Should Funeral Bath be Repeated if Urine, Stool or Blood comes out again?

Fiqh & its Sciences, Questions & Answers 2 Views

Question:

After funeral bath or ghusl is given to the deceased, if urine, stool, or blood comes out of the deceased’s body, should the funeral bath be repeated again? and does the kafan (shroud) need to be changed?

Summary of Answer:

Repeating the funeral bath (ghusl) is not required if urine, stool, or blood comes out afterwards, according to the stronger scholarly view. Only the impurity must be washed away.

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Answer: Praise be to Allah.

If the deceased has been given funeral bath or ghusl, and after the washing is completed some urine, stool, or blood comes out, it is not necessary to repeat funeral bath; rather, only that impurity must be removed.

Al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “If an impurity comes out of either of the deceased’s two private passages after washing and before shrouding, it must be washed away, without scholarly disagreement. Regarding repeating his purification (i.e. funeral bath), there are three well-known views, the most correct of which is that nothing is required, because he is no longer subject to the legal obligations concerning the invalidation of purification. This is also by analogy with impurity reaching him from an external source, in which case washing it away is sufficient, without scholarly disagreement…” [End quote from Al-Majmu Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, 5/176]. 1

Ibn Qudamah, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “This is the view of al-Thawri, Malik, and Abu Hanifah, because the discharge of impurity from a living person after his ghusl does not invalidate it; the same applies to the deceased.” End quote, with adaptation, from Al-Mughni (2/344). 2

In Al-Mawsuah al-Fiqhiyyah (13/53): “If something comes out of him while he is on the washing platform, the Hanafis and the Malikis—with the exception of Ashhab—hold that his washing (i.e. funeral bath) is not repeated; rather, only that area is washed. This is also the most correct view among the Shafi‘is, and it was chosen by Abu al-Khattab among the Hanbalis. Al-Thawri also held this view.” End quote. 3

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy on him, said regarding this view—namely, not repeating the washing (i.e. funeral bath) and merely washing away the impurity: “What Abu al-Khattab, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned is closer to what is correct, because there is nothing here that necessitates ghusl for janabah. All discharges that occur after death do not necessitate ghusl. Accordingly, the view adopted by Abu al-Khattab is correct: if something comes out after the washing has been completed, the affected area is washed, care is taken to stop the discharge, and then wudu is performed for the deceased.” End quote. 4

Therefore, repeating the funeral bath (ghusl) is not required if urine, stool, or blood comes out afterwards, according to the stronger scholarly view. Only the impurity must be washed away.

Wallahualam (and Allah knows best)!

Footnotes:

  1. Al-Nawawi, quote from Al-Majmu Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, 5/176. (Refer: https://shamela.ws/book/2186/2489)
  2. Ibn Qudamah, Al-Mughni, 2/344. (Refer: https://shamela.ws/book/8463/792).
  3. Al-Mawsuah al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaitiyyah, 13/53. (Refer: https://shamela.ws/book/11430/7729)
  4. Ibn Uthaymeen’s Commentary on “Al-Kafi” by Ibn Qudamah, 2/322. (Refer: https://shamela.ws/book/96875/822)

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Does passing urine or stool after death invalidate the deceased’s funeral bath or ghusl?
According to the stronger scholarly view, it does not. Only the impurity needs to be washed away; the full ghusl does not need to be repeated.

Must ghusl or funeral bath be repeated if blood comes out after washing the deceased?
No. According to the stronger view, washing away the blood is sufficient.

Does the kafan need to be changed if it becomes soiled after ghusl?
The soiled area should be washed, or the affected cloth replaced. Replacing the entire kafan is not necessary if the impurity can be removed.

Is a new kafan required if urine or stool comes out but does not touch the shroud?
No. If the kafan remains clean, it does not need washing or replacement.

Did scholars differ about repeating the deceased’s funeral bath or ghusl?
Yes. However, the Hanafi and most Maliki scholars, the strongest Shafi‘i view, and some Hanbali scholars hold that only the impurity must be removed. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin also preferred this view.