Deceased collection service — bringing your loved one into safe hands

A deceased collection service built on reverence

In Islam, the body of the deceased retains its dignity and its rights. Our deceased collection service is designed around that truth. From the moment our team arrives — at a family home, a hospital mortuary, a hospice or a care home — your loved one is handled gently, covered appropriately, and transported in a dedicated, clean vehicle by staff who understand that this is not logistics; it is the beginning of a sacred trust.

Collection from home

When death occurs at home, the GP (or out-of-hours doctor) must first confirm the death. Once that has happened, call us and we will usually be with you within hours, at any time of day or night. Our team arrives discreetly, explains each step to the family before it happens, and invites the family to be present or to step away — whichever brings more comfort. We then transport your loved one to our facilities, where refrigeration preserves their dignity until Ghusl and burial.

Collection from hospital, hospice or care home

Hospital collections follow the institution's release procedures: the bereavement office issues the paperwork and the mortuary releases your loved one to us. We handle this coordination daily with hospitals across Birmingham and the West Midlands and know each site's process, opening hours and requirements — which is often the difference between a same-day release and a lost day. For hospices and care homes, we liaise directly with staff so the family does not have to make a single administrative call.

Nationwide collection — one phone call

A death far from home adds distance to grief. Through our national network we collect from any location in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and bring your loved one to the place of burial — or to our own facilities in the West Midlands — under one coordinated arrangement, with one point of contact and one clear cost, agreed in writing before we set out.

What our collection service includes

• Attendance at any hour, every day of the year, including weekends and Eid
• Trained staff who handle the deceased according to Islamic etiquette
• A dedicated, clean transfer vehicle and stretcher with full covering
• All liaison with hospital bereavement offices, mortuaries and coroners
• Secure, refrigerated care at our facilities until Ghusl and burial
• Immediate onward planning — registration guidance, Ghusl, Janazah and burial all begin from this first step

When the coroner is involved

If a death was sudden, unexpected or without a recent doctor's visit, the coroner may need to investigate before release. This is the moment families most need an experienced advocate. We liaise with coroners' offices routinely, explain your rights — including the possibility of objecting to an invasive post-mortem or requesting a non-invasive alternative on religious grounds — and press respectfully for the earliest possible release so burial is not delayed a moment longer than the law requires. Read more in our documentation and coroner support service.

Part of a charity's promise

This service is delivered under the ethos of our sister organisation, Iqbal and Sons Bereavement Services, a registered charity. That means the same standard of care whether the funeral is a full private arrangement or a charity-supported burial for a family in hardship. The deceased in our care are treated identically — because before Allah, they are identical.

If you need collection now, call 0300 102 1786. Tell us where your loved one is, and leave the rest to us.

What families ask about collection

Can we keep our loved one at home until the collection? Yes. Once death is confirmed there is no legal requirement for immediate removal, and some families take comfort in an hour of Quran recitation at the bedside before we arrive. We come when you are ready — simply tell us on the call.

May the family accompany the deceased? A family member is welcome to follow our vehicle to our facilities, and we will show you where your loved one will rest. Many families find that seeing the cleanliness and care of the place brings real reassurance.

What should we prepare before your team arrives? Nothing is required, but clearing a route to the door helps, and having the confirming doctor's paperwork to hand — where it exists — saves minutes. Our team handles everything else, including the lifting; please do not feel any family member must assist unless they wish to.

What happens to jewellery and personal items? Anything on your loved one is recorded and either returned to the family immediately or kept safely with the deceased, exactly as you instruct. Nothing is removed without your knowledge.

Care between collection and burial

From the moment of collection until the funeral, your loved one rests in clean, refrigerated facilities, treated according to Islamic etiquette — covered, respected, and never left carelessly. Because Islam urges promptness, this interval is usually brief: our parallel work on certificates and cemetery booking means most families move from collection to burial in a small number of days, often fewer. Throughout, your coordinator can tell you at any moment exactly where matters stand, and visits to sit near your loved one can be arranged where families wish it. This stewardship is a trust we take as seriously as the burial itself — it is the standard set by our sister charity Iqbal and Sons Bereavement Services, under whose ethos every deceased person in our care is honoured equally.