Islamic Burial and Funeral Service
In Washtenaw County, the process after someone dies has two broad tracks: handling the body and death certificate in the short term and then administering the estate through Michigan probate over the following months.
Below is an overview for Washtenaw County and Michigan law; it’s general information, not legal advice. You may also reach out to admin@mymasjidibrahim.com for further information or to schedule use of the smaller Masjid building for Azza or Taziya.
JANAZAH PRAYER
HOW JANAZAH PRAY IS PERFORMED
• Intention (Niyyah): Make the intention in your heart to perform the funeral prayer for the deceased.
• First Takbir & Opening: Say Allahu Akbar, raise your hands, then fold them. Recite Surat al-Fatiha
• Second Takbir & Salawat: Say Allahu Akbar and recite the Salawat (sending blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad), commonly the Salat al-Ibrahimiyya.
• Third Takbir & Dua: Say Allahu Akbar and make sincere supplication (dua) for the deceased, asking for forgiveness and mercy.
• Fourth Takbir & Tasleem: Say Allahu Akbar and, after a short pause, end the prayer saying “Assalaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaah“
Immediately at time of death
1. Legal pronouncement of death
o A doctor, nurse, paramedic, or the county Washtenaw County Medical Examiner must pronounce death and, if necessary, investigate cause in reportable deaths (sudden, violent, unattended, etc.).
o In such cases the Medical Examiner may order an autopsy and then complete/authorize the death certificate.
2. Transfer of the body and funeral home
o A funeral home in or near Washtenaw County is contacted to remove and care for the body; they coordinate with the county clerk and Medical Examiner as needed. There are several cemeteries that have areas dedicated for Muslims.
o Usually the funeral home helps schedule burial
Death certificate in Washtenaw County
1. Preparation and filing
o The attending physician or Medical Examiner certifies cause of death; the funeral home typically prepares the demographic portion and files the death record
o The death certificate is filed with the Washtenaw County Clerk – Vital Records, which maintains death records and issues certified copies.
2. Obtaining certified copies
o Next of kin, legal representatives, or others with legitimate interest can order certified copies from the County Clerk’s Vital Records Division, in person, by mail, or online.
o Multiple certified copies are usually needed for life insurance claims, bank and brokerage accounts, retirement plans, property transfers, and other estate matters.
Muslimonly cemeteries (metro Detroit and beyond)
• Islamic Memorial Gardens – Westland, MI
• A dedicated Muslimonly cemetery created from part of Maple Grove Cemetery, with graves laid out to face Mecca and burial practices structured around Islamic requirements.
• Garden of Peace (Flint area) – “Garden of Peace” Muslim cemetery in Flint
• Established specifically so Muslims in the Flint region could be buried in accordance with Islamic rites, including orienting graves toward the Kaaba and designing the layout to avoid walking over graves.
Muslim sections in regional cemeteries
• Sunset Hills Memory Gardens, 9470 Ford Rd, Ypsilanti, MI 48198
• Offers Muslim burial options, there is an area dedicated specifically for Muslims, this is particularly easy to get to from M-14.
• Muslim sections in general cemeteries (Plymouth / Dearborn / Detroit)
• Many Masajid work with local cemeteries that have designated Muslim sections; for example, Islamic centers in Dearborn coordinate burial at Woodmere Cemetery through their funeral services office, with lots purchased via the masjid.
• These sections are configured to honor Islamic norms (body on right side facing Qibla, simple markers, minimal embalming where legally possible), while operating within the policies of the host cemetery.
• Evergreen Cemetery (Lansing Muslim section)
• The Islamic Society of Greater Lansing arranges burials in a Muslim section at Evergreen Cemetery in Lansing, handling coordination with a funeral home (e.g., Paradise Funeral Chapel) and the cemetery.
Green / vault-free burial options near Washtenaw
• Green and vaultfree burial in Washtenawarea cemeteries
• Local funeral homes in Ann Arbor (e.g., Rahman Funeral Home) explicitly advertise “green funeral services” and note that there are “several cemeteries surrounding the Washtenaw County area allowing for green burials,” generally within 25–50 minutes.
• Publichealth regulations in Michigan do not require caskets or concrete vaults as such; instead, vault requirements are cemetery policy, and some Washtenawarea cemeteries now offer burials without concrete vaults, which can better align with Islamic preferences for direct, simple inground burial.
