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Many cemeteries across the UK have Muslim sections with qibla-facing graves, but there is no official register of them, so no accurate national list or count can be given — and any figure you see quoted for this is not from an official source. The two routes that work are your local mosque or burial committee, which will know which cemeteries in the area are used and on what terms, and your council's bereavement services team, which publishes what sections its cemeteries have and what they charge.
Finding a suitable Muslim cemetery is an important part of funeral planning. This guide helps you find Islamic burial grounds across the UK, understand what facilities they offer, and what questions to ask when booking.
There are three main types of burial options for Muslims in the UK:
Owned and operated by Muslim organisations, these cemeteries are designed specifically for Islamic burials. They typically offer shroud-only burial, perpetual grave rights, and services aligned with Islamic requirements. Ask your mosque which ones serve your area — note that the historic Muslim Burial Ground at Horsell Common, Woking, is not one of them: the burials there were transferred to Brookwood in 1968 and the site is now a memorial peace garden, not a working cemetery.
Many local authority cemeteries have dedicated Muslim sections with qibla-facing graves. They may have more restrictions (coffin required, set burial times) but are often more affordable and widely available.
Some private cemeteries have Muslim areas. These vary widely in terms of facilities, rules, and costs. Always check their specific requirements before booking.
No government body maintains a register of which cemeteries have Muslim sections. Lists of them circulate online, but they are compiled informally, they go out of date as sections fill and new ones open, and a wrong entry costs a family time at the worst possible moment. We would rather point you at the two sources that are current by definition.
Mosques and burial committees arrange burials in their area continually and will know which cemeteries have space, which permit shroud burial, which can accommodate a burial at short notice, and which funeral directors work with them. This is the fastest route to an accurate answer.
Councils run most cemeteries in the UK and publish, for each one, what sections it has, its rules, and its fees and charges. Search your council's website for cemeteries or bereavement services, or find your council on GOV.UK. Ask specifically about the Muslim section, the resident and non-resident rates, and out-of-hours burial.
When selecting a Muslim burial ground, consider these factors:
No official source publishes average burial plot costs, and a national figure would be misleading: every burial authority sets and publishes its own fees, and they differ by thousands of pounds between areas and between residents and non-residents.
Council fee schedules are normally revised each April, so check you are reading the current one.
Council cemeteries often charge significantly more for non-residents. "Resident" usually means the deceased lived in the council area, though definitions vary. Check with the cemetery before booking as the price difference can be substantial.
Some families choose to buy burial plots in advance. Benefits include:
If you need to arrange burial quickly, follow these steps:
Call your preferred cemetery as soon as possible. Explain the religious requirement for swift burial. Many Muslim cemeteries have emergency out-of-hours numbers.
The document the cemetery needs is the certificate for burial or cremation — the "green form" the registrar gives you when you register the death. That is a different document from the death certificate itself. Register as early as you can, and ask your council whether it offers early or out-of-hours appointments for religious burials.
Agree burial time, plot location, costs, and any specific requirements (shroud vs coffin, facilities needed for Janazah prayer at graveside).
To find Muslim burial grounds in your area: