Funeral Services

Preparing for a loved ones passing

As a loved one is coming towards the end of their life, please discuss the death certification process with their GP. If this would be an expected death, then please highlight that their patient is Muslim and would want to be buried as soon possible. The GP can speak to the Medical Examiner to make provision to ensure that the relevant paperwork is in place prior to death and that upon death the GP is aware the death certificate needs to be completed as a matter of urgency.

If it is expected that your loved one may pass away over a weekend or bank holiday, ask your GP if they might be available to complete the death certificate. They can also send pre-emptive paperwork to the Medical Examiner prior to a person passing away to speed up the process of issuing the death certificate.

Immediate steps after death and certification process

1. When a person passes away – Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un

If this is an expected death, contact the deceased’s GP, the district nurses (if they are involved) or 111 if the GP surgery is closed, to arrange the “Verification of Death”.

The attending doctor/nurse will “verify death”; this confirms that the person has indeed passed away. Please note, the paperwork given at this point is not the Death Certificate.

If the death is expected and is “not suspicious” the deceased can be taken to the Masjid by the funeral director.

If the death is unexpected or suspicious, please call 999.

2. Contact the Muslim Funeral Director

Please contact either one of the following Muslim Funeral Directors:

– Brother Khalil : 07815 561 818
– Brother Faruq : 07578 359 741

The funeral director will arrange transport for the deceased to the Masjid, arrange the coffin, liaise with the cemetery and support the burial. This is a paid service external to the Masjid.

3. Transport to the Masjid

The deceased can be taken to the Masjid of your choice. Other key details are:

– The funeral director will liaise with the Masjid to take your loved one to the Masjid.
– Inform the funeral director which cemetery you would like to use.
– Please be aware of the costs of the cemeteries, and that the cost increases if the deceased is buried outside of the area they lived in (i.e. outside the district, where they are registered on the electoral roll). The cost may also increase in the case of short notice/weekend burials. See Funeral Costs sections further down the page.

At this point you should also contact the Masjid so that we can arrange the Ghusl and Janazah process with you. See further details in the Masjid Arrangements: Ghusl, Janazah and Burial Co-ordination section

If you wish your loved ones funeral to be held at Cheadle Masjid, please contact Shaykh Abid: 0161 437 1093 – Option 4.

4. Arrange for the Death Certificate

To arrange for a death certificate:

• – Contact the deceased’s GP to complete the “Death certificate”.
• – If the patient died in hospital, the ward doctors or the Bereavement Centre will issue the Death certificate.
• – This death certificate is sent to the Medical Examiner (ME); their role is to ensure that there were no concerns about your relative’s care that may have led to an early death. They will normally contact the family to discuss this.
• – If the ME approves the Death certificate, they will email the certificate to the Registrar of Births, Marriages & Deaths. This will be the registrar for the area in which the deceased passed away, for example, if they passed away at Wythenshawe Hospital, even if the deceased lived in Stockport, the certificates would go to the Manchester registrar and not the Stockport registrar.
• – You can email the registrar in anticipation at this point to inform them that they will be receiving the death certificate from the ME. Politely request that in view of it being a faith death, if they could process the paperwork as soon as possible. Copy in the funeral director too.
• – At this point time is of the essence.
• – Key contacts are:
  • Stockport: register.office@stockport.gov.uk
  • Manchester:https://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500203/births_marriages_deaths_and_nationality/6647/register_a_death/2
• – The Registrar will release the Green Slip – this is needed for burial.
• – Only once the green slip has been released can the burial take place. If your loved one passed away in a hospital and is at their mortuary, the hospital will not release the body without sight of the green slip.

Masjid Arrangements: Ghusl, Janazah and Burial Co-ordination

At this point, you will now know when the Janazah and Burial can take place.

1. Deceased details

Please share with Shaykh Abid details of the deceased so that the community can be informed and made aware of the Janazah via WhatsApp message. The message will typically include:

• Photo (if suitable) of the deceased – it helps people recognise who has passed away and encourage attendance at the Janazah;
• Details of the deceased and relevant family members;
• Time and place of the Janazah prayer;
• Cemetery details;
• Times for any viewing of the body for males and females (if you wish).

