Is Washing the Deceased Obligatory?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
Question:
Is it obligatory to wash the deceased?
Answer:
Washing the deceased is obligatory upon the heirs.
❀ Al-ʿAllāmah al-Shawkānī رحمه الله (1250 AH) states:
يجب على الأحياء، إذ لا وجوب بعد الموت من الواجبات المتعلقة بالبدن
It is obligatory upon the living, for after death no obligation related to the body remains.
(Al-Darārī al-Muḍiyyah 1/70)
Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما narrates:
A companion was standing with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at ʿArafah when he suddenly fell from his riding animal and died instantly. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ instructed the Companions رضي الله عنهم: “Wash him with water and the leaves of the lote tree.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1266, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1206)
Sayyidah Umm ʿAṭiyyah رضي الله عنها narrates:
When the daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away, he ﷺ instructed the women:
اغسلنها ثلاثا أو خمسا أو أكثر من ذلك، إن رأيتن، بماء وسدر
“Wash her three, five, or more times if you deem necessary, with water and the leaves of the lote tree.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1253, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 939)
