Chapter Three

Chapter Three
Funerals
- Rulings on washing the deceased
- Manner of washing the deceased
- Manner of shrouding the deceased
- Manner of offering the funeral prayer over the deceased
- Manner of burying the deceased

Rulings on washing the deceased
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, Who has no partner, the God of past and future nations. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger, the seal of prophets and the leader of the righteous. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his family, and his Companions and those who follow them with good conduct until the Day of Judgment.

To proceed:
I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, Who has no partner, the God of past and future nations.

And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger, the seal of prophets and the leader of the righteous.

May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, his family, and his Companions and those who follow them with good conduct until the Day of Judgment.

To proceed:
This is a short account explaining how to wash, shroud, and bury a deceased person. Before we address the topic, I shall present the following points:
1- Washing, shrouding, and burying a deceased Muslim is a communal obligation, so anyone performing this should intend that he is observing this obligation in order to obtain the reward from Allah Almighty.

As to the non-Muslim, it is not permissible to wash him or shroud him or bury him in the Muslim graveyard.
 
2- The washer is entrusted with the deceased Muslim, thus he is required to do what is necessary with regard to washing and other [relevant] issues.

3- The washer is entrusted with the deceased Muslim, thus he is required to conceal anything displeasing that he saw in the corpse.

4- The washer is entrusted with the deceased Muslim, thus he must not let anyone be present except the persons he needs to help him turn the body, pour water, etc.

5- The washer is entrusted with the deceased Muslim, thus he must be gentle and respectful. He cannot be violent or grudgeful against the deceased when he is removing his clothes and washing him.

6- A man cannot wash a deceased female unless she is his wife, nor a woman is allowed to wash a deceased male unless he is her husband except those under the age of seven. In this case, either a man or a woman can wash this deceased whether it is a boy or a girl.

7- After finishing, it is recommended for the washer to take a ritual bath just like the one taken for a major impurity. However, there is no harm if he does not take a ritual bath.

Manner of washing the deceased
The obligation in washing the deceased is to pour water over the entire body until it is completely clean.

The best manner of doing so is as follows:
1- The washer places the deceased on a flat surface slanting [slightly] downward at the end where his legs are [to let the water run down].

2- He wraps a cover around the deceased's ‘Awrah; from the navel to the knees, before taking off his clothes so that his ‘Awrah would not be exposed after stripping him.

3- He gently removes the deceased’s clothes.

4- He wraps a rag around his hand to wash the ‘Awrah of the deceased without exposing it until it is clean, then he throws away the rag.

5- He wets a rag with clean water to clean therewith the deceased’s teeth and nostrils.

6- He washes the deceased’s head, his hands up to the elbows, his head, and his legs up to the ankles. He starts with the right hand before the left, and the right leg before the left.

7- He does not insert water into the mouth or nose of the deceased as it is sufficient to clean them with a rag.

8- He washes the entire body of the deceased three or five or seven times or more than this depending on the need of the body to become fully clean. He starts with the right side of the body before the left one.

9- It is better to mix the water with Sidr (lote tree leaves), because it is more effective in cleansing. He should blend them thoroughly until they foam. He uses the foam to wash the head and beard of the deceased and the rest to wash the rest of the body.

10- In the final wash, it is better to mix the water with camphor (a known fragrance).

11- If the deceased has hair, it should be combed without matting or cutting anything thereof.

12- If the deceased is a female, her hair should be undone if it was braided. After washing and cleaning it, it is to be braided into three braids behind her back.

13- If some parts of the deceased’s body are detached, they are to be washed and gathered with the body.

14- If the deceased is severely damaged by burns or otherwise and the washing is not possible, many scholars held that the deceased is to receive a dry ablution. The person performing the dry ablution should strike the ground with his palms and wipe with them over the face and hands of the deceased.

Manner of shrouding the deceased
The obligation in shrouding the deceased is to cover him with a cloth that covers his entire body.

However, it is better to do the following:
1- Shrouding should be in three white cloths, layered over each other, and the deceased laid on top of them. Then the edge of the topmost cloth by the deceased’s right side is folded over his chest and then its edge by his left side is folded over it. The same procedure is to be followed for the second and third cloths. At the end, the edges of the sheets at the head are to be gathered and tied into a knot and the same is done with the edges at the legs.

