Questioner: Huzoor, could you please explain why cremation is forbidden in Islam?
Huzoor (rh): Cremation? It is, you know, in fact every philosophy has distinct features about the concept of respect. And in, for example, in Europe, it is disrespectful to appear before elders with the cap on. You take, you see, in English they say, I take my hands off, my hat off to you. Hats off or hat off is an expression of respect. But it’s exactly the opposite in the Oriental concept of respect. So Islamic social system also has a concept of respect of human being.
So it is a part of that social concept of respect that those who die should not be cremated, but they should be buried with respect and they should be remembered ever after. And people, when they go to them, they should have a closer emotional contact with them, realizing that the same body is lying underneath. And that should help them in praying for them. So that is the emotional concept as well as the concept of respect which Islam has. So everybody, every religion has a right to issue injunctions according to its general philosophy and general framework.
