Rites of Passage: Death

Rites of Passage:Death in Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity

Islam

Hinduism

Christianity

Islam

In Islam, corpses are taken to a cemetery for burial. Before that, the coffin is carried to a Mosque and placed so that the body faces Makkah. Friends and family members pray for and remember deceased relatives. The Imam may lead the prayers.

Makkah.

Someone approaching death recites the words of the Shahadah. They live life guided by the five pillars of virtue, as the followers of this religion believe that this life is preparation for the life after death.

Shahadah.

Hinduism

In Hinduism cremation takes place outside, where the body is purified, destroyed, and returned to the elements. Ashes are then scattered. This happens near river banks or other bodies of water. An example of this is the River Ganges, which is deemed to be very sacred. Some Hindus seek to attain Moksha and believe that the later stages of life should be preparing for death, like after retirement.

Moksha

Christianity

In Christianity, funerals are mostly carried out at a church. Hymns are sung and scriptures are read after the body has been laid in a casket and placed at the front of the Church. After this the casket is buried in sacred land or cremated. It's respectful to wear black and/or modest clothing.

modest clothing.

Do their differences outweigh the similarities?

However, their differences are much more noticeable. For example, in Hinduism, they believe in reincarnation, and neither Christianity nor Islam does. Also, in both Christianity and Hinduism, they cremate their corpses, whereas followers of Islam strictly do not cremate their dead. This impacts the way they perform funeral ceremonies and differentiates the practices from each other.

Although these practices have some things in common, the similarities are irrelevant enough to be ignored. For example, in Islam and Christianity, they both make tailored caskets for their dead and bury their corpses. Most of their similarities are obvious and predictable, like praying, bringing flowers, and wearing modest clothing.