The Etiquette and History of Using the Funeral Bier: Here's How It Began!

In Indonesia, when someone passes away and is taken to the cemetery, a funeral bier is always used as the means of carrying them. For Muslims, the bier is always used.

However, it is not uncommon for other religions to also use a bier to carry the deceased. So how did the use of the funeral bier begin, and what is its etiquette?

How Did the Use of the Funeral Bier Begin?

The bier is a means or vehicle for carrying the deceased from the home to the burial ground. In Indonesia, the use of the funeral bier is very common, so every public cemetery (TPU) provides one for us to use when someone passes away.

The use of the bier first appeared in the time of the Prophet Muhammad. One day, Sayyidah Fatimah Az-Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet, suddenly wept when she saw a group of men carrying the body of a woman to the cemetery.

Sayyidah Asma binti Khumaisy, who was keeping her company, asked Sayyidah Fatimah Az-Zahra why she was weeping at the sight of the men carrying the body.

Sayyidah Fatimah Az-Zahra replied that when she died and was wrapped in a burial shroud, and a group of people carried her body to the cemetery, she would feel ashamed because people would see the shape of her body.

Sayyidah Asma binti Khumaisy then answered that in the land of Abyssinia, she had seen bodies placed on a structure called a bier when being carried to the cemetery. The bier could shield the body from the eyes of the group carrying it to the burial ground.

Hearing Asma binti Khumaisy's answer, the Prophet's daughter smiled and asked that, when she passed away, her body be placed on a bier so that those carrying her to the cemetery would not see the shape of her body.

Since then, all Muslims have used the funeral bier as transport to the cemetery.

What Is the Virtue of Accompanying the Deceased?

Death is something that will certainly come to all people; only the timing differs. Death is certain and is God's (Allah SWT's) decree. Everyone who lives in this world will surely meet death.

When someone passes away, as fellow Muslims, you are encouraged to take part in the arrangements for the deceased. You may join in escorting the body to the cemetery.

Before that, however, the family must wash the body, dress it in the burial shroud, and perform the funeral prayer until all the steps for burial are complete. When someone dies near your home, you as a neighbour have a responsibility to accompany the body to the cemetery.

In Islam, when someone dies near one's home, it is recommended to join in accompanying the body to the cemetery. The ruling on accompanying the body to the cemetery is fardhu kifayah.

Accompanying the body all the way to the final resting place is one of the recommended acts in Islam, which is believed to earn reward from Allah SWT. By accompanying the body to the cemetery, we are reminded that everyone will experience death and return to Him.

In accompanying the body to the cemetery, there is an instruction not to use a vehicle but to carry the body on a funeral bier. If there is a valid excuse for using a vehicle, such as the home being far from the cemetery, then the recommendation to walk behind the body falls away.

What Is the Etiquette for Accompanying the Deceased?

When accompanying the body to the cemetery, everyone is encouraged to keep up remembrance of God (dhikr) and to recite much tahlil. In addition, there are several etiquettes you should observe when accompanying the deceased, including:

1. Not Raising Your Voice

When accompanying the body to the cemetery while the bier is being carried, it is best to recite dhikr and tahlil quietly. You should not be noisy or raise your voice while escorting the deceased to the cemetery.

This is to avoid Muslims resembling Christians, who raise their voices in lamenting grief through songs. Therefore, it is best to recite dhikr and tahlil softly so as not to resemble Christians.

2. Standing When the Body Is Lifted

Once the body is on the bier and on its way to the cemetery, four people carry the bier, one at each corner. After it is lifted, mourners stand and are advised not to sit down again until the body reaches the cemetery.

This is a final mark of respect for the one who has passed away. After reciting prayers while standing at the house of mourning, it is best for mourners to remain standing throughout the process of escorting the body to the cemetery and through the burial itself.

After the final prayer, this recommendation no longer applies, because the burial process has been completed.

3. Quickening the Pace When Carrying the Funeral Bier

The last etiquette in accompanying the body to the cemetery is that mourners should quicken their pace toward the cemetery. It is a duty for mourners to hasten the body's journey to the burial ground.

Arranging the body, from washing and shrouding to the funeral prayer and burial, is best done promptly. If there is a valid reason to delay the burial, there are currently 4 event organizer funeral services that can serve as an alternative for arranging the body in accordance with religious law.

Funeral services Kamboja will take care of the deceased, from transporting the body to the funeral home to laying the body to rest at the cemetery, the final resting place. With our body transfer service, you won't have to worry about the details and can focus more on praying for your loved one who has passed away.

Kamboja is always by your side, providing funeral services and funeral protection for you and your beloved family, offering emotional support and planning.

Do You Know the History of the Funeral Bier?

The use of the funeral bier dates back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), when the Prophet's daughter, Sayyidah Fatimah Azzahra, left an instruction to Asma binti Khumais. In her will, she asked that, when she passed away, she be carried to the cemetery on a bier.

She felt shy at the thought of people seeing her body as she was taken to the cemetery. The bier can also serve as a covering when transporting the deceased to the cemetery.

Furthermore, besides carrying the deceased on a bier, another important point is that it is good for Muslims to carry out the funeral rites promptly, from washing, shrouding, performing the funeral prayer, and burying, while still remaining in accordance with the teachings of the Islamic faith.