Preparing One's Own Shroud

Assalamu alaikum, below are notes from the first part of Lesson 170; hadeeth 648. The Shaykh covered up to hadeeth 651 in this lesson which was delivered on Friday 26th October 2007. The remainder of the notes will be posted shortly insha'Allah.

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CHAPTER 12 - Chapter of one who prepared his shroud during the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) , and this was not disapproved of him.

باب: مَنْ استَعَدّ الكَفَنَ فِي زَمَنِ النّبِيّ - صلى الله عليه وسلم - فَلَم يُنكَرُ عَلَيه

Imam Bukhari (رحمة الله عليه) wishes to address the question of a person preparing his shroud during his lifetime. So a person actually takes a piece of cloth and designates it to be his kuffan and his shroud when he dies. So the answer is that it’s permissible and that will become very clear from the hadeeth itself.

648. عَنْ سَهْلٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قال: أَنّ امْرَأَةً جاءَتِ النّبِيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِبُرْدَةٍ مَنْسُوجَةٍ, فِيهَا حاشِيَتُهَا, أَتَدْرُونَ ما الْبُرْدَةُ قَالُوا: الشّمْلَةُ, قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَتْ: نَسَجْتُهَا بِيَدِي فَجِئْتُ لأَكْسُوَكَهَا, فَأَخَذَهَا النّبِيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مُحْتَاجًا إِلَيْهَا, فَخَرَجَ إِلَيْنَا وَإِنّهَا إِزَارُهُ, فَحَسّنَهَا فُلانٌ فَقَالَ: اكْسُنِيهَا, ما أَحْسَنَهَا, قَالَ الْقَوْمُ: ما أَحْسَنْتَ, لَبِسَهَا النّبِيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مُحْتَاجًا إِلَيْهَا, ثُمّ سَأَلْتَهُ, وَعَلِمْتَ أَنّهُ لاَ يَرُدّ, قَالَ: إِنّي وَاللهِ, ما سَأَلْتُهُ لأَلْبَسَهَا, إِنّمَا سَأَلْتُهُ لِتَكُونَ كَفَنِي. قَالَ سَهْلٌ: فَكانَتْ كَفَنَهُ. رواه البخاري:

648. Narrated Sahl رضى الله عنه : A woman brought a woven Burda (sheet) having edging (border) to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .Then Sahl asked them whether they knew what is Burda, they said that Burda is a cloak and Sahl confirmed their reply. Then the woman said, I have woven it with my own hands and I have brought it so that you may wear it. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم accepted it, and at that time he was in need of it. So he came out wearing it as his waistsheet. A man praised it and said, Will you give it to me? How nice it is! The other people said, You have not done the right thing as the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is in need of it and you have asked for it when you know that he never turns down anybody's request. The man replied, By Allâh, I have not asked for it to wear it but to make it my shroud. Later it was his shroud. (2:367O.B.)

HADEETH 648

The hadeeth is narrated by a companion called Sahl ibn Sa’ad (رضى الله عنه) who relates the story. One day whilst we were there, a woman came to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) carrying a burdah (burdah actually means a garment or a cloak) and she presented it to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). It was a woven garment and Sahl (رضى الله عنه) says ‘it still had its edge’. The significance of that phrase, that she came with a woven garment which still had ‘its edge’, is that the garment was completely new and woven. It was a brand new cloth and the edges had not been trimmed and hemmed that the lady had woven with her own hands. She presented it to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and said to him, ‘Ya Rasullah I have woven this with my own hands and I have brought it to you with the intention that I may clothe you with it, that I may give it to you to wear’.

So although the full story is not mentioned in this particular narration, there are other narrations and Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq said that the full story can be understood by looking at all the narrations collectively. Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) graciously accepted the gift, he went inside and he wore it, and then came out. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) wore it as a lower garment so it became his izhar. In previous lessons, the Shaykh has explained that izhar and qamees in classical Arabic, both refer to the lower garment and the upper garment respectively, regardless of their shape, size or form or length.

So, Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) emerged having worn this garment as his izhar; the lower garment. A companion admired the garment and openly said to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) to give it to him to wear. This happened as the other sahabah were looking on. Sahl (رضى الله عنه) says such and such a person (he doesn’t name him in this particular narration) but the narrators of this hadeeth, according to some narrations, knew who the person was. According to one narration it was Saad bin Abi Waqas (رضى الله عنه). According to another report (but its not actually a narration) it was Abdul Rahman ibn Auf (رضى الله عنه) but the more correct of the two would be Saad bin Abi Waqas(رضى الله عنه).

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had accepted the gift from the woman whilst being in need of it. How did they know the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was in need of that garment? They would observe the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), they knew his clothing and they knew any gift given to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) of clothing was appreciated, and that he made good use of it. Thus, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) accepted the gift but he was actually in need of it so it wasn’t an excessive gift, or a luxury for him that he could put away. This is why he went inside his house, wore it and came out.

