Here's a glimpse of what used to be, or maybe is still practiced, in some parts of Lebanon: 1. If a youth becomes accustomed to doing deeds of disobedience, he cannot refrain from them in his later years. They mount up with it, and there is not a single angel group whom they pass but asks, What impure spirit is this?, They reply, This is the spirit of So-and-so, using the least worthy name for him. The foot bones go in first and the head last. A camel symbolizes wealth among the villagers and when a camel dies naturally or disappears, its a great loss. Let us, therefore, ask Allah to appoint us a good ending, to grant us an ending that is accompanied by a message of good tidings, for there is a message of good tidings from Allahexalted be Hefor the true believer when death comes to him, and it is the words of the Most High. But when he was eight years old, his father . They then put some camphor with water into a new large earthen pot and with another new earthen pot they take out water and pour it on the body three times: first from the head to the feet, then from the right shoulder to the feet, finally from the left shoulder to the feet. Hes the provider of the family. It went in a second time, beheld the light, saw the whole dwelling and said, There is no pleasing sound here for me to listen to. It is generally understood from the best works of the mystics of the East that it was because of this circumstance that the Almighty created music. But when an iniquitous manor some related that he said, an unbelievercomes to die, a messenger of ill tidings (nadhir) will appear, bringing him news of the evil that awaits him, so he will be disinclined to meet with Allah, and Allah disinclined to meet with him. Nowadays in the Middle East the family of the deceased goes to the grave carrying a palm tree leaf to put on the grave instead of flowers. Dirt is thrown over him and burial is complete. In it he likewise appoints his executor. When a true believer is placed in his grave, the grave is expanded for him seventy cubits, strewn with sweet basil, and hung with silk. Some people even paint their windows black to show their distress and to express sorrow for the departure of a beloved relative or friend. But most women stay home and wait for the funeral party to return. In ancient Egyptian religion when a pharaoh came to the throne, the first thing he planned was his tomb. After the wedding, the bride would carry a piece of dough and stick it on the door of the house. . The aim of this paper is to explore the representations of death in Beirut Hellfire Society, a novel written by the Lebanese author, Rawi Hage, and published in 2018. . After six thousand years of history with some adjustments, Egyptian Christian cemeteries have now developed into communities of homes. Share Video: Warning: Extremely Disturbing Images. So the Prophet said, Go and put in practice what that involves, then come and I will teach you of the wonders of learning.. 1. The family was standing in line, friends were also standing in line, so I stood in line. The woman brings a group with their drums, and they begin to eulogize the beautiful characteristics of the deceased. Islamic tradition supports the idea that When Allah loves a man He keeps him busy with himself. That His loving them precedes their loving Him is indicated in the Quran. In all cases, the death of an American citizen, whether resident or tourist in Lebanon, should be reported to the Embassy's Consular Section in Beirut. It is neither enjoined in books of theology nor by the law of Islam. This is said to predict the success of the marriage. According to the oldest Egyptian beliefs, the gods also were subject to age and could die. When we go as Americans or Europeans, we focus our attention on movements, tourist attractions, etc., but we seldom care to see or investigate how the Middle Eastern people respond to death and dying. [16] Hughes Dictionary of Islam, pp. And the angels ask the door to be opened for him, which is done. The Holy Spirit, on hearing the sound of this music, became so delighted that it entered Adams body. In Judaism, life is valued above almost all else.The Talmud notes that, since all mankind is descended from a single person, taking a life is like destroying an entire world while saving a life is like saving an entire world.. Death, however, is not viewed as a tragedy, even when it occurs early in . When he is about to expire, any learned reader of the Quran is sent for and requested to repeat, with a loud voice, Surat Ya Sin (or Chapter 36 in the Quran), in order that the spirit of the man, by the hearing of its sound, may experience an easy concentration. Anthropologist Ellen Schattschneider describes a funeral custom which began during World War II in northern Japan. They have television in Egypt now, and I dont know how the young people manage to miss The Six-Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. If he should be one who has memorized somewhat of the Quran, the light of that will suffice him, but should he have nothing (of the Quran) memorized, a light equivalent to that of the sun will be put in his grave, and he himself will be like a sleeping bird who will not be wakened save by her best beloved. The family serves the sweet dish to visitors who come to the household to . Grieve not lest you miss the reward, but rejoice in good tidings of the Garden, that you will assuredly go to Paradise. Symbolism. Death. If I play a radio, the relatives of the deceased will hear the music and send a man to my house and tell me to turn off my radio. [4], Then God says, Write his history in Sijjin, which is the lowest earth; then his soul is thrown down with violence.. Provide clean stone for symbolic ritual washing. You might say their faces are the sun, and they have a shroud of the shrouds of paradise, and perfumes therefrom. Each part has its traditions and customs, and people may attend one or all . The predominant religion is Islam. When the faqih pauses in his recitations, one group moves on and as he resumes, another group comes in. In the case of a deceased female, if relatives are present, they undo the cloth of the head to expose the face and ask the dead person, in the presence of two witnesses, to remit the dowry which had been given her. Home; Our Practice; Services; What to expect. What makes death and dying so interesting is that its treatment varies from one country to another and from one culture to another. After cleansing, the body is dressed (usually in the person's best clothing). In the video, an official from the Islamic State is shown administering the proceedings, at the . Camphor is applied in seven places: on the forehead including the nose, on the palms of the hands, on the knees, and on the great toes. When the women scream and slap their faces, you will probably hear one word yagamili "Oh, my camel.". Loved ones do this as a sign of care and devotion. If the dough remains in place, they will have a long, happy life. Then the Angel of Death draws it out as hot spit is drawn out of wet wool. Then the soul comes out, issuing like water from a bag, and the Angel of Death takes it; and when he takes it, the angels do not allow it to remain in his hands for the twinkling of an eye. 6. 