Monday 4 Rabi‘ at-akhir 1446 - 7 October 2024
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Washing the deceased with soap and shampoo

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Publication : 25-12-2001

Views : 13681

Question

What is the ruling on starting to wash the deceased with soap and shampoo if there is a lot of dirt on him?

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

What I think you should do is to do that which is mentioned in the hadith of Umm ‘Atiyyah, so wash the deceased with water and lotus leaves each time you wash him, starting on the right and washing the parts of the body washed in wudu, taking care to remove any dirt etc, each time you wash him, until he is clean, even if that means washing him more than seven times, because of the hadith mentioned. There is no need for soap, shampoo or anything else, unless the lotus leaves are not enough to remove the dirt, in which case it is o.k. to use soap, shampoo, potash and other kinds of dirt-removers from the first wash, and to put some camphor in the final washing, because of the hadith mentioned. This is the Sunnah as far as I know from the saheeh ahaadeeth, because of the hadith of Umm ‘Atiyyah and similar ahaadeeth. 

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Source: Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh ‘Abd al-Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 13, p. 111