Wow, us Jews actually have something very similar! In the Jewish faith, when someone dies, the immediate family picks a room, sets up chairs, and sits down to receive visitors. It's called "Sitting Shiva." They do this for seven days, and aren't allowed to cook their own meals, leave the house unless absolutely necessary, or really do much of anything. Everything is provided for them. It's an incredible thing. Basically the whole community comes to talk, console, reminisce about the departed, or just "schmooze." From what I've seen, it really helps the mourners bear the grief. In all honesty, it's one of my favorite parts of Judaism. But what's really cool is that, from what you're saying, Muslims actually do something similar! Our cultures aren't all that different, in a lot of ways. :)