The Ruling of Shari'ah on Performing Ghusl After Bathing the Deceased
Question
What does sacred Shari‘ah state regarding this matter: After bathing a deceased person, is it necessary for the one who performed the ghusl to also perform ghusl himself?
Question posed by: Abdul Khaliq Saheb, Durban, South Africa.
Answer
It is not necessary for the person who has bathed the deceased to perform ghusl afterwards. However, it is recommended (mustahab) for him to do so. It is also better for him to change his clothes, but if the clothes are free from impurity (Najaasah), changing them is not required. Hazrat Abu Hurairah RadiAllahu Anhu reported that the Messenger of
Translation: Whoever bathes a deceased person should perform ghusl. (Sunan Ibn Maajah Shareef/ Chapter regarding Funerals) In Fataawa Shaami, among the occasions when ghusl is recommended, it is mentioned:
Translation: It is recommended (Mustahab) for a person who has regained sanity after insanity, or for one who has put on new clothes, or for one who has bathed a deceased person. (His statement: “or one
who has bathed a deceased person”) this is recommended in order to avoid disagreement among scholars, as mentioned in Al-Fath.-(Fataawa Shaami, Volume 1, Page 392–394, Chapter on purification/ Zia-ulQuran Publications, Lahore) In Bahaar-e-Shariat, Huzoor Sadrush Shariah Alaihir Rahmah lists the occasions when performing ghusl is recommended and writes: After bathing a deceased person, performing ghusl is also recommended.(Bahaar-e-Shariat, Part 2, Page 41, Qadri Kitaab Ghar, Bareilly Shareef).
References (Arabic / Urdu sources)
الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب
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