Forevision
Fighting Extremism Via Quran
Say: "Verily, my Lord has guided me to a way that is straight,- a religion of right,- the path of Abraham the true in Faith, and he (certainly) joined not gods with God."
Chapter 6 Al-Anaam, verse 161
Who provides the land for Burial?
The local council provides land for burial site for its community. It depends on the needs of the community whether part of that land needs to be allotted to Muslims, Jews and Buddhists etc.
Does one have to pay for the land?
Everyone who needs to be buried irrespective of their faith needs to buy rights/permission to bury a person in the council land from the local councils in UK. The current fee for these rights in Torbay is £875/ for 100 years. A person can buy rights for burial for up to 100 years for that fee. Burials are not allowed at private lands and councils have a statuary duty to provide lands for burial for its community members.
Are there any charges for the graveyard?
In addition to buying the rights from the council for burial, one needs to pay the graveyard office the charges to dig and then maintain a grave. A grave can be dug deeper enough to accommodate up to 3 bodies one on top of other. Hence a single grave can be used for up to 3 members of the same family. The first one obviously goes down the deepest. Then the grave is closed. Second person goes on top of the closed first grave and then it is closed as well. The third person goes further on top of the closed second grave. However one can bury into a single person grave as well. The current charges for 3 person grave are £1000/, for 2 person grave or if the grave is dug for the second person are £850/ and for single person or if the grave is dug third time are £750/.
What happens if the rights for burial complete the term of 100 years?
If one has bought the rights of burial for 100 years and has not used the space or if a single space is left in a 3 person’s grave and 100 years are up, then if a third person from the same family dies in 101st year and family wishes to bury him or her in the same grave, they have to buy another 100 years rights at their current rate. If the family does not buy the rights, then council has the right to sell these rights of the third space to another family with the first family’s permission. If the 3 person grave is full then on completion of 100 years, no further charges are applicable on to the family.
What is in Torbay for Muslim burial?
There is no land reserved for Muslim burials in Torbay. Muslim can be buried alongside people of other faiths. However the council is planning to reserve some land for Muslims in a new cemetery whenever they buy the land for it. At present there are some Muslims buried already in the Torquay cemetery among the people of other faiths.
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What is included in a Funeral Service?
Funeral service is done by professional funeral directors. There are no government based funeral services or directors in UK. All funeral services are private businesses. Their services include the following
Professional service charges (Currently £690/)
Fee for trained staff to discuss and plan the funeral including arrangements and confirmations with all third parties if involved, advice on registration and assistance with the completion if all statuary documentation, insertion of newspaper notices and acknowledgments and attendance of the funeral director throughout the funeral to look over and facilitate all arrangements. This service is mainly tailored to the need of the family according to their religious believes.
Attention and care of the deceased (Currently £290)
For the provision and attendance at any time, day or night, of professionally trained staff and a private vehicle with the necessary equipment to convey the deceased to the funeral director’s premises in a dignified and discrete manner from a local address or local hospital. To attend to the care and preparation of the deceased including bathing as per religious requirements and dressing in own clothing, religiously suitable cloth or white gown as requested. The provision of staff for visitation of the deceased from family and friends (only in office hours).
Vehicle Charge (Currently £250)
The provision of hearse (Funeral Car) to convey the deceased and providing all necessary bearers of the coffin, dressed in the appropriate livery to attend the funeral. A provision is made for friends and family members to carry the coffin for as much distance as they wish in all religious manners. Also provision is made to allow friends and family members to help with the refilling of the grave as per religious requirements.
Coffin
It is not allowed by majority of the councils in UK to bury someone without a coffin. A basic coffin consisting of Mahogany effect colour, matt finished with flat lid and sides currently costs £390/. The prices increase with the decoration and style of the coffin.
Memorial Grave stone
It is not a requirement by Islam to put a memorial grave stone up. However a standard size rectangular shaped grave stone is the only permissible stone to be put up on the graves in UK. One can write anything on the stone. No crosses, crescents or angels are permitted to be erected beside the grave by the Torbay council. The standard stone costs on the average £600/and is made to last for hundreds of years. The inscription fee is added to it and varies with what goes on it starting from £2.20/ per letter. In addition there is a once only graveyard fee of £200/ to allow for putting up and maintaining this memorial stone on the grave.
