❖ Question:
Is Ghusl (ritual bath) or Wudu (ablution) obligatory after giving Ghusl to a deceased or lifting the body? What is the authenticity of the related Hadith?
Source: Fatāwā Rāshidiyyah, Page 394
❖ Hadith Quoted:
"من حمل الميت فعليه الوضوء ومن غسله فليغتسل"
Whoever lifts the deceased, then Wudu is upon him; and whoever washes him, then he must perform Ghusl.
❖ Inquiry:
What have the esteemed Muhaddithīn (Hadith scholars) stated regarding this Hadith? Is it Ṣaḥīḥ (authentic) or Ḍaʿīf (weak)? What is your scholarly opinion on this matter?
✔ Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʾAmma baʿd!
There are a few narrations that state:
- The one who washes a deceased person must perform Ghusl, and
- The one who carries a deceased body must perform Wudu.
However, based on the research of the author, none of these narrations reach the level of authenticity. At most, these are statements of the Companions (Ṣaḥābah) and not Marfūʿ (attributed directly to the Prophet ﷺ).
Below is a brief scholarly analysis on this issue:
✿ Imām Tirmidhī’s Research:
In his work Al-ʿIlal al-Kabīr, Imām Tirmidhī established a chapter titled:
((ما جاء في الغسل من غسل ميتا))
What has been reported regarding Ghusl after washing a deceased.
He states:
"قال أبو عيسى: سألت محمدًا عن هذا الحديث من غسل ميتًا فليغتسل، فقال: روى بعضهم عن سهيل بن أبي صالح، عن إسحق مولى زائدة، عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه موقوفًا."
Translation:
I asked Imām Muhammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī about this Hadith “Whoever washes a deceased should perform Ghusl,” and he replied:
It has been narrated as a Mawqūf report by Isḥāq Mawlā Zā’idah (a trustworthy narrator) from Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) — meaning, it is the statement of the Companion, not of the Prophet ﷺ.
✿ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar’s Clarification:
In Fatḥ al-Bārī, Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar states:
The narrator Abū Ṣāliḥ reported it from Abū Hurayrah as a Marfūʿ narration, but this narration is defective (Muʿallal) because Abū Ṣāliḥ did not hear it directly from Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه).
✿ Further Words of Imām Tirmidhī
From ʿIlal al-Kabīr (Vol 1, p. 42-43):
"قال محمد: إن أحمد بن حنبل وعلي بن عبد الله قالا: لا يصح من هذا الباب شيء. وقال محمد: وحديث عائشة رضي الله عنها في هذا الباب ليس بذلك."
Translation:
● Imām Bukhārī narrated that:
◈ Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and
◈ ʿAlī ibn ʿAbdillāh ibn al-Madīnī
both said: Nothing in this chapter (about Ghusl/Wudu after handling the deceased) is authentic.
● Also mentioned:
The narration from Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها) (found in Sunan Abī Dāwūd) is also not authentic.
✿ Imām Abū Dāwūd’s Position:
Imām Abū Dāwūd himself graded this Hadith as weak (Ḍaʿīf).
✿ Imām Khattābī’s Opinion:
In Maʿālim al-Sunan (Commentary of Sunan Abī Dāwūd), Imām al-Khattābī states:
"في إسناد الحديث مقال"
There is weakness in the chain of this narration.
✿ Imām Ibn Abī Ḥātim’s Report:
In Al-ʿIlal (Vol 1, p. 351), he reports from his father:
"الصواب عندي: أبو هريرة رضي الله عنه موقوف."
The correct stance in my view is that this is a Mawqūf narration from Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه), not a Marfūʿ Hadith.
✿ Imām Bayhaqī’s Verification:
In As-Sunan al-Kubrā (Vol 1, p. 302), Imām al-Bayhaqī wrote:
"الصحيح موقوف على أبي هريرة، لأن الروايات المرفوعة في هذا الباب عن أبي هريرة غير قوية لجهالة بعض رواتها وضعف بعضهم."
Translation:
The correct version is that the narration is Mawqūf upon Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه), because the Marfūʿ narrations are weak, due to some unknown narrators and some weak ones.
✿ Imām Ibn al-Jawzī’s Judgment:
In Al-ʿIlal al-Mutanāhiyah (Vol 1, p. 378), he stated:
"هذه الأحاديث كلها لا يصح."
All of these narrations are not authentic.
❖ Summary of Research:
From the statements of numerous senior scholars of Hadith, the following conclusion is clear:
① No authentic Marfūʿ Hadith exists on this topic.
② At most, it is the Mawqūf saying of Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه).
③ According to the principles of Hadith, a Companion’s statement is not binding (ḥujjah) in rulings.
✔ Conclusion of the Researcher (Author):
Therefore, based on the above findings:
◈ Performing Ghusl after washing a deceased is not obligatory.
◈ Performing Wudu after carrying a deceased is also not obligatory.
هٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
This is what I hold to be correct, and Allah knows best what is right.
