Shrouding the deceased
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The first question of Fatwa No. ( 4141 )
Q1: We have understood from the words of the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) that a deceased man is shrouded in three garments, and a deceased woman is shrouded in five garments. We have had a disagreement regarding the method of shrouding, specifically the practical form of wrapping the head covering and the face veil. We ask Allah, then your Eminence, to write to us about the practical form for men and women, how the head covering and face veil are placed, and their specific dimensions. Please clarify for us how to wrap the shroud if the deceased is broad in build and the cloth is narrow. Should the face of the deceased be uncovered in the grave? Should the shroud be tied? If it is tied, should it be untied in the grave or not? And should some of the clay from the grave, after being mixed with water, be placed at the head of the deceased or not?
A1: First: A man is shrouded in three garments, spread one over the other, and he is placed on them lying flat. Then the ends of the garment closest to him are folded over one another, and so with the second and third garments. If the width of the cloth is not sufficient to cover the deceased, it is joined with what is sufficient to cover him. The shroud is then tied, and the knots are undone when he is placed in the grave. As for the woman, her shrouding begins with a lower garment covering her private parts and the area around them, then a shirt over the body, then a face veil over the head and the area around it, then it is wrapped in two wraps in the manner described for the man. What has been described regarding the shrouding of the man and the woman is the best. If each of them is shrouded in a single garment that covers him or her, that is sufficient.
Second: The face of the deceased is not uncovered in the grave, whether he is a man or a woman, because there is no evidence for that. Third: We do not know of anything indicating the prescription of placing any of the clay from the grave, after being mixed with water, at the head of the deceased. Rather, seeking to do so is a religious innovation. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q1: We have understood from the words of the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) that a deceased man is shrouded in three garments, and a deceased woman is shrouded in five garments. We have had a disagreement regarding the method of shrouding, specifically the practical form of wrapping the head covering and the face veil. We ask Allah, then your Eminence, to write to us about the practical form for men and women, how the head covering and face veil are placed, and their specific dimensions. Please clarify for us how to wrap the shroud if the deceased is broad in build and the cloth is narrow. Should the face of the deceased be uncovered in the grave? Should the shroud be tied? If it is tied, should it be untied in the grave or not? And should some of the clay from the grave, after being mixed with water, be placed at the head of the deceased or not?
A1: First: A man is shrouded in three garments, spread one over the other, and he is placed on them lying flat. Then the ends of the garment closest to him are folded over one another, and so with the second and third garments. If the width of the cloth is not sufficient to cover the deceased, it is joined with what is sufficient to cover him. The shroud is then tied, and the knots are undone when he is placed in the grave. As for the woman, her shrouding begins with a lower garment covering her private parts and the area around them, then a shirt over the body, then a face veil over the head and the area around it, then it is wrapped in two wraps in the manner described for the man. What has been described regarding the shrouding of the man and the woman is the best. If each of them is shrouded in a single garment that covers him or her, that is sufficient.
Second: The face of the deceased is not uncovered in the grave, whether he is a man or a woman, because there is no evidence for that. Third: We do not know of anything indicating the prescription of placing any of the clay from the grave, after being mixed with water, at the head of the deceased. Rather, seeking to do so is a religious innovation. 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.