Perfuming the deceased and applying bukhoor to the shroud for men and women

Question If a woman dies, should perfume be applied to her as in the case of a man? Should the shroud of a man and a woman be perfumed, or does perfuming the deceased apply only to men?. Praise be to Allah. Firstly: It is mustahabb to perfume the shroud, whether the deceased is a…

Question

If a woman dies, should perfume be applied to her as in the case of a man? Should the shroud of a man and a woman be perfumed, or does perfuming the deceased apply only to men?.

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

It is mustahabb to perfume the shroud, whether the deceased
is a man or a woman. This is indicated by the saheeh Sunnah. It is proven in
al-Saheehayn that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) commanded the women who were washing his daughter to put some
camphor or a little camphor in the last wash. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1253;
Muslim, 939. Camphor is a type of perfume.

Al-Haafiz said in al-Fath:

It is said that the
reason why camphor is used, although it is a perfume, is because of the
angels and others who attend, in addition to the fact that it has a drying
and cooling effect; it can penetrate the body of the deceased and stiffen
the body, keep vermin away, prevent wastes from being expelled, and prevent
the body from decomposing rapidly. It is the most effective of perfumes in
that sense. This is the reason why it is put in the last wash, because if it
was put in the first wash the water would remove it. But can musk, for
example, be used instead of camphor? If we think just in terms of fragrance,
then yes, otherwise the answer is no. It was said that if no camphor is
available, other kinds of perfume may be used, even if it has only one of
these qualities. End quote.

Al-Nawawi said in Sharh Muslim:

This indicates that it is mustahabb to use a little camphor
in the final wash. There is consensus among us on this point, and this is
the view of Maalik, Ahmad and a number of scholars, because of this hadeeth,
and because it perfumes the deceased and makes his body stiff and cool, and
prevents the body decomposing rapidly. End quote.

It was narrated that Jaabir said: The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When you perfume the deceased with
incense (bakhoor) then perfume him three times.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad,
14131. al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo’ (5/155): Its isnaad is saheeh. It
was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 278.

The word deceased here refers to both male and female.

What is meant is perfuming the shroud with incense.
Al-Bayhaqi mentioned in his Sunan (3/568) that this hadeeth was also
narrated with the words, “Perfume the shroud of the deceased with incense
three times.”

See Badaa’i’ al-Sanaa’i’, 1/307.

It was narrated that Asma’ bint Abi Bakr (may Allaah be
pleased with her) said to her family: “Perfume my garments with incense when
I die, then apply hanoot to me.” Narrated by Maalik in al-Muwatta’,
528; and by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra, 3/568.

It says in al-Muntaqa: Hanoot is that which is put on
the body and shroud of the deceased of perfume, musk, amber, camphor and
anything else that is used for its scent rather than its colour, because the
purpose here is the scent rather than beautification with the colour. End
quote.

This ruling – that it is mustahabb to perfume the deceased –
does not include one who is in ihraam for Hajj or ‘Umrah, because the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning a
man in ihraam who died at ‘Arafah: “And do not put any perfume on him.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1851; Muslim, 1206. According to another report:
“Do not bring any perfume near him.”

Al-Nawawi said: It is
mustahabb to perfume the shroud with incense except in the case of a man or
woman who is in ihraam.

Al-Majmoo’, 5/156

Secondly:

With regard to the manner in which the deceased is to be
perfumed, the perfume is to be placed on the parts of the body on which one
prostrates, because of their noble status, and on the places where dirt
gathers such as the backs of the knees. If the whole body is perfumed, there
is nothing wrong with that.

Al-Bayhaqi narrated
(3/568) that Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Camphor is
to be put on the parts of the body on which one prostrates, which are: the
forehead, the nose, the hands, the knees and the feet, because he used to
prostrate on these parts so they are deserving of greater honour.

See Sharh Fath al-Qadeer, 2/110

Ibn Qudaamah said in al-Mughni (3/388): The hanoot
(perfume which is used for the deceased) should be placed on the joints such
as the backs of the knees and beneath the armpits, because these are places
where dirt gathers. And it should be put on the parts on which he used to
prostrate because they are nobler. And if the entire body is perfumed there
is nothing wrong with that. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen
(may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Is there any report that the
entire body of the deceased may be perfumed?

He replied: Yes, that was narrated from some of the Sahaabah
(may Allaah be pleased with them).

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen,
17/97

Thirdly:

If a woman who was in
mourning following the death of her husband dies, should she be perfumed?

Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo’ (5/164-165):

The correct view is that it is not haraam to put perfume on her, because perfume is forbidden to her during her ‘iddah so that no one will want to marry her, but this consideration no longer applies after she died. End quote.

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