Can Husband Wash Wife’s Dead Body? Islamic Ruling New

Islamic Ruling: Can Spouses Wash, Touch, or Bury Each Other’s Dead Body?

Question: Can a woman touch and see her husband’s dead body? Also, can a husband give Ghusl (ritual bath) to his wife’s dead body and lower her into the grave?

Answer..!

Alhamdulillah:

• A great tragedy of our society is that matters which are correct and proven from the Quran and Sunnah are generally ignored, whereas, on the contrary, family customs and self-fabricated issues are given far more importance, and violating them is considered extremely objectionable.
• One such self-fabricated issue is that a woman cannot touch her husband’s dead body, or a husband cannot touch his wife’s dead body, nor can they see, wash, or lower each other into the grave.
• The basis fabricated for this is that with death, the Nikah (marriage) between husband and wife breaks, and they become non-Mahram to each other.
• However, it is proven from numerous Ahadith and Athar (traditions) that after the death of one of the spouses, let alone touching and seeing the deceased, the husband can even give Ghusl to his deceased wife and the wife to her deceased husband.

Observe the following Ahadith:

It is the Hadith of Anas bin Malik (R.A) that he says:

“We were present at the funeral of the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH).” Anas (R.A) says: “The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was sitting near the grave, and I saw his eyes were shedding tears.” He (PBUH) said: (Is there anyone among you who has not committed intercourse tonight?) Abu Talha (R.A) submitted: “I am [that person]!” So He (PBUH) said: (Then you descend!) Anas says: So Abu Talha descended into the grave of His daughter.”

(Sahih Bukhari: Hadith Number_ (1285)

For more see: “Ahkam al-Janaiz”

By: Sheikh Al-Albani Issue Number: (99))

• It is proven from this Hadith that even a non-Mahram man can touch a deceased woman, just as Abu Talha (R.A) lowered the daughter of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) into the grave. So when a non-Mahram man can touch the dead body of a woman, why can a husband not touch his wife’s dead body???
• Similarly, a narration is reported from Aisha (R.A) from which the legal status of this action is proven:

Aisha Siddiqa (R.A) states:

رجَع إليَّ رسولُ اللهِ ﷺ ذاتَ يومٍ مِن جِنازةٍ بالبقيعِ وأنا أجِدُ صُدَاعًا في رأسي وأنا أقولُ: وارَأْسَاه قال: (بل أنا يا عائشةُ وارَأْسَاه)ثمَّ قال: (وما ضرَّكِ لو مِتِّ قبْلي فغسَلْتُكِ وكفَّنْتُكِوصلَّيْتُ عليكِ ثمَّ دفَنْتُكِ)؟ قُلْتُ: لَكأنِّي بكَ أنْ لو فعَلْتَ ذلك قد رجَعْتَ إلى بيتي فأعرَسْتَ فيه ببعضِ نسائِك فتبسَّم رسولُ اللهِ ﷺ ثمَّ بُدِئ في وجَعِه الَّذي مات فيه

Hazrat Aisha (R.A) states that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) returned to me one day from a funeral at Baqi while I was suffering from a headache. And due to this, I was saying “Oh, my head.” So He (PBUH) said: Rather, I say “Oh, my head” (meaning my head is also hurting).

“If you were to die before me, it would cause you no harm, I would myself wash you, shroud you, pray over you, and then bury you myself.”

(Sahih Ibn Hibban_Hadith Number_ 6586 • Reported in his Sahih • Hadith Hasan)

(Irwa al-Ghalil, 700)

(Musnad Ahmad, Vol 6, p 228)

Sunan Ibn Majah, Chapter_What has come regarding a man washing his wife and a woman washing her husband

Chapter: Husband washing the wife and wife washing the husband – Hadith Number-1465)

(Nayl al-Awtar: 2/58)

Imam Shawkani (Rahimahullah) says,

This Hadith has also been narrated by Imam Darimi, Ibn Hibban, and Daraqutni.

Regarding this Hadith, Amir San’ani in Subul al-Salam, Sharh Bulugh al-Maram 2/550 states:

“وصححہ ابن حبان” that “Imam Ibn Hibban has declared this Hadith as Sahih.”

He further states:

“فیه دلالة علیٰ أن للرجل ان یغسل زوجته وھو قول الجمہور وقال ابوحنیفة لا یغسلھا” that “In this, there is evidence that a man can wash his wife. This is the opinion of the majority (Jumhoor), and Abu Hanifa said he cannot wash her.”

