569. Looking at the private parts of a dead person—except for a husband and wife—is forbidden. If the person giving ghusl looks at it, he will have committed a sin, although the ghusl will be valid.
570. If any part of a dead person’s body is najis, it should be made ÔÁhir through the process elaborated in article 378. In fact, it is better to make ÔÁhir every part prior to washing it; rather it is better to make the entire body ÔÁhir prior to starting the ghusl.
571. The ghusl for a dead body is like the ghusl of janÁbah, and the obligatory precaution is that as long as sequential ghusl is possible, the dead body should not be given ghusl by immersion. In the sequential ghusl, (washing) the right side should precede the left side, and one is free to choose between pouring water over the body or submerging the body in water.
572. It is not necessary to give the ghusl of janÁbah or Îayà to someone who died in the state of janÁbah or ÎayÃ; rather the ghusl given to a dead body will be sufficient.
573. It is not permissible to accept wages for giving ghusl to a dead body, and if a person gives ghusl for the wages, the ghusl will be invalid. However, it is permissible to accept wages for performing the non-essential pre-requisites of the ghusl.
574. If water is not available, or if using it is not permissible, tayammum should be performed on the dead body in lieu of every ghusl. Obligatory precaution dictates that a (fourth) tayammum should also be performed in lieu of all the three ghusls. If the person who is performing the tayammum, makes the intention of mÁ fÐ al-dhimmah—that is, he makes the intention that I am performing this tayammum to fulfill that which I am in reality responsible for performing—then the fourth tayammum will not be necessary.
575. One who is performing the tayammum on the dead body should strike his own palms on the earth and wipe his palms over the face of the dead body and the back side of his hands. If possible, based on obligatory precaution, he should also perform the tayammum with the palms of the deceased as well.
576. The body of a Muslim should be shrouded with three pieces of clothing: a loin-cloth, a tunic and a cloth that extends from the head to the toes.
577. The length of the loin-cloth and the tunic should be such that it would be considered a loin-cloth and a tunic in the common understanding. However, the obligatory precaution is that the loin-cloth should cover the area between the navel and the knees, and it is better if it covers the area between the chest and the feet. Based on obligatory precaution, the tunic should cover the entire body starting from the shoulder, and based on obligatory precaution, going down to the middle of the shin. In fact, it is better that it reaches the feet.
The head-to-toe cover should be long enough such that it would be possible to tie a knot on both ends of it. It should also be wide enough such that one side of it can overlap the other side.
578. If the inheritors of the deceased are bÁligh, and they permit an amount to be withdrawn from the inheritance that is more than the cost of the most basic shroud—as elaborated in the previous article—it will not be problematic to do so. The obligatory precaution is that one should not withdraw more than the cost of the minimum obligatory shroud from the portion of an inheritor who is not bÁligh.
579. If a person makes a will that the amount required for an ideal shroud be withdrawn from one-third of his estate, one can accordingly do so. The same will apply if he makes a will that one-third of his estate be used for himself, but does not specify how it should be used, or only specifies how a part of it should be used.
580. If the deceased did not make a will that the cost of the shroud be withdrawn from one-third of his estate, and one wishes to withdraw it from his actual estate , he should act according to the ruling specified in article 578.
581. The husband bears the responsibility for providing his wife’s shroud, even though she may have her own wealth. Similarly, if the husband divorces his wife through a revocable divorce—as elaborated in the section on the rules of divorce—and the wife passes away prior to the completion of her ‘Ðdaho (waiting period), the husband will have to provide her shroud.
If the husband is not bÁligh, or if he is insane, the guardian of the husband will have to provide the wife’s shroud from the husband’s wealth. Obligatory precaution dictates that the husband must provide the shroud of a recalcitrant wife (nÁshizah) and a temporary wife as well.
582. It is not obligatory on the family of a deceased person to provide his shroud. In the event that the deceased does not have any wealth of his own, the shroud should be provided by the person who was obligated to pay for the deceased’s expenses during his lifetime.
