Funeral Services

Introduction

Death is the destiny of every living thing and certainly every human being, Allah SWT mentions in the Qur’an what means: (From the earth) We have created you, and into it We shall return you, and from it We shall bring you out once again. (Qur’an 20:55). Muslims look at this event with awe for it is a gate into Hereafter (Akhira). According to Islamic Sharia, taking care of the deceased is a collective responsibility (Fard Kifayah) of all Muslims as a community, i.e., if some members of the community assume the responsibility, the obligation is fulfilled, but if no one fulfills it then all Muslims are held accountable. Therefore, the community must take this responsibility seriously and some brothers and sisters must be trained in the essentials of care taking for the deceased and ready to help when death occurs.

It is intended that the Cemetery will be used for the burial of Muslims who lived in the Greater Capital District Area of Albany or whose relatives live in the Capital District. The decision of who is Muslim shall be made based on word of the surviving relative requesting the burial and/or on the testimony of members of the Muslim community. The Chair of the Cemetery Committee or his designee will consider special requests.

Contacts

For questions about the cemeteries or arrangements of burial, please contact the following cemetery members:

Br. Kamran Baig
518-867-7939

Br. Tipu Nazeer
518-588-5305

Send an email to
cemetery@iccdny.org

Cemeteries

There are two Muslim cemeteries that the Islamic Center of the Capital District uses:

North Greenbush Muslim Cemetery (No more graves are available) located at 465 Snyders Lake Road, North Greenbush, NY 12198

Dar Ul Rehma ICCD Memorial Garden at Evergreen

Memorial Park located at 2150 Central Ave, Schenectady, NY 12304. To purchase a cemetery lot, read the cemetery policy, fill out the following form (ICCD cemetery form) and then give filled form to the cemetery committee members (see contacts below).

Procedures for Burial Request and Initiation of Grave Preparation

For burial arrangements at least 24-hour notice shall be required to the Cemetery Committee (see contact names below).
The request for burial should be accompanied by the following documents:

b. Interstate transportation certificate if the body is brought from out of town (if permission granted).

The formal death certificate from the state shall be provided by the family within a month.

When the time for Janazah is selected, the surviving relative must inform one of the above contacts in order to initiate arrangements for the grave preparation. Only a person assigned by one of the above contacts (ICCD cemetery committee members) shall be permitted to dig the grave. Only the selected contact or someone with his approval is allowed to arrange with such person to conduct the digging of the grave. The location of the grave shall be established by the selected contact. The digging of the grave shall follow the laws established by the state of New York. Breaching of any of these arrangements will potentially incur violations of the Islamic Prophetic Traditions (Sunnah) as well as the New York state law. As such, violations of these guidelines will have serious consequences, including the relocation of the body at the expense of the relatives. The sole intent of this provision is to guarantee conformity with the Sunnah and compliance with the New York State law.

Policies

For the proper management of the cemetery and arrangements for burial, policies and procedures have been formulated by the ICCD BOT.
Persons requesting the use of the cemetery for burial arrangements shall observe these policies and procedures and any subsequent amendments made in the policies and procedures.

The cemetery shall be managed by the ICCD BOT.
Permission of the ICCD shall be required for the use of cemetery.
The cemetery shall be for the use of ICCD Muslim community of the Capital District.
They may be buried may be buried in the cemetery upon permission of ICCD BOT and payment of lot charges to ICCD in exceptional situations. Deserving families can request relief from Zakat Committee to offset burial lot charges.
Funeral arrangements and associated costs at funeral home shall be the responsibility of the family.
Burial costs at the cemetery shall be the responsibility of the family to be paid before the burial.
Lot assignments shall be regulated by the ICCD Cemetery Committee
Reserved lots shall not be assigned to other persons without the permission of the owner/ICCD BOT.
Lot assignment fee will be determined by the ICCD BOT. This fee is subject to change.
Burial lot cost for out of the Capital District will be 50% more than the current assigned charges.
As per the Evergreen Memorial Park Association only flat bronze memorials are allowed.
ICCD disclaims all responsibility for loss or damage beyond its control, especially damages caused by the elements, acts of God, common enemy, thieves, vandals, malicious mischief makers, explosions, unavoidable accidents, invasions, insurrects, riots or order of military or civil authority, whether damage be direct or collateral.
As part of the contractual agreement with the Evergreen Memorial Park, ICCD will abide by their rules and regulations.
According to New York State Law and these policies and procedures lots are not for resale or transfer, but to be used by the named person assigned to the lot.

Cost of Funeral Arrangement

Note that the family of the deceased is expected to take care of the expenses listed below. In addition, the ICCD encourages donations to help maintain the North Greenbush Muslim Cemetery and any needed expenses for the Dar Ul Rehma ICCD Memorial Garden cemetery at Evergreen Memorial Park.

Funeral home preparation
Grave of the cost at Dar Ul Rehma Memorial Garden
Service Opening/Closing with future maintenance of the grave.
Headstone Marking (Optional but it has to be approved by the Dar Ul Rehma ICCD Memorial Garden Cemetery)

Recommended Funeral Homes

The Muslim community of the Capital District recommends Scott & Barbieri Family Funeral Homes http://www.sbfuneralhome.com/. They have several locations and offer a Muslim Discount. They can contact the funeral homes directly below.

Tebbutt Frederick Funeral
Address : 633 Central Avenue, Albany, NY 12206
Telephone : (518) 489-4454

The White Funeral Home Address : 264 North Ballston Avenue, Scotia, NY 12302 Telephone : (518) 377-2300

Griswold Funeral Home
Address : 1867 State Street, Schenectady, NY 12304
Telephone : (518) 374-6188

Lights Funeral Home
Address : 1428 State Street, Schenectady, NY 12304
Telephone : (518) 374-1015

General Routine Maintenance

The operating expenses of the North Greenbush Cemetery and what the additional cost needed for Dar Ul Rehma ICCD Memorial Garden cemetery are covered solely and exclusively by donations from the members of the Muslim Community of the Capital District. As such, it is highly recommended that all members contribute generously to the expenses incurred for regular maintenance and necessary upgrades and expansion of the cemetery. For more information contact us at cemetery@iccdny.org.

For the North Greenbush Cemetery, the maintenance of the grave as defined below shall be the responsibility of the surviving relatives. The appearance of the grave shall follow the etiquette required by the Sunnah and reflect the respect it deserves.

Headstones shall not be placed perpendicular to the ground but flush to the ground.
Engraving of information on the headstone shall be restricted to: Name of the deceased and date of death. For practical reasons it is recommended that the information be in English
Use of flowers and other decorations are highly discouraged.
The body of the grave shall be maintained free of weeds and other debris that obscure or hinder its proper identification. It is recommended that pebbles and mesh that prevents weed growth be used.
The boundaries of the grave shall be marked as simply as possible. Use of natural bricks to delineate the boundary of the grave is the preferred method. No fire-processed material may be used.

For the Dar Ul Rehma ICCD Memorial Garden at Evergreen Memorial Park, the maintenance of the grave is the responsibility of the cemetery where most of the above rules are followed. The suggested contacts for the preparation of the headstone are :

North Greenbush Cemetery
Contact Grace Memorials
518-435-9722

Dar Ul Rehma ICCD Memorial Garden
Contact Evergreen Memorial Park
518-372-0030