Who we are · Since 17 July 2016
A promise to the community, kept.
ALIKRAM Burial Services is a volunteer-led charity serving the Eritrean Muslim community of Birmingham and the West Midlands — carrying every family through the four rites of Islamic burial with dignity, and without cost.
The Story
Founded by the community. Kept by volunteers.
ALIKRAM Burial Services began on 22 May 2016, when community members met to discuss the need for a dedicated Muslim burial service and agreed to reconvene and put it to a vote. At the Foundation Conference on 17 July 2016 the charity was established by vote, its constitution adopted and its first Trustees elected; it was formally registered with the Charity Commission in 2018 (No. 1180447).
As a membership-based organisation, ALIKRAM is sustained by members who contribute an annual fee. This shared commitment keeps our services reliable and affordable, so that grieving families are spared additional practical and financial strain at the very time they can least bear it.
In 2019, ALIKRAM carried out its first funeral service — a male member, bereaved by his family, with the full rites of ghusl, Salat al-Janazah, burial, and Aza. Since then, fourteen complete funeral services have been delivered in full for members and non-members alike, and the charity has grown into a community of 433 members and 955 beneficiaries. The promise made in 2016 has been kept, year on year, without interruption.
Mission
To ensure that every member of the Eritrean Muslim community in Birmingham can bury their loved ones with dignity, supported at every step by a service they can trust and afford.
Vision
A community in which no family faces bereavement alone — bound together by faith, solidarity and mutual care, and confident that support will always be there when it is needed.
What we stand for
Five commitments, kept for a decade.
Faith ◆ Compassion ◆ Dignity ◆ Community ◆ Integrity
Faith
We honour the religious traditions at the heart of our service, carrying out every burial in accordance with Islamic principles.
Compassion
We meet every family with kindness, patience and understanding in their time of grief.
Dignity
We ensure each person is buried with the honour and respect they deserve.
Community
We stand together in unity, caring for one another as a single family.
Integrity
We act with honesty, transparency and reliability in all that we do.
The Need
Why ALIKRAM was established
In the UK, a person who dies with no family, no funds and no community to step forward is buried by the local council under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. For an Eritrean Muslim family far from their support network, relying on that last resort carries a real risk of a non-Islamic burial — and can leave the family struggling and in debt.
Cremation is forbidden in Islam
The body must be returned whole to the earth. A council cannot guarantee burial over cremation without evidence of faith — and cremation often costs less, making it the default a family may never have chosen.
A communal religious duty
The ritual washing (ghusl) and the funeral prayer (Salat al-Janazah) are a communal obligation. If no one steps forward, the spiritual responsibility falls upon the whole community.
An Eritrean Muslim in Birmingham who dies without family nearby — or without funds — is at real risk of a delayed, non-Islamic funeral. This is the gap ALIKRAM was established to close permanently.
Four Paths
The burial options a family faces
When a Muslim family is struck by the loss of a loved one, grief is only the beginning. In those first raw hours, a heavy practical question presses in — how will the burial be paid for and arranged? In practice, families find themselves on one of four paths. Only two of them reliably protect a timely, dignified Islamic burial; the others can add fear and delay to an already unbearable moment.
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Ready funds available
No delayThe family already has funds set aside. Freed from any financial worry, they can bury their loved one right away — washed, shrouded and buried in full accordance with Islamic practice, without a single day's delay. It is a mercy not every family is fortunate enough to have.
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Donations from family, friends and community
Possible delayWith no reserve of their own, the family must turn to relatives, friends and the wider community for help. Even when generosity flows, the burial can stall while contributions are gathered — forcing a grieving family to make appeals and count donations at the very moment they most need stillness and space to mourn.
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Council-arranged burial
High riskWhen no funds can be found, the burial passes out of the family's hands entirely and into the local council's — stripping them of the say every family deserves over a loved one's final farewell:
- The council decides when and how it happens.
- The family has little or no input.
- An Islamic burial isn't guaranteed.
- It may choose cremation to save cost — not allowed in Islam.
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Burial charity membership
Peace of mindBy joining a burial charity in advance, a family turns dread into peace of mind long before loss ever comes. When the day arrives, the charity covers the approved costs under its own rules — no scrambling, no debt, no delay — so the family is free to simply grieve, held by a community that has already promised to carry them. Their loved one is buried with full dignity, exactly as their faith requires.
This is the ALIKRAM promise.
A Decade in Ten Chapters
The story, year by year.
2016
The Foundation
Community members met on 22 May to discuss a dedicated Muslim burial service and agreed to put it to a vote. Charity formally established on 17 July at the Foundation Conference — constitution written and seven Trustees elected.
2017
First Public Meeting
Bank account opened, leaflets distributed, first website launched, and membership categories set.
2018
Registration & Community Outreach
Formally registered with the Charity Commission (No. 1180447). A five-a-side football tournament held to raise awareness of the charity.
2019
First Funeral Service
ALIKRAM carried out its first-ever funeral service — a male member — with full rites: ghusl, Janazah, burial and Aza.
2020
Community Duty in a Pandemic
Supported a non-member found with no family or funds; costs shared equally with Al-Mawassat. Leadership held over through Covid-19.
2021
Resilience Through Loss
Supported three bereaved families — two male members and one female member — with full funeral arrangements.
2022
New Leadership & Digital Systems
General Assembly at Quba Islamic Centre elected a new management team; Google Form registration launched — cash-collection issues cut by 90%.
2023
National Council & Fundraising
Joined the National Burial Council, connecting a local charity to national standards. Raised £2,060 for the expansion of Quba Islamic Centre.
2024
Governance & Growth
The General Assembly approved an updated management policy, new membership categories, and a revised rate structure.
2025
Digital Transformation
A new website built voluntarily by a member — verified online registration and integrated financial tracking. Community workshop on Healthy Family Relationships hosted.
2026
10th Anniversary
A decade of unbroken service — 433 members, 955 beneficiaries, 14 complete funeral services carried out in full.
Founded on faith. Kept by hand.
Ten unbroken years of service — because a community that looks after its own is a community worth belonging to.