests a $500.00 donation for burial services, including the kafan. These donations should be made payable to the ICP. If the family requests information regarding grave stones they can contact Bill of Temple Horigan, 4606 Penn Ave. at (412) 682-5055.

Additional Steps and Information

• If the individual is not yet deceased, give the family member contact information for a funeral home.
• If the person has died at home, advise the family to contact local authorities. Advise the family that without a funeral home's involvement, no body can be removed from a hospital or home.
• In any case, someone from the family or their close friends should contact the funeral home. However, if the family is in a state of shock the Imam or his delegate should contact the funeral home for further arrangements.
• If the family has decided upon a funeral home, the Imam should facilitate the funeral and burial services via that funeral home.
• Typical fees for funeral home services range anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000.
• The body should be taken to the funeral home. The Imam, along with family members, should establish a time for ghusul, and inform the funeral home director of the accommodations required for this.
• Family members should bring kafan, or kafan can be used from the ICP storage room.
• While the body is being handled, burial arrangements should be made at a cemetery.
• The Homewood cemetery (412-421 1822) has a section designated for Muslims, and charges a fee of $1,000 for opening and closing; there is an additional fee of $300 by the Muslim cemetery association.
• If burial takes place at the Homewood cemetery, the body should be ready for burial before 2:30 PM; cemetery employees do not work after 3 PM. The cemetery should be contacted as soon as possible so that the graveyard site can be prepared.
• Once ghusul is completed, the body can be transported to a masjid of the family's choice, where salat-ul-janazah will be performed. Optionally, the prayer can be held at a funeral home.
• Lastly, the body is transported to the cemetery where burial services take place; the Imam should lead these services.
• If the family is able to pay, ICP requests a donation fee of $500 for services and kafan. The Imam may not accept the money for his own services.