2- Apply incense on the shrouds and spread some embalming scent (a mix of fragrances made for the dead) in-between them.

3- Apply embalming scent on the deceased’s face, joints, and parts of prostration.

4- Apply embalming scent on a piece of cotton over his eyes, nostrils, and lips.

5- Apply embalming scent on a piece of cotton between his buttocks to be strapped by a rag.

6- The deceased female is to be shrouded in five pieces of cloth: a waist wrapper, a head veil, a shirt, and two wraps. If she is shrouded in the same manner as the male, it is also permissible.

7- The two knots of the shroud are to be untied upon laying the deceased in the grave.

Manner of Praying over the Deceased
1- Pray over the deceased Muslim whether young or old, male or female.

2- In the instance of miscarriage, a four-months fetus and older is to be prayed over. The same procedure of washing and shrouding an adult is to be followed before the funeral prayer.

3- No funeral prayer is to be offered for a miscarried fetus of less than four months, because life has not been blown into it yet. Such fetus is not to be washed nor shrouded but rather buried anywhere. 

4- At the funeral prayer, the Imām is to stand by the head of the deceased male and by the waist of the deceased female, and the people should pray behind him.

5- The funeral prayer consists of four Takbīrs. After the first Takbīr, one reads the chapter of Al-Fātihah after seeking refuge in Allah and Basmalah (saying Bismillah Al-Rahmān Al-Rahīm). After the second Takbīr, he invokes peace and blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) by saying:“Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala āli Muhammadin kama sallayta ‘ala Ibrahim wa ‘ala āli Ibrahim, innaka Hamīdun Majīd. Wa bārik ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala āli Muhammadin kama bārakta ‘ala Ibrahim wa ‘ala āli Ibrahim, innaka Hamīdun Majīd” (O Allah, exalt the mention of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as you exalted Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, You are Praised and Glorious.

O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, You are Praised and Glorious). After the third Takbīr, he supplicates for the deceased, and it is better to supplicate with what is reported from the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). If he does not know the reported supplication, he supplicates with what he knows. After the fourth Takbīr, he pauses a little while then ends the prayer with Talsīm. It is permissible to say before Taslīm: “Our Lord, give us in this world good and in the Hereafter good and protect us from the torment of the Fire. ”

“Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala āli Muhammadin kama sallayta ‘ala Ibrahim wa ‘ala āli Ibrahim, innaka Hamīdun Majīd. Wa bārik ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala āli Muhammadin kama bārakta ‘ala Ibrahim wa ‘ala āli Ibrahim, innaka Hamīdun Majīd” (O Allah, exalt the mention of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as you exalted Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, You are Praised and Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, You are Praised and Glorious).

After the third Takbīr, he supplicates for the deceased, and it is better to supplicate with what is reported from the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). If he does not know the reported supplication, he supplicates with what he knows.

After the fourth Takbīr, he pauses a little while then ends the prayer with Talsīm. It is permissible to say before Taslīm: “Our Lord, give us in this world good and in the Hereafter good and protect us from the torment of the Fire. ”

Manner of burying the deceased
1- It is mandatory to bury the deceased in a grave protected against wild animals, and he is to be laid facing the direction of prayer. The deeper the grave, the better.

2- It is better for the grave to be a Lahd (niche) by digging a side hole deep down the grave in the direction of prayer.

3- It is also permissible that the grave is a Shaqq (trench) by digging a hole in the center of the grave (not the side) if it is necessary, like in cases where the soil is soft.

4- The deceased is to be laid in the grave on his right side facing the direction of prayer.

5- Bricks are to be laid on the deceased and the cracks filled with moist mud to avoid spilling the soil on the deceased.

6- The grave is to be leveled with the ground afterwards. Nothing should be built with gypsum or any other material above the grave.

7- Burial is prohibited at three times: when the sun rises until it has risen by the length of a spear, at the time the sun reaches its zenith until it passes it, and when the sun sets by a height of a spear until it sets completely. The estimated length of the first and third times is about fifteen minutes while the estimated length of the second time is about ten minutes or so.

8- A non-Muslim may not be buried in the Muslim graveyard. He may not be washed, shrouded, or prayed over. Instead, he should be buried in a place not owned by anyone or taken to his country.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all of his Companions.

Written by the one who is in need of Allah:
Muhammad ibn Sālih Al-‘Uthaymīn