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8. Wills and Burial
Baha’u’llah has given several laws concerning wills and burials. Each Baha’i must leave an official will. The will should say how one wants his money and property divided—what should be given to his family, to the Fund, and so on. It is also wise to state in one’s will that one is a Baha’i and wants to be buried according to Baha’i laws. This is important because many Baha’is have non-Baha’i relatives who are not aware of Baha'i burial procedures.
Any Baha’i can conduct a funeral service, though the Local Spiritual Assembly is responsible for seeing that the service is arranged properly. A Baha’i funeral should be simple. Baha’u llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha have revealed beautiful prayers for the departed; these are often read, along with other prayers and selections from the Writings. Non-Baha’is may have Baha’i funerals if they wish.
Baha ’is may not be cremated. Bodies must be buried, and the burial must be within one hour’s journey from the place of death. Often people spend much time and money shipping the body of a relative half way around the world to be buried in a certain place. Baha’is do not believe it matters where one’s physical body is laid to rest because when one dies, he enters a new spiritual life where place means nothing. Also Baha’is regard the whole earth as their home, not just one small area of it.
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