Why is cremation not allowed in Islam?

Because Islam lays the dead to rest with dignity in a grave. This is what the Holy Qur’an and the example of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) teach, and cremation is unknown in both.

Every culture has its own ideas of how to show respect. In Europe, for example, it is considered impolite to appear before elders with a hat on. In many Eastern countries the opposite is true. Islam, too, has its own clear understanding of how to honour a human being.

Part of that honour is that the dead are not burned but buried with dignity. The Holy Qur’an speaks of the grave as the place God Himself assigns to a person. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) and his companions always buried their dead. There is no report anywhere of a Muslim being cremated, and the Holy Qur’an mentions no prophet who allowed it.

The grave also has an important meaning for the living. Whoever visits the grave of a loved one feels close to them. They know that the same body they once knew is resting there. This closeness helps them to remember the departed and to pray for them. At the same time the grave reminds them that their own life will one day come to an end.

So Islam brings both together, respect for the person and loving remembrance of them. Other religions have their own customs, such as cremation in Hinduism. Those customs belong to their own faith. For Muslims, however, burial is the way to show a person dignity even after death.