No dead investment: Devout save up for funeral

Hyderabad: While most people spend their money on worldly comforts, some save for their funerals.

With graveyards quoting exorbitant amounts and the costs of other customary articles being unusually high, a decent Muslim funeral doesn’t come cheap these days.

To help people prepare for this expense, anjumans (societies) have set up maiyath (funeral) funds.

A person can become a member of a society and subscribe to the benefits of the fund by paying a small amount every month. In the event of his death, members of his immediate family receive a payout which is meant to be used to cover funeral expenses.

Mr Hameed, the manager of one such society in Old City, says, “The amount that members of the society have to pay each month is calculated based on the number of deaths in the group that month. If five people die, the other members of the society have to pay about Rs 25 each.”

The family of each of the deceased receives Rs 8,000 to meet funeral expenses. “Some people take two memberships. In such cases, their families receive Rs 16,000,” Mr Hameed says.

There are around 50 such societies, with 500 to 3,000 members each, currently in operation in the city. Similar societies are run in the various districts of Telangana by the elders of the local communities. The amount collected per death and the payout differ from society-to-society depending on the number of members.

Some societies offer payouts of up to Rs 14,000 per membership. Formed with the aim of helping the poor in times of distress, these groups have accrued membership from people of all social strata, creed, and sects.

Yazdani Baig who works for a society in Jahanuma says that most members are from middle- and working-class families. “Pensioners, small-time businessmen and daily-wage workers are members of our society. Apart from them, some affluent people have also become members on behalf of the underprivileged,” he says.

He adds that such when such a member hears of the death of the person on whose behalf he has signed up, he immediately collects the payout from the fund and hands it over to the family of the deceased.

Mr Aijaz, the operator of a society in Bahadurpura, says, “Most of our members are poor; they don’t want their families to have to run around and arrange for money for their last rites.

“During their lifetimes, they enrol as members and contribute money to the fund. In exchange, they are assured of a decent funeral when they kick the bucket.”
Mr Shafi said that not all families use the payout amount to meet funeral expenses. Some choose to donate it to mosques or the poor.