2. Ghusl

We can perform Ghusl of the deceased at Cheadle Masjid.

There are trained volunteers that will support the Ghusl to ensure the Ghusl is done in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah. To ensure the safety of operation of the Ghusl room equipment, there will always be 2 volunteers from the Masjid supporting the process. We allow no more than 5 in the Ghusl room at any one time.

The family can spend some time with their departed loved one after the Ghusl in the Family Room at the Masjid. As we have other programmes running at the Masjid, we would humbly ask all family members to remain in the Family Room.

3. Janazah Prayer

The Janazah Prayer will be held at the Masjid and will be led by one of our Imams. If you wish for a certain person to lead the Janazah prayer, this needs to be requested and approved in advance. Please note that this cannot always be accommodated.

For advice on how to read the Janazah prayer please see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImJJ_TLw4i8

There may be an opportunity before the Janazah prayer to say a few words about the deceased, either by the appointed family member, or if you prefer the Imam can speak on the family’s behalf. This will depend however on the timing of the burial, please discuss this with the Imam in advance.

4. Burial

The funeral director and volunteers from the Masjid will accompany the family to the cemetery to support the process of the burial. The funeral director and the volunteers have attended many burials previously, so it always recommended to follow their lead.

We appreciate this can be a very stressful time for family members. If you have any specific concerns or requests, please discuss this with the Masjid beforehand.

Post Burial Support: Food and Condolences

1. Food at the Masjid

There is no obligation for the family to provide food for those who attend the Janazah, rather it should be the community providing food and care for the deceased’s family.

However, if you wish to provide food for the those who have travelled for some distance to attend, we can arrange this with our approved caterer. Please do let us know the numbers you would need to cater for.

Our policy is that the meal (chicken curry and rice) is packed into containers to reduce the risk of spillage within the Masjid. Food can be taken away by attendees or guests can eat at the Masjid in the upstairs hall. Sisters will normally eat after the Janazah salah, and brothers can eat after the burial.

2. Ta’ziyah – condolences

We can arrange space at the Masjid for guests to come to offer condolences to the family. The capacity as such will depend on our other programmes, but we will always try our best to accommodate.

Funeral costs

1. Food at the Masjid

There are various costs associated with burying a deceased family member and the cost of a Muslim funeral in Stockport or Manchester can vary based on several factors, including cemetery fees, and specific services required.

The typical cost of a funeral can be between £3,000 to £5,000, but will vary based on any specific requirements you have.

The typical expenses are:

• Funeral Director fees;
• Burial fees.

Links to the fees for burial in Stockport and Manchester are below:

• Stockport: https://www.stockport.gov.uk/booking-a-burial-or-cremation/burial-and-new-grave-fees
• Manchester: https://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/200032/deaths_funerals_and_cemeteries/8176/bereavement_services_-_prices_2025/3

Please note Cheadle Masjid does not charge any fees to undertake the Ghusl, Janazah or Burial.

Funeral fund

If you are having difficulty in paying for the funeral of a loved one, Cheadle Masjid has a fund available which you can apply for. Please visit Funeral Fund page for further information

Sadaqah Jaariyah

The Prophet ﷺ said “When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (continuous charity); a knowledge which is beneficial, or a virtuous descendant who prays for him (for the deceased).” – Riyad as-Salihin 1383 (Book 12, Hadith 8).

There are a number of Sadaqah Jaariyah (continuous charity) projects you may wish to partake in, on behalf of your loved one. Please speak to the Masjid for more information regarding this.

Key Contacts

For immediate assistance or more information on funeral arrangements, please contact:

1. Muslim Funeral Directors:

• Brother Khalil : 07815 561 818
• Brother Faruq : 07578 359 741

2. Cheadle Masjid Funeral Support Team

Phone: 0161-437-1093 (Option 4)

We appreciate this is an exceedingly difficult time for the family, but please rest reassured we are here for you, please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any assistance at all.