Can wife give ghusl to her dead husband?
السلام علیکم ورحمہ اللہ وبرکاتہ
Is it permissible for a wife to give ghusl to her deceased husband ?
C/o Molana Nabeel, Lilongwe Malawi
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب
Wife is allowed to perform bathing of her deceased husband as she is still in the Iddat - waiting period. While husband is not allowed to do so. He can just see her but cannot touch her body.
It is stated in the authentic encyclopedia of Fiqh e Hanafi Fatawa Alamgiri :
وَيَجُوزُ لِلْمَرْأَةِ أَنْ تُغَسِّلَ زَوْجَهَا
[الفتاوى الهندية (الفتاوى العالمگيرية)، کتاب الطهارة، باب الغسل، ج 1، ص 160]
"It is permissible for a wife to give the ritual bath (ghusl) to her deceased husband."
Imam Ahmed Raza Khan (1340 AH) has also specified this :
زوجہ کو جب تک عدت میں رہے شوہر مردہ کا بدن چھونا بلکہ اسے غسل دینا بھی جائز رہتا ہے۔یہ مسئلہ درمختار وغیرہ میں ہے۔“
(فتاویٰ رضویہ جلد9،صفحہ138 ،رضافاؤنڈیش، لاهور)
"As long as the wife remains in her waiting period (ʿiddah), it is permissible for her to touch the body of her deceased husband; rather, it is also permissible for her to give him the ritual bath (ghusl). This ruling is mentioned in Durr al-Mukhtār and other authoritative Hanafi works."
واللہ تعالٰی اعلم
کتبہ
Humble servant,
Mufti Abdul Rehman Qadri
Limbe Malawi
11 Safar 1448ھ