Who washes the dead?

Man’s face is brightened when he hears stories about life in the heavenly Gardens. The same face darkens or get scared when narratives pertain to agony of death, interrogation in the grave or the Day of Judgment. We must accept to face up to the ultimate truth that life in paradise cannot be achieved without […]

Man’s face is brightened when he hears stories about life in the heavenly Gardens. The same face darkens or get scared when narratives pertain to agony of death, interrogation in the grave or the Day of Judgment. We must accept to face up to the ultimate truth that life in paradise cannot be achieved without experiencing death. Therefore, death is not just inevitable but (should also be) desirous since the former (death) is a necessary requirement for the attainment of the latter (paradise).
In the modern world where the love of things men covet (women, stupendous wealth, estates, etc) is considered the ultimate, only the pious among men may remember that every day in life is just a privilege as death is only far from us with the thickness of a hair. Everyone draws closer to his/her grave by the daily rise of the sun. Yet, man’s worst enemy, the evil (Satan), keeps distracting his victims from heeding all warnings, implicit and explicit bewildering them from musing over the great journey of the soul from this phenomenal planet to the world of Truth. Those who allow themselves to become puppets in the vicious hands of Satan are continuously engrossed in drawing long ambitious plans including 2015 when only Allah (SWT) knows who survives to see the next day, hour, minute or second.
Today’s discourse is prompted by an episode that took place when my elder brother whom we all regard as “uncle” (because of the wide gap between his age and ours) recently died. I guessed it appeared weird to some sympathizers when I announced that I was going to wash and shroud my late brother’s corpse after some people have volunteered to do the job. I am aware that the practice in many Muslim communities in Nigeria is for the prayer-leader (Imam) or any prominent scholar in the area to lead in the naming and wedding supplications (du’a) as provided by the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). However, this does not completely follow in the washing and shrouding of corpse. Although others could be invited, it is preferred that very close relations of the deceased should wash him because only those authorized by shari’ah should see some of the “classified” physical details of the dead that could unavoidably show in the washing process.
If the deceased’s close relations are devastated or weighed down either by the loss of their kin or for other reasons; other non-relations including Imams, scholars or professional undertakers (where they exist) could be invited or employed as the case may be to do the job. Yet, the entire washing and shrouding processes should be handled with utmost sense of privacy. It is not an event that should attract crowd.
When I entered in to the room where my late brother’s corpse had been laid, I was amazed by the crowd of sympathizers I met inside. I may have sounded strange when I pleaded with the crowd that I wanted a reduction in the number of those in the room. Indeed, it is reprehensible (makruh) in shari’ah for people who cannot justify their presence to remain where the washing of the corpse is taking place. Only those whose services would be required in the washing process should remain there. Scholars explain that these restrictions are placed in order to forestall a situation in which someone would leave the venue to make public all the physical defects (if there were any) noticed in the corpse during the washing. This is also why only trustworthy persons should be engaged to do the washing especially when non-relations are involved.
Shari’ah recommends that only men should wash dead men and only women should wash dead women. However, if a woman dies on a journey where neither a woman nor a man who is her Dhu Mahram (person with whom she maintains a degree of consanguinity precluding marriage) could be found, other men around could purify her body with dry ablution (tayammum) by wiping over her face and two palms to the wrist in place of the washing. Similarly, when a man dies and no man or a woman who is his Dhati Mahram could be found; other women could purify him with tayammum. But if a woman who is his Dhati Mahram can be found, she could wash her dead male relation; keeping what is between his abdomen and knees covered. Similarly, a man who is Dhu Mahram to a woman could wash the latter where no woman can be found. In that case, he could wash her covering her entire body with clothes because the whole of a woman’s body except face and palms is naked. This is the legislation of the Maliki School of jurisprudence.
The Maliki also permits either of a couple to wash the other at the demise of one even when a Dhati Mahram was available. Scholars of the Hannafi School do not share this opinion. Maliki and others base their argument on a Hadith related by Ibn Majah in which the Prophet (SAW) said to his wife, Aisha (RA): “If you die before me, I will wash and shroud you”. Ibn Mundhir opines that there is consensus over women washing and shrouding children who have not come of age. May Allah (SWT) make good our end and our meeting Him, amin.