Faith and Cultural Considerations

Start with your family’s traditions

A family may follow a religious practice, a cultural custom, a family habit, or the person’s own wishes, and often a mix. Traditions can affect:

In Utah, a body held more than 24 hours after death must be refrigerated or embalmed. Refrigeration at 40°F or below meets that requirement, which matters for families whose tradition avoids embalming. Other release and documentation requirements must still be met.

What some faiths’ sources say

These summaries come from each faith’s own publications or well-known community sources. Individual families, congregations, and movements may practice differently. Your faith leader is the best guide.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church’s General Handbook says the family of the deceased decides whether the body is buried or cremated. It also says that, if possible, deceased members who are endowed should be buried or cremated in temple clothing. The Handbook says a funeral may be held in a Church building, a home, a mortuary, or at the graveside, and that when it is held in a Church building, the bishop conducts it.

Catholic

The Vatican’s 2016 instruction Ad resurgendum cum Christo says the Church prefers burial but does not prohibit cremation. It asks that ashes be laid to rest in a sacred place, such as a cemetery, and not scattered, divided among family, kept at home, or made into jewelry, except in rare cases with a bishop’s approval.

Jewish

According to My Jewish Learning, traditional Jewish law calls for burial within 24 hours, with delays allowed to gather family or around the Sabbath. Viewings are not a traditional practice, and Jewish tradition is strongly against cremation, though many Jewish families choose it. Traditional preparation includes tahara, a ritual washing by the community’s burial society, and simple shrouds. Non-Orthodox families and cemeteries often allow more flexibility.

Muslim

According to the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake (ISGSL), Islamic funeral practices generally include burial as soon as reasonably possible, ritual washing of the deceased (ghusl), wrapping the body in a white shroud (kafan), and the funeral prayer (janazah). The deceased is positioned facing the Qiblah, with grave orientation confirmed by the cemetery committee. Embalming is generally prohibited, and cremation is prohibited in Islam. Ghusl is normally performed by trained Muslim volunteers of the same sex as the deceased, under the cemetery committee’s coordination. Special circumstances should be referred to the committee and a qualified religious adviser.

Families seeking arrangements through Khadeeja Cemetery should contact the cemetery committee promptly, before finalizing funeral or burial arrangements. The committee coordinates with the mortuary, the mosque, the medical examiner when needed, and others involved. Burial takes place as soon as reasonably possible, but timing depends on release of the body, required documentation, mortuary coordination, and grave preparation. Weekends and medical examiner involvement may affect the schedule, so confirm the burial time with the committee before announcing it.

Khadeeja Cemetery is a Muslim cemetery in Salt Lake County. At Khadeeja Cemetery, graves are oriented east–west, and the deceased is positioned facing the Qiblah. Khadeeja Cemetery’s total burial package includes the burial plot, mortuary charges, burial services, and headstone. Prices may change. Families should contact the cemetery team directly to confirm current charges; current contact information is available at utahmuslims.com/cemetery. Plot availability, advance reservations, adjoining spaces, and other burial arrangements depend on each cemetery’s current policies.

When family members have different wishes

Families sometimes disagree, for example when relatives follow different faiths, or when the person’s wishes differ from a tradition. A few questions can help the conversation:

• Did the person write down or say what they wanted?
• Which parts of the tradition matter most to each person?
• Can more than one tradition be honored, for example a religious service and a separate family gathering?
• Who has the legal right to make the final decision?

Working with a funeral provider

1. Can you accommodate this tradition, and have you worked with our community before?
2. What needs to happen right away, and what can wait?
3. Can our community wash and prepare the body at your facility?
4. Are there timing, weekend, or facility limits we should know about?
5. What should our faith leader coordinate with you directly?