What Should a Revert Do with a Deceased Non-Muslim Relative’s Ashes Kept in a Cross?
Question
I am a revert. I have my grandparents’ ashes in a Celtic cross that were hanging in my car. I have now taken them down, but I am not sure what to do with them. Can I keep them stored away in a box?
Answer
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain.
Your question combines two matters: how Islam views human remains and dignity after death, and how a Muslim who embraced Islam later should handle a situation inherited from a non-Muslim family context. The Sharia approach is to preserve respect for the dead, avoid religious symbols contrary to tawhid, and return human remains to the earth.
1. The Shar‘i Context
Islam teaches that the human body has sanctity in life and after death, and that the original and proper return of the body is burial in the earth.
Allah says:
“From it We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We will bring you out another time.”
Surat Taha 20:55
This verse establishes the general meaning that the human being returns to the earth, and burial is the dignified way that fulfills this return.
2. The Cross and Religious Symbolism
Keeping a cross as a displayed object is not permissible for a Muslim because it is a distinct religious symbol. Removing it from the car was the correct step and part of preserving tawhid.
The Prophet would not leave symbols that contradicted Islamic belief in his environment when he had the ability to remove them. This establishes the principle of avoiding religious veneration and symbols in one’s personal space.
3. Handling Ashes and the Obligation of Respect
While the cremation itself is not an Islamic practice, you are not responsible for what occurred before your Islam or outside your control. Your responsibility begins with what you can do now.
The guiding objective is to treat the remains with dignity and to avoid using them as a display object, keepsake, or symbol.
4. Application to Your Case
In your case, the correct Islamic direction is that the ashes should not be kept as a hanging object or memorial ornament. Rather, they should be returned to the earth through burial, in a respectful manner, according to what is legally possible in your country.
If immediate burial is not possible due to law, family dispute, or practical barriers, then the ashes may be kept temporarily in a sealed container while arranging burial, without display and without keeping them inside a religious symbol.
5. Relevant Usul Principle
الميسور لا يسقط بالمعسور
The attainable part is not waived by the unattainable part.
If full resolution cannot be completed immediately, you do what is attainable now by removing the cross and avoiding display, while working toward the attainable final obligation, which is respectful burial.
Final Ruling
The correct ruling is that your grandparents’ ashes should be buried in the ground in a respectful manner, as this best fulfills the meaning of returning the human being to the earth.
Allah says:
“From it We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We will bring you out another time.”
Surat Taha 20:55
If burial cannot be arranged immediately due to legal or practical barriers, then it is permissible to keep the ashes temporarily in a sealed box, away from display and not inside a cross, until burial is arranged.
And Allah knows best.