Jews believe that this standard is held for people of all nations and religions. Following death, the soul (perhaps partially) leaves the body and enters heaven. When resurrection takes place, the soul will reunite with the body. Therefore, a complete burial is required by the Talmud.
Muslim, Bahá'í and orthodox Jewish faiths consider embalming to be a desecration of the body, and pro- hibit it. Hindus and Buddhists choosing cremation have no need for embalming.
Of all world religions, Islam is probably the most strongly opposed to cremation. Unlike Judaism and Christianity, there is little diversity of opinion about it. Cremation is considered by Islam to be an unclean practice.
Do Buddhists Bury the Dead? Buddhists typically favor cremation because they believe it is an important way to release the soul from the physical form. Buddha himself was cremated, so his followers often follow his lead. But burial with embalming is allowed, too.
Hinduism. Hinduism actually mandates cremation, called antim sanskar, or last rite, for the disposition of a believer's earthly remains. In cremation, Hindus believe, the body is presented as an offering to Agni, the Hindu god of fire, accompanied by a prayer to purify the deceased and lead them to a better life.
Children (usually below the age of 5), too, are buried as it is believed their soul has not stayed in the body long enough to develop any attachment.
Buddhists and cremation
Due to their belief in reincarnation, cremation is seen as the preferred choice when a loved one dies. The physical body holds little significance to the Buddhist faith, it is merely a vessel for holding the soul. Buddhists also believe in organ donation as it is seen as a good deed.
Final Resting State. The funeral rites are very similar within the various traditions of Hinduism. Most Hindus cremate the dead, though some communities allow burial. Those who cremate make exceptions for young children and devout older believers.
As with many Asian religions, Sikhs believe that the physical body serves no purpose but to house the soul. For that reason, cremation is usually preferred, but burying is also accepted. However, no headstone or monument is allowed.
For a Muslim burial, the grave should be perpendicular to Mecca, with the deceased's body positioned so their right side faces the Islamic holy city. As the body is lowered into the grave, the congregation say a prayer. Wood or stones are laid down to prevent the body touching the dirt.
Muslims are always buried, never cremated. It is a religious requirement that the body be ritually washed and draped before burial, which should be as soon as possible after death.
In Christian countries, cremation fell out of favor due to the Christian belief in the physical resurrection of the body. Christians also used burial as a mark of difference from the Iron Age European pre-Christian Pagan religions, which usually cremated their dead.
What's really returned to you is the person's skeleton. Once you burn off all the water, soft tissue, organs, skin, hair, cremation container/casket, etc., what you're left with is bone. When complete, the bones are allowed to cool to a temperature that they can be handled and are placed into a processing machine.
“It is Jewish custom for everyone at the graveside,” the rabbi explained, “to put two shovels of dirt on the coffin. You do the first one with the shovel upside down to signify reluctance.
Christian Orthodox
Funeral service will be held at a funeral home or church, generally with an open casket.
Like most Jews, Muslims try to avoid embalming their dead, so that the body naturally decomposes into the Earth. So it's important to perform this last ritual wash as soon as possible – usually within 24 hours. The wash is done for a few reasons.
After death, Hindus believe that the physical body serves no purpose, and therefore does not need to be preserved. They choose to cremate their loved ones as they believe it's the quickest way to release the soul and help with reincarnation.
Most Hindus believe that humans are in a cycle of death and rebirth called samsara. When a person dies, their atman (soul) is reborn in a different body. Some believe rebirth happens directly at death, others believe that an atman may exist in other realms.
The ashes are later collected and immersed in a body of water. Sikhs do not erect monuments over the remains of the dead. After the cremation ceremony, there may be another service at the Gurdwara, the Sikh place of worship, called the Sahaj Paath Bhog Ceremony.
In Islam, funeral rites are prescribed by the divine law. Burying the dead is the method prescribed. Islamic belief holds that only Allah knows what is good or bad for us and that the body should be treated with the utmost respect in life and in death.
Hindus believe that the soul of the deceased stays attached to its body even after its demise, and by cremating the body, it can be set free. As a final act, a close family member forcefully strikes the burning corpse's skull with a stick as if to crack it open and release the soul.
A toe tag is a piece of cardboard attached with string to the big toe of a deceased individual in a morgue. It is used for identification purposes, allowing the mortician, coroner, law enforcement, and others involved in the death process to correctly identify the corpse.
Although cremation is the most common choice among Buddhists, burial is also permissible. Individual traditions or sects do have specific funeral practices that practitioners usually follow but unlike Christianity, none of these would have any impact on the soul or eternal destiny of the practitioner.
The first 49 days after a loved one's death are the most important in Buddhism because we believe it takes a total of 49 days for one's spirit and energy to be fully released.
Cremation is preferred for Sikh funerals in India. Outside India, it is done with outdoor funeral pyres. In Sikhism, burial or any other means to dispose of the body are acceptable if the circumstances do not allow for cremation. After the cremation, the ashes are usually scattered in the river or sea.