Cemetery Fundraising

By | July 4, 2015

Bismehe Ta’ala

Kullu nafsun Zaiqatul maut (Holy Quran Chapter 29, verse 57)

Surely every soul shall taste death. That is by the Command of Allah (swt). Yet, how prepared are we about meeting this eventuality? We all know someone whom we lost in recent years. Some of them gave us ample time to realize their end days were coming while others left us without much notice. We mourned for them, prayed for their soul by asking for Allah’s maghfirah and rahma (forgiveness and mercy), and buried them with dignity and respect so deserving of the deceased. Yet, when it comes to our own death, many of us are neither prepared nor have plans in place about where we want to be buried. We leave this very important task to our loved ones to bear. Many of our loved ones get buried in graveyards that belong to other faiths. We request these cemeteries to allow us an area, away from the grave sites of non-Muslims, to bury our loved ones. At times, it is not possible to find such a place but many times, it is very difficult and challenging. To add this responsibility on the loved ones who are already grieving is not only unwarranted but definitely avoidable.

And unfortunately, our Shi’a mu’mineen have often times faced even greater resistance from other Muslim organizations to bury their loved ones. Alhumdu lillah, Az-Zahra community is now blessed to have a place of our own. Here, we will bury our loved ones with the greatest respect they deserve. It should be noted that the challenges to get the cemetery were not without significant personal effort and persistence on the part of the Board of Trustees. Alhumdu lillah, thanks to their foresight and patience, our cemetery is located within the Center’s premises. Being in our “backyard” provides the relatives the opportunity to visit the grave site, make du’a and ask for the soul’s “maghfirah” without having to go too far.

But getting approval for the cemetery was only the first step. There are a few items that still need to be completed to receive the final approval from the county. Remember, these are OUR challenges and responsibilities and we need to pull up our bootstraps to complete the process quickly. The board invites each and every one to check our pocketbooks and donate generously to meet these expenses. You may pay for one or many of the items listed below. These are all tax deductible donations – they will help reduce your taxes in this World and hopefully increase your rewards in the Hereafter, insha’Allah. There is no better time than in the Holy Month of Ramadan to be generous. Please take advantage of this worthy cause and pledge whatever you can afford.

Immediate Expense:
• Attorney and surveyor’s fees (approx. $12,500)
• Privacy perimeter fence ($3,500 – $4,500)
• Entrance gate (unknown at this time)
• Trees, shrubbery, and other landscaping related costs (unknown)
• Kaffan (shroud); kafoor, and other necessary items in stock (unknown)

To meet the county’s landscaping requirements, we request individuals not to purchase trees/shrubs themselves. They need to be approved by the county’s representative before we can plant them.

Longterm costs:
• Bathhouse to wash the body (Ghuslkhana)
• Excating/digging equipment
• Shed to store equipment and tools

Please contact any of the BOT members to enlist your help and to make a pledge. Please ask for a receipt when you donate for this project. We will also send the receipt at the end of the year as we had done in the past. Your donation is needed right now to pay the immediate expense to complete the process.

Jazakumullah Khair