Hello! I asked you if this story from Iraq but i never heard from you..anyway ,المُلايه is female priest for Shia sect and المُلا is for the male and its Iraqi word .The opposite sunni muslim use sheikh for the male and sheikha for the woman which both means priest.but الملايه usually is the woman who wails and wailing ( اللطم ) usually is tradition in Shia sect only. المُلايه does not prepare the cofin and she is not undertaker ..she is only try to provoke and encourage women in funeral to cry and wail to show how sad they are and also she tells about the good side of the dead person which let women cry more when they are calm. wailing is a part of Shia sect is usually we can see it in the Day of Ashura and the men who do the same role to let people wail ,the call him رادود which means the person who repeat .who this is clear. check this video to see مُلايه : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1cWg_Iv6Vs

ملاية is the person who prepares the deceace body for the burial: clean him, rap him into sheets (hince the name), and sometimes stay with him for the wake etc The english equivalent is "Undertaker" but in many cases in muslim/arab countries it's not necessarily a professional but often just an old relative/neighbor/acquaintance.

Hi Claudia, we say in ammiya : مِلايَة : ملاية السرير أو مفرش السرير in fusha : غِطاء in story , its mean : ملاية على أمها بعد أن ماتت : غطاء على جسدها Lid on the body of the dead mother I hope that you benefit :))

It is a piece of cloth we use it to wrap the body of the Deceased And in this sentence She describes her feelings when she saw the white sheets that they use to wrap the body of her dead mother For sure a horrible feeling الملاية التي جاءت من حيث لا أعرف فجرت أعماقي (بسيل) الكلام الموجع

I think its something else not sheets,just want to ensure so i can tell you what is the real meaning