Central Funeral Services

We have just completed our funeral service for our father. We commissioned Central Funeral Services to help the family with every aspect of the janaza process. We were absolutely expertly handled by Mr Sakib Haq, who completed his professional responsibilities to an absolutely 5* standard, exceeded expectations truth be told. From expertly communicating with our family at the passing, to picking up our father, the extensive administrative process, the ghusl, the dealings with burial sites through to handling and managing every moving part on the day of the janaza, Mr Haq and his colleagues delivered an incredible, brilliant and super professional service. You can take my word for it, when the time comes, you will be so inundated with everything and the grieving that you will not know where to start. To top it all off, Mr Haq is an absolute gentleman, caring, compassionate and incredibly reassuring to deal with. Highly recommended. Dr AA Ali CEO

Central Funeral Services (CFS) based within Birmingham Central Mosque were recommended to me by a close friend whose family had recently used CFS. I was not disappointed with the recommendation. My point of contact with CFS was the Funeral Director Sakeeb Haq. Sakeeb, was highly knowledgeable of both Islamic and civil burial procedures in the UK. As my mother passed away just before midnight on Friday 31.05.24, there was not much that could be done to process and obtain the relevant paperwork to start burial procedures until after the weekend. Sakeeb advised of the steps that I would need to take and I was able to obtain all necessary paperwork by Monday afternoon to proceed with the burial. However, an unexpected issue arose by the end of the working day as I was notified that the grave plot my mother had reserved 24 years ago, near my father’s grave, was no longer available as adjacent graves installed at a later date had encroached her plot. Further, her plot is at a cemetery where Muslim burial plots are no longer available as the cemetery is at full capacity. I resorted to writing a formal complaint late on a Monday night to the local authority’s cemetery services to escalate the matter as I wanted to ensure that every effort was made for my mother’s burial to take place at the same cemetery, and, as soon as possible in accordance with our Islamic faith. Sakeeb kept me informed at every stage of his communications with the cemetery. He also provided me with the direct contact details of senior members of staff within the local authority’s cemetery services and of others who were in a position of influence, in order that I could expedite my complaint and find a timely resolution. He made time for this in the evening after a busy working day and outside of his usual working hours. Having had to battle with public services throughout my mother’s journey of living with dementia this was just another unjust situation I had to deal with even after her death and Sakeeb’s assistance in resolving the issues by midday of Tuesday was invaluable. On Wednesday 5th June 2024 my mother had a dignified burial in a new plot - in the same section of the cemetery as my father - albeit not as close to his grave as she had originally planned. I am used to working under pressure and handling complex and difficult situations but it was certainly refreshing and reassuring to have Sakeeb’s support during one of my life’s most difficult and vulnerable times. I found Sakeeb to be a consummate professional and personable and I would not hesitate in recommending CFS.

i recently had a deeply challenging task of arranging a funeral for my late father, i am incredibly grateful for the support and assistance provided by Central Funeral Services. From 15th May to the date of the burial (17/05/2024) Shaq our dedicated funeral director, guided us through every step with kindness and professionalism. Shaq is exceptionally knowledgeable about islamic funeral rites, which was very important to me and my family, he managed to arranged everything within 48 hours, ensuring that we could perform Janazah on the blessed day of Friday (Jummah). his respect for our traditions and his thorough understanding of our needs provided great comfort during a very stressful time. throughout the entire process, Shaq was always available to answer any questions no matter the time of day. his compassionate approach and his ability to handle every detail with care made a significant difference to me and my family. he was not only a professional funeral director but also a supportive presence, helping us navigate this difficult period with grace i highly recommend Central Funeral Services and specifically Shaq for anyone in. need of islamic funeral arrangement in Birmingham, their services was impeccable and their support was invaluable during one of the most challenging time of my life. this experience has left a lasting positive experience on me and my family. i would highly recommend their services. 10/10

My mother passed away and I was the person that was directly communicating with brother Sakeeb. This was my first ever time experiencing the death of a family member and brother Sakeeb’s support will never be overlooked. Brother Sakeeb not only guided me on the next steps of the dealings with the coroners but also provided emotional support and mental clarity. There were many times where brother Sakeeb went above and beyond to support my family through this tough time. I would most definitely recommend this service to anyone who requires cooperative support.

I can not put it into words to be honest, but alhumdulleah the most important thing is everything went well. I would like to send my and my family’s thanks and gratitude to brother (Sakeep)who made everything seemed to be simple and helped us through every single step Jazak Allah and may Allah reward you and grant you the highest ranks in Jannat alferdos you and your family brother Sakeep. I would like to also thank the Central mosque team for their kindness and support in this difficult times 🤲🏾🤍

I've had a fantastic first experience with Central services Birmingham in the last week. They have made me and my family feel at ease. Treated us with highest dignity and care. Given this was the most stressful and challenging times of our lives. It was difficult for us for our fathers death was unexpected and over the weekend. It would have taken longer to Bury him had it not been for CFS. We had step by step guidance and phone calls to help us navigate around different authorities we had deal with to get the paper work done quickly. Brother sakeeb did go the extra mile to try and help us so we could Bury or dad as quickly as possible . CFS helped us through this and becuse of this we could Bury or dad quickly. We were very greatful and cannot thank you enough for your support.

I don’t usually write bad reviews as I prefer to give the benefit of the doubt, but unfortunately dealing with Brother Saqeeb, it was not possible. Multiple family members have put in a formal complaint to Central Mosque about Saqeeb & his attitude. My Grandfather passed away a few days ago and my family used Central Mosque’s funeral services & Brother Saqeeb was the main contact. I have never met ANYONE as rude as him! As a funeral director you are dealing with vulnerable customers who have lost a loved one, you NEED to show some compassion. Brother Saqeeb spoke to us in a belittling manner, & did NOT know how to speak to women, in fact called my own mother “ignorant” on the day of the funeral because she asked a simple question. We had issues regarding distributing food, and we were told we “better not even bring a grain of rice onto the premises of the mosque or else”. We had members coming from cities all over the UK & we wanted to give them closed bags of food for them to have for iftaar on the way back home.. Brother Saqeeb shut us down in an extreme rude, condescending manner and refused to listen to what we had to say. I then asked to speak to somebody else because we did not want to deal with him due to his attitude, he told us speak to the main office, “they’ll tell you the exact same thing as me”. (They didn’t..) The mosque was in fact very helpful & understanding, they allowed us and said that will be no problem, they spoke to us very politely. So a big thank you to the Central Mosque team! It’s ironic because Saqeeb said the mosque does not allow ANY food in the Mosque during Ramadan, yet we saw a class opposite the Janazah area with a table full of food & drinks.. Yet we were rudely shut down for suggesting bringing closed bags & containers of food to hand to people before they leave. Brother Saqeeb is in the wrong job. EDIT: Since posting this review, Brother Saqeeb has messaged my Uncle to instruct me to take down this review. No apology, no remorse. And by the way, I’ve only mentioned one issue out of several that we had with Saqeeb..