801-422-6975. If it is innocent Allah has said, What is with Allah is a good thing for the innocent, and if it is wicked Allah has said, We respite them only that they may increase in guilt, and for them is humiliating punishment.. And there was a stick in the Prophets hand with which he kept striking the ground. For example, in Sura xvi. Maroun blames Lebanon's long civil war (1975-1990) and ensuing exodus from the country for the Lebanese loss of traditions. The body is turned to face towards Mecca, the holy center of Islam. The meaning of disinclined when used in reference to Allahs relations with a man is that Allah puts the man far from His mercy, and wills his punishment. Upon completion of all formalities, the "Report of the Death of . Jeffery observes that Whosoever has a loving desire to meet with Allah is one whom Allah has a loving desire to meet. [17] He states that by meeting with Allah (he means death), the true believer is in such a state that he cannot be responsible for his faith; thus, he will be given the good news that Allah is well pleased with him and will grant him His Paradise. It is related that there is no soul, innocent or wicked, to which death is not a good thing. The bride and the groom stomp on the feet of the guests to signify the end of their single days. Muhammed). Furthermore, in Sura 1. Islamic funeral customs require that: The body be buried as soon as possible after death. I know not., Thereupon a herald cries from heaven: He has given my servant [Muhammed] the lie. Invite those present (it may be you and the dying person) to enter into silence with you and allow any feelings to rise and to be spoken. Today, all Lebanese speak Arabic; most of them, especially the upper and middle classes, speak French; recently, English has become increasingly important. Presently he raised his head and said: Seek refuge with Allah from the torment of the tomb., This he said twice or thrice, and then went on: When a man who is a true believer is drawing near to the next world and is about to be cut off from this world, there descend to him angels whose faces are white as the sun, bringing with them a shroud from Paradise and celestial aromatics, and take a seat at his head and say, O thou tranquil soul, come forth to Allahs favour and forgiveness.. Why do we remain in mourning for at least forty days? Religion of Syria. Lebanese Traditions. His spirit is painfully dragged out, and hears the words, O thou pernicious soul, come forth displeased and displeasing. Before the burial, the deceased person's body is washed. [6], The moment the spirit has fled, the mouth is closed, because it would present a disagreeable spectacle. There is not a single angel group whom they pass [as they mount upwards] but asks, What sweet-smelling spirit is this?, And they reply, This is the spirit of so-and-so, using the finest names for him. In Western cultures, black clothing was worn as a social symbol to let others know a person was mourning. One such ritual is henna night, where the bride's hands are decorated with intricate henna designs. These customs and habits are always followed during times of mourning, whether you are poor or rich, whether you live in a village or in a city. The Islamic religion views death as a transition to another state of existence called the afterlife. Whether you are poor or rich, this is one of the necessities of a bona fide Muslim funeral. They are not to go outside. The washers never throw water into the nostrils or mouth but clean them with wicks of cloth or cotton. Woman Stoned to Death by ISIS in Syria. Thus Allah has said: Flight will not benefit you at all if you are fleeing from death or being killed. So it is incumbent on each Muslim to make preparation for death before it comes. They wash the corpse with warm or cold water, raising the body gently and rubbing the abdomen four or five times. In a firmly established practice of The World of Music, high-profile guest editors are invited to design issues and see them through the entire preparation process. On your leisure before you are busily occupied, means that by night one is at leisure but by day is busily occupied, therefore one ought to say prayers at night during the period of his leisure and fast by day. Even the food in Lebanon is closer to European and western. Four or five days before a sick mans dissolution, he makes his will in favor of his son or any other person in the presence of two or more witnesses and either delivers this will to others or retains it. Symbolically, a person is buried wearing his suit and tie (if he worked in one of the professions), with a new haircut, everything prepared as if he is alive. As Lebanon is a relatively new country, there aren't many traditions that the Lebanese can truly call their own. A life that has overflown with deviations and misdeeds for El-Marquis is ultimately finalized by bizarre and excessive rituals of a death ceremony and burial. Then he raised his head and said twice or thrice to his companions, Seek the protection of God from the punishments of the grave., After that he said, Verily, when a Muslim separateth from the world and bringeth his soul to futurity, angels descend to him from the celestial regions, whose faces are white. They dig a hole in the earth to contain the water used in the washing and to keep it from spreading over a large surface, as some men and women consider it bad to tread on such water. I have had personal experience with many of these. Druze. Burying the body without a casket within 24 hours after the death. The Kalimatu sh-shahada (the [creed]) is also read with an audible voice by those present. Next they wash the sides of the body, then the back and the rest of the body, gently, because life has just departed and the body is still warm and sensitive to pain. And controversy arose over bin Laden's burial at sea. The dead have a home, or a semi-home at least. In accordance with Muslim concepts of death and dying, loud screams and lamentations are performed only by women. This is . The traditional mourning period to honor and remember a deceased Muslim is three days. Then the angels carry it upwards, and they do not pass by any concourse of angels who say, What is this pure soul and who is the owner of it?. Each major . So a volunteer or the undertaker washes the body before dressing him in a beautiful way. (Compare bashir with the term bisharah which is applicable only to the New Testament.). A Lebanese Shi'ite man strikes his back with knives to show his grief during Ashura rituals in the southern market town of Nabatieh, Oct. 12, 2016. Some brides in Baalbek stick a piece of dough on the doors of their new houses. In Islam, the deceased are to be buried within 24 hours. The five pillars of Islam listed include: [1] Hughes' Dictionary of Islam (London, 1885), 7981. However, what was even more shocking to me was the spirit in which the family received me. [9] A common habit among Middle Eastern people. First, there is usually a vigil service, which may also be referred to as a wake or a rosary service. The memorial service her friends created a few days after his death, she says, contained a blend of traditions and practices individual to Jon. Women go into the house. Grieve not! The sooner the sepulchral rites are performed, the better; for it is not proper to keep a corpse long in the house. Perfumes [7] are burned near the corpse. For Christians, we know where the dead are going. Women have two additional pieces of cloth: a sinah-band or breast-band, that extends from the armpits to just above the ankle joints; the other a damini which encircles the head once and has two ends dangling on each side. The body was preserved so that the soul would not also die as a result of the dismemberment of the body. Religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism believe a body should be cremated to free the soul. As the pharaohs disappeared in Egyptian history, they were replaced by descendants of other ancient Egyptians called the Copts. Islamic mourning traditions provide ritual and structure for Muslims going through the process of grieving the loss of a loved one. The author describes health beliefs and practices of the Arab Muslim population in the United States. Again, such a belief resembles the Muslim beliefs, i.e., white is the symbol of purity and blackness is the symbol of sin. The two great toes are brought in contact and fastened with a thin strip of cloth to keep the legs together. Dinki-Mini. The Christian's body is considered sacred because it was the Temple of the Holy Spirit. The family can chose to have the usual Daily Mass () beforehand but this is getting out of custom these days. The World of Music is an international peer-reviewed journal seeking a critical understanding of performing arts and cultural practices involving music, dance and theater worldwide, as well as the many contexts in which they come into being. In certain cultures the family takes care of the washing but in the Middle East, the family cannot even touch the body. Make supplication to Allah for me that he let me be again as I was (among the living)., As for dying, he said, For a true believer the distress and anxiety of dying are equivalent to that from three hundred strokes.. system, an inner piety or disposition, or ritual practices (Wulff, 1997). lebanese death ritualsedelstein bavaria dishes lebanese death rituals. Food, Meals and Sympathy Baskets. 5. Another feature of Middle Eastern funerals is that they do not end when the person is buried. [32] The Christians and Jews follow the same procedures, with some variations from one denomination to another. Lebanon will triple the tariffs it charges on imports in local currency, according to copies of government decisions seen by Reuters on Tuesday, as the state seeks to boost its revenues amid a worsening economic crisis. Other basic sources are Hughes Dictionary of Islam, the Encyclopedia of Islam, and my own personal experiences and observations. Provo, UT 84602 Heaven and hell are there for good and bad people. In Muslim funerals, giving flowers to the family may vary depending on Muslim sects. By Allah, O Muhammed, if any of the family starts screaming when I am taking a mans spirit, I say, What is this screaming? [19] Mararat al-mawt, the distress of death, has reference to one of the many expressions used for death-pains or the agony of death. [4] Reminiscent of the words of Jesus in the New Testament, Mark 10:25. [28] This is elaborated in Frazers classic work, The Golden Bough. She would also say, " Hek khabaretne sette " (that's . There is another interesting sign of death and dying in the Middle East. [32] The women lock the room where the body is kept, stay in the living room, and begin to wail so that everybody in the neighborhood will know that somebody in this house died and a funeral is pending. When my turn came, I expressed my sympathy to my friend. 17 we learn that death is not a single thing: According to the Traditions, as depicted by Hughes account, [1] Muhammed was taught that it is sinful to wish for death: According to Islamic tradition, one day the Prophet said: Whosoever loves to meet God, God will love to meet him, and whosoever dislikes to meet God, God will dislike to meet him. 3. If a bad man, he should be speedily buried so that his unhappy lot will not fall upon others in the house, and so that the relatives of the deceased may not, by holding the corpse, weep too much or go without food. In the Muslim Quran Muhammed said: If you are a good man, God will be very pleased to meet you and you will be also very pleased to meet God. That means you go right away in a sputnik, you go directly to God and He will shake hands with you if you are a good man. Lebanese culture and traditions. 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