What to do when
someone dies.

إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

We belong to Allah, and to Him we return. (Qur’an 2:156)

Follow the care plan. Call the GP practice, community nurse or palliative care team. Outside normal hours, use the contact number in the care plan or call NHS 111 in England if you need advice. A healthcare professional will verify the death.

If an eligible doctor can certify the cause, they prepare the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). In England and Wales, the medical examiner reviews it before it goes to the registrar. See how medical certification works.

Ask for the hospital bereavement team. Check that they have the correct next-of-kin details, ask who will contact you about the MCCD and find out when you can collect personal belongings.

The hospital normally cares for the deceased in its mortuary until collection can be arranged. We liaise with the mortuary about release and the paperwork they require. If the hospital asks for consent for a post-mortem, ask why it is proposed and discuss your wishes before deciding. A coroner-ordered examination follows a separate process.

If someone is unresponsive and you are unsure whether they are alive, or the death is sudden and unexpected at home, call 999 and follow the operator’s instructions. Leave the surroundings undisturbed unless you are instructed otherwise or need to act for safety.

Once the emergency services have advised you, inform the next of kin and let our team know which authority is handling the case. A sudden unexplained death may be referred to the coroner.

Examples include an unknown cause, a suspected accident, injury, violence or other unnatural cause, a possible link to work or medical treatment, or a death in custody or state detention. A referral is also needed if no eligible attending doctor is available within a reasonable time.

If no investigation is needed, the coroner can return the case for medical certification. Our medical examiner guide explains the CN1A and exceptional CN1B routes.

The coroner can order a post-mortem without the family’s consent to establish the cause of death. Ask the coroner’s office if you want to be represented at the examination.

Raise religious concerns early. Ask whether CT or another less invasive examination is suitable and available, and whether it affects timing or cost. Further examination may still be required. If the coroner ends the investigation, their office tells you how registration can proceed.

An inquest is a formal inquiry into who died and how, when and where the death occurred. It is generally public and sometimes held with a jury. It can follow a violent or unnatural death, a death in custody, or a case where the cause remains unknown.

Ask the coroner’s office about an interim death certificate if you need proof before the inquiry ends. Once examinations are complete and the body can be released, the coroner may issue a burial order (Form 101) before the inquest ends. After the inquest the coroner sends the relevant details to the registrar.

In England and Wales, a baby born with no signs of life from 24 completed weeks is registered as a stillbirth, usually within 42 days. A doctor or midwife normally provides the medical certificate. If there is no medical certificate, ask the registrar what declaration is needed. If the baby was born alive and then died, ask about birth and death registration.

A pregnancy loss before 24 weeks is handled separately. In England, an optional baby loss certificate is available as a keepsake. Ask the maternity bereavement team about burial arrangements and tell them if you want an Islamic burial. For questions about naming, washing, shrouding or Janazah, your imam can advise based on the stage of pregnancy and whether there were signs of life.

If organ donation is raised, ask the specialist clinical team to explain the person’s recorded wishes, how the process works, and whether it would affect the funeral timing. Islamic scholars hold differing views. You can speak to a scholar you trust.

• The MCCD records the medical cause of death. It normally goes to the registrar after medical examiner scrutiny.
• After registration, the registrar normally issues the green form for burial. In a coroner case the registrar may issue the green form after receiving the coroner’s paperwork, or the coroner may authorise burial directly with Form 101.
• A stillbirth from 24 completed weeks follows its own registration and burial paperwork route. For an earlier loss, agree the arrangements with the maternity team.
• The death certificate is a certified copy of the registration entry. It is the certificate we ask families to obtain for repatriation.

Wait until you are told that registration can go ahead. Contact the register office for the area where the death occurred and book an appointment. On the usual MCCD route, the legal deadline is five days from the registrar receiving the certificate, including weekends and bank holidays. If you need more time or there is a coroner investigation, ask the register office what applies.

If an early burial is important, ask the register office and our team whether out-of-hours arrangements are available in that area.

• Full name and any previous names, date and place of birth, date and place of death, usual address and occupation.
• Spouse or civil partner details where applicable, including name, date of birth and occupation, plus any State Pension or benefit information requested.
• Bring available supporting records such as a passport, NHS number or birth and marriage certificates. Ask the registrar what they need if documents are missing.
• Ask for a certified death certificate. Send the green form to the funeral team if the registrar gives it to you. A coroner’s burial order may already cover this step.

Tell us if the person left burial instructions or had a grave reserved. Our team can arrange collection, ghusl (washing), kafan (shrouding), Janazah prayer, transport and burial. We coordinate the handover with the mortuary and the burial arrangements with the cemetery. Confirm the release and burial paperwork before fixing the time.

View the coffin options.

Islamic tradition encourages preparing and burying the deceased promptly. Tell us early if a quick burial is important to your family. We can start planning while the authorities complete their checks, and confirm the time once the necessary permissions are in place.

Stand facing the Qiblah in straight rows behind the imam and make the intention in your heart. The prayer is performed standing, with four takbirs.

1. First takbir: raise and then fold your hands. Recite Thana quietly, following the imam’s guidance.
2. Second takbir: keep your hands folded and recite blessings upon the Prophet, commonly the Salat Ibrahimiyyah.
3. Third takbir: make dua for the deceased. The imam can explain the appropriate supplication for an adult or a child.
4. Fourth takbir: conclude with salam as the imam directs.

Visit respectfully, offer a greeting of peace and make dua for the deceased. Visiting graves is a reminder of the hereafter.

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الدِّيَارِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَلَاحِقُونَ، أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ لَنَا وَلَكُمُ الْعَافِيَةَ

Peace be upon you, believers and Muslims who dwell here. Allah willing, we will join you. I ask Allah to grant well-being to us and to you. (Sahih Muslim 975)

• Certified death certificate. Obtain it from the local council register office when the death is registered.
• Identity documents and passports. Provide the deceased’s identity documents and passport, along with the instructing family representative’s identity documents and passport. Contact our team for instructions on how to share them.

These are the documents we ask the family to provide. We take care of the remaining repatriation arrangements.

We prepare the repatriation paperwork and coordinate release, the relevant authorities and consular formalities, translations or legalisation where required, preparation for transport, the flight and handover at the destination. We confirm the arrangements and timing with you for your route.

Call our team · 07376 989 081

Ask the registrar about Tell Us Once for notifying participating public services. Notify banks, the employer, pension providers and household service providers separately as needed. Keep certified copies and important documents together. If there is a will, contact the named executor about the estate.