What is the ruling on mentioning the deceased's condition during the washing of the body, such as signs of a good or bad ending?
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Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. In her second question, she says: Women who wash the bodies of the deceased mention to people what happens to the deceased, and this is done in gatherings. They mention signs during the washing, or other things such as a change in the color of the body, or its stiffness, or other things indicating a bad ending. The question is: Is this action permissible in the Shari'ah? And if it is not permissible, we ask that you direct advice to the sisters who wash the deceased, as they frequently mention the conditions of the deceased while washing them.
Answer:
The one who washes the body is a trustee and a guardian of the deceased, so it is not permissible for him to mention anything about him. It is not permissible for him to mention the secrets he saw; rather, he must keep them and not reveal them to people. This is because mentioning it causes people to have a bad opinion of the deceased. If he tells them that a bad color appeared on him, or that such and such appeared, this is a Muslim who covers his faults and does not expose his affairs to people. He leaves it to seeking forgiveness and making du'a' for them. This is a trust, and this has been written in the records, as you know, regarding the prohibition of this matter, and that the one who washes the body, male or female, is a trustee who must keep this secret and not disclose it to people.
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. In her second question, she says: Women who wash the bodies of the deceased mention to people what happens to the deceased, and this is done in gatherings. They mention signs during the washing, or other things such as a change in the color of the body, or its stiffness, or other things indicating a bad ending. The question is: Is this action permissible in the Shari'ah? And if it is not permissible, we ask that you direct advice to the sisters who wash the deceased, as they frequently mention the conditions of the deceased while washing them.
Answer:
The one who washes the body is a trustee and a guardian of the deceased, so it is not permissible for him to mention anything about him. It is not permissible for him to mention the secrets he saw; rather, he must keep them and not reveal them to people. This is because mentioning it causes people to have a bad opinion of the deceased. If he tells them that a bad color appeared on him, or that such and such appeared, this is a Muslim who covers his faults and does not expose his affairs to people. He leaves it to seeking forgiveness and making du'a' for them. This is a trust, and this has been written in the records, as you know, regarding the prohibition of this matter, and that the one who washes the body, male or female, is a trustee who must keep this secret and not disclose it to people.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم ذكر أحوال الميت أثناء تغسيله كمبشرات على حسن أو سوء الخاتمة؟ لمعالي الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.
