Rules concerning a dead person Part 2

The method of Ghusl of Mayyit

- It is obligatory to give three Ghusls to a dead body. The first bathing should be with water mixed with "Sidr" (Beri) leaves. The second bathing should be with water mixed with camphor and the third should be with unmixed water. 

- The quality of "Sidr" leaves and camphor should neither be so much that the water becomes mixed (Mudhaaf), nor so little that it may be said that "Sidr" leaves and camphor have not been mixed in it at all. 

- If enough quantity of "Sidr" leaves and camphor is not available, then whatever quantity available should be mixed with water. 

- If a person dies while he is in the state of Ihram his dead body should not be washed with water mixed with camphor. Instead of that, pure unmixed water should be used. However, in the following two situations, water with camphor should be used: 

(i) If he or she dies in Hajj Tamattu' after completing Saee'; 

(ii) And if it is Hajj Qiran or Ifrad, he died after having shaved the head. 

- If "Sidr" leaves and camphor or either of these things is not available or its use is not lawful (e.g. if it has been usurped) the dead body should be given Ghusl, on the basis of precaution, with pure, unmixed water instead of the Ghusl which is not possible, and it should also be given one tayammum. 

- A person who gives Ghusl to a dead body should be a Muslim, preferably a Shia Ithna Asheri, adult, and sane, and should know the rules of Ghusl. And if an intelligent, discerning boy or girl, who is not yet baligh, gives Ghusl correctly, it will be sufficient. And if the deceased belongs to a sect other than Shia Ithna Asheri, and if he or she is given Ghusl according to the rules of his or her sect by a person of his or her sect, then the Shia Ithna Asheri momin will be relieved of the responsibility, except if he is the guardian. 

- One who gives Ghusl to the dead body should perform the act with the niyyat of Qurbat, that is, nearness to Allah. 

- Ghusl to a Muslim child, even illegitimate, is obligatory. But the Ghusl, Kafan, Dafan of a non-Muslim and his children is not allowed. And it is necessary to give Ghusl to a Muslim who has been insane since childhood and has grown up without having recovered. 

- If a foetus of 4 months or more is still-born it is obligatory to give it Ghusl, and even if it has not completed four months, but it has formed features of a human child, it must be given Ghusl, as a precaution. In the event of both of these circumstances being absent, the foetus will be wrapped up in a cloth and buried without Ghusl. 

- It is unlawful for a man to give Ghusl to the dead body of a woman and for a woman to give Ghusl to the dead body of a man. Husband and wife can, however, give Ghusl to the dead body of each other, although the recommended precaution is that they should also avoid doing so, in normal circumstances. 

- A man can give Ghusl to the dead body of a little girl and similarly a woman can give Ghusl to the dead body of a little boy. 

- If no man is available to give Ghusl to the dead body of a man, his kinswomen who are also his mahram (one with whom marriage is prohibited e.g., mother, sister, paternal aunt and maternal aunt) or those women who become his mahram by way of marriage or suckling can give Ghusl to his dead body.

Similarly if no woman is available to give Ghusl to the dead body of a woman her kinsmen who are also her mahram or have become mahram by marriage or suckling can give Ghusl to her dead body. In either case, it is not obligatory to cover the body except the private parts; though doing so is preferred. 

- If a man gives Ghusl to the dead body of a man, or a woman to the dead body of a woman, it is permissible to keep the body bare, except the private parts. But it is better to give Ghusl from under the dress. 

- It is haraam to look at the private parts of a corpse and if a person giving Ghusl looks at them, he commits a sin, though the Ghusl will not be void. 

- If there is AYN Najasat on any part of the dead body, it is obligatory to first remove it before giving Ghusl. And it is preferred that before the corpse is given Ghusl, it should be clean and free from all other najasat. 

- Ghusl for a dead body is similar to Ghusl of Janabat. And the obligatory precaution is that a corpse should not be given Ghusl by Irtimasi, that is, immersion, as long as it is possible to give Ghusl by way of Tartibi. And even in the case of Tartibi Ghusl it is necessary that the body should be washed on the right side first, and then the left side. 
And the recommended precaution is that, if possible, none of the three parts of the body be immersed in the water. Instead water should be poured on the dead body. 

- If someone dies in the state of Haydh or Janabat it is not necessary to give him/her their respective Ghusls. The Ghusls given to the dead body will suffice. 

- As a precaution, it is haraam to charge any fee for giving Ghusl to the dead. And if someone gives Ghusl with an intention of earning and without the Niyyat of Qurbat, then the Ghusl will be void. However, it is not unlawful to charge for the preliminary preparations before Ghusl. 

