 |
|
(Pictured left to right) Imam Omar Shakir, leader of Masjid Bilal, a San Antonio Muslim congregation; Dr. Scott Woodward, professor of pastoral theology at Oblate School of Theology; and Cantor David Silverstein of Congregation Israel, spoke at Oblate School of Theology’s latest Evening of World Faith event, “The Rite Way to Die: Ritual, Prayers and Attitudes for Death and Dying within Judaism, Catholicism and Islam.”
Photo provided |
J. Michael Parker
For Today’s Catholic
SAN ANTONIO • Islam, Judaism and Catholicism all have ritual activities and prayers at the time of death, some very similar and others divergent, speakers at Oblate School of Theology’s latest Evening of World Faith event, “The Rite Way to Die: Ritual, Prayers and Attitudes for Death and Dying within Judaism, Catholicism and Islam.”
MUSLIMS
Imam Omar Shakir, leader of Masjid Bilal, a San Antonio Muslim congregation, said that Muslims, like Christians, believe in heaven and hell and wonder what heaven will be like.
“For you and me, we treat everything as a matter of life and death, but God says he created death first, then life. You have to die on one level before you can live on another. God says that no soul dies without God’s permission, although we do everything we can to preserve life, but God also says that every soul shall know the taste of death; the taste of death is the transition of the soul leaving the body,” the imam said.
He said that Muslims don’t believe in “getting into heaven by the skin of one’s teeth,” or by our good deeds barely outweighing the bad ones.
“We believe that we reach heaven by acting in obedience to God, which is really our nature, which is good. They also don’t believe in “waiting” for heaven to come, because each person has a responsibility to use his or her life productively to leave a positive legacy that is beneficial to others.
“We don’t necessarily believe that the day of judgment comes in the twinkling of an eye. Many times when someone dies, people say, ‘Well, Grandma’s in a better place.’ Muslims believe we have to wait on the final day of judgment; God judges all of us and decides where we will spend eternity.”
He recited an adage some attribute to the prophet Mohammed: ‘Live in the world as if you’re going to live forever, but also live as if you’re expecting to die going to die in the next few minutes.’ This helps us keep the balance.”
Imam Shakir said that Islam teaches that all human life is sacred. “I know that there’s a different paradigm out there, but God says that every human life is sacred. We look at the story of Cain and Abel and consider it the first murder. God condemns Cain’s killing of Abel; if you kill someone unjustly, it’s as if you’ve killed all mankind. If you save a life, it’s as if you’ve saved all humanity.
“Suicide, in Islam, is un-Islamic. It is not supported in any Islamic texts. We view suicide as a sin. What you have not created, you have no right to take away. All that’s going on in the world, I know there’s politics and desperate situations, but we categorically denounce what our brothers are doing, blowing themselves up in the name of Islam.”
The imam said that Islam also teaches against mercy killing to relieve suffering.
Nothing happens without God permitting it to happen, so, “Whatever we’re going through, no matter how difficult, we will endure it. That doesn’t mean we can’t be medicated or there can’t be certain things to help ease our situation, but this idea of ending someone’s life prematurely, we would not buy into that,” he said. Muslims also believe that much of the suffering we endure on earth can be a purification that can cause us not to suffer in the afterlife.
Imam Shakir said that Islam has simple death rituals. The body is cleansed to make it acceptable before making the last prayer before burial, and Muslims owe each other a proper burial as soon as possible.
“If you don’t bury someone properly, the sin falls on the whole community. If a Muslim dies before noon, he’ll most likely be buried before sundown on the same day. There is no need for embalming, but the body is washed and shrouded in sheets.”
He said that Muslims want to be buried with other Muslims, either in a Muslim cemetery or in a designated Muslim section of a public cemetery. Coffins are not used unless required by local law because the custom is for the body to be delivered directly back to the earth. The body is placed lying on its right side facing toward Mecca. “Each person attending the burial throws a handful of dirt into the grave as a way of participating; and, of course, we all pray for the soul of the deceased and the family.”
JUDAISM
Cantor David Silverstein of Congregation Israel, the Jewish speaker, said that in Jewish tradition, it is said that the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.
