A son washing the dead body of his mother Fatwa No: 107023
- Fatwa Date:14-4-2008
Is it permissible for son to wash the dead body of his mother?
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
It is not permissible for a son to take off the clothes of his mother and wash her, as by doing so, he will see parts of her body that he is not permitted to see.
It is women only who are permitted to wash the body of a dead woman, or her husband. If she has no husband and no women are available, then the jurists stated that it is permissible for a male relative to wash her, like her son or her brother, for a dire necessity without taking off her clothes. Rather, he should wash her with her clothes on. He should pour water under her dress and prevent the dress from sticking to her body so that its [body’s] shape will not be formed. Moreover, he should have a cloth on his hand so that his hand will not touch any part of her body [under her dress] when washing her.
Allaah Knows best.