THE GHUSL

FOR THE DECEASED

[The Janaazah Series - Book Two]

Compiled through the Blessings of

Ghaus ul Waqt Huzoor Sayyidi Mufti e Azam Hind ؓ◌

By a humble servant of Allah

Muhammad Afthab Cassim Qaadiri Razvi Noori

PUBLISHED FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION BY

IMAM MUSTAFA RAZA RESEARCH CENTRE
OVERPORT, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

1
 All Rights Reserved

No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system or

transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying or
otherwise without the prior permission of the Copyright Owner.

Title: The Ghusl For The Deceased

Compiler: Muhammad Afthab Cassim al-Qaadiri Razvi Noori

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2
 Compiler’s Note

All Praise is due to Allah, Durood and Salaams upon our Beloved
Rasool ‫ﷺ‬ and upon his Noble family, and Illustrious Companions,
and upon the Ulama e Haq Ahle Sunnat Wal Jama’at, and all those
who will follow the path of righteousness until the last day.

By the Grace of Allah, The Mercy of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah ‫ﷺ‬ and

the blessings of the Awliyah and Masha’ikh, especially my Beloved
Shaykh e Kaamil Huzoor Sayyidi Taajush Shariah ؓ◌ and my mentor
Huzoor Sayyidi Muhad’dith e Kabeer ‫ﺣﻔﻈه اﷲ‬ , and the Duas of Qa’id e
Millat Huzoor Asjad Raza Khan ‫ﺣﻔﻈه اﷲ‬, and the blessings of my beloved
parents, you have before you the book, ‘The Ghusl For The
Deceased’.

During this Covid-19 pandemic which the world is facing, we have

found many people asking questions with regards to death and
Janaazah etc. and many are eager to learn about Ghusl (i.e. the
bathing) of the deceased and the Kafan, i.e. the shrouding of the
deceased etc. We have thus decided to prepare a series of short
books in the form of ‘The Janaazah Series’, which will discuss these
matters in a very simple to understand manner, In’sha Allah.

Like the other Series which have been launched by Imam Mustafa
Raza Research Centre, the idea behind this Series of books, is to
assist each other in increasing our basic Islamic knowledge, so that
we may perform our Ibaadat correctly and fulfil our Deeni duties
towards our fellow Muslims.
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This is Book Two in the Janaazah Series and has been extracted
from the Bahaar e Shariat of Huzoor Sayyidi Sadrush Shariah �  �‫ر�  ا‬
and from other authentic books, such as the Sharhus Sudoor of
Imam Jalaalud’deen As Suyuti � �‫ر� ا‬.

My thanks to Brother Rukhsar Hussain Qaadiri Amjadi (Birmingham,

UK), Brother Faheem Moosa Qaadiri Razvi (Formerly Lilongwe and
now Gweru, Zimbabwe), and Ustadh Ahmed Sabir Suliman Qaadiri
Razvi, for their inputs in reading through the document. I would also
like to thank Brother Shahbaz Raza Qaadiri Razvi (India) for
designing the beautiful cover for this book and Haji Mohammed Ali
Guman Qaadiri Razvi (Noori Masjid Amsterdam), Janaab Badr Al
Husain (Luton), Janaab Asif Majeed (Luton), Brother Aamir Shahbaz
(Norway) and all my other well-wishers for their moral support as
always.

Last but not least, I must thank my wife and children for their
support and patience, during the lengthy hours I spend working. It is
my sincere Dua that Almighty Allah, through the Wasila of Nabi
Kareem ‫ﷺ‬ blesses us all with firmness in Imaan and sincerity in
A’maal. Aameen.

Sag e Mufti e Azam

-Muhammad Afthab Cassim Qaadiri Razvi Noori
Imam Mustafa Raza Research Centre

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 This Book is Dedicated To

MUFTI JALAAL’LUD’DEEN AMJADI

HUZOOR FAQIH E MILLAT ؓ◌

[Allah Shower Rains of Mercy upon His Holy Mazaar]

In The Love of Our Murshid e Kaamil

The Qutb ul Aqtaab of The Era

Sayyidi Taajush Shariah Hazrat Allama Mufti

ؓ◌

This Translation Is For The Esaal e Sawaab of My Beloved Mother

SAYYIDAH KHADIJA GOOLAM RASOOL

& Especially For The Esaal e Sawaab of

MARHOOMA RAFIKAN YUSUF QURESHI

Mother of Haji Yunus Qureshi Razvi

AND ALL THE MARHOOMS OF THE AHLE SUNNAT

Allah Exalt Them And All Marhooms of The Ahle

Sunnat with An Exalted Place In Holy Paradise. Aameen.

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 ﷽
Question: What is the responsibility of the Muslims towards their
fellow Muslims when it comes to bathing the deceased (i.e.
performing the Ghusl)?

Answer: To bathe the deceased is Fard e Kifaayah. In other words, if

a few people have given the Ghusl (i.e. the ritual bath), the duty of all
the Muslims has been discharged. [Alamgiri]

Question: Are there any obligatory actions when giving Ghusl to the
deceased?

Answer: It is obligatory to pour water over the entire body of the

deceased at least once.

Question: What about Sunnat actions when giving Ghusl to the

deceased?

Answer: To pour water over the entire body of the deceased thrice is
Sunnat. It is also Sunnat to cover the area where the Ghusl is being
given, so that none except the ones giving Ghusl and their helpers
are able to see.

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Question: How should the Mayyit (i.e. the deceased) be placed at the
time of the Ghusl?

Answer: During the Ghusl you may lay the Mayyit down, just as one
does in the grave or in a manner where the feet face the Qibla, or in
whichever way is easier. [Alamgiri]

Question: Can a person who is in an impure state (i.e. in the state of

Janaabat) perform the Ghusl?

Answer: The person who is performing the Ghusl should be in a

state of Tahaarat (i.e. in a pure state). It is disliked if a Junub (i.e. one
who is in need of the compulsory bath) or a menstruating female
give Ghusl. However, if they do perform the Ghusl, it will be
discharged. If one bathes the deceased without Wudu, then there is
also no objection.

Question: Who should perform the Ghusl for the deceased?

Answer: It is best (i.e. more virtuous) and preferred for the one
giving Ghusl to be the close relative of the deceased. If this is not
possible or if he does not know how to bathe the deceased, then
someone who is trustworthy and pious should perform the Ghusl.
[Alamgiri]

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Question: Why is it that the person performing the Ghusl should be
pious and trustworthy, i.e. reliable?

Answer: The one giving the Ghusl should be a reliable person, who
will perform the Ghusl correctly. Another reason for him being
trustworthy and pious is that if he sees any good sign, such as if he
sees a glow on the face of the deceased or if he notices a fragrance
emanating from the body, then he should mention this to the
people. However, if he sees something which is not good, such as if
he sees that the face has become very dark, or if he notices a bad
odour emanating from the body, then he should not say this to
anyone. To say such things is impermissible. It has been mentioned
in the Hadith Shareef, ‘Discuss the virtues of your deceased and
abstain from speaking about his weaknesses’. [Alamgiri]

Question: What if someone who is a deviant dies and by some way

someone sees this or is informed of some bad things which were
noticed after his death?

Answer: If any bud-mazhab (i.e. deviant) dies and his colour

becomes very dark and if any bad thing is noticed, then this should
be exposed, so that people may learn a lesson from this. [Alamgiri]

Question: It is usually seen that some fragrance is burnt when giving

Ghusl to the deceased. Is there any reason for this and is it allowed?

Answer: It is allowed. In fact, it is Mustahab (i.e. desirable and

recommended) to burn some fragranced incense where the person is

8
giving Ghusl, so that if any odour emanates from the body, he is not
affected by it, and so that he does not feel uncomfortable.

Question: What is the ruling about looking at the body of the

deceased while performing the Ghusl?

Answer: The one performing the Ghusl should only look at the body
of the deceased as per necessity. In other words, he should not look
towards any part of the body without need, because it is possible
that the deceased had some defect on his body which he used to
conceal in his lifetime. [Jauhira, Alamgiri]

Question: Is it permissible for the one who performs the Ghusl to

take some form of payment?

Answer: If there are others present there who also give Ghusl, then
he is permitted to take a payment for giving the Ghusl. However, it is
more virtuous for him not to take such payment. If there is no one
else there who is able to give Ghusl, then for him to charge for this is
impermissible. [Alamgiri, Durr e Mukhtar]

Question: Is the deceased aware of the person who is giving him or

her Ghusl?

Answer: Yes, they are indeed aware of this. Hazrat Abu Sa’eed Al
Khudri �  �‫ر�  ا‬ reported that Sayyiduna Rasoolullah ‫ﷺ‬ said, ‘The
deceased recognises those who give him Ghusl, those who carry
him, those who put on his Kafan and those who lower him into
his grave.’

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Hazrat Ibn Abi Daniya �  �‫ر�  ا‬ reported from Hazrat Sufyan �  �‫ر�  ا‬

saying, The deceased recognises everything, to the extent that it

says to the one giving it Ghusl, ‘Be gentle when giving Ghusl to
me’, and the Angels say to it whilst it is on the bier, ‘Listen to the
praises of the people’.

Question: What happens if a person who is in the state of Janaabat

passes away or if a female who is in the state of Haidh (i.e.
menstruation) or Nifaas (i.e. post-natal bleeding) passes away. Will
there be one Ghusl to remove the Janaabat and another for the Ghusl
meant for the deceased? What will be done in such a situation?

Answer: If one in the state of Janaabat, or a female in Haidh or

Nifaas passes away, then just one Ghusl is sufficient, because no
matter how many reasons there may be for taking Ghusl, all of them
will be discharged with just one Ghusl. [Durr e Mukhtar]

Question: Should only males give Ghusl to a male and females give
Ghusl to a female?

Answer: A male should give Ghusl to a male and a female should

give Ghusl to a female. If the deceased is a minor (i.e. little boy), then
he too can be given Ghusl by a female, and if the deceased is a minor
(i.e. a little girl), then she can also be given Ghusl by a male. Minor
and little here means that they have not reached the age of desire
(puberty). [Alamgiri]

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Question: What happens if the male organ or the testicles of a male
were severed, who should then give him Ghusl?

Answer: A male whose male organ or testicles have been severed is

still a male. In other words, men only should give him Ghusl, or his
wife may do so. [Alamgiri]

Question: Can a female perform the Ghusl for her husband?

Answer: A female may give her husband Ghusl, on condition that

before death or after death, no such situation arose which caused
her to come out of his Nikah. In other words, if she touched or kissed
her husband’s father or son with lust, or (Allah Forbid) if she became
a Murtad (apostate), even though this happened before Ghusl and
thereafter she became Muslim again, because due to these reasons
the Nikah is invalidated, thus she is regarded as a stranger (i.e. ghayr
Mahram) and cannot give Ghusl (to him). [Alamgiri]

Question: What about if the wife was given Talaaq before the person
passes away. Can she still give him Ghusl?

Answer: If the deceased gave his wife Talaaq e Raj’i and she was still
in Id’dat and he passed away, then she is permitted to give him
Ghusl, but if he had given her the Baa’in Talaaq, then even though
she is in Id’dat, she cannot give him Ghusl. [Alamgiri]

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Question: Is a husband allowed to give Ghusl to his deceased wife?

Answer: No! If a female dies, neither can her husband give her
Ghusl, nor can he touch her body (i.e. directly). However, he is not
forbidden from looking at her. [Durr e Mukhtar]

Question: It is commonly said that when a female passes away, her

husband cannot carry her Janaazah or see her face or lower her into
her grave. Is this correct?

Answer: It is commonly said amongst the general public (i.e. the

laymen) that a husband cannot carry the Janaazah of his wife, and
neither can he lower her into her grave nor see her face. This is
simply incorrect. He is only not allowed to bathe her and to touch
her body without anything in-between (like a cloth etc.). [Bahaar]

Question: What happens if a female passes away and there is no

other female present to perform her Ghusl?