- There is no rule for Jabirah in Ghusl of Mayyit, so if water is not available or there is some other valid excuse for abstaining from using water for the Ghusl, then the dead body should be given one tayammum instead of Ghusl. As a recommended precaution, three tayammums may be given, and in one of the tayammum, there should be a Niyyat of "ma-fizzimmah". This means that a person giving tayammum resolves that this tayammum is given to absolve him of his responsibility. 

- A person giving tayammum to the dead body should strike his own palms on earth and then wipe them on the face and back of the hands of the dead body. And the obligatory precaution is that he should, if possible, use the hands of the dead for its tayammum. 

Rules regarding Kafan

- The body of a dead Muslim should be given Kafan with three pieces of cloth: a loin cloth, a shirt or tunic, and a full cover. 

- As a precaution, the loin cloth should be long enough to cover the body from the navel up to the knees, better still if it covers the body from the chest up to the feet. As a precaution, the shirt should be long enough to cover the entire body from the top of the shoulders up to the middle of the calf, and better still if it reaches the feet. As a precaution, the sheet cover should be long enough to conceal the whole body, so that both its ends could be tied. Its breadth should be enough to allow one side to overlap the other. 

- The wajib portion of the loin cloth is that which covers from navel up to the knees and wajib portion of a shirt is that which covers from the shoulders up to the middle of the calf of the legs. Whatever has been mentioned over and above this is the Mustahab part of the Kafan. 

- The Wajib quantity of Kafan mentioned in the above rule should be financed from the property of the deceased, and a reasonable quantity to cover the Mustahab may also be charged from the property, if the status of the deceased demands. But as a recommended precaution, the Mustahab parts of Kafan should not be charged to the shares of minor heirs. 

- If a person makes a will that the Mustahab quantity of the Kafan (as mentioned in the two foregoing rules) should be paid for from the 1/3 of his/her propeety, or if he/she has made a will that 1/3 of the property should be spent for himself or herself but has not specified the type of its expenditure, or has specified it for only a part of it, then the Mustahab quantity of Kafan can be taken from 1/3 of the property. 

- If the deceased has not made a will that Kafan may be paid for from the 1/3 of his property and if they wish to take it from the property, they must not draw more than what has been indicated in the previous rule. And if they procured a Kafan which is unusually expensive, then the extra amount paid for it should not be charged to the property. However, if his matured heirs agree to pay from their shares of inheritance, then the sum can be deducted to the extent agreed. 

- The Kafan of a wife is the responsibility of her husband even if she owns her own wealth. Similarly, if a woman is given a revocable divorce and she dies before the expiry of her iddah, her husband should provide her Kafan. And if her husband is not adult or is insane, the guardian of the husband should provide Kafan for the wife from his property. 

- It is not obligatory for the relatives of deceased to provide his Kafan even if they were his dependents during his life time. 

- As a precaution, it must be ensured that each of the three pieces used for Kafan is not so thin as to show the body of the deceased. However, if the body is fully concealed when all the three pieces are put together, then it will suffice. 

- Kafan for a dead person must not be a usurped one; that is, unlawfully appropriated. If nothing else but the usurped Kafan is available, then the body will be buried without Kafan. In fact, the usurped Kafan should be removed even if the body has already been buried, except in some special situations, which cannot be discussed here. 

- It is not permissible to give a Kafan which is najis, or which is made of pure silk, or which is woven with gold, except in the situation of helplessness, when no alternative is to be found. 

- It is not permissible to give Kafan made of hide or skin of a dead Najis animal, in normal circumstances. In fact, even the skin of a dead clean animal, or Kafan made of wool or fur from the animal whose meat is haraam to eat should not be used in normal circumstances. 
(By the term 'dead' is meant an animal who has not been slaughtered according to Shariah). But Kafan made of wool, fur or skin of a slaughtered halal animal can be used for the purpose. However, it is a recommended precaution to avoid them. 

- If the Kafan becomes Najis owing to its own najasat, or owing to some other najasat, and if the Kafan is not lost totally, its najis part should be washed or cut off, even after the dead body has been placed in the grave. And if it is not possible to wash it, or to cut it off, but it is possible to change it, then it should be changed. 

- If a person who is wearing Ihram for Hajj or Umra dies, he should be given Kafan like all others and there is no harm in covering his head and face. 

- It is Mustahab that one keeps one's Kafan and "Sidr" leaves and camphor ready during lifetime.