About Us

This is the website of South Yorkshire Muslim Bereavement Trust.  The Trust and its Advisory Board consist of a group of volunteers, Muslim men and women with professional backgrounds in many different fields. 

The Trustees and Advisory Board have been active in local communities for many years, have good standing and between them also have a wealth of contacts, experience and knowledge dealing with issues around death and bereavement.

Our vision

The Trust is working to a longer term vision, focussed on the delivery of a strategy, to ensure sufficient provision of quality burial space for Muslims in South Yorkshire for the next 50 years, along with adequate, culturally sensitive services needed at the time of bereavement and thereafter in accordance with their religious needs and requirements. 

About this website

The aim of this website is to educate our communities; to provide advice and guidance at a very difficult and challenging time when a loved one has passed away.

We always aim to work positively and proactively with service providers including local authority bereavement services, Councillors, MPs, NHS Trusts, South Yorkshire Police, the Coroner’s Service, General Practitioners (GPs), Medical Examiners, Local Registrars, Mosques, Imams, bereavement committees and funds, community organisations, government bodies, local cemeteries and funeral directors.

The Trust hopes to advocate for the Muslim communities, improve awareness and the enhancement of services so that bereaved families can:

  • prepare in advance for a death in the family, ensuring the previously expressed wishes of the deceased person are taken into account;
  • carry out religious rites including preparations and burial, in a timely and dignified manner; and
  • have access to spiritual & religious guidance and bereavement support.

In recent years we have seen a rise in the costs of living.  The cost of dealing with a death and related expenditure has also increased.  The financial costs of a funeral are not easy to bear for any family.  It is important therefore to be aware of the costs and other duties that will need to be completed, to plan effectively so that when the time comes, you can manage the situation more easily.

We have just talked about financial costs.  There are of course significant costs in terms of emotional stress, the demands of paperwork linked to the medical certificate of the cause of death and burial order and after the death the need to register the death with the local authority and notify key organisations such as the Department for Work and Pensions regarding any state pension or benefit claims that need to be stopped.  There will also be legal aspects such as the distribution of the deceased’s estate through the execution of a written will or otherwise.  And of course, practical aspects such as changing the name on utility bills and cancelling direct debits amongst many other tasks. 

We have organised the website into three key areas to help you dependent on your circumstances:

  1. Pre-bereavement – Issues such as Power of Attorney, Wills and Tax Planning, choosing a cemetery for burial and the type of grave e.g. earthen, lined or shroud; saving for the funeral and other costs.
  2. Bereavement – Liaising with the GP, hospital bereavement service and local authority bereavement services and other professionals as needed such as the Medical Examiner, Coroner, Hospital Chaplain or Registrar in order to get the medical cause of death certificate, death certificate and burial order; instructing a funeral director; confirming the cemetery for burial; liaising with a mosque; informing your family and friends; performing the ghusl (prescribed form of washing) and Janaza (funeral) prayer service; transporting the body; the actual burial; paying for burial fees and other costs, financial help available for people in need.
  3. Post-Bereavement – Bereavement Support (religious, NHS and other counselling services); informing relevant government bodies; probate; the gravestone; remembrance services.
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About the Trust

South Yorkshire Muslim Bereavement Trust is registered with the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the charity number 1188051.

We are not a private business.  None of the Trustees or volunteers will take any financial benefit personally from the Trust. 
We do not aim to make a profit.  Our fundraising will only be used to finance the work of the Trust and provide support to the wider Muslim communities of South Yorkshire.

The Trustees

We have 4 Trustees who have responsibility for the governance of the Trust and delivery of our vision and trustee responsibilities.
The Trustees are:

Mr Mahmood Hussain

Mr Mohammed Ghazi Sadique

Mrs Akeela Mohammed

Mr Irshad Akbar

The Advisory Board

The Advisory Board is composed of a number of people with expertise in a range of professions of relevance to the Trust’s vision.

Contact Us

We hope you can find the information you need on this website and through the links to other services.  If you should need any further support, please contact us by email: info@symbt.org    

Please bear in mind that we are all volunteers and that an immediate response may not always be available.