ABSTRACT
The care of dying patients and their relatives is one of the most difficult aspects of a clinician’s job. For a Muslim, death marks the transition from one state of existence to the next. Minority Muslim communities often face particular problems in observing certain death customs; these will be highlighted together with a discussion of how these difficulties may impinge on the bereavement process that ensues. Islam views life as sacred and a ‘trust’ from Allah, thus suicide and deliberate euthanasia are categorically prohibited. When a Muslim dies the eyes and mouth should be closed and the limbs should be straightened. His body should ideally face in the direction of Mecca. The subject of Muslim bereavement has received little attention in the biomedical literature. Where the law of the land demands post-mortem examinations; that is, at the coroner’s request, Muslims have no choice but to comply.
