The Reason for Osamas Burial Preparations

As the versions of the story developed, I found it difficult to understand why a government who had just killed an old, un-armed man take the care to adhere to Muslim custom in the preparation for his burial. But, as it often is, there's more to the story than that.

The decision has been made to respect Muslim tradition in burying the body of the most wanted man on earth. A senior administration official tells ABC News, "We are ensuring it is handled in accordance with Islamic practice and tradition. It's something we take seriously and therefore it's being handled in an appropriate manner."

Islamic law dictates that the body be bathed three times in a specific, ritualistic manner, while covered by a cloth. The bathers are generally same-gender family members of the deceased, though this clearly will not be the case for the body in question.

After bathing, the body is wrapped in a kafan - generally a white cotton cloth, to protect the modesty of the deceased. Prayers are then said to request forgiveness for the dead.

Senior admin on burial

What many of us did not know, was that this, under Islamic culture, makes him no longer seen as a martyr by many.

A Martyr does not need to be Washed:
The body of a martyr, that is, a Muslim killed in a battle at the hands of disbelievers, may not be washed even though it is in a state of major ritual impurity. His body should be enshrouded in the clothes he wore when he died if they are good enough for the purpose. Otherwise some additional cloth may be used to enshroud his body according to the sunnah. The body of such a person should be buried in its blood-stained state. None of his blood should be washed off.

Ahmad reported: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Do not wash those who die as martyrs, for their every wound or drop of blood will exude a fragrance like musk on the Day of Judgement." The Prophet, peace be upon him, ordered the martyrs of the Battle of Uhud to be buried in their bloodstained clothes. They were not washed, nor any funeral prayer offered for them.

Martyr burial

In truth, it is unlikely that the preparations for burial were out of respect for either he or his religion, but more likely an underhanded attempt to discredit his potential martyrdom.



...assuming the rest of the story is true

Related links
Islamic Funerals
CNN Blog

I am half expecting someone to tell me there is already a thread on this, but I searched and found nothing.

There is so much confusion and conflicting stories in regards to his death, the only "solid" info is that we all understand who is being spoken about. Until more information is given by the government (true or not true) there is almost no more point in debate.

Im personally writing it off as a lie until i see more evidence, here say is not sufficient enough to me.

As always, it's all in the details