# When a Muslim Dies in the UK β€” Practical Guide | UKPT > What to do when a Muslim dies in the UK: the medical examiner and registering the death, ghusl and kafan, the janaza prayer and burial β€” plus wills and… *Source: https://prayer-times.co.uk/funeral Β· Independent, free UK prayer times.* --- πŸ•ŠοΈ Islamic Funeral Guide # When a Muslim Dies in the UK Quick Answer Call the GP or hospital to confirm the death β€” every non-coronial death in England & Wales is now reviewed by a **medical examiner** before registration. Once the register office receives the MCCD, register **within 5 days**, telling officials you need a **prompt Muslim burial**. Meanwhile contact your mosque or a Muslim funeral service for **ghusl** (washing), **kafan** (shroud) and the **janaza prayer** β€” burial usually follows within 24–72 hours. Last updated 11 August 2026 The practical steps in order β€” from the first phone call to ghusl, the janaza prayer, burial, and what happens to the estate afterwards. > "Every soul shall taste death. Only on the Day of Resurrection will you be paid your wages in full." > > β€” Quran 3:185 (Aal-Imran) ## The Steps, In Order UK legal process and Islamic rites, side by side 1. 1 Immediately Confirm the death If the death happens at home, call the GP (or 999 if unexpected). In hospital, staff will guide you. Close the eyes of the deceased, gently straighten the body, and recite: "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un" β€” to Allah we belong and to Him we return (Quran 2:156). 2. 2 Within 1–2 days Medical examiner & death certificate Since September 2024, every death in England and Wales is independently reviewed by a medical examiner before the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) is issued. The examiner will call the family β€” use that call to say you need a prompt Muslim burial; examiners and registrars routinely prioritise this. 3. 3 Within 5 days of the MCCD Register the death From September 2024 the statutory 5-day deadline starts when the register office receives the MCCD from the medical examiner β€” not on the date of death. Book a register office appointment as soon as you are told you can register; you receive the death certificate and the "green form" for burial. Use the government’s Tell Us Once service to notify HMRC, DWP, the passport office and the DVLA in one go. 4. 4 In parallel Contact the mosque / burial service Phone your mosque or a Muslim funeral service as soon as the death is confirmed β€” do not wait for paperwork. They arrange collection, cold storage, ghusl and kafan, and book the burial plot. Most UK cities have a Muslim burial council that coordinates all of this. 5. 5 Day of burial Ghusl, kafan and janaza prayer The deceased is washed (ghusl) and wrapped in a simple white shroud (kafan). The janaza prayer is prayed in congregation β€” often after a daily prayer at the mosque, or at the cemetery. Four takbeers, standing; see our step-by-step guide. 6. 6 Same day Burial facing the qibla Burial follows immediately after the janaza prayer. The body is laid on its right side facing the qibla, in a Muslim section of the cemetery. Each mourner may place three handfuls of earth. Marked graves are permitted; elaborate monuments are discouraged in most schools. 7. 7 The weeks after Estate, will and probate If there is a will, the executors gather assets and apply for probate if needed; the estate is then distributed β€” debts and funeral costs first, bequests (wasiyya, up to one third to non-heirs) second, and the remainder by the Quranic shares. Without a will, English intestacy rules decide instead. ## If the Death Is Sudden or Unexpected Sudden deaths are referred to the coroner, who may order a post-mortem. This delays burial β€” understandably painful for Muslim families. You can ask the coroner's office about a **non-invasive (CT/MRI) post-mortem**, which many coroners accept where the cause can be established by scan, and explain the religious urgency: coroners' officers deal with Muslim burials constantly and will usually expedite release of the body. Your mosque or burial council can advocate for you here β€” let them. ## Detailed Guides [ πŸ•Œ How to Pray Janaza The funeral prayer step by step β€” four takbeers, what to recite after each, and where it’s prayed. ](/how-to-pray-janaza)[ πŸ“œ Writing an Islamic Will Why every UK Muslim needs a wasiyya β€” valid under English law and following the Quranic shares. ](/funeral/islamic-will)[ βš–οΈ Islamic Inheritance (Mirath) The fixed Quranic shares β€” who inherits what, and why UK intestacy law doesn’t follow them. ](/funeral/inheritance)[ πŸ“ Find a Mosque Your local mosque is the first call for ghusl, janaza arrangements and burial council contacts. ](/mosques) ## Islamic Funeral FAQs What should a family do immediately when a Muslim dies? Contact the GP or hospital so a doctor can confirm the death. In England and Wales every non-coronial death is reviewed by a medical examiner before the MCCD is issued. Once the register office receives that certificate, you must register within 5 days. Contact your mosque or a Muslim funeral service immediately for ghusl, janaza and burial β€” they coordinate everything quickly. How quickly must a Muslim be buried? Islam encourages burial within 24 hours where possible. UK legal steps mean most Muslim burials happen within 24–72 hours. Tell the medical examiner and registrar about the religious urgency β€” both routinely prioritise Muslim burials. Who performs the ghusl? Muslims of the same gender as the deceased β€” usually trained volunteers at the mosque or a funeral service, often with close family helping. Men wash men and women wash women; spouses may wash each other. Can Muslims be cremated? No β€” cremation is forbidden in Islam. Muslims are buried on their right side facing the qibla, in a Muslim burial ground or the Muslim section of a municipal cemetery. Your mosque will know the local arrangements. What about organ donation? UK scholars differ β€” many permit organ donation after death as an act of saving life, while others hold the body must remain inviolate. It is a personal decision to discuss with family and record in advance; whatever you decide, make your wishes known in writing. What happens to the estate without a will? The English intestacy rules decide β€” spouse and children first by fixed legal formulas, which do not match the Quranic shares, and an unregistered (nikah-only) partner inherits nothing. A valid will is the only way to follow Islamic inheritance in England and Wales. [πŸ•Œ How to pray janaza](/how-to-pray-janaza) [πŸ“œ Write an Islamic will](/funeral/islamic-will)