Death as a Messenger of Joy

Death as a Messenger of Joy:
An Introduction to Bahá’í Death and Burial Practices

By: Leslie Farrell

Benjamin Franklin famously said, “nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Across cultures and faiths, the inevitability of death is the same, but the ways in which different religious traditions honor death’s spiritual significance are plentiful.

The Divine Educator Baháʼu’lláh laid out specific laws and guidance about this life passage. He wrote, “I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve?” 

Chicago Baha’i and certified death midwife Lauren Herrmann says many of Baháʼu’lláh’s followers know the basics, but are less familiar with the details of Baha’i end-of-life practices and don’t think to plan for their arrangements.  Marianne Smith Geula, a Chicago-area estate attorney and Bahá’í, agrees that practices like creating a will ensure one’s wishes will be fulfilled and may prevent future family disunity and heartache. Researching mortuaries can also be helpful, she says, as many are unfamiliar with Bahá’í practices, and some are more accommodating than others. 

When contacting the cemetery, it’s important for friends or family to explain Bahá’í requirements, including that Bahá’ís are not to be embalmed, unless required by state law.  “Baháʼu’lláh teaches us of the immortality of the soul, that it is independent of the body,” Geula says. “The body should be respected because it’s the vehicle through which the soul was able to engage with this world.”

When our bodies are developing, they do so through a gradual process and Baháʼu’lláh’s son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said we should return to the earth the way we entered: in slow, organic fashion. “Cremation causes too rapid of a disintegration,” Geula says. 

“The transition of our soul from this world to the next is full of mystery,” Herrmann says. “We know the soul is not bound by space and time, but Baháʼu’lláh made it clear that the body is to be buried quickly and near the place of death.”  Baháʼu’lláh instructed that bodies be buried no further than an hour away from where the death occurred. The distance should be measured from the city limits, not from the precise location where death occurs, and the mode of transport is unspecified.

The provisions against cremation, recitation of the prayer for the dead for Bahá’ís over the age of 15, and distance of the gravesite are the three burial laws binding on all Bahá’ís worldwide. There are a number of requirements not yet binding: 

• The body should be wrapped in a shroud of five sheets of silk or cotton (or a single sheet of either fabric if the means are not available for five sheets of cotton or silk).
• A burial ring should be placed on the finger of the deceased before interment. This ring carries a passage revealed in Arabic by Baháʼu’lláh: “I came forth from God and return unto Him, detached from all save Him, holding fast to His name, the Merciful, the Compassionate.” The design of the ring is not specified.
• The coffin should be made of crystal, stone or of a hard, fine wood.

While Baháʼu’lláh gave some directives, He also left room for individual choice, she says.  According to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the book of Bahá’í law, the body should be washed and wrapped in pure cotton or silk fabric as part of the burial preparation. How it should be washed is not directly specified in the Bahá’í Writings, Geula says, but is nevertheless highly symbolic. Baháʼu’lláh also directed Bahá’ís to wrap the body in five sheets of cotton or silk after washing and drying, but did not explain how to do this, leaving it up to the individual. “In instances where specifics aren’t given by Baháʼu’lláh, people are encouraged to use their best judgement,” Geula says.

There is no specific guidance, for example, regarding who prepares the body – whether it be a mortician, relatives or friends. Geula suggests having at least three people involved in the body preparation, to handle the weight and complexity of washing and wrapping a loved one. Geula says, “When we prepare the bodies, we say prayers. We realize that the soul when it disassociates from the body is in a different realm of consciousness and may continue to have an awareness of this world.” 

“This is a service that every community needs and not everyone can do,” Geula says. “Preparation of the body after death and the recitation of the Prayer for the Departed before burial are among the few laws of the Faith that a person cannot carry out by oneself, for oneself, and requires a community. Burying a body can be costly, and there are sometimes funds in the Bahá’í community for this purpose when needed. Providing these services enables us to reflect deeply into Baháʼu’lláh’s teachings about the next world. Being able to assist Bahá’ís in this way is actually quite an honor.”