‘Abbad bin ‘Abdullah bin Zubair says,

I heard Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha (R.A) saying that when the people intended to wash the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), they said: By Allah! We do not know whether we should remove his clothes as we remove the clothes of our dead, or wash him with his clothes on. So when a difference of opinion arose among the people, Allah Almighty cast sleep upon them until there was no man among them whose chin was not resting on his chest. At that time, from a corner of the house, a caller’s voice came (saying) that wash the Prophet (PBUH) in his own clothes. Who the caller was, no one could know. (Hearing this) the people got up and came to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and washed him over his shirt. People would pour water over the shirt and rub His (PBUH) blessed body with the shirt, not with their bare hands.

• Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha (R.A) used to say:

‏‏‏‏‏‏وَكَانَتْ عَائِشَةُ تَقُولُ:‏‏‏‏ لَوِ اسْتَقْبَلْتُ مِنْ أَمْرِي مَا اسْتَدْبَرْتُ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏مَا غَسَلَهُ إِلَّا نِسَاؤُهُ

If I had known beforehand what I came to know later, none but his wives would have washed Him.

(Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith Number-3141)

(Sunan Ibn Majah/Chapter_What has come regarding a man washing his wife and a woman washing her husband

Chapter: Husband washing the wife and wife washing the husband – Hadith Number: 1464)

(Nayl al-Awtar 2/58)

Amir San’ani (Rahimahullah) states that,

“صححہ الحاکم” that “Imam Hakim has declared this Hadith as Sahih.”

(Subul al-Salam 2/550)

Furthermore, including Allama Al-Albani (Rahimahullah), numerous Muhaddithin have called this Hadith Sahih.

See further Takhrij:

(Imam Ibn Abd al-Barr (464 AH), At-Tamheed 24/400 • Sahih)

(Al-Nawawi (676 AH), Al-Khulasa 2/934 • Isnadu Hasan)

(Ibn Kathir (774 AH), Irshad al-Faqih 222/1 • Isnadu Jayyid Qawi)

(• Al-Albani (1420 AH), Irwa al-Ghalil 3/162 • Isnadu Hasan)

(Al-Bayhaqi (458 AH), Dala’il al-Nubuwwah 7/242 • Isnadu Sahih [and it has a supporting witness])

Imam San’ani (Rahimahullah) says:

“ویؤیده مارواء البیهقى من أن ابابکر اوصٰی إمرأته اسماء بنت عمیس أن تغسله و استعانت بعبد الرحمٰن بن عوف لضعفها ولم ینکر احد” (Subul al-Salam 2/551)

“This issue is supported by the narration reported by Al-Bayhaqi that:

Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.A) made a will to his wife Hazrat Asma bint Umays (R.A) that she should wash him. Thus, she gave the Ghusl and sought the assistance of Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Awf (R.A) because she could not do this work alone due to weakness. No person objected to this action.”

(Al-Bayhaqi (458 AH),

Al-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Bayhaqi 3/397 •) Mawsool and [in it] is Muhammad bin Umar, if it is Al-Waqidi then he is not strong, and it has witnesses from Mursal narrations.

This same incident is in Muwatta Imam Malik’s

“Kitab al-Janaiz” as such that Abdullah bin Abi Bakr (R.A) says: Abu Bakr Siddiq’s (R.A) wife Hazrat Asma bint Umays (R.A) washed Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.A) after his death. She went and asked the Muhajireen Sahaba (R.A) that “I am fasting and today is extremely cold. Is Ghusl obligatory upon me due to washing the deceased?”

The Sahaba (R.A) said: “No!”

(Muwatta Malik – Kitab al-Janaiz, Chapter Washing the Dead, Page -223)

And this Hadith of Sayyidah Asma (R.A) is also evidence of its permissibility:

وعن أسماء بنت عميس رضي الله عنها : ( أَنَّ فَاطِمَةَ رضي الله عنها أَوْصَتْ أَنْ يُغَسِّلَهَا عَلِيٌّ رضي الله عنه )

Meaning Sayyidah Fatima (R.A) had made a will that (after passing away) Janab Ali (R.A) should wash me.”

(Narrated by Al-Shafi’i (1/312)

(And Al-Bayhaqi (3/396) and Al-Shawkani declared its chain Hasan in “Nayl al-Awtar” (4/35).