“When a baby is born, he is pure and full of promise, but we know nothing about the person this baby will become; it’s what he will do with this life and what he’s done prior to the day of his death that counts.” Like Islam, which borrowed the concept from Judaism, he said, Judaism says that if someone saves a life, it’s as if he’s saved the whole world. Most of Judaism’s 613 commandments can be broken in order to save a life, and a pregnant mother is not allowed to fast on Yom Kippur -- the Jewish day of atonement -- because of the life she carries inside her.
However, the cantor said that in Jewish law, abortion is mandatory only if it is necessary to save a mother’s life because the unborn child is not considered a human life until it draws breath. The mother’s life takes precedence. Judaism, he said, affirms life.
“Jews are not permitted to do anything to hasten death, even if a person is suffering. You can’t even move a dying person’s arms if it will hasten death, but we are encouraged, if a person is suffering and near death, to remove any artificial means keeping the person alive. It’s not up to us to determine when a person dies; it’s up to God,” Canter Silverstein said.
He noted that Judaism doesn’t see death as a tragedy, even when it happens early in life. It still has meaning. Jewish rituals are very extensive, but they don’t reflect any fear or distaste toward death. “We traditionally say, ‘You should live 120 years,’ which is the age Moses is believed to have attained; but if you’ve attained 70 years, anything after that is a bonus -- a gift from God.”
Jewish death rituals are meant, as much as possible, to make all people equal -- that is, if they are done according to Jewish law. Many are not.
The eyes of the deceased are closed with pottery shards, sand from Israel is often sprinkled around the body, the body is placed on the floor, and a group of clergy or laypeople experienced in the ritual purification of a deceased body sees that washing is done properly. They place the body in a shroud and tie it with knots that resemble the Hebrew letter shin, a symbol of the Almighty. They also ask forgiveness of the deceased in case any of them has done anything that would keep the body from being prepared properly for burial. They remain with the body until transport.
Jewish law allows the use of coffins as optional, except when required by civil law. Certain ritual items are placed with the body, such as a prayer shawl, which is altered so it is ritually invalid.
For seven days after a death, the family receives visitors — not for purposes of entertainment but to give them a chance to speak about their dead loved one. Mourning is usually for 30 days, and the dead are remembered on major festival days and on the anniversary of the death.
“If you’re visiting a mourner, tradition says that silence is the best prayer. Always listen before you speak,” Canter Silverstein said.
CATHOLICISM
Dr. Scott Woodward, professor of pastoral theology at Oblate School of Theology, noted that Catholic customs for the dying include not only prayers but the bringing of Viaticum — “bread for the journey,” in the form of the Eucharist — to assist the dying person on the journey from earthly life through death to eternal life.
The Catholic model for care of the dead and dying is two-fold, he said. The first part is Jesus’ ministry of healing and care for the sick; the second is in the Letter of St. James [Chapter 5], which says, “Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church to pray over him, and they should anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
James is writing about the power of prayer; however, Woodward pointed out that there is no promise of physical healing, but only an assurance that “God will raise him up. If he has any sins, they will be forgiven.”
Also, the Gospel of John tells of Jesus curing illnesses — a Roman official’s son, a paralytic and a man born blind. All these stories follow a theme of Jesus as the Light of the World. The healing of the blind man is a physical sign of the new vision of the Light of the World. In each case, the sign illuminates some aspect of who Jesus is.
Woodward said that similar stories in Matthew’s gospel point to Jesus’ authority to forgive sins. Catholic prayers include petitions for the forgiveness of the sick person’s sins and also reflect a belief that the sick person is a sign of God’s presence.
The sacrament of the sick, which includes anointing with olive oil on the forehead and hands, previously was called extreme unction, or “last anointing.” However, it is not meant to be administered only when a person is near death. Anyone who is seriously ill may receive it, and if they recover and become sick again, they are free to receive it again.
“By the laying on of hands, the sick person is connected to the healing and forgiving work of Christ, whose actions continue in the actions of the church,” he said.
The prayers ask for comfort in sickness, courage when the sick are afraid and hope when they are afflicted. “They ask God to give us something to hold onto — serenity and peace of mind — so that when the time comes, we’re ready. These prayers represent the support of God’s holy people; that’s why it’s preferred that the family and friends are there at this time.
“This is an act of the church, a prayer of the whole church; we all want that serenity. It’s not easily reduced to an act of a member of the clergy and a sick person. Support of God’s holy people should be there, visible, so the sick person is not only told, ‘The church supports you,’ but sees that the church is there in support,” Woodward said.