RECENTLY, I passed by a Muslim cemetery situated next to a busy road in Kuala Lumpur.
There was a group of Indians, about 10 of them, standing close to one another in two semi-circles with their backs to the road and looking towards the cemetery.
A quick glance at what they were looking at and I saw a funeral in progress about 200 metres away.
As I continued driving, thoughts ran through my mind.
Why are they there? Maybe they are waiting for someone. If so, why were they looking towards the Muslim cemetery and not towards the busy street?"
Since there was a funeral going on and they were waiting for someone, they might as well look at the burial site.
But, why was there an aura of sadness when I looked at them?
Just then, it struck me.
What if they were actually watching the funeral of a loved one?
What if the deceased was a family member who had converted to Islam, someone they had loved so dearly?
What if they wanted to attend the funeral but that was the closest that they could get to? Sad, isn't it?
A distance away from the Indian group and yet I could feel their sadness — if, indeed, that was the situation they were in.
Why didn't they join the other Muslims at the cemetery to witness the funeral and be close to the deceased for the last time? Do they actually know that they can do this?
Didn't the Muslim funeral attendees invite them to join in the congregation? Or, maybe the Muslims themselves are not sure about this?
According to an article on the website of the Pejabat Mufti Wilayah Persekutuan — article Al-Kafi #1247, regarding the regulation of a non-Muslim entering the Muslim cemetery — there is no Quranic verse or hadith that prohibits non-Muslims from entering a Muslim cemetery.
Furthermore, it is said that Muslim scholars (ulama) do not prohibit non-Muslims from attending the funeral of a Muslim and to pray for the wellbeing of the deceased.
Indeed, non-Muslims are allowed to visit Muslim cemeteries especially when they do it with good intentions such as to pay their last respects to their family members or relatives, to visit the grave of a loved one during certain occasions, or just to clean it.
Certainly, non-Muslims do not know about this. Therefore, it is the responsibility of Muslims to inform them and invite them to attend the funeral of their loved ones.
The deceased may have been given hidayah (guidance by Allah SWT) and embraced Islam, but his or her relationship with his/her biological family remains intact.
The love between them still exists and grief is also felt when one of them passes on. When death occurs, both the biological, as well as the "new" Muslim family, will feel the loss and grief.
In such a situation, it is human nature that we would want to attend the funeral and be with the deceased for the last time.
So, when a Muslim convert dies, the Muslim family members and the person-in-charge of the burial, should inform the biological family of the deceased that they are welcome to attend the funeral.
In this case, the non-Muslims need to be informed about the do's and don'ts of attending a Muslim funeral.
Among the etiquettes are: (i) a modest dress code; (ii) do not step, walk over or sit on the grave; (iii) do not perform rituals of other religions; (iv) do not spit or do other acts that could stain the grave area; and, (v) to control one's emotions such as wailing as an expression of grief.
The Muslim Burial Council of Leicester released a pamphlet recently entitled, "Attending a Muslim Funeral — A Guide for Non-Muslims" for the convenience of the non-Muslim community in the United Kingdom.
Perhaps the relevant authorities in Malaysia can follow in the footsteps of their UK counterpart for the benefit of the non-Muslims here.
The Indian group I saw probably had nothing to do with the Muslim funeral that was going on at that time.
However, it would be extremely sad if they were related but were only able to see the funeral from a distance due to lack of awareness.
Hopefully, this provides a true understanding of the issue so that in future no grieving non-Muslim has to endure a similar pain, but rather would be invited to attend the funeral of their loved ones.
The writer is senior fellow at the Centre for Economy and Social Studies, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM)