Al-Kafi · Hadith 5

The Book on Dying People · Washing a Dead Body · Volume 3, book 3, chapter 18, Hadith 5

Original Arabic text

5ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ رِجَالِهِ عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْهُمْ (عَلَيْهِم الْسَّلام) قَالَ إِذَا أَرَدْتَ غُسْلَ الْمَيِّتِ فَضَعْهُ عَلَى الْمُغْتَسَلِ مُسْتَقْبِلَ الْقِبْلَةِ فَإِنْ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ قَمِيصٌ فَأَخْرِجْ يَدَهُ مِنَ الْقَمِيصِ وَاجْمَعْ قَمِيصَهُ عَلَى عَوْرَتِهِ وَارْفَعْهُ مِنْ رِجْلَيْهِ إِلَى فَوْقِ الرُّكْبَةِ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهِ قَمِيصٌ فَأَلْقِ عَلَى عَوْرَتِهِ خِرْقَةً وَاعْمِدْ إِلَى السِّدْرِ فَصَيِّرْهُ فِي طَسْتٍ وَصُبَّ عَلَيْهِ الْمَاءَ وَاضْرِبْهُ بِيَدِكَ حَتَّى تَرْتَفِعَ رَغْوَتُهُ وَاعْزِلِ الرَّغْوَةَ فِي شَيْ‏ءٍ وَصُبَّ الآخَرَ فِي الإِجَّانَةِ الَّتِي فِيهَا الْمَاءُ ثُمَّ اغْسِلْ يَدَيْهِ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ كَمَا يَغْتَسِلُ الإِنْسَانُ مِنَ الْجَنَابَةِ إِلَى نِصْفِ الذِّرَاعِ ثُمَّ اغْسِلْ فَرْجَهُ وَنَقِّهِ ثُمَّ اغْسِلْ رَأْسَهُ بِالرَّغْوَةِ وَبَالِغْ فِي ذَلِكَ وَاجْتَهِدْ أَنْ لاَ يَدْخُلَ الْمَاءُ مَنْخِرَيْهِ وَمَسَامِعَهُ ثُمَّ أَضْجِعْهُ عَلَى جَانِبِهِ الأيْسَرِ وَصُبَّ الْمَاءَ مِنْ نِصْفِ رَأْسِهِ إِلَى قَدَمَيْهِ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ وَادْلُكْ بَدَنَهُ دَلْكاً رَفِيقاً وَكَذَلِكَ ظَهْرَهُ وَبَطْنَهُ ثُمَّ أَضْجِعْهُ عَلَى جَانِبِهِ الأيْمَنِ وَافْعَلْ بِهِ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ صُبَّ ذَلِكَ الْمَاءَ مِنَ الإِجَّانَةِ وَاغْسِلِ الإِجَّانَةَ بِمَاءٍ قَرَاحٍ وَاغْسِلْ يَدَيْكَ إِلَى الْمِرْفَقَيْنِ ثُمَّ صُبَّ الْمَاءَ فِي الآنِيَةِ وَأَلْقِ فِيهِ حَبَّاتِ كَافُورٍ وَافْعَلْ بِهِ كَمَا فَعَلْتَ فِي الْمَرَّةِ الأولَى ابْدَأْ بِيَدَيْهِ ثُمَّ بِفَرْجِهِ وَامْسَحْ بَطْنَهُ مَسْحاً رَفِيقاً فَإِنْ خَرَجَ شَيْ‏ءٌ فَأَنْقِهِ ثُمَّ اغْسِلْ رَأْسَهُ ثُمَّ أَضْجِعْهُ عَلَى جَنْبِهِ الأيْسَرِ وَاغْسِلْ جَنْبَهُ الأيْمَنَ وَظَهْرَهُ وَبَطْنَهُ ثُمَّ أَضْجِعْهُ عَلَى جَنْبِهِ الأيْمَنِ وَاغْسِلْ جَنْبَهُ الأيْسَرَ كَمَا فَعَلْتَ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ ثُمَّ اغْسِلْ يَدَيْكَ إِلَى الْمِرْفَقَيْنِ وَالآنِيَةَ وَصُبَّ فِيهَا الْمَاءَ الْقَرَاحَ وَاغْسِلْهُ بِمَاءٍ قَرَاحٍ كَمَا غَسَلْتَهُ فِي الْمَرَّتَيْنِ الأوَّلَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ نَشِّفْهُ بِثَوْبٍ طَاهِرٍ وَاعْمِدْ إِلَى قُطْنٍ فَذُرَّ عَلَيْهِ شَيْئاً مِنْ حَنُوطٍ وَضَعْهُ عَلَى فَرْجِهِ قُبُلٍ وَدُبُرٍ وَاحْشُ الْقُطْنَ فِي دُبُرِهِ لِئَلاَّ يَخْرُجَ مِنْهُ شَيْ‏ءٌ وَخُذْ خِرْقَةً طَوِيلَةً عَرْضُهَا شِبْرٌ فَشُدَّهَا مِنْ حَقْوَيْهِ وَضُمَّ فَخِذَيْهِ ضَمّاً شَدِيداً وَلُفَّهَا فِي فَخِذَيْهِ ثُمَّ أَخْرِجْ رَأْسَهَا مِنْ تَحْتِ رِجْلَيْهِ إِلَى جَانِبِ الأيْمَنِ وَأَغْرِزْهَا فِي الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي لَفَفْتَ فِيهِ الْخِرْقَةَ وَتَكُونُ الْخِرْقَةُ طَوِيلَةً تَلُفُّ فَخِذَيْهِ مِنْ حَقْوَيْهِ إِلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ لَفّاً شَدِيداً.

Published English translation

5. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from his people from Yunus from ’A’immah, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, who have said the following: “When you decide to give Ghusl (bath) to a dead body, place it on the platform for Ghusl (bath), facing al-Qiblah (al-Ka‘bah). Remove his hands from the shirt if any, and pull it down over the private parts. Pull it up above his knees. If shirt is not there, cover his private parts with a piece of fabric. Find Sidr (berry leaves). Place them in a pail and pour water on them. Stir with your hand until foam rises. Remove the foam in something and pour the rest in a container with water. Wash his hands three times, half way up to the elbows, just as one washes them because of sexual relation. Then wash his private parts and clean them. Then wash his head with foam thoroughly and do not allow water to enter his nostrils or ears. Then place him on the platform for Ghusl (bath) on his left side, and pour water on one half of his head down to his toes three times. Rub his body gently as well as his back and belly. Then place him on his right side on the platform for Ghusl (bath). Do as you did with the left side. You must then throw away the water from the water container. You must wash it with pure water and wash your hands up to your elbows. You must then pour water in the pail and place a piece of camphor in it and do as you did before with Sidr (berry leaves). Begin with his hands, then his private parts, then rub his belly gently, and if something comes out, clean it. Then wash his head. Then place him on his left side and wash his right side, his back and belly. Then place him on his right side and wash his left side as you did before. Then wash your hands up to the elbows and the water pail with pure water. Give him Ghusl (bath) with pure water just as you did in the other two Ghusl (bath). Then dry him up with a piece of clean cloth. Then find cotton, spread a certain amount of Hunut (camphor) on it and fill it in his private parts front and back. Fill his buttocks with cotton so that nothing can come out. Then find a long piece of fabric about a foot wide and tie it tightly around him from waist down to his knees by sending one end underneath to the right side, wrapping it around tightly, and push its end underneath the end where it had started tight.’”

Narrator and transmission

See the transmission information preserved in the original source text.

Attributed scholarly assessments

Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi: مرسل

Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (13/307)

Assessment transcribed from the source's named scholar and reference. No new grading or consensus is asserted; differing entries remain separate.

Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi: Catalogue non-inclusion note (not an authenticity grade)

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī

Source records non-inclusion in this scholar's selection; this is not itself a weak or authentic grade.

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translator: Muhammad Sarwar
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