Question: Can a husband and wife wash each other’s body after either one dies?
Answer: Whichever of the spouses dies first, the other may wash them, as narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
«رجع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من البقيع، فوجدني وانا اجد صداعا فى راسي، وانا اقول وا راساه، فقال:” بل انا يا عائشة وا راساه، ثم قال: ما ضرك لو مت قبلي، فقمت عليك فغسلتك، وكفنتك، وصليت عليك، ودفنتك»
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ returned from al-Baqi’ (after attending a funeral). He found me with a headache, and I was saying, ‘Oh, my head!’ He said: ‘Rather, I say it, O Aisha, oh my head!’ Then he said: ‘You need not worry; if you die before me, I will wash you, shroud you, pray your funeral prayer, and bury you.'”
In another hadith, Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
«لو كنت استقبلت من امري ما استدبرت ما غسل النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم غير نسائصلى الله عليه وسلم ه»
“If I had known earlier what I came to know later, no one but the wives of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would have washed him.”
Qadi Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him), explaining the above hadith of Sayyida Aisha, writes:
«فيه دليل علٰي أن المرأة يغسلها زوجها إذا ماتت وهى تغسله قياسا»
This hadith is evidence that when a woman dies, her husband may wash her, and from this evidence it is also known that a woman may wash her husband too.
Because husband and wife share one veil (there is no veil between them); just as a man can see a woman, a woman can likewise see a man.
Allama Muhammad bin Isma’il, the author of Subul al-Salam (may Allah have mercy on him), says:
«فيه دلالة علٰي أن للرجال ان يغسل زوجته وهو قول الجمهور»
“This hadith indicates that a man may wash his wife, and this is also the view of the majority of the imams and muhaddithun.”
Similarly, Sayyidina Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was washed by his wife, the honoured Asma bint Umays (may Allah be pleased with her).
Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from Abdullah bin Abi Bakr:
«أن اسماء بنت عميس غسلت ابابكر الصديق حين توفي»
“When Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) died, Asma bint Umays (may Allah be pleased with her) washed him.”
It is narrated from Sayyida Asma bint Umays (may Allah be pleased with her):
«أن فاطمة اوصت أن يغسلها زوجها على واسماء فغسلاها»
“Indeed, Sayyida Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her) bequeathed that her husband Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) and Asma bint Umays (may Allah be pleased with her) should wash her, and the two of them washed Sayyida Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her).”
Allama Ahmad Hasan Muhaddith Dehlawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
«يدل علٰي ان المرأة يغسلها زوجها وهى تغسله باجماع الصحابة لأنه لم ينقل من سائر الصحابة انكار علٰي اسماء وعلي فكان اجماعا»
“This hadith indicates that a woman may be washed by her husband, and she may wash her husband; there is consensus of the Companions on this, because no objection from any Companion has been transmitted regarding Asma bint Umays and Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with them both), so this matter is agreed upon.”
That a woman washes her husband is agreed upon by all people of knowledge.
However, that a man washes his wife is a matter of difference of opinion. According to the majority of imams and muhaddithun it is permissible and correct, and this is the sound view, as mentioned above.
Imam Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Ibrahim, known as Ibn al-Mundhir (may Allah have mercy on him), has transmitted this view from great imams and muhaddithun such as Alqamah, Jabir bin Zayd, Abd al-Rahman bin al-Aswad, Sulayman bin Yasar, Abu Salamah bin Abd al-Rahman, Qatadah, Hammad bin Abi Sulayman, Malik, al-Awza’i, al-Shafi’i, Ahmad bin Hanbal and Ishaq bin Rahawayh (may Allah have mercy on them all).
