Is it a sin to uncover the face of a dead body?

- Is it haram to look at a dead person? Does it matter whether the dead person is male or female? If it is permissible to look at a dead person, who is it halal for? Is it haram for her husband?

Dear Brother / Sister,

According to what Hz. Aisha narrates,

“The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) went to the dead body of Uthman b. Mazun, uncovered his face kissed him and cried. Even tears came down from his eyes.” (Abu Dawud, Janaiz36; Ibn Majah, Janaiz 7; Tirmidhi, Janaiz 13)

It is narrated that when the Prophet (pbuh) died, Hz. Abu Bakr uncovered his cloak, looked at his face, leaned over him and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Your death is as nice as your life.” Then, he kissed the Prophet on his forehead between his eyebrows and wept. (see Ibn Sa’d, at-Tabaqat, 2/265-266)

Accordingly, it is not a sin to uncover the face of a dead person before or after it is washed and enshrouded.

However, it is makruh for non-mahram men to look at the face of a dead woman. (see Qasani, Badaius-Sanai’, 1/304-305; Shirbini, Mughnil-Muhtaj, 1/357)

The mahram state of a corpse is like the mahram state of a living person but the state between husband and wife is different.

The following decree exists in our fiqh books:

A woman can wash the corpse of her husband because she has to wait for iddah for four months and ten days after the death of her husband. The woman cannot marry anybody until this iddah period ends.

However, a man cannot wash the corpse of his wife. For, a man does not have to wait for iddah; the husband and wife relationship ends for him as soon as his wife dies. From then on, that woman is no different from a non-mahram woman. This is according to Hanafi madhhab. According to the other three maddhabs, a woman can wash the corpse of her husband and the husband can wash the corpse of his wife. (Mehmed Paksu, Meseleler ve Çözümleri 2, Nesil Yayınları, İstanbul, 2000, p. 149-150)

In general, a man washes the corpse of a man and a woman washes the corpse of a woman. As for the issue of husband and wife washing the corpse of each other, it is permissible for a woman to wash the corpse of her husband. As a matter of fact, it is narrated that Hz. Aisha said,

"If it were possible to bring the past back, only his wives would have washed the corpse of the Prophet (pbuh)." (S. Sabiq F. Sunnah, I / 517)

The Companions Hz. Abu Bakir (d. 13/634) and Abu Musal-Ash'ari (d. 44/664) wanted their wives to wash their corpses and they washed them.

A woman who was divorced with talaq rij’i (revocable divorce) can wash the corpse of her husband within the period of iddah. What matters is her state at the time of washing. However, it is not permissible for a woman who was divorced with talaq ba'in (irrevocable divorce) (1) to wash the corpse her husband. Thus, it is not permissible for an ordinary female slave, a female slave who gave birth to a child from her master, a female slave to be freed when her master dies a female slave to be freed when she pays a certain amount of money to wash the corpse of her master. For, ownership ends with death and the ordinary female slave is inherited, and the others become free. It is not permissible for a female slave who has been inherited by another person or who has become free to wash the corpse of her previous master.

The issue whether a husband can wash the corpse of his wife is controversial among mujtahids. Hanafis say when the woman dies, marriage ends since man has no iddah and hence it is not permissible for the husband to wash the corpse of his wife because there is no bond of marriage between them after death and the woman is non-mahram to him. However, they say it is permissible for the man to look at the face of the corpse of his wife and see the corpse without touching it. (2)

Imam Shafii and the majority of the other fiqh scholars hold the view that the husband can wash the corpse of his wife. Their evidence is the fact that Hz. Ali washed the corpse of Hz. Fatima and that the Prophet (pbuh) said to Hz. Aisha,

"I will wash your corpse and enshroud you if you die before me." (S. Sabiq F. Sunnah, I / 576)

Hanafis say the state in this news is special and that it is not permissible for a husband to wash the corpse of his wife even if there is nobody else to wash her; they say he can only make tayammum.

Tayammum is like the tayammum for wudu; when it is not possible to wash the corpse, tayammum will be enough. (3) Tayammum is made when a woman dies among men and there is no woman – not even a non-Muslim one – there, when a man dies among women and there is no man to wash him, when there is no water to wash the corpse or there is some water but it is necessary for the vital needs of the living people there. In such cases, tayammum is made on the corpse; if a woman makes tayammum on a man or vice versa, he/she has to do it without touching him/her with his/her naked hands if he/she is non-mahram. According to Imam Shafi'i and Imam Malik, if a woman dies among men and if a mahram man is present there, he will wash her.

According to a narration by Abu Hurayra, the Prophet (pbuh) said, "He who washes a corpse should have a bath." This order of having a bath here is advice and it is mandub for a person who washes a corpse to have a bath. For, if that order had rendered it fard, the Companions would have acted in accordance with it. However, Ibn Umar washed the corpse of the son of Sa'id b. Zayd (d. 51/671) and performed a prayer without making wudu again. (4) Besides, there is no situation that makes it necessary to have a bath. For, the corpse that is washed is the corpse of a Muslim. The Prophet (pbuh) said,

"A Muslim does not become impure when he is alive and after his death." (5)

Footnotes:

1) Talaq Rij'i (Revocable Divorce): It means divorce (talaq) uttered once by the husband after marriage; it does not end marriage. Talaq Bain (Irrevocable Divorce): It means divorce after marriage due to something that makes it religiously impossible for the continuation of the marriage or divorce that takes place due to the husband uttering divorce three times. (Bilmen, Ö.N. Hukuku İslâmiyye ve Istılahatı F. Kamusu, II/175, İst. 1968)
2) al-Jaziri, Abdurrahman, al-Fiqh Alal-Madahibil, Arba'a, I/504, Beirut, 1972.
3) Muhammad Hamidullah, Translated by Kemal Kuşçu, İslama Giriş, p. 290 İst. 1973.
4-5) Bukhari, Sahih, Janaiz, 8, II / 73.

(Prof. Dr. Süleyman Toprak, Kabir Hayatı)

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