583. It is obligatory for the combination of the three pieces of a shroud to be opaque enough so that the body cannot be seen through them. In fact, based on obligatory precaution, neither should each of the three pieces be so thin that the body is visible through them.
584. It is not permissible to shroud a dead body with pieces of clothing which are usurped, even though no other pieces may be available. Hence, if the shroud on a dead body is usurped, and the owner does not approve of it, it should be taken off the deceased’s body, even if it has already been buried.
It is also not permissible to shroud a body with the najis hide of a dead animal when other options are available. In fact, it is problematic even when one is compelled out of necessity. Similarly, it is problematic to shroud a body with the ÔÁhir hide of a dead animal when other options are available.
585. It is not permissible to shroud a dead body with a najis cloth—in the case of a najÁsah that has been excused in prayer, this ruling is based on obligatory precaution—or a cloth that is made of pure silk, or a silk blend in which the ratio of the blends is not greater than the silk. Based on obligatory precaution, it is also not permissible to use a cloth that is woven with gold. However there is no harm in using these clothes if one is compelled to do so out of necessity.
586. Based on obligatory precaution, it is not permissible to shroud a body with a cloth made from the wool or hair of an animal whose meat is forbidden, when other options are available. The same ruling applies to shrouding a body with the hide of an animal whose meat is permissible to consume, and has been slaughtered according to Islamic law. However, there is no problem in shrouding a body with the cloth made from the wool or hair of an animal that is permissible to consume, although the recommended precaution is to avoid these as well.
587. If the shroud on a corpse becomes najis owing to his own najÁsah or any other najÁsah, and it is possible to wash or cut out the najis area without ruining the shroud, one should do so, even if it occurs after the body has been laid in the grave. If however, it is not possible to wash or cut out the najis area, but it is possible to replace it, it should be replaced. In the event that the najÁsah is one that is excused in prayer, this ruling will apply to it based on precaution.
588. If a person who has put on iÎrÁm for Hajj and ‘umrah passes away, he should be shrouded like all other Muslims, and there is no harm in covering his head and face.
589. It is recommended for a person to prepare his own shroud during his lifetime, and every time he looks at it, he will be rewarded.
590. Having given ghusl to the body, it is obligatory to apply ÎunÙÔ on it, which is done by applying camphor to the forehead, the palms, the knees and the tip of the big toes. Recommended precaution dictates that a small amount of camphor should also be placed on these parts. It is recommended to apply camphor on the tip of the nose as well.
The camphor should be powdered and fresh, and if it is so stale that it has lost its fragrance, it will not suffice.
591. The recommended precaution is that the camphor should first be applied on the forehead. However, a sequence has not been stipulated for applying it on the other parts.
592. One is free to choose between applying the camphor before the body is shrouded, while it is being shrouded or after it has been shrouded.
593. If a person who has put on the iÎrÁm for Hajj or ‘umrah passes away, it is not permissible to apply ÎunÙÔ on him. However, if he has put on the iÎrÁm for Hajj and passes away after completing the saÞÐ, it is obligatory to apply ÎunÙÔ on him.
594. If a woman who has not completed her ‘Ðddah after the death of her husband, passes away, it is obligatory to apply ÎunÙÔ on her.
595. The obligatory precaution is that the dead body should not be fragranced with musk, ambergris (‘ambar), aloeswood (‘Ùd) or other fragrances. The fragrances should not be mixed with the camphor either.
596. It is also recommended to mix a small amount of turbat al-Íusayn (Peace be upon him) in the camphor. However, the camphor should not be applied on places that would result in committing sacrilege. In addition, the amount of turbah should not be so much that once it is mixed with camphor, the resulting mixture is no longer considered as camphor.
597. If camphor is not available, or the available amount is only sufficient for the ghusl, then applying ÎunÙÔ will not be necessary. If the available amount is more than what is required for ghusl, but not sufficient for all the parts, recommended precaution dictates that it should first be applied on the forehead, and then other parts of the body if an amount is leftover.
598. It is recommended to place two pieces of fresh wet twigs in the grave with the dead body.
