Washing the body (ghusl of the deceased)
Who washes the body, the method used, and the water and materials, the full sunnah way of giving ghusl to a deceased Muslim.
Ghusl is the special washing given to a Muslim's body after they die, done with great care and respect, before they are wrapped and prayed over.
Farḍmust do
Someone in the community has to wash the body: this is called farḍ kifāyah. If enough people take care of it, everyone else is not blamed for not doing it. But if nobody does it at all, the whole community has failed in a duty.
Who washes the body
- It is best if a close relative who knows how to do it washes the body.
- If no relative can do it, a good, trustworthy person should be chosen instead.
- Only the person washing and one helper should be in the room, not a crowd.
How the ghusl is done
- The body is laid down, and all clothes are taken off, but a cloth is kept covering from the tummy to the knees the whole time.
- The private areas are washed clean first, with the washer's hand wrapped in cloth.
- Wudu is done for the body, like the wudu we make before we pray, but no water is put in the mouth or nose. A wet cloth is used to clean the mouth and nose instead.
- A little cotton is placed in the mouth, nose and ears so no water gets inside.
- If there is hair, it is washed clean with something gentle, like soap.
- Warm water is poured over the whole body three times while it lies on its left side, then three times on its right side.
- The person washing gently supports the back and presses the stomach a little, to help anything left inside come out, if it does, it is simply washed away and does not spoil the ghusl already done.
- One last time, water with a little camphor in it is poured over the body three times.
- The cotton is taken out, the body is dried with a clean towel, and nice-smelling perfume and camphor are gently applied before the body is moved onto the shroud.
Washing the body of the deceased (ghusl al-mayyit) is a communal obligation, carried out with modesty and care before the body is shrouded.
Farḍmust do
Washing the deceased is farḍ kifāyah, a communal obligation. If a sufficient number of people undertake it, the rest of the community is absolved; if no one does, the whole community is in sin.
Who washes, and where
- It is recommended that a close relative who knows how to perform the ghusl does so; failing that, a pious person should be chosen.
- Only the one performing the washing and a single helper should be present.
- The water should be warmed, with leaves of beri (lote/sidr) or khaṭmī (marsh-mallow) added to it.
- The plank or platform is cleaned beforehand and perfumed by circling an incense-holder around it three, five, or seven times, and incense is kept burning near the deceased until the washing is complete.
The method of ghusl
- Lay the body on the plank, feet towards the south or the qiblah, or as is convenient.
- Remove all the clothing, but keep a cloth covering the body from the navel to the knees throughout.
- With a cloth wrapped around the hand, wash and purify the private parts and clean off any impurity.
- Perform wudu for the body as in ordinary wudu, except that the mouth and nose are not rinsed with water directly: a wet cloth or cotton is used to clean inside the mouth, teeth and nose instead.
- Place cotton in the mouth, nose and ears to keep water from entering.
- If there is hair on the head or a beard, clean it with soap or hollyhock (khaṭmī) flowers so it is properly clean; this step is skipped if there is no hair.
- Lay the body on its left side and pour warm water three times from head to feet, letting it flow beneath the plank: this is the first wash.
- Turn the body onto its right side and repeat the same pouring three times.
- Support the body gently from the back and press the stomach lightly to help release anything remaining inside; if anything comes out, simply clean it away; this does not undo or interrupt the ghusl already performed.
- Turn the body back onto the left side and pour water mixed with camphor three times, again letting it flow beneath the plank: this is the third and final wash.
- Remove the cotton from the mouth, nose and ears, and dry the body with a clean cloth.
- Lift the body from the plank onto the prepared shroud, and apply perfume and camphor.
Ghusl al-mayyit is farḍ kifāyah: an obligation on the community as a whole that is discharged when enough people carry it out, and left unfulfilled by the whole community if no one does. The method set out below follows the main account, with the Supplement's parallel account (the-supplement/bathing-the-deceased-and-related-guidelines) matching it in every substantive detail except where noted.
Farḍmust do
Washing the deceased is farḍ kifāyah. Sufficient performance by some absolves the rest of the community; universal omission leaves the whole community at fault.
| Point | As stated |
|---|---|
| Who should wash | A close relative who knows the method, preferentially; otherwise a pious person |
| Who is present | Only the washer and a single helper, not a wider gathering |
| The water | Warmed, with beri (sidr/lote) or khaṭmī (marsh-mallow) leaves added |
| The platform | Cleaned beforehand, and perfumed by circling an incense-holder around it three, five or seven times; incense kept burning near the body until the washing is finished |
The method of ghusl
- Lay the body on the plank, feet towards the south or the qiblah, or as convenient.
- Remove all clothing, retaining a cloth over the body from the navel to the knees throughout the washing.
- With the hand wrapped in cloth, wash and purify the private parts and remove any impurity present.
- Perform wuḍūʾ for the body as in the living person's wuḍūʾ, except that the mouth and nose are not rinsed with water directly; a wet cloth or cotton is used inside the mouth, teeth and nose in place of maḍmaḍah and istinshāq.
- Place cotton in the mouth, nose and ears, to prevent any fluid entering.
- Clean the hair of the head and any beard with soap or hollyhock (khaṭmī) flowers, so the hair itself is clean; omitted where there is no hair.
- Lay the body on its left side. Pour water, the source describes it here as mixed with neem leaves, over the body from head to feet three times, letting the water reach beneath the plank. This is the first wash.
- Turn the body to its right side and repeat the same pouring three times: the second wash.
- Support the body from behind and lift it slightly to press the stomach gently from top to bottom, encouraging any remaining discharge or impurity to come out. If anything is expelled, it is cleaned and washed off; this does not invalidate or repeat the washing already completed.
- Return the body to its left side and pour water mixed with camphor three times, letting it flow beneath the plank: the third and final wash.
- Remove the cotton from the mouth, nose and ears, and dry the body with a clean cloth.
- Lift the body from the plank and place it on the prepared shroud; apply perfume and camphor.
Terms on this page
Related
- How to make ghusl, step by step The full sunnah method of ghusl in order, from washing the hands to the final pouring, with the notes that make it valid.
- The shroud (kafan): pieces and how to wrap it How many pieces of cloth make up the kafan for a man and for a woman, what cloth may be used, and the order of wrapping.
- Ghusl: who may wash whom, and special cases Who is allowed to wash whose body, and what to do for a martyr, a newborn, a drowned person, a decayed body, or when water or a same-sex washer is not available.
- What ghusl is, and when it is required The definition of ghusl, the occasions it is fard, wajib, sunnah or mustahabb, the conditions for it to count, and its three obligations.