(“Sunan Daraqutni – Kitab al-Janaiz – Chapter Prayer over the Grave 1851)

(Bulugh al-Maram: 2/550)

أنَّ فاطمة أوصَت أن يغَسِّلَها عليٌّ فغَسَّلَها

Sayyidah Fatima (R.A) made a will that her husband Ali (R.A) should wash her, so he washed her.

Al-Ruba’i (1276 AH), Fath al-Ghaffar 703/2 • [Narrated] similarly with a Hasan chain

عن عبدالرحمن بن الأسود:] أنَّ ابنَ مسعودٍغسَّل امرأتَه حيثُ ماتتْ

(Imam Ahmad (241 AH), Al-Ilal wa Ma’rifat al-Rijal 3/190 • What he denied”

(Kashf al-Ghumma an Jami’ al-Ummah 1/163)

“When the wife of Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (R.A) passed away, he washed his wife himself.”

“وکانت الصحابة رضی اللہ عنهم یغسلون أزواجھم و کانت نسآء ھم تغسلھم” (Kashf al-Ghumma)

“The Sahaba (R.A) used to wash their wives themselves, and their wives used to wash their husbands.”

The famous commentator of Hadith and Muhaddith Allama Muhyiddin Al-Nawawi (Rahimahullah) states in his great compilation (Al-Majmu’ Sharh Al-Muhadhdhab):

قال النووي رحمه الله :

” وأما غسله زوجته فجائز عندنا , وعند جمهور العلماء , حكاه ابن المنذر عن علقمة وجابر بن زيد وعبد الرحمن بن الأسود …ومالك والأوزاعي وأحمد وإسحاق ، وهو مذهب عطاء وداود وابن المنذر ” “

“A man washing his deceased wife is permissible according to us, and according to the majority of scholars (Jumhoor). Imam Ibn al-Mundhir has narrated the permissibility of this action from the majority, from Janab Alqama, Sayyidina Jabir bin Zaid, and Abdur Rahman bin Al-Aswad… Imam Malik, Imam Ahmad, Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayh, and this is the Madhhab of Imam Ata, Imam Dawud, and Imam Ibn al-Mundhir.”

(Al-Majmu’ Sharh Al-Muhadhdhab, Kitab al-Janaiz, Vol 5/Page 122)

Mentioning the event of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.A) being washed by his wife mentioned above, the special student of Imam Abu Hanifa (Rahimahullah), Imam Muhammad (Rahimahullah) says:

“وبھٰذا نا خذو لابأس ان تغسل المرأۃ زوجھا اذا توفی”

(Muwatta Imam Muhammad)

“We also hold the opinion that there is no harm if a woman washes her husband upon his death.”

On this same narration, the famous Hanafi scholar Maulana Abdul Hai Lucknawi states:

“نقل ابن المنذر وغیرہ الاجماع علیٰ جواز غسل المرأۃ زوجھا وانما اختلفوا فی العکس فمنھم من اجازہ والیه مال الشافعی و مالک و احمد و اخرون ومنھم من منعه و ھو قول الثوری والاوزاعی و ابی حنیفة و اصحابه کذاذکرہ العینی”

(Al-Ta’liq al-Mumajjad ‘ala Muwatta Imam Muhammad Page 129 Delhi)

“Meaning Ibn al-Mundhir and other Muhaddithin have reported Ijma (consensus) on the permissibility of a woman washing her husband. However, they differed on the reverse, meaning a husband washing the wife. Among them are those who permitted it, and towards this inclined Imam Shafi’i, Imam Malik, and Imam Ahmad and others. And among them are those who forbade it, and this is the saying of Thawri, Awza’i, and Abu Hanifa and his companions, as mentioned by Al-Ayni.”

• From all these narrations and the clarifications of the Muhaddithin, it is proven that a woman can wash her husband because the wife is a confidant (Mahram of secrets), and there is no Purdah (veiling) from him; therefore, her washing the husband is superior and better than others. And Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.A) was washed by his wife Asma bint Umays (R.A), and no Companion objected to this, and this issue is agreed upon. Furthermore, Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha (R.A) expressed regret over not being able to wash the Prophet (PBUH); if this were not permissible, she would not have expressed regret.
• From the aforementioned arguments, it is known that each of the spouses can wash the other (meaning husband to wife and wife to husband). There is no harm in this; rather, it is much better. As proven by authentic Ahadith, and when it is proven permissible for a husband to wash his wife’s dead body, then what thing prevents touching, looking, and lowering into the grave????

(And Allah Almighty knows best what is correct)

Reference: https://alfurqan.info/problems/730