✦ Written by: ʿImrān Ayyūb Lāhorī
Islam emphasizes dignity and simplicity in the burial of the deceased. The kafan (shroud) should reflect this principle by following the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ and the practice of the righteous predecessors.
Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله stated:
There is ijmāʿ (consensus) on the recommendation of using white cloth for shrouding.
[Sharḥ Muslim 4/12]
❀ Ḥadīth of Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما:
«البسوا من ثيابكم البياض، فإنها من خير ثيابكم، وكفنوا فيها موتاكم»
“Wear white garments, for they are among your best clothes, and shroud your deceased in them as well.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Abū Dāwūd 3284, al-Tirmidhī 994, Ibn Mājah 1472, Aḥmad 1/247, al-Ḥākim 1/354, al-Bayhaqī 3/245]
❀ Narration from ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها:
«كُفِّنَ رسولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم في ثلاثةِ أثوابٍ بيضٍ سَحوليةٍ من كُرْسُفٍ، ليسَ فيها قميصٌ ولا عمامةٌ»
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was shrouded in three white Yemeni cotton garments, with no shirt or turban.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1264, Muslim 941, Abū Dāwūd 3151, al-Tirmidhī 996, Ibn Mājah 1469]
❀ Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رضي الله عنه also instructed to be shrouded in three garments.
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1387]
The narration stating:
«أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كُفِّنَ في سبعة أثواب»
“The Prophet ﷺ was shrouded in seven garments” is rejected and unreliable.
[Ḍaʿīf: Aḥkām al-Janāʾiz p. 85, Naṣb al-Rāyah 2/261, Nayl al-Awṭār 2/688, al-Bazzār 646]
Rājiḥ (Stronger) Opinion: The view of the majority is correct, as the Ḥanafī argument relies on a weak narration.
[Nayl al-Awṭār 2/688]
✔ One garment: As used for Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr and Ḥamzah رضي الله عنهما.
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4045]
✔ Two garments: For a person who died in iḥrām, only two pieces were used.
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1267]
✔ Three garments: As used for the Prophet ﷺ, which is the complete Sunnah.
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1264]
No authentic ḥadīth proves the use of more than three garments.
Hence, Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله ruled that it is not permissible to shroud the deceased in more than three pieces.
[Aḥkām al-Janāʾiz p. 84]
Use white garments
Three pieces for a man (without shirt or turban)
Avoid more than three pieces
One or two garments are acceptable when necessity dictates
Avoid extravagance, and follow simplicity and dignity as shown by the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions
❖ Several Sunnah-Based Recommendations for Kafan
Islam emphasizes dignity and simplicity in the burial of the deceased. The kafan (shroud) should reflect this principle by following the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ and the practice of the righteous predecessors.
➊ Use White Cloth for the Shroud
Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله stated:
There is ijmāʿ (consensus) on the recommendation of using white cloth for shrouding.
[Sharḥ Muslim 4/12]
❀ Ḥadīth of Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما:
«البسوا من ثيابكم البياض، فإنها من خير ثيابكم، وكفنوا فيها موتاكم»
“Wear white garments, for they are among your best clothes, and shroud your deceased in them as well.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Abū Dāwūd 3284, al-Tirmidhī 994, Ibn Mājah 1472, Aḥmad 1/247, al-Ḥākim 1/354, al-Bayhaqī 3/245]
➋ Shrouding in Three Pieces of Cloth
❀ Narration from ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها:
«كُفِّنَ رسولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم في ثلاثةِ أثوابٍ بيضٍ سَحوليةٍ من كُرْسُفٍ، ليسَ فيها قميصٌ ولا عمامةٌ»
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was shrouded in three white Yemeni cotton garments, with no shirt or turban.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1264, Muslim 941, Abū Dāwūd 3151, al-Tirmidhī 996, Ibn Mājah 1469]
❀ Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رضي الله عنه also instructed to be shrouded in three garments.
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1387]
The narration stating:«أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كُفِّنَ في سبعة أثواب»
“The Prophet ﷺ was shrouded in seven garments” is rejected and unreliable.
[Ḍaʿīf: Aḥkām al-Janāʾiz p. 85, Naṣb al-Rāyah 2/261, Nayl al-Awṭār 2/688, al-Bazzār 646]
✔ Scholarly Views on Including a Shirt in Kafan:
- Ḥanafī and Mālikī Schools:
Consider it recommended (mustaḥabb) to include a shirt (qamīṣ) in the shroud. - Jumhūr (Majority of Scholars):
Do not recommend including a shirt, because the Prophet ﷺ was not shrouded with a shirt.
[al-Umm 1/471, al-Ḥāwī 3/20, Badāʾiʿ al-Ṣanāʾiʿ 1/307, al-Mughnī 3/383, Nayl al-Awṭār 2/688]
Rājiḥ (Stronger) Opinion: The view of the majority is correct, as the Ḥanafī argument relies on a weak narration.[Nayl al-Awṭār 2/688]
◈ Valid Options for the Number of Shrouds:
✔ One garment: As used for Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr and Ḥamzah رضي الله عنهما.
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4045]
✔ Two garments: For a person who died in iḥrām, only two pieces were used.
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1267]
✔ Three garments: As used for the Prophet ﷺ, which is the complete Sunnah.
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1264]
No authentic ḥadīth proves the use of more than three garments.Hence, Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله ruled that it is not permissible to shroud the deceased in more than three pieces.
[Aḥkām al-Janāʾiz p. 84]
✔ Summary of Sunnah Practices for Kafan:
Use white garments Three pieces for a man (without shirt or turban) Avoid more than three pieces One or two garments are acceptable when necessity dictates Avoid extravagance, and follow simplicity and dignity as shown by the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions
