People who handle the washing of the deceased without being well-versed in the rulings of washing and cleaning the dead
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Fatwa No. ( 20739 )
All praise is due to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. And after: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from His Excellency the President of the General Authority for Promoting Virtue and Forbidding Vice, with number (3035/9) and date 15/6/1419 AH, and referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars with number (3746) and date 17/6/1419 AH. His Excellency’s letter included questions sent to the Presidency regarding the preparation and burial of the deceased, the text of which is as follows: Questions have been sent to the General Presidency regarding matters concerning the deceased and his burial. The sender states: I have observed matters that are contrary to the Sunnah in several areas where I have personally witnessed them, and these contrary phenomena may exist in other areas as well. They are as follows: 1. People who are not well-versed in the rulings of washing the deceased, cleaning him, and shrouding him in the Shariah manner handle the washing of the dead. In fact, speed governs their actions to the extent that the deceased begins to be washed and prepared between the adhan and the iqamah, in a period of about ten minutes. 2. During the carrying of the funeral to the grave, public dhikr and phrases are recited, such as:
(Allahu Akbar, permanence is for Allah, every soul shall taste death, etc.). 3. The deceased is placed in the grave in the following manner: a. The grave is made of blocks in the shape of a pit, with a depth of about (25 - 30 centimeters). b. The deceased is placed on his right side, and cement slabs are placed to cover the grave directly on the body of the deceased. 4. People are allowed to take a look at some of the deceased who are known for their righteousness, as after shrouding, the head and face are left uncovered for a period to allow those who wish to look at the funeral to do so and to add a halo to the deceased. 5. After burial, a person performs the teaching (ta'lim) of the deceased, saying: (O so-and-so, if you are asked about your Lord, say, my Lord is Allah, etc.). I rebuked them for this twice. 6. There is no care taken in walking with the funeral and bringing it into the mosque, whether the head is in front or the other way around. Therefore, I hope that Your Eminence will graciously answer these so that they can be published for the benefit of the general public.
After the Committee studied the inquiry, it answered: First: It is the Sunnah to hasten in preparing the deceased and washing him. If it is possible to wash the
deceased with the Shariah washing and prepare him in the mentioned period, then there is no harm in that and no objection to it. But if hastening in washing and preparing him leads to neglecting the proper procedure, then it is not permissible; because the washer is a trustee of his work, so it is not permissible for him to neglect any part of it. The prescribed manner of washing the deceased is that the washer intends to wash the deceased and says the name of Allah when starting the washing, and wraps a cloth around his hand, then cleans him and performs wudu for prayer, and does not touch his private parts directly with his hand. Then he washes his head. If the deceased is a man, it is recommended to wash his beard with water and suds or similar cleansers like soap and ash, and to trim his mustache and clip his nails if they are long. Then he pours water over his right side, then his left side, then washes him a second and third time. If he is not clean, he increases to five or seven washes until he is clean. The judgment in this is based on the washer’s assessment according to need, not desire or speed. If cleanliness is achieved with one or two washes, that suffices, like the washing of a menstruating woman, but it is recommended to wash him three times and to end the washing on an odd number. If he is not clean with three, he washes five or seven; for what is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said regarding the washing of
Her daughter:Sahih al-Bukhari 1254 This hadith is agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim, and this is the wording of al-Bukhari . If the deceased is a woman, her hair is braided into three braids when she is washed, and they are placed behind her. It is recommended to place perfume in the hollows of her body and the places of her prostration, and if her entire body is perfumed, that is good. After finishing washing the deceased, the man is shrouded in three white garments, without a shirt or turban, wrapped in them tightly, and camphor and perfume are placed between the layers. If he is shrouded in a shirt, a lower garment, and a wrapping, or just a wrapping, that suffices. The woman is shrouded in five garments: a long dress, a head covering, a lower garment, and two wrappings. If she is shrouded in a single wrapping, that suffices. If the washer and the one who shrouds the deceased do this, even if it is only the minimum required within the mentioned time, there is no harm in it. However, it is recommended for the one who washes and prepares the deceased to attend to it in the best possible way,
and the most excellent manner, and not to settle for only the obligatory, just as it is forbidden for him to neglect what is obligatory in washing and shrouding the deceased. Rather, he should strive to perform what is recommended along with the obligatory. It is recommended that the washer be trustworthy, and this is indicated by what was narrated by 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:; because one who is not trustworthy is not safe in completing the washing or in spreading what he saw of ugliness in the deceased. Second: Raising the voice with the glorification of Allah and remembrances when following the deceased to the graveyard is a blameworthy religious innovation with no basis. The way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when following a funeral was that his voice was not heard with glorification, recitation, or the like. He did not order his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to do so. Rather, it was reported from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he forbade following the deceased with a voice or fire. And Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "It is not recommended to raise the voice with the funeral, neither with recitation, nor remembrance, nor anything else. This is the position of the four Imams, and it is what is transmitted from the righteous Salaf from the Companions and the Tabi'un. I do not know of anyone who disagrees with this." And he (may Allah have mercy on him) also said: "The people of knowledge of hadith and athar have agreed that this was not
