SHROUD (KAFN):

There should be no delay in the washing, shrouding and burial of the individual once he or she has died, as was mentioned earlier and supported by the Prophet’s instruction, “Hasten the funeral rites.”

1. The preferable color is white, since Ibn ‘Abbaas (رضی اللّٰه تعالیٰ عنہ ) quoted the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) as saying,

“Wear white clothes, for verily it is among the best of your garments and shroud your dead in it also.”

[Sunan Abu Dawud: 4050,  Sunan Ibn-i-Majah: 1472]

• Shrouding the body is obligatory based on the commands of the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) to do so. The body should be shrouded immediately after it is washed and dried.

• The shroud or its cost should be taken from the wealth left behind by the deceased, if it is enough money to purchase garments which can cover all of the body.

 Khabbaab ( رضی اللّٰه تعالیٰ عنہ ) said, “Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr died during the Battle of Uhud and we couldn’t find anything to shroud him in except his cloak.”

[Sahih Al-Bukhari: 366, Sahih Muslim: 2056]

• The shroud should be sufficient to cover the whole body. If not, those preparing the body should supply a proper shroud.

Jabir (رضی اللّٰه تعالیٰ عنہ ) narrated that one day the Prophet (  صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) gave a sermon in which he talked about one of his companions who had died and had been shrouded in a short shroud and buried at night. He warned against burying [a person] at night, before the funeral prayer could be made for him, unless one were forced to do that. The Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) then said,

“ If any of you shrouds his dead brother (Muslim), he should shroud him well.”

[ Sahih Muslim: 2058, Sunan Abu Dawud: 3142]

If the shroud is not large enough to cover the whole body and no substitute is available, the head and body should be covered by the shroud and the feet can be covered with twigs.

• The number of sheets used to wrap the body can be as few as one sheet, based on Umm ‘Ateeyah’s (رضی اللّٰه تعالیٰ عنہا) hadeeth in which she said,

“He [the Prophet (  صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم)] threw us his lower wrapper and said, ‘Shroud her in it.”

[Sahih Al-Bukhari: 344, Sahih Muslim: 2041]

It could also be two sheets as in the hadeeth of the muhrim who was killed by his horse at ‘Arafah. The Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said,

“ and shroud him in two sheets.”

[Sahih Al-Bukhari: 355, Sahih Muslim: 2746]

• In the case of the male who dies while in a state of ihraam, the two sheets will be the two sheets of his ihraam. Ibn ‘Abbaas (رضی اللّٰه تعالیٰ عنہ) quoted the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) as saying

“Wash the muhrim in the sheets in which he entered the state of ihraam; wash him with water and lote-tree leaves; and shroud him in his two sheets.”

[Saheeh, Sunan an-Nasaa’i: 1796]

The preferable number is generally considered to be three sheets based on the fact that the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) was shrouded in three. However, since the use of one or two sheets were suggested and approved by the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) himself, the companion’s choice of three sheets cannot be considered more preferable than two or one.

• In the case of the martyr, his or her garments are not removed. The shroud is wrapped over the garments in which the person was killed. Jabir (رضی اللّٰه تعالیٰ عنہ  ) reported that the Prophet (  صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) did not wash the martyrs on the day of Uhud and said:

“ I am their witness: Wrap and bury them in their blood! No person is wounded for Allah’s cause but will come on the Day of Resurrection with his wound fresh, having the color of blood and the smell of

musk.”

[Sahih Al-Bukhari: 35, Musnad Ahmad: 5]

• It is recommended that the shroud be perfumed with incense thrice, except in the case of the muhrim, as was previously mentioned. Jaabir (رضی اللّٰه تعالیٰ عنہ  ) quoted the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) as saying

“When you burn incense by your dead, do it three times.”

[Musnad Ahmad: 331]

• Spending large sums of money on the shroud the way that non-muslims compete with each other in buying the most expensive coffins, is strictly forbidden in Islam.  The sheets should be normal cloth, preferably cotton and not synthetics so that it decomposes quickly along with the body and the number of sheets should not exceed three. Al-Mugheerah ibn Shu‘bah reported that the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said,

“Verily Allah has forbidden you from harming your mothers, giving then taking back what you have given, and killing your daughters. And he despises your statements : ‘It is said’ and ‘he said,’ excessive questioning and wasting your wealth.”

[Sahih Al-Bukhari: 6,  Sahih Muslim: 4257]

• THE KAFAN OF A FEMALE

The Kafan of a female should consist of five white garments and 4 ties

Outermost sheet – Lifafah

Second sheet – Sinaband – to cover from under armpits to thighs

Third sheet – Izaar

Fourth layer – Qamees

Last piece – Orni – to cover head and hair

3-4 ties

2 smaller sheets (satar) used cover the private parts one before and the other after ghusl.