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Fiqh-us-Sunnah - 4.33
Hadith 4.33.1
Legal Status
Shrouding the body of the deceased, even it be with just one piece of cloth, is a collective obligation (fard kifayah) of the Muslims. Bukhari narrated from Khabbab that he said: "We migrated with Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, seeking Allah's pleasure, and we hope He will reward us for that. In the meanwhile some of us died and received no reward in this life. One of them was Musa'ab ibn 'Umayr, who was killed in the Battle of Uhud.
We did not find anything to shroud him in except a piece of cloth. When we covered his head, his feet would show, and if we covered his feet, his head would show. Allah ' s Messenger, peace be upon him, ordered us to use the cloth to cover his head with it and cover his feet with some grass." 66
Hadith 4.33.A
Preferable Practices in Shrouding
In shrouding, the following practices are recommended and should be observed while preparing a body for burial.
The shroud should be nice, clean, and large enough to cover the entire body. This is based on a narration of Ibn Majah and Tirmidhi, who regard it a sound hadith from Abu Qatadah that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "If one of you is a guardian to his deceased brother, he should give him the best shroud he can."
A shroud should be white, as it is recorded by Ahmad, Abu Daw'ud, and Tirmidhi on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Wear white clothes, for these are your best clothes, and enshroud your dead in them." Tirmidhi considers it a sound hadith.
The shroud should be scented and perfumed. The hadith is cited by Ahmad and by Al-Hakim, who regards it as sound, in accordance with Jabir's narration that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "If you perfume a dead body, do it three times." Abu Sa'id, Ibn 'Umar, and Ibn 'Abbas directed their heirs in their wills to perfume their shrouds with aloes-wood.
The shroud should be three wraps for a man and five wraps for a woman, in light of what is narrated by the group from 'Aishah who said: "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was wrapped in three pieces of new white sheets of cloth from Yemen, without a shirt or a turban."
Tirmidhi said: "The majority of the scholars among the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them) and others hold this view." Sufyan Al-Thawri said: "A (deceased) male should be shrouded in three pieces of cloth, or a shirt and two loose pieces of cloth, or (if necessary) three wraps of cloth.
One wrap may suffice if nothing else is available. Two wraps will also suffice, but three wraps are preferable for those who can afford it. This is the opinion of Ash-Shafi'i, Ahmad, and Ishaq. They hold that a deceased female should be enshrouded in five sheets.
It is reported from Umm 'Atiyyah that the Prophet, peace be upon him, gave her a loincloth, a shirt, a scarf, and two pieces of cloth (to be used as a shroud for him). Ibn Al-Mundhir said: "Most of the scholars, our teachers, are of the opinion that a woman should be shrouded in five sheets of cloth.
Qur'anic references:
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"When a person dies, his works end, except for three: ongoing charity, knowledge that is benefited from, and a righteous child who prays for him."
Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)
"The best of what a man leaves behind are three: a righteous child who supplicates for him, ongoing charity the reward of which reaches him, and knowledge that is acted upon after him."
Sunan Ibn Mājah
"Every day two angels come down from Heaven and one of them says, 'O Allah! Compensate every person who spends in Your Cause,' and the other (angel) says, 'O Allah! Destroy every miser.'"
Sahih Bukhari
