Think Singapore is just a nation of people working typical corporate jobs? Introducing Stomp\u2019s new original series, Don\u2019t Try This At Work, where we spotlight individuals with risky, exciting, unconventional and even downright terrifying jobs. <\/em><\/p>\n From cleaning up after death to handling bees by hand, the series offers a behind-the-scenes look at occupations most people would never dare to try \u2014 and the people who do them every single day.<\/em><\/p>\n Muhammad Amir, 34, has a serious, almost clinical set-up in front of him: a foldable metal bed, an assortment of small items, and white shrouds, as if preparing for a burial.<\/p>\n The mood in his Woodlands flat, however, is warm. Amir, his wife, and nephew, usher Stomp journalists in for an interview and an educational demonstration of what he does daily as a Muslim undertaker, better known among the Malay community as \u2018pengurus jenazah\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cAlamak, nervous,\u201d he remarks sheepishly at various points in his interview \u2014 though it\u2019s clear he has no reason to be.<\/p>\n Once the demonstration begins, he confidently explains the purpose of each item laid out on the metal bed: sheets of white cloth, kain batik lepas (a batik cloth), camphor, cotton, perfume and sandalwood powder.<\/p>\n Items needed to help Mr Amir prepare a body for burial.<\/p>\n STOMP PHOTO: CHERRY TAN<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n With his nephew Saiful Amir standing in for a dead body \u2014 which led to some good-humoured chuckling between our party of six \u2014 Amir explains, step-by-step, the process of bathing the body and preparing it for burial with dignity.<\/p>\n He does this methodically, with tremendous calm, that it\u2019s almost hard to believe he\u2019s only six years into this role.<\/p>\n His interest in the job was piqued almost a decade ago, when his grandmother died in 2017.<\/p>\n Then 23 years of age, he observed the imam leading family members in the prayers and burial process with awe \u2014 and felt a calling.<\/p>\n \u201cI was like, \u2018wow, (being a Muslim undertaker) is an interesting job\u2019,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n His interest was further cemented when he began researching more about the job, soon encountering a post from the owner of a local burial service company, who was looking to hire a full-time imam to assist him on the job.<\/p>\n He responded with his interest and soon bathed and prepared his first dead body in 2020. He did so under the guidance of his boss, after taking three years to fully transition into his new role as an imam.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to serve the Malay Muslim community<\/a> and help families during difficult times,\u201d the 34-year-old says, stressing how much giving back really means to him.<\/p>\n \u201cMany are afraid of death but to me, it\u2019s a responsibility,\u201d Amir says solemnly.<\/p>\n Even as he remains calm in the face of death<\/a>, there are still days when the job feels much more challenging and sad for him.<\/p>\n \u201cAttending to babies or stillborn cases is always the hardest for me emotionally,\u201d Amir tells Stomp.<\/p>\n Beyond how heartbreaking it is for him to bury a life that has ended too soon, there is also a much more personal reason that stillborn and baby deaths affect him so much.<\/p>\n \u201cMe and my wife had a baby before, but he passed on<\/a> at five months old (in 2018),\u201d he explains, a wistful note to his voice.<\/p>\n Another particularly challenging day for Amir was when his older colleague died from a heart attack while working alone on a late-night undertaking job in December 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ambulance came, (paramedics) tried to do CPR but sadly, he didn\u2019t survive,\u201d Amir shares.<\/p>\n Amir had to pick up where his colleague had left off until a freelance employee could relieve him. Following that, Amir embarked on the heavy task of preparing his colleague\u2019s body for burial later that morning.<\/p>\n Performing prayers at a burial.<\/p>\n PHOTO COURTESY OF MUHAMMAD AMIR<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n When asked how he had felt about his colleague\u2019s death, Amir appears to struggle to find the right words before saying: \u201cIt was sad, super sad.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the emotionally overwhelming and sleep-deprived day, thinking of his deceased colleague \u2014 an undertaker of more than 30 years \u2014 pushed him to get through the next 24 hours.<\/p>\n In a way, Amir views it as a way of honouring one of his mentors, who taught him much of what he knows today.<\/p>\n The unpredictable nature of life and death means that on most days, Amir is on standby 24 hours a day, seven days a week.<\/p>\n He tells Stomp he gets one or two days off a week \u2014 rarely fixed days, unless he has personal errands to run.<\/p>\n When asked how his job as a Muslim undertaker has shaped his perceptions of death, Amir replies candidly: \u201cSorry to say, but it\u2019s normal for me.\u201d<\/p>\n As someone who has attended a Muslim burial almost every day for the past six years, he does not fear death.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, we\u2019ll be heading to the same place some day.\u201d<\/p>\n Have something to say? Join in!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Explore more on these topics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n See something interesting? Contribute<\/a> your story to us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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A fateful introduction to his calling<\/h2>\n
Toughest part of the job<\/h2>\n
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Death is a \u2018norm\u2019, not something to fear<\/h2>\n
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