practiced in the era of the preferred generations." Therefore, it is obligatory for the one who carries the deceased and follows him to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Sunnah of his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and to walk with the funeral in humility and submission to Allah, remembering death and what comes after it, without innovating in his religion what Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) have not legislated. Third: The Sunnah is to make a niche (lahd) in the grave in which the deceased is buried, and to seal it with bricks, as the Companions did with the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). This is the practice of the Muslims from the time of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and those after them from our righteous Salaf to this day. As for the trench (shaqq), it is disliked. It is digging a rectangular trench in the ground in which the deceased is placed, and a roof is made over it. This is because it was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sunan Ibn Majah 1554Da’if (Darussalam) Narrated by Abu Dawud , al-Nasa'i , and al-Tirmidhi . However, if the nature of the ground does not allow digging a niche, the trench is permissible; based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Baqarah 2:286], and His saying: [Al-Hajj 22:78]. It is also recommended that the grave be wide and deep to the extent of
his height approximately; based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Narrated by Abu Dawud in his Sunan. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not specify a measure for this, and there is leeway in the matter, praise be to Allah. However, it should be considered when digging the grave to deepen it to the extent that prevents the smell from escaping and protects the body from being dug up by wild animals and the like. Therefore, building the grave with manufactured cement blocks and covering the grave with cement sheets is contrary to the Sunnah. The best is to seal the grave with bricks, as mentioned. But if necessity calls for it due to the nature of the ground, there is no harm in it. As for making the grave of cement blocks with a depth of (25 - 30) cm and covering it with cement sheets, which necessitates these sheets touching the body of the deceased and pressing on it, this is not permissible. It is contrary to the Sunnah as mentioned, and it involves insulting the deceased and not respecting him. The sanctity of a human being when dead is like his sanctity when alive. Digging the grave to this depth does not cover the body of the deceased, nor does it protect the deceased from being swept away by floods and exposed. Fourth: The Sunnah is to cover the entire body of the person after his death, and also after finishing washing and shrouding him; based on what was established from 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), Mishkat al-Masabih 1620,
narrated by Imam Ahmad , al-Bukhari , and Muslim . The meaning of tasjiyah is covering, and the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) acted upon this, based on the practice in the era of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This is indicated by what was narrated by 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), in the report of the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). She said: ... The hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari . Her saying "then he uncovered his face" after he died and was in his house, before he was prayed over, indicates the prescription of covering the entire body of the deceased and hiding it from eyes. Therefore, al-Nawawi said in his commentary on Muslim : "The tasjiyah of the deceased is agreed upon by consensus, and the wisdom in it is to protect the deceased from exposure and to hide his changed appearance due to death from eyes." Therefore, leaving the face of the deceased uncovered for a period for those who wish to take a look at him from the general public and to create an aura around him, as mentioned in the question, is an innovation with no basis, and it is contrary to what the Muslims have
agreed upon. This may lead to the forbidden exaggeration in that deceased or to spreading his defects if he is seen in an unattractive state. However, if his family wishes to uncover his face before or after washing to kiss him or to show him for a short period that does not affect the delay in preparing or burying him, there is no harm in that, on the condition that a non-mahram woman does not see or kiss him if he is a man, and likewise, a deceased woman should not be seen except by her mahrams. This is indicated by the hadith of 'A'ishah mentioned earlier, and what was narrated by Jabir ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: It was narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad, and mentioned by al-Bukhari as a suspended narration, and narrated by Imam Muslim , al-Nasa'i , al-Bayhaqi , Ibn Hibban , and others. And what was narrated by 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 5:1251, It was narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad (Vol. 6, p. 56), and narrated by Abu Dawud , al-Tirmidhi , and Ibn Majah . Fifth: What is established from the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) after burying the deceased and leveling his grave is to make du'a for the deceased and ask Allah for forgiveness and steadfastness for him. There is no harm in standing briefly at the grave when making du'a for him. This is indicated by what was narrated by 'Uthman ibn 'Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), And after finishing the du'a and seeking forgiveness for the deceased and asking Allah for steadfastness for him, one departs. This is what is prescribed and established from the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). As for instructing the deceased by saying: "O so-and-so, if you are asked about your Lord, say, My Lord is Allah... etc." and instructing him with the testimony and the like after burial, this has no basis. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do it, nor did his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) after him. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not recite at the grave, nor did he instruct the deceased, and the hadith of instruction is not authentic." End of quote. Mentioning the virtues of the deceased and the signs of goodness upon him after his death, without exaggeration and without specifying a certain time or place, is permissible; so that people know his virtue and make du'a and seek forgiveness for him, and follow his good deeds. However, this should not be made a custom by one of the people standing in the graveyard to mention the virtues and good qualities of the deceased; for what was mentioned at the beginning of the answer, and for what it may lead to of exaggeration in the deceased, which leads to the common people and ignorant ones seeking blessing from him, and resulting in consequences that are not praiseworthy. Sixth: Entering the funeral into the mosque from the head side or the opposite, nothing has come from the Shari'ah in this as far as we know, and there is leeway in the matter,
So whichever is easier for the one carrying it is preferable, whether the funeral is brought into the mosque from the head side or the feet side; all of this is permissible, and there is no blame in it. One should not criticize the one who does either, nor should he be censured for it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
All praise is due to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. And after: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from His Excellency the President of the General Authority for Promoting Virtue and Forbidding Vice, with number (3035/9) and date 15/6/1419 AH, and referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars with number (3746) and date 17/6/1419 AH. His Excellency’s letter included questions sent to the Presidency regarding the preparation and burial of the deceased, the text of which is as follows: Questions have been sent to the General Presidency regarding matters concerning the deceased and his burial. The sender states: I have observed matters that are contrary to the Sunnah in several areas where I have personally witnessed them, and these contrary phenomena may exist in other areas as well. They are as follows: 1. People who are not well-versed in the rulings of washing the deceased, cleaning him, and shrouding him in the Shariah manner handle the washing of the dead. In fact, speed governs their actions to the extent that the deceased begins to be washed and prepared between the adhan and the iqamah, in a period of about ten minutes. 2. During the carrying of the funeral to the grave, public dhikr and phrases are recited, such as:
(Allahu Akbar, permanence is for Allah, every soul shall taste death, etc.). 3. The deceased is placed in the grave in the following manner: a. The grave is made of blocks in the shape of a pit, with a depth of about (25 - 30 centimeters). b. The deceased is placed on his right side, and cement slabs are placed to cover the grave directly on the body of the deceased. 4. People are allowed to take a look at some of the deceased who are known for their righteousness, as after shrouding, the head and face are left uncovered for a period to allow those who wish to look at the funeral to do so and to add a halo to the deceased. 5. After burial, a person performs the teaching (ta'lim) of the deceased, saying: (O so-and-so, if you are asked about your Lord, say, my Lord is Allah, etc.). I rebuked them for this twice. 6. There is no care taken in walking with the funeral and bringing it into the mosque, whether the head is in front or the other way around. Therefore, I hope that Your Eminence will graciously answer these so that they can be published for the benefit of the general public.
After the Committee studied the inquiry, it answered: First: It is the Sunnah to hasten in preparing the deceased and washing him. If it is possible to wash the
deceased with the Shariah washing and prepare him in the mentioned period, then there is no harm in that and no objection to it. But if hastening in washing and preparing him leads to neglecting the proper procedure, then it is not permissible; because the washer is a trustee of his work, so it is not permissible for him to neglect any part of it. The prescribed manner of washing the deceased is that the washer intends to wash the deceased and says the name of Allah when starting the washing, and wraps a cloth around his hand, then cleans him and performs wudu for prayer, and does not touch his private parts directly with his hand. Then he washes his head. If the deceased is a man, it is recommended to wash his beard with water and suds or similar cleansers like soap and ash, and to trim his mustache and clip his nails if they are long. Then he pours water over his right side, then his left side, then washes him a second and third time. If he is not clean, he increases to five or seven washes until he is clean. The judgment in this is based on the washer’s assessment according to need, not desire or speed. If cleanliness is achieved with one or two washes, that suffices, like the washing of a menstruating woman, but it is recommended to wash him three times and to end the washing on an odd number. If he is not clean with three, he washes five or seven; for what is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said regarding the washing of
Her daughter:
Wash her three, five or more times with water and Sidr and sprinkle camphor on her at the end
اغسلها ثلاثًا أو خمسًا أو أكثر من ذلك بماء وسدر، واجعلن في الآخرة كافورًاand the most excellent manner, and not to settle for only the obligatory, just as it is forbidden for him to neglect what is obligatory in washing and shrouding the deceased. Rather, he should strive to perform what is recommended along with the obligatory. It is recommended that the washer be trustworthy, and this is indicated by what was narrated by 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
That the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), when he died, was covered with a Hibran cloak.
