Death is considered a normal event that happens to everyone, whether we like it or not. Many different cultures and religions approach death and grief in different ways, ways that some might not even understand. By instinct, one culture may hold funerals while others do not. In some cultures, people will hold a funeral or ceremony to commemorate the deceased person. An example of this is death and funerals in a Middle Eastern Muslim culture. While I might focus solely on Muslim funerals, some might have slightly different ways of doing certain things, even if it's still somewhat in the same category. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay For example, the funerals of Muslim Iraqis may be different from those of Muslims living in Nigeria. In my case, attending a funeral is a very eye-opening event that I unfortunately had to attend. This rite of passage was very different from my understanding of Western funerals, what only people knew. During this rite of passage, the mourning and crying never stopped throughout the funeral as many family members could not stop the tears from flowing during this tragic event. Everyone who attended the funeral wore black as a sign of mourning for at least forty days. The most interesting part of the funeral was how the dead body was treated in Islam. My family members washed the body, wrapped it in white cloth and sent it to the burial site. Along the way, they stopped at a mosque to pray, which is obligatory in Islam after a person dies. Once they arrived at the burial site, the men placed the body in the ground facing Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad. Once the funeral is over, the wife of the deceased person goes through what is called an “Iddah”. This means that she cannot leave her house, remarry or wear jewelry for exactly 4 months and 10 days, as stated in the Holy Quran. There are some exemptions to this rule, such as if the widow needs to see a doctor or has to go to work to help her family. Experiencing this was very touching and moving for someone like me who, even though I wasn't close to the person who died, still gave this raw emotion that touches you and makes you understand why people experience this kind of thing. grief. Keep in mind: This is just a sample. Get a personalized document now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay As I said before, I have never been exposed to this type of burial, which made it even more interesting to observe and understand how each individual from the wife of the abandoned people to the simple workers of the burial city all came together at a time like this. I believe this rite of passage transformed the person from a living person on earth to a soul heading to the afterlife, as the Islamic religion believes. Due to the fact that Muslims believe that the soul goes to heaven or hell, the rite of passage is more understandable due to the transformation of the body from living to dead..