So this Sahabi ( (رضى الله عنهwho according to one narration was Saad ibn Abi Waqas (رضى الله عنه) said ‘Ya Rasulullah, it’s a beautiful garment, give it to me to wear’. So the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) went inside and he removed it, folded it and came out and gave it to him. So the other Sahabah rebuked Saad ibn Abi Waqas ( (رضى الله عن, and the rebuker was the narrator, Sahl ( (رضى الله عن. He said to him what you did was not good, someone came and gave a gift to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and he accepted it, and you know that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is in need of this garment, and you still asked him so unashamedly, in such a forward manner. You asked him for something which he was in need of so what you did was not good. So Saad ibn Abi Waqas ( (رضى الله عن said, according to this narration, ‘By Allah I did not ask for this garment so that I could wear it, I only asked for this garment so that it could be my kuffan and my shroud when I die’.

In another narration of this hadeeth, the Sahabi (رضى الله عنه) said, ‘By Allah I was in no need of it, I only asked for it since I desired the blessing and the barakah of this garment, and that it could by my kaffan and my shroud’. Why? It had touched the body of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and therefore this Sahabi (رضى الله عنه) wanted it.

Now the question still remains that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) needed it, he wore it and this Sahabi (رضى الله عنه) did not need it, then why did he ask for it? The simple answer is, that the Sahabi (رضى الله عنه) thought that in worldly terms I don’t need it but the Prophet(صلى الله عليه وسلم) needs it, and more importantly for the hereafter the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) does not need it, I need it. Furthermore, the sahabi thought that it is a garment and that another one can come along. People will come and give another gift to Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم). People will realise that he needs it and someone will present him with another garment. He thought that he would when never get this opportunity again of a garment that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) has worn, which is fresh and therefore he hasn’t worn it all the time but has worn just once. Therefore, it’s probably easier for him to give away than something which he has become accustomed to and which he wears all the time. With this reasoning, the sahabi (رضى الله عنه) requested it and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) have it to him as the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) would never say no; he would never refuse.

And then Sahl (رضى الله عنه) says that indeed when this companion died it actually did become his kaffan. He was buried and enshrouded in that garment of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم).

Also, in the hadeeth there is a phrase that Sahl (رضى الله عنه) says a woman came to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) with a burdah, which is a cloak (woven) and it still had its edge. And then he says, do you know what a burdah is? i.e. it is the narrator of the hadeeth, the companion Sahl (رضى الله عنه) himself who asks this question. He asked his students ‘Do you know what a burdah is?’ And they said ‘Yes, a shamla’. Strictly speaking a shamla is a larger blanket/garment. A burdah is something which one wears around oneself, whereas a shamla is a larger blanket which one wraps around oneself rather then just wearing and tying. Now, strictly speaking in Arabic burdah and shamla are very different but the sahabi (رضى الله عنه) was simply trying to draw their attention and ensuring that they understood what he was trying to say; that a cloak or a garment in a general term was given to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).

Now, this answers the question or the issue raised by Imam Bukhari (رحمة الله عليه) is whether a person prepare his kaffan (shroud) during his lifetime, prior to his death. And the answer is yes, according to all the scholars of Islam and all the schools of fiqh. A person can prepare his shroud during his own lifetime.

Once Imam Abu Dawud (رحمة الله عليه) the famous author of Hadeeth and the student of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (رحمة الله عليه) asked his Shaykh and his teacher Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (رحمة الله عليه), that if a man was to take a piece of cloth and designate it as his kaffan and his shroud and actually pray salah therein for a couple of days what do you think? So, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (رحمة الله عليه) said it was a good thing but he said that he would prefer it if the person did not use it excessively as the kaffan should be relatively new and washed. Therefore, if he does use it and pray in it for a couple of days then according to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (رحمة الله عليه), it is a good thing; he recommended it. According to all the scholars of Islam it is permissible. This is why you see people wash their ihram in which they have done umrah or Hajj, often in zam zam water and they then use the ihram as a kaffan. The ihram is very similar to the kaffan, although the sizes are different but part of it can be used.

Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq said that we should remember in the Shari’ah that apart from the recommendations, a person can use any cloth as a kaffan, therefore, apart from the desirable and sunnah, as far as the permissibility is concerned, all kinds of cloths are permissible.

People wash their cloth for kaffan in zam zam water for the barakah, just like the Sahabi (رضى الله عنه) wanted the barakah of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as part of his kuffan.

The Shaykh raised another question in the dars: Can a person prepare one’s own grave? Many of the ulema have actually done that in the past; they have actually prepared a grave for themselves. But it is not recommended or encouraged, and according to the scholars of all the fiqh; some of them say it is undesirable, and in the Hanafi school some scholars say it is permissible, but it is undesirable and its not recommended.

We have one report that a sahabi (رضى الله عنه) asked the prophet for a kaffan and he gave it to him but we do not have reports of the Sahabah digging their own graves and thus there is a difference in the two.

Furthermore, a person can carry a kaffan around with him such as whilst on a journey. But Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in the Qur’an that no soul knows where it will die, so it would go against the spirit of this verse to actually prepare a grave.