The Ruling on Spouses Washing Each Other After Death

Abstract

The issue of spouses washing each other after death is a significant jurisprudential matter among Sunni Muslims, with wide-ranging differences among scholars. This topic has been extensively discussed across various Islamic jurisprudential schools. In this article, we have gathered the opinions of scholars from the four main schools of thought. Through my research, we have found that the prevalent opinion is the permissibility of a wife washing and shrouding her husband after his death, as there is a consensus among scholars on this, as reported by Ibn al-Mundhir. However, the issue of a husband washing and shrouding his wife after her death varies among the four schools of thought. They state that if there is a necessity for a man to wash and shroud his wife, it is permissible. Without such necessity, scholars have differing views. Imam Abu Hanifa opined that it is not permissible for a husband to wash and shroud his wife after her death. Imam Ahmad has two different narrations on this issue, with the more famous one allowing it, which aligns with the majority of scholars. According to the Maliki school, it is permissible for a man to wash and shroud his wife after her death. Similarly, the Shafi'i school also permits it The main goal in this matter is to determine the clear religious ruling based on evidence from the Quran, Sunnah, and the words and opinions of the scholars. In this article, we used the library method to cite verses, hadiths, scholars' opinions, and other trusted scientific sources.