Can You Kiss the Deceased?

Praise be to Allah.

Is it permissible to kiss the deceased?

The authentic Sunnah indicates that it is permissible to kiss the deceased after death , whether he was a relative or otherwise. It is permissible for men to kiss the deceased man, and it is permissible for women to kiss the deceased woman. 

`Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) kissed ‘Uthman ibn Madh`un after he died, and he wept… (Narrated by Abu Dawud, 3163; classed as authentic by Al-Albani in Sahih Abu Dawud.)

`Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) kissed the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) after he died. (Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 4457)

An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “It is permissible for the family and friends of the deceased to kiss his face, and there are proven Hadiths that speak of that." (Sharh Al-Muhadhdhab, 5/111).

Ibn HAjar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “This Hadith indicates that it is permissible to kiss the deceased…”

Ash-Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “That is because there is no report to suggest that anyone of the Companions objected to Abu Bakr doing that, so there was consensus on that matter.”

Can a wife kiss her husband after death?

Similarly, there is nothing wrong with the wife kissing her husband after he has died .

Shaykh Ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “There is nothing wrong with kissing the deceased, if he is kissed by one of his female Mahrams, or by a man, as Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) did with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)." (Majmu‘ Al-Fatawa  13/102).

For more details, please see the following answers: 155045 , 14016 , 4022 , 157925 , and 9942 .     

And Allah knows best.