Answer: If a female has passed away and there is no other female

present there who can bathe her, then in such a situation
Tayam’mum must be done, and if the one doing the Tayam’mum is a
Mahram, he should make Tayam’mum with his hands, and if it is a
strange male even though it may be the husband, then he should
wrap a cloth on his hand and then strike his hand on something
which is from the substance of the earth and then make the
Tayam’mum. If it is any other male except the husband, then he
should not even look towards her wrists and if it is the husband then

12
this does not apply to him. In this case the ruling in regards to a
young or old woman is the same. [Durr-e-Mukhtar, Alamgiri]

Question: What if a male passes away and neither is there any other
male present there who can perform the Ghusl, nor is his wife
present there?

Answer: If a male passed away, and there is neither any other male
present there, nor his wife, then in such a case, any other female
who is present there should make his Tayam’mum, and if the female
that is there is a Mahram to him, then there is no need to wrap a
cloth on their hands. However, if she is a strange female (i.e. ghayr
mahram), then she should wrap a cloth and then perform the
Tayam’mum. [Alamgiri]

Question: What happens in a case where a male dies while only with
Muslim females, and there are no other Muslim males present there,
but there is a non-Muslim male present?

Answer: In such a case the females should explain to the non-

Muslim male the manner of performing the Ghusl, so that he may do
it. If there are no males with the ability to perform the Ghusl but
there is a small female, who has the ability to do the Ghusl, then
these females should explain the method to her so that she may do
the Ghusl. Similarly, if a female passes away and there is no Muslim
female present and a non-Muslim female (and Muslim male) is
present, then in this case the males should explain to the non-
Muslim female how to do the Ghusl, which she should do; and if a

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small boy is present who will be able to do the Ghusl, then it should
be explained to him how to do the Ghusl. [Alamgiri]

Question: What happens in a situation where water is not available

and a person passes away?

Answer: If a person passed away at such a place where water cannot

be located, then Tayam’mum should be performed, and the Janaazah
Namaaz should be performed thereafter. However, if water is found
after the Janaazah Namaaz, but before the burial, then the Ghusl
must be performed and the Janaazah Namaaz repeated. [Alamgiri,
Durr e Mukhtar]

Question: What will be done about the Ghusl of a Khunsa Mushkil

(i.e. one who is a hermaphrodite; bearing both male and female
genitalia), and whose sex cannot be clearly determined?

Answer: In such a case, neither a male nor a female can give the
Ghusl, but rather Tayam’mum will be performed. If the one
performing the Tayam’mum is a stranger, then he will wrap a cloth
on the hands and do the Tayam’mum, and he will not look at the
wrists. Similarly, a hermaphrodite cannot give Ghusl to any male or
female. [Alamgiri] If the hermaphrodite is a little child, then a male
or female can do the Ghusl, and vice versa.

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Question: What should be done if only part of the body of a Muslim
is located? Will the Ghusl etc. still be performed?

Answer: If more than half the torso (i.e. the body) of a Muslim is
found, then Ghusl and Kafan must be done, and the Janaazah Namaaz
will be performed as well, and if the remaining part of the torso is
found after the Namaaz, then Namaaz will not be performed over
that again. If only half the torso has been found and it also has the
head on it, then too the ruling is the same. If a headless torso is
found, or if only the right or left of the torso height-wise is found
from head to toe, then in both these cases, there is neither Ghusl nor
Kafan (shroud), and there will also be no Janaazah Namaaz. The torso
will be wrapped in a single cloth and buried. [Alamgiri, Durr e
Mukhtar]

Question: What happens in a case where a person is found by

Muslims but it cannot be ascertained if he or she is a Muslim or not,
and there is none who can identify him or her?

Answer: If a person is found dead and it cannot be ascertained

whether it is a Muslim or a non-Muslim, then in this case if his dress
and appearance is like that of a Muslim, or if there are any signs that
prove him to be a Muslim, or if he was found in a (predominant)
Muslim locality, then he should be given Ghusl and (Janaazah)
Namaaz should be performed, otherwise not. [Alamgiri]

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Question: What happens if the body is in such a fragile state that if
touched it will disintegrate?

Answer: If the body of the Mayyit is in such a state that if touched

the skin will come off, then in this case it should not be touched. The
water should simply be pour over the body. [Alamgiri]

Question: It has been seen that after performing the Ghusl, cotton-
wool is placed in the mouth etc. Is this allowed?

