Rule 44

Giving the Ghusl, Kafan, Hunut, Salat, and burial to every dead Muslim, regardless of whether he/she is an Ithna-’Ashari or not, is Wajib on the guardian. The guardian must either discharge all these duties himself or appoint someone else to do them. In addition, if anyone performs these duties with or without the permission of the guardian, then the guardian will be relieved of his responsibility.

If the deceased has no guardian, or if the guardian refuses to discharge his duties, then these duties will be obligatory upon everyone equally as Wajib al-Kifa’i, which means that if even one person undertakes to fulfil the obligation, others will be relieved of the responsibility; however, if no one undertakes to do so, all will be equally sinful. In addition, when a guardian refuses to discharge his duty, then seeking his permission has no meaning.

Rule 45

If a person undertakes to fulfil the obligations to the dead body, then it is not obligatory on others to proceed for the same. However, if that person leaves the work half done, then others must complete it.

Rule 46

If a person is certain that others are fulfilling their obligations properly, then it is not obligatory upon him to proceed for the purpose. However, if he is in doubt or has suspicion, then he should take the necessary steps.

Rule 47

If a person is certain that the Ghusl, Kafan, Salat or burial of a dead body have not been performed correctly, then he must proceed to do them again properly. But if he feels that maybe the duties were incorrectly discharged, or if he has a mere doubt, then it is not obligatory to undertake the work.

Rule 48

The guardian of a wife is her husband; and in other cases, men who inherit from the deceased according to the categories (which will be explained later) will take precedence over each other. However, to say that the father of the deceased takes precedence over the son, the grandfather over the brothers, or full brothers over half-brothers or the paternal uncles over the maternal uncles is a ponderable issue, and one should act with caution as the situation demands.

Rule 49

A minor or an insane person does not qualify for guardianship in matters relating to the deceased; similarly, an absent person who can neither attend to the duties himself nor appoint someone to do them, has no authority as a guardian.

Rule 50

If a person claims that he is the guardian of the deceased person, or that the guardian of the deceased has given him permission to carry out his Ghusl, Kafan and Dafan, or if he claims that he is the appointed executor of the deceased in the matter of the final rituals, then his claim will be accepted, provided that he is reliable or that the corpse is in his possession, or that two ‘Adil people testify to his statement.

Rule 51

If the deceased person appointed someone other than his guardian to carry out his Ghusl, Kafan, Dafan and Salat, then he will be the rightful person to fulfil these obligations. It is not necessary that the person who the deceased had appointed to carry out the duties personally should accept the Will. However, if he accepts it, then he must act accordingly.

The Reward Of Giving Ghusl To A Deceased Muslim

عن سعد بن الإسكافي عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال: أيما مؤمنا غسّل مؤمنا فقال إذا قلبه إلا غفر الله له ذنوب سنة إلا الكبائر اللهم هذا بدن عبدك المؤمن وقد أخرجت روحه منه وفرّقت بينهما فعفوك عفوك)

It is related from Sa’d Ibn al-Iskaf that Abu Ja’far (‘a) said, “There is not a single believer who gives another believer the ghusl (after his death) and while shifting the body says: “O’ Allah, this is the body of your believing slave. You have taken his soul from him and separated his soul from him so forgive his sins, forgive his sins” except that Allah forgives that person (who is performing the ghusl) his sins for one year, except the major sins”.

عن عبد الله بن سنان عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: من غسّل ميتا مؤمنا فأدّى فيه الأمانة غفر الله له، قال وكيف يؤدي فيه الأمانة؟ قال عليه السلام لا يخبر بما يرى.

‘Abdullah Ibn Sanan relates that Aba ‘Abdillah (‘a) said, “Whosoever gives a deceased Muslim the Ghusl and takes care of his trust, Allah (SwT) will forgive him his sins”. ‘Abdullah asked the Imam, How does he take care of his trust? The Imam (‘a) replied, “He does not inform others of what (defects) he has seen.1”

• 1. Thawab al-A’mal, Page 434.