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After death a Sikh's body is cremated. A memorial is not usually created, instead, the ashes of the deceased are immersed in a river either in India or in another country where they were living. Sikhism teaches that the soul has moved on and if God wills it, people will be reunited in God's love.

Many Sikhs believe that death is just a short sleep before rebirth and that everyone must remember Waheguru in the hope of escaping rebirth and reaching liberation from reincarnation.

In India the funeral often occurs on the day of death or on the following day. In western countries there is a longer period before cremation. Before taking the body to the crematorium, it is ritually bathed and clothed. Verses of scripture are sung and the Ardas is said. In the crematorium tributes are paid to the deceased and the Kirtan Sohila (late evening prayer) and Ardas are recited. The deceased's family and friends often go to the gurdwara from the crematorium. Here relevant passages of the Guru Granth Sahib are read, followed by langar. During the ten days after someone's death the complete Guru Granth Sahib is read at the family's house or in a gurdwara. The reading ends with a langar.

Deliberate mourning is forbidden and the bereaved are encouraged to accept God's will.