لا يغسل موتاكم إلا المأمونونpracticed in the era of the preferred generations." Therefore, it is obligatory for the one who carries the deceased and follows him to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Sunnah of his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and to walk with the funeral in humility and submission to Allah, remembering death and what comes after it, without innovating in his religion what Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) have not legislated. Third: The Sunnah is to make a niche (lahd) in the grave in which the deceased is buried, and to seal it with bricks, as the Companions did with the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). This is the practice of the Muslims from the time of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and those after them from our righteous Salaf to this day. As for the trench (shaqq), it is disliked. It is digging a rectangular trench in the ground in which the deceased is placed, and a roof is made over it. This is because it was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
The niche-grave is for us and the ditch-grave is for others.
اللحد لنا والشق لغيرناAllah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity
لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلا وُسْعَهَاand has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty
وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍhis height approximately; based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Dig, widen, and deepen.
احفروا وأوسعوا وأعمقواthat when God’s messenger died he was covered with a striped Yemen garment
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حين توفي سجي ببرد حبرةnarrated by Imam Ahmad , al-Bukhari , and Muslim . The meaning of tasjiyah is covering, and the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) acted upon this, based on the practice in the era of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This is indicated by what was narrated by 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), in the report of the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). She said:
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came on his horse from his residence in al-Sunh until he dismounted and entered the mosque. He did not speak to the people until he entered upon Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), meaning her house. He then approached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who was covered with a Yemeni cloak, uncovered his face, and bent over him to kiss him. Then he wept and said: "May my father and mother be your ransom, O Prophet of Allah! May Allah not combine two deaths for you. As for the death that was decreed for you, you have already died it."
أقبل أبو بكر رضي الله عنه على فرسه من مسكنه بالسنح حتى نزل فدخل المسجد، فلم يكلم الناس حتى دخل على عائشة رضي الله عنها، أي: بيتها، فتيمم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو مسجى ببرد حبرة فكشف عن وجهه ثم أكب عليه فقبله ثم بكى، فقال: بأبي أنت وأمي يا نبي الله لا يجمع الله عليك موتتين أما الموتة التي كتبت عليك فقد متهاagreed upon. This may lead to the forbidden exaggeration in that deceased or to spreading his defects if he is seen in an unattractive state. However, if his family wishes to uncover his face before or after washing to kiss him or to show him for a short period that does not affect the delay in preparing or burying him, there is no harm in that, on the condition that a non-mahram woman does not see or kiss him if he is a man, and likewise, a deceased woman should not be seen except by her mahrams. This is indicated by the hadith of 'A'ishah mentioned earlier, and what was narrated by Jabir ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
When my father was killed, I kept uncovering the cloth from his face and weeping, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not stop me.
لما قتل أبي جعلت أكشف الثوب عن وجهه وأبكي والنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لا ينهانيThe Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kissed Uthman ibn Maz'un while he was dead, until I saw the tears flowing on his face.
قبل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم عثمان بن مظعون وهو ميت حتى رأيت الدموع تسيل على وجههThe Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to stand over the deceased after he had finished burying him and say: “Seek forgiveness for your brother and ask Allah to grant him steadfastness, for he is now being questioned.”
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كان إذا فرغ من دفن الميت وقف عليه وقال: استغفروا لأخيكم واسألوا له التثبيت، فإنه الآن يسألSo whichever is easier for the one carrying it is preferable, whether the funeral is brought into the mosque from the head side or the feet side; all of this is permissible, and there is no blame in it. One should not criticize the one who does either, nor should he be censured for it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.