NOTE: We are currently looking for individuals (recommended 18+) interested in volunteering for future Janazahs (funerals) and Ghusl (washing) of the bodies. If you are interested, please register here.

Please be advised that the Ottawa Muslim Association provides assistance and arrangements for funeral services to the Muslim community in the greater Ottawa region. For details on making funeral arrangements for a departed one, please contact the OMA office between the hours of 8:30 AM and 4:00 PM from Monday to Friday at 613-722-8763.

For after hours, please contact the Funeral Coordinator Mr. Abdul-Rasheed Hussain for more information:

Guide/Process for the family of the deceased

When a Muslim is near death, those around him or her are called upon to give comfort, and reminders of Allah’s mercy and forgiveness. They may recite verses from the Qur’an, give physical comfort, and encourage the dying one to recite words of remembrance and prayer. It is recommended, if at all possible, of a Muslim’s last words to be the declaration of faith:

اشَهِدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ الله، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدا رَسُولُ اللّهِ

“I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) is His messenger.”  

Funeral & Burial Arrangement

Once you contact one of the OMA funeral volunteers or the OMA office staff, they will discuss the process with you in details and help you fill out the paper work and make the necessary arrangements.  Trust our volunteers to help you so you can focus on comforting the family and attending to your visitors.

Although the OMA funeral volunteers will help you every step of the way, we encourage family members to familiarize themselves with the process and the details as outlined below:

Burial process and recommendations

Those who are walking in the Janaza and are not carrying the coffin, they should walk in front or beside the bier.

Idle talk is discouraged. One should either be silent or better still praying for the deceased, remembering Allah SWT, reciting Quran in a low voice, etc.

No music or outburst of emotion is allowed.

When you enter the cemetery, you should recite: Assalam alaikum yaa ahlil quboor ( Peace be upon you O people of the graves )

Burial

A grave should be spacious and uniformly excavated and dug to a depth of at least five feet.
The body of the deceased (in the casket) should be slowly and gently put on the ground of the grave
The face of the deceased should be toward the qibla (watch for the head side of the casket)
Everyone accompanying the Janazah is encouraged to pour three handful of soil on the grave.
The remaining part of the grave should then be filled up with soil

• For information on the process to obtain a death certificate, purchase a grave, and obtain a burial permit Click here 
• For information on how to prepare the deceased for burial Click here 
• For information on how to perform Janazah prayers Click here