FUNERAL
Muslim Funeral Arrangements
In Places where the Muslim community is small, these questions always arise whenever someone dies. This page is written as a guide only in 2010.
Additional requirements for Muslim funerals
Prayer for Forgiveness
The funeral directors understand the need for a congregational prayer for forgiveness for the Muslim deceased person by the family and friends. These congregations can be arranged at home of the deceased (if space is provided) or at an open space in or around the graveyard. There are no fixed/designated areas for the congregational prayers in any graveyards in Torbay. A community hall can be booked depending on the number of expected attendees. Funeral directors do have a small hall in their premises which is often named as Chapel of rest for such diverse activities. However the timing and place for it needs to be discussed with the funeral director who can facilitate it.
Imam or leader for congregational prayer for forgiveness
It is preferable to invite the Imam from a local mosque or the leader of local Muslim community to lead the prayer for forgiveness. The funeral director can contact the local persons on deceased behalf to invite them for this service.
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Burial with the head turned towards Makkah.
This needs to be discussed with the graveyard office before the grave is dug. The funeral director can facilitate such requirements.
Services with additional charges
Floral tributes, condolence stationary, transferring the deceased to other part of the country or abroad and catering for people all can be discussed and arranged by the funeral director at additional cost.
The total average current cost of a Muslim Funeral and Burial in Torbay in November 2010 is
Burial fee including 100 yrs rights for burial for 1 or 3 persons grave £1875/ (digging included)
(This cost is reduced for the 2nd and 3rd person of the family who do not have to buy rights again)
Professional Funeral service £690/
Bathing and care of Deceased person £290/
Vehicle charges £250/
Coffin £390/
Grave stone masonry £1000/
Total cost £4495/
Planning the funeral
A Funeral needs to be planned after some one’s death. The family needs to bear in mind the above mentioned charges if they go to a funeral director after the death of their loved one. There are however pre paid funeral plans available from (National Association of Funferal Directors) NAFD service ltd called Perfect Choice. Once paid they remain valid until the death of the person irrespective of how many years they live. These plans can be tailored to individual requirements and prepaid according to the local area rates.
What happens if one moves to a different part of the country?
Because NAFD has so many member funeral directors, one should be able to transfer their plan to the accredited funeral director near their new home.
What happens if one dies abroad?
Perfect choice does not cover the cost of funeral abroad or the cost of transferring the deceased back in UK. The travel insurance policy should adequately cover these charges.
Can one buy a Funeral Plan for someone else?
Yes.
Can the plan be changed or cancelled?
Yes (additional charges like management fee may apply)
Can the plan fee be paid in instalments?
Yes. Between 12 months to five years.
Is the plan guaranteed to cover the entire cost of the funeral?
It would be helpful to recognize that the funeral services are separate from the graveyard services. The plan is meant to cover the entire cost of the funeral services if someone dies immediately after signing up for the plan. It however does not cover the fee for graveyard services including buying the rights for burial, the labour charges for digging the grave and any other graveyard fee. Also the plan only guarantees no increase in the cost of the funeral services specified at the time of purchase which mostly includes the professional fee, the care of the deceased and vehicle fee only. The plan takes into account that the rest of the charges rise in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI) and hence they are covered to some extent in the long run. If the cost of other items for example coffins has risen over years more than what is predicted by the plan, then either the person himself/herself can change the plan or the balance payment will be required to be paid by the next of the kin/executer of the will.
Who is eligible for the plan?
Anyone above the age of 18 years. There is no upper age limit. For children up to 15 years of age, a basic funeral service is provided free of charge by most funeral directors.
What is the cost of the plan?
The cost of the “Perfect plan” for Torbay varies from £1800 - £2500/ and depends on which services are needed. However it is recommended that rather than considering a standard plan, it is better to tailor it according to one’s requirements, which reduces the cost by saving money off un-necessary items.