Death in Afghanistan

I was meandering on the outskirts of Kabul when we came upon this cemetary. For some strange reason the concept of cemetaries in Afghanistan just never occurred to me despite the fact I'm continually surrounded by death. I would have liked to have gotten up closer to take better pictures but that was just not an option in this neighborhood so I hope you all understand. NOTE: I believe the 3 men alongside the truck filled with stones in the 2nd picture are the burial crew.

So, I asked Asa what the traditions were when someone died and here's what she told me:

When a person dies, usually at home, the family hand carries the the body to a "special place". At that place, the body is stripped of all clothes and thoroughly cleaned. The special person in the special place then completely wraps the body in white cloth ensuring the eyes and mouth are permanently closed (for some reason she emphasized this point). The family returns later to retrieve the body and carries it to the Mosque where there is a funeral type ceremony and friends/family grieve. From there the body is taken to the cemetary on some type of makeshift stretcher by male members of the family, no casket, placed in the ground and buried in "dirt". This all normally occurs within 24 hours of the death, so I assume there is no embalming in Afghanistan. After 7, 30 and 40 days (don't hold me to those specific numbers) there are more religious ceremonies honoring the dead person in either a family member's home or the Mosque. At the conclusion of 40 days, all mourning is over and the person is no longer in their lives. An interesting concept but given the short life expectancy here, it makes a lot of sense... no one would ever be happy. I did ask if the stones (actually, rocks) were marked with the persons name and she confirmed that yes, someone writes the name on the stone but it is not engraved. And, it is not customary for the family to visit the grave site after the 40 day period.

I then asked if they believed the person had a soul that passed after death. Yes, when the person dies they are taken by two angels to some type of middle ground (she gave me a name, but I forget) to remain until The Final Day. On this day, God determines if they go to heaven or hell... both locations are now vacant. So, what happens to the soul in this middle ground? Well, that depends on how solemn they lived their lives. If they lived a relatively sinless life, no one lives a sinless life according to Asa, the living(?) conditions for the soul are good. If they lived a sin filled life (and that doesn't take much in the Muslim faith), they are punished throughout this middle group period. I'm obviously not Muslim, but I've decided to be less sinful just in case ;-}.

Obviously, this is a Reader's Digest version of their beliefs and practices but it's factual. And, unlike weddings, funerals are cheap. I tried to explain the concept of the Irish wake to Asa but it was beyond her comprehension.

Much peace and joy to you all.