Welcome to Ahmadiyyat, The True Islam — Page 139
− 'Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return. ' (2:157) − The eyes of the deceased should be closed by hand and a cloth should be used round his chin and head so that his mouth is closed. Instead of bewailing, one should remain calm and patient and attend to the funeral and burial arrangements. The transition from this world to the next and the disposal of a deceased are serious matters in all cultures and religions. In Islam death is − treated with great dignity. A deceased Muslim is given utmost respect and his body is handled according to the of the Holy Prophet. The Sunnah sa body is given a ritual bath, and wrapped in three white sheets before being put in a coffin. The body should be washed in the following manner: Fresh or lukewarm water should be used to wash the body three times. The practice of the Holy Prophet was to put some leaves of a sa Beri tree in the water for washing the dead body. First of all, those limbs, which are washed during normal (Ablution) should be washed, though it is wudu’ ± − not required to pour water in the mouth or nostrils to clean them or to wash the feet. Next the body should be washed, first the right side and then the left. Private parts of the body should remain covered by a cloth. Men alone can bathe male persons and women alone can bathe female persons. However, if it becomes necessary, then wife can give bath to her deceased husband and husband can give bath to his deceased wife. The body should then be wrapped in a shroud, which normally is made of an inexpensive white cloth. The shroud for men consists of three pieces of cloth; a top sheet to cover the top part of the body, a bottom sheet to cover the lower part and a large sheet to cover the whole body from head to feet. For a female, however, two additional pieces of cloth are used, one for the chest and the other for the head. After giving the bath it is permitted to see the face of the deceased. Men can see the face of a deceased man's face while women can see the face of a deceased woman. However, near relatives including 139