What is the manner of washing the deceased? And what is the ruling on kissing him?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Noble Shaykh, what are the characteristics of washing the deceased?
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : The characteristics of washing the deceased, washing the deceased.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And then, sometimes when a person dies, his family gathers and kisses him. Is this permissible?
The Shaykh : As for kissing the deceased after his death, there is nothing wrong with it, because Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) entered upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) after his death, and he had been covered. He uncovered his face and kissed him. As for the manner of washing the deceased, when a person dies, he is placed on the washing bed. Then one begins by washing his private parts and whatever is in them, without looking at them; that is, he places a cover over them, and the washer inserts his hand from under this cover to wash his front and back private parts. He does not touch them with his hand either, but places a cloth on his hand. When he is finished with that, he takes a wet cloth to clean the deceased's nose and mouth in place of rinsing the mouth and sniffing water into the nose. Then he washes his face, then his hands to the elbows, then his head, then his feet, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to the women who were washing his daughter:Sahih al-Bukhari 167 At that time, water containing suds should have been prepared. He beats the suds with his hands and strikes them until they produce foam. He takes this foam and washes the head of the deceased with it. Then he washes the rest of the body with the suds. Depending on the cleanliness of the body, if the body is clean, one, two, or three times is sufficient. If it is not clean and requires additional washing, it is washed, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to the women who were washing his daughter: Sunan an-Nasa'i 1889Sahih (Darussalam) Then it is dried with a cloth, and the shrouds are folded over it.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : The characteristics of washing the deceased, washing the deceased.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And then, sometimes when a person dies, his family gathers and kisses him. Is this permissible?
The Shaykh : As for kissing the deceased after his death, there is nothing wrong with it, because Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) entered upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) after his death, and he had been covered. He uncovered his face and kissed him. As for the manner of washing the deceased, when a person dies, he is placed on the washing bed. Then one begins by washing his private parts and whatever is in them, without looking at them; that is, he places a cover over them, and the washer inserts his hand from under this cover to wash his front and back private parts. He does not touch them with his hand either, but places a cloth on his hand. When he is finished with that, he takes a wet cloth to clean the deceased's nose and mouth in place of rinsing the mouth and sniffing water into the nose. Then he washes his face, then his hands to the elbows, then his head, then his feet, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to the women who were washing his daughter: