Kafan for the Deceased

1. It is sunnah to enshroud a woman with five pieces of cloth. That is, a shirt, loincloth, a head band, a sheet and a chest band. The loincloth should be from head to toe. The sheet should be slightly longer than that. The shirt should be from the neck till the feet. However, it should not have any side panels or sleeves. The head band should be 180cm x 90cm. The chest band should be as wide as the distance from the chest to the knees. It should be so long that it could be closed.

2. If anyone is not enshrouded in five cloths, but only three cloths, i.e. the loincloth, sheet, and head band, this is also permissible and this kafan will be sufficient. It is makruh and a sin to use less than three cloths. However, if there is a severe need or no other alternative, then to use less than three will also be permissible.

3. If the chest band extends from the chest till the navel, it will also be permissible. But it is preferable to have it till the thighs.

4. The kafan should be first smoked with some incense an odd number of times. Thereafter, the deceased should be enshrouded.

5. The method of enshrouding the deceased is as follows: firstly spread out the sheet, then the loin cloth above it, and thereafter, the shirt above it. Thereafter, lay the deceased on this and make her wear the shirt. The hair of the head should be parted and placed above the sheet on her chest. One part of the hair should be placed on the left hand side and the other on the right. Thereafter, place the head band over the head and hair. It should not be tied nor wrapped. Thereafter, wrap the loin cloth: first the left side and then the right side. Thereafter, tie the chest band. And then wrap the sheet: first the left side and then the right side. Thereafter, tie the kafan on the head side and feet side with a strip of cloth. Also tie another strip of cloth around the stomach so that the kafan does not get loose on the way.

6. If the chest band is tied after the head band but before wrapping the loincloth, this is also permissible. It will also be permissible if it is tied after all the cloths.

7. Once the kafan is completed, send the deceased away so that the men could offer the salaat and complete the burial.

8. It is also permissible for women to offer the janaazah salaat . However, since this does not happen, we will not mention the mas'alas concerning the salaat and the burial.

9. It is not permissible to place one's will or lineage of a saint in the kafan or the grave. Similarly, it is not permissible to write the kalimah or any dua on the kafan or the deceased's forehead with camphor or any pen. However, it is permissible to place the cover of the Ka'bah or the scarf (or any other clothing) of one's spiritual guide as a source of barakah .

10. A child that dies a few moments after birth or immediately after birth will also be given ghusl and kafan in the same way as mentioned above. Janaazah salaat will also be offered over him and he will also be buried in the normal way. This child should also be named.

11. A child that is stillborn, and there are no signs of life at the time of birth will also be given ghusl in the normal way. However, do not enshroud him in the normal kafan. Instead, wrap him in a piece of cloth and bury him. He should also be given a name.

12. If a woman aborts (miscarries) and the child is not formed as yet, i.e. it's hands, feet, face, nose, etc. have not formed as yet, it should not be given a bath nor a kafan. Instead, it should be wrapped in a piece of cloth and buried in a hole. If any of it's limbs are formed, the same rule will apply as that of a baby that is stillborn. That is, it should be named and given ghusl , but it should not be given the normal kafan nor should salaat be offered over it. Instead, it should be wrapped in a cloth and buried.

13. At the time of delivery, only the child's head appeared. At that time it was alive. Thereafter, it died. The same rule will apply as that of a baby that is still-born. However, if a major portion of the baby appeared and it passed away after that, it will be regarded as if it was born alive. If it was born from the head section, then upto the chest will be regarded as "a major portion". But if it is born the other way, then upto the navel.

14. If a young girl who is close to the age of puberty (but has not matured as yet) passes away, then the five pieces of cloth for the kafan which are sunnah for a mature woman will be sunnah for her kafan as well. If five pieces are not available, three pieces will suffice. In other words, the rules that apply to a mature woman will apply to a young immature girl as well. The difference is that these rules are emphasised for the mature woman while they are preferable for the young immature woman.

15. Five pieces of cloth are also preferable for the girl who is very young, i.e. not even close to maturity. Using two pieces will also be permissible, i.e. the loincloth and sheet.

16. If a boy passes away and you have to give him ghusl and kafan, then bathe him in the same way as mentioned above. The same method of kafan will also apply. The only difference is that the kafan for a woman consists of five pieces of cloth while the kafan for a man consists of three pieces: a sheet, a loincloth and a shirt.

17. If there are only two pieces of cloth for a man, i.e. a sheet and a loincloth, this will suffice. It is makruh to use less than two cloths. But if there is a necessity or there is no alternative, it will not be makruh .

18. The sheet which is placed over the janaazah , i.e. on the bed, is not included in the kafan. Kafan only consists of the pieces which we mentioned above.

19. The kafan and burial of a person should be done in that very city or town where he passes away. It is not good to move him to another place. However, there is no harm in moving him to a place which is only one or two kilometres away.

20. If a limb or half of the body of a person is found without the head, it is sufficient to wrap it up in a piece of cloth. If the head is also with half of the body, or more than half of the body is without the head, then the normal kafan should be given.

21. If a person's grave opens or his corpse is exhumed due to some reason, it is necessary to give him the normal kafan. This is on condition that the body has not disintegrated. If it has disintegrated, it will suffice to merely wrap it in a cloth (there is no need for the normal kafan).