Chapter on Guiding the Dying, Positioning Them at Death, Procedures for Their Final Moments, Washing Them, and Placing Them in Shrouds

The Shaykh (Al-Mufid), may Allah سبحانه وتعالى support him, said: “When the one responsible for preparing the deceased begins to wash the body, he should raise it onto a wooden board or something similar, positioning it towards the Qibla, with the soles of the feet facing it and the face turned towards it, as was done at the time of death. Then, if the deceased is wearing a shirt, it should be removed by pulling it up to the navel. The collar should be opened or torn to make it easier to remove. A cloth should then be placed over the private parts to cover them. The fingers of the hands should be gently loosened. If they are stiff, they should be left as they are. Leaves of the sidr tree should be placed in a clean container, and water should be poured over them. The leaves should be crushed until foam gathers at the top. This foam should be collected into a clean container, such as a bowl or basin. Next, a clean cloth should be wrapped around the hand, from the wrist to the fingertips, and a small amount of ushnan (a cleansing agent) should be placed on it. The private parts should then be washed, while another person pours water. After cleansing the private parts, the cloth should be discarded, and both hands should be washed with pure water. The deceased should then be ritually purified (wudu), washing the face, arms, wiping the head, and wiping the top of the feet. The foam of the sidr water should be placed on the head and beard, and these should be washed with approximately nine ratls of the sidr water. The body should then be turned onto its left side to wash the right side, from the neck down to the feet, using the same amount of sidr water. The washer should avoid placing their hands between the legs but should wash from the side. The body should then be turned onto the right side to wash the left side in the same manner. Afterward, the deceased should be laid back on its back, and the body should be washed from the head down to the feet, as before, using approximately nine ratls or more of sidr water. While washing, the washer should wipe the body and clean it, saying: "O Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Your forgiveness, Your forgiveness." The sidr water should then be discarded, and the containers should be filled with clean water mixed with the prepared amount of kafur (camphor). The body should be washed again in the same manner, first the head, then the right side, then the left, followed by the chest. The remaining kafur water should be discarded, and the containers should be refilled with plain water. The third washing should be done similarly to the previous two. During the first washing, the abdomen should be gently massaged to expel any remaining waste inside the body, as failing to remove it could cause it to leak into the shroud later. The same should be done in the second washing. If anything is expelled during these washings, it should be cleansed immediately with water. The abdomen should not be massaged during the third washing.