Chapter on Guiding the Dying, Positioning Them at Death, Procedures for Their Final Moments, Washing Them, and Placing Them in Shrouds
Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām|Volume 1|Book 1|Chapter 13
Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām
Book 1, Chapter 13
Chapter on Guiding the Dying, Positioning Them at Death, Procedures for Their Final Moments, Washing Them, and Placing Them in Shrouds
وَبِهٰذَا الإِسْنَادِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَعْقُوبَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ وَمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ النَّضْرِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ عَنْ ابْنِ مِسْكَانَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ غُسْلِ الْمَيِّتِ، فَقَالَ: اغْسِلْهُ بِمَاءٍ وَسِدْرٍ، ثُمَّ اغْسِلْهُ عَلَى أَثَرِ ذٰلِكَ غُسْلَةً أُخْرَى بِمَاءٍ وَكَافُورٍ وَذَرِيرَةٍ إِنْ كَانَتْ، وَاغْسِلْهُ الثَّالِثَةَ بِمَاءٍ قَرَاحٍ ثَلَاثَ غَسَلَاتٍ. قُلْتُ: لِجَسَدِهِ كُلِّهِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قُلْتُ: يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ ثَوْبٌ إِذَا غُسِّلَ؟ قَالَ: إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ يَكُونَ عَلَيْهِ قَمِيصٌ تُغَسِّلُهُ مِنْ تَحْتِهِ. وَقَالَ: أُحِبُّ لِمَنْ غَسَّلَ الْمَيِّتَ أَنْ يَلُفَّ عَلَى يَدِهِ الْخِرْقَةَ حَتَّى يُغَسِّلَهُ.
With this chain of narration, from Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub, from Muhammad ibn Yahya, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id and Muhammad ibn Khalid, from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd, from Ibn Miskan, from Abu ‘Abdillah عليه السلام:
I asked Imam عليه السلام about the washing of the deceased. Imam عليه السلام said: "Wash him with water and lotus leaves (sidr). Then wash him a second time with water, camphor, and powdered perfume (dharirah), if available. Wash him a third time with plain water - three complete washes." I said: "For the entire body?" Imam عليه السلام replied: "Yes." I then asked: "Should the body be covered with a cloth while being washed?" Imam عليه السلام said: "If you can ensure that he is covered with a shirt and washed from beneath it, then do so." Imam عليه السلام also said: "I prefer that the one washing the deceased wraps a cloth around his hand while washing the body."
- Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām fī Sharḥ al-Muqniʿah, vol. 1, p. 317
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Tahdhīb