• Natural burial in Michigan generally
• Statewide resources on “natural burial” (also called green burial) explain that this involves placing the body directly into the earth, often in a shroud or simple biodegradable container, with no embalming and no vault—closely paralleling Islamic burial ideals.
• For a Muslim family in Washtenaw County, these natural burial cemeteries can be viable options if combined with a masjid coordinated ghusl, kafan, and janazah prayer beforehand.
Funeral home and masjid coordination
• Rahman Funeral Home (Detroit) (313-366-2310)
• The Islamic Center of Detroit directs families to Rahman Funeral Home in Detroit, describing it as a 100% Muslim owned and operated Islamic funeral service for Southeast Michigan, available 24/7.
• Rahman and similar providers coordinate washing, shrouding, janazah, and transport to cemeteries such as Islamic Memorial Gardens or Muslim sections closer to the family’s community.
• Janazah assistance organizations
• ICNA Relief Michigan offers janazah funeral assistance specifically because “every Muslim has a right to a Janaza, a proper Islamic burial” and cremation, while cheaper, is prohibited (haram) under Islamic law.
• For Washtenawarea families struggling with cost, ICNA Relief MI and local Masajid can help bridge the gap between Islamic burial requirements and the fees charged by funeral homes and cemeteries.
How to choose in practice from Washtenaw County
• From Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, families typically (a) contact a Muslimoriented funeral home like Rahman Funeral Home or a local masjid, then (b) choose between burial at Islamic Memorial Gardens or a Muslim/green section in a nearer cemetery that allows vaultfree burial.
• Key selection criteria include: distance from Washtenaw County, cemetery policies on vaults and shrouds, availability of Muslimonly sections, cost, and the coordinating masjid’s established relationship with the cemetery or funeral home.
If you tell me whether you’re drafting an internal memo, a community FAQ, or a website page, I can structure this into a clean table listing specific cemeteries (name, distance from Ann Arbor, whether Muslimonly or Muslim section, vault policy, typical coordinating masjid/funeral home).
Shortterm notifications and logistics
1. Key notifications
o Notify close family and friends, the decedent’s employer, and schools or caregivers for any children.
o Report the death to the Social Security Administration (often done automatically by the funeral home via SSA form SSA721, but families should follow up); this can also trigger survivor benefits for a spouse or eligible dependents.
2. Financial and administrative steps
o Inform life insurance companies and file claims using certified death certificates.
o Contact credit card issuers, banks, and major credit agencies (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) to place a “deceased” flag and prevent identity theft.
o Redirect mail, cancel or transfer utilities and subscriptions, and keep records of bills and payments for later estate administration.
Beginning the probate / estate process in Washtenaw
In Michigan, probate is handled by the probate court in the county where the decedent lived — here, the Washtenaw County Probate Court.
1. Determine if probate is needed
o Assets that pass by beneficiary designation or joint ownership (e.g., POD bank accounts, retirement accounts, life insurance with named beneficiaries, jointly titled homes) usually avoid probate.
o Assets titled solely in the decedent’s name with no beneficiary generally must go through some form of probate (formal, informal, or smallestate) to be transferred.
2. Collect key documents
o Locate the will, any trust documents, prepaid funeral contracts, deeds, vehicle titles, bank and brokerage statements, tax documents, and similar records; the State Bar of Michigan highlights these as essential for the person handling final affairs.
3. Personal representative / executor
o If there is a will, it usually names a personal representative (Michigan’s term for an executor), who has priority to be appointed by the probate court.
o If there is no will (intestacy), Michigan statutes establish a priority order (spouse, adult children, etc.) for who the court may appoint as personal representative.
Smallestate options in Washtenaw County
Michigan offers streamlined procedures when the estate is modest; these are filed in the Washtenaw County Probate Court but differ from a full estate.
1. Affidavit for small estate (no real estate)
o If the value of the estate is under the current statutory limit and consists only of personal property, heirs may be able to use a smallestate affidavit under Michigan’s “assignment” or “summary” procedures to collect assets without a standard probate estate.
o Washtenaw County’s “Small Estates” guidance explains using a Petition and Order for Assignment (PC 556) to direct transfer of property to heirs; this is often used when the estate is small and straightforward.
2. Effect of smallestate orders
o Once the Probate Court signs the order for assignment, financial institutions and others can rely on it to transfer property to the listed heirs or pay funeral and lastillness expenses as the order provides.