Answer: If after performing Ghusl, cotton-wool is placed in the nose,

ears and mouth and other openings, there is no objection, but it is
better not to do this. [Alamgiri; Durr-e-Mukhtar]

Question: Some people are seen combing the hair of the deceased
during or after the Ghusl, while it has been heard of people clipping
the deceased’s nails etc. Are we permitted to do this?

Answer: It must be noted that to comb the beard or the hair on the
head of the Mayyit or to clip the nails or to shave off, trim or pluck
out hair from anywhere is impermissible and Makruh e Tahreemi.
The ruling is that he must be buried in the condition in which he is.
However, if the nail is broken, then one can remove this. If the hair
or nails were clipped (which is not allowed), then this too must be
kept in the Kafan. [Durr e Mukhtar; Alamgiri; Raddul Muhtar]

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Question: How should the hands of the deceased be placed after the
Ghusl or during the Ghusl?

Answer: Both of the hands of the deceased should be left on the side
and should not be kept on the chest, as this is the manner of the
unbelievers. [Durr e Mukhtar] The tradition in some places is to
place the hands below the navel, like in Namaaz. Even this should
not be done.

Question: What is the method of performing the Ghusl for the

deceased?

Answer: The method will be explained on the following page.

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 THE METHOD OF PERFORMING
THE GHUSL FOR THE MAYYIT

1. Go around the bathing board or table (Ghusl Tray) 3, 5 or 7

times. In other words, turn the utensil in which you have burnt
the fragranced incense, 3, 5 or 7 times around the bathing
board.

2. Place the Mayyit (deceased) on the bathing board and cover

the deceased from navel to knee with a cloth. This is for a male.
The female must be covered completely.

3. The person bathing the deceased should then wrap a cloth (or
use gloves etc.) on his hands and perform the Istinja (i.e. clean
the private areas).

4. Thereafter perform Wudu like it is done in preparation for

Namaaz, in other words, wash the face, then both hands up to
the elbows, then make Masah of the head, and then wash both
feet. However, the Wudu for the Mayyit does not include first
washing the hands up to the wrists, rinsing the mouth and
putting water into the nose.

5. However, one may use either a piece of cloth or a moist flock

of cotton wool. This should be used to wipe over the teeth,
gums, lips and nostrils.

6. If the person has hair on the head or a beard, it should be

washed with Gul e Khayra (althea). If one does not have this,
one should use Paak (pure) soap made by a Muslim company, if
not use Farina (cream of wheat) or some other thing. If none of
this is available only the use of water is sufficient.

18
7. Then lay the Mayyit on its left side and pour water which has
been boiled with jujube leaves (Beyri) from the head to the feet,
so that the water reaches the bathing board.

8. Then lay the Mayyit on its right and do the same. If one does
not have water which was boiled with jujube leaves, then just
lukewarm water is sufficient.

9. Whilst giving support to the Mayyit, bring it into a sitting

position, and gently run the hand on the stomach downwards. If
anything is excreted, wash it away. There is no need to repeat
the Wudu and Ghusl after this.

10. Finally pour camphor water over the entire body from head
to toe.

11. Thereafter, gently wipe the body with a Paak (pure) cloth
(i.e. towel etc.). [Durr-e-Mukhtar; Alamgiri]

19
 SOMETHING TO PONDER OVER

There is a narration presented by Imam Jalaalud’deen Suyuti �  �‫ر�  ا‬

that should serve as a warning for those who intentionally remain in
the state of Janaabat, and go out of their homes even in this state,
thinking nothing of it.

Hazrat Hafiz Ibn Rajab and Haitham ibn Adi reported with their own
chain from Abdullah ibn Jali that, ‘One of my neighbours died, so I
partook in his Kafan and burial. When the grave was dug, there was
something like a wildcat inside the grave. We hit it but it did not
move. The grave-digger struck it with a stone on its head, but it still
did not move.

We then dug another grave, but the same wildcat was inside that
grave as well. We did the same to it which we did to the other one,
but it did not move from its place. The people then advised that he
should be buried in the same grave. When he was buried, a very loud
sound was heard from the grave.

We went to his wife afterwards and asked her about his actions. She
said that, he often did not perform the Ghusl of Janaabat (i.e. the
Ghusl to purify himself from impurities).

20