Hurrying to Prepare the Deceased and Covering His Body
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Questions one, two, three, and four from Fatwa number ( 1705 )
Q1, 2: What is the ruling on leaving the deceased with his face uncovered, not out of necessity, for a day or two or three, or more, without burial, so that strangers and distant relatives may recognize him? What is the ruling on looking at this deceased person, whether male or female, daily, and is leaving his face uncovered a violation of the teachings of Islam?
A1, 2: First: It is a recommended practice (sunnah) that when a person dies, his entire body, including his face and the rest, should be covered. This is based on what is established from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her)Mishkat al-Masabih 1620 , narrated by Ahmad and al-Bukhari and Muslim . Tasjiyah means covering, and this is a well-known matter among the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), based on the practice during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Al-Nawawi said in his commentary on Muslim : “The covering of the deceased (tasjiyah) is a matter of consensus, and the wisdom behind it is to protect the deceased from being exposed, to cover his changed appearance from eyes, and tasjiyah is done after removing the clothes in which he died, so that his body does not change because of them.” End of quote. From this, it becomes clear that
what was mentioned in the question, leaving the face of the deceased uncovered for a day or days for people to look at and view him, is contrary to the Sunnah of Islam and what the Muslims have agreed upon. However, if his family wishes to uncover his face and see him without delaying his preparation and burial, there is no harm; based on what is established , , and she said: .
Second: It is also a recommended practice (sunnah) to hurry to prepare the deceased once his death is confirmed, as this preserves him from changing and being repulsed by people. Abu Dawud narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 3159Da'if (Al-Albani) , and Al-Tabarani narrated with a good chain from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Mishkat al-Masabih 1717 , and it is established from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: Sahih al-Bukhari 1315 narrated by Ahmad and al-Bukhari and Muslim and the authors of the Sunan, and it contains a reminder to hurry with his preparation as well, to hasten him to good, or to be relieved of him. It is permissible to wait for him until those who will pray for him, accompany him, and supplicate for his forgiveness and mercy gather, provided that this does not take long. From this, it is known that what was mentioned in the question, delaying the deceased for a day or days without necessity, is contrary to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Accordingly, it is recommended to advise those who delay the preparation and burial of the deceased and uncover his face for people to look at and view him,
and to guide them to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the deceased of the Muslims, so that perhaps Allah will guide them to the straight path.
Q1, 2: What is the ruling on leaving the deceased with his face uncovered, not out of necessity, for a day or two or three, or more, without burial, so that strangers and distant relatives may recognize him? What is the ruling on looking at this deceased person, whether male or female, daily, and is leaving his face uncovered a violation of the teachings of Islam?
A1, 2: First: It is a recommended practice (sunnah) that when a person dies, his entire body, including his face and the rest, should be covered. This is based on what is established from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her)
that when God’s messenger died he was covered with a striped Yemen garment
، أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حين توفي سجي ببرد حبرةwhat was mentioned in the question, leaving the face of the deceased uncovered for a day or days for people to look at and view him, is contrary to the Sunnah of Islam and what the Muslims have agreed upon. However, if his family wishes to uncover his face and see him without delaying his preparation and burial, there is no harm; based on what is established
From Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both), that he said: When my father was killed, I kept uncovering the cloth from his face and crying, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not stop me
عن جابر بن عبد الله رضي الله عنهما، أنه قال: لما قتل أبي جعلت أكشف الثوب عن وجهه وأبكي، والنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لا ينهانيAnd Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) kissing Uthman ibn Maz'un while he was dead, until I saw tears flowing
وقالت عائشة رضي الله عنها: رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقبل عثمان بن مظعون وهو ميت، حتى رأيت الدموع تسيلAbu Bakr came and approached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was covered with a Yemeni cloak, so he uncovered his face, then bent over him and kissed him, then he cried and said: I sacrifice my father for you, O Prophet of Allah, may Allah not gather two deaths for you
أقبل أبو بكر فتيمم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو مسجى ببرد حبرة فكشف عن وجهه، ثم أكب عليه، فقبله ثم بكى، فقال: بأبي أنت يا نبي الله، لا يجمع الله عليك موتتينSecond: It is also a recommended practice (sunnah) to hurry to prepare the deceased once his death is confirmed, as this preserves him from changing and being repulsed by people. Abu Dawud narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
I think Talhah has died; so tell me (about his death), and make haste, for it is not advisable that the corpse of a Muslim should remain withheld among his family.
إني لأرى طلحة بن البراء قد حدث فيه الموت، فآذنوني به، وعجلوا فإنه لا ينبغي لجيفة مسلم أن تحبس بين ظهراني أهلهWhen one of you dies do not keep him long, but take him quickly to his grave
إذا مات أحدكم فلا تحبسوه، وأسرعوا به إلى قبرهHurry up with the dead body for if it was righteous, you are forwarding it to welfare; and if it was otherwise, then you are putting off an evil thing down your necks.
أسرعوا بالجنازة، فإن تك صالحة فخير تقدمونها إليه، وإن يك سوى ذلك فشر تضعونه عن رقابكمand to guide them to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the deceased of the Muslims, so that perhaps Allah will guide them to the straight path.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.