هل يجوز كشف وجه الميت لتقبيله؟Permissibility of uncovering the face of the deceased in order to kiss him

[أم أبي التراب]

هل يجوز كشف وجه الميت لتقبيله؟
Permissibility of uncovering the face of the deceased in order to kiss him

السؤال

هل يتعين رؤية وجه الميت بعد غسله وتكفينه ؟ ففي الهند يفعلون ذلك ، ويوجبون على أفراد أسرة الميت رؤية وجه فقيدهم بعد الغسل والتكفين مره وقبل الدفن مرة أخرى ، وإذا رفض أحدهم فعل ذلك تحدثوا عنه بسوء ، فهل لهذا أصل في الشرع أم هي العادة لا غير؟
ملخص الجواب

والخلاصة : الأصل أن وجه الميت يغطى ، ويجوز كشفه لتقبيله والنظر إليه ، وليس لإيجاب ذلك أصل في الشرع ، ولم يأت ما يدل على وجوبه ، بل ولا استحبابه . وإذا كان من عادة الناس في بلدكم التزام إكرام الأهل لميتهم بالنظر إليه قبل دفنه ، ولو تُرك ذلك لظن الناس أن فيه تركا لحقه أو قصدًا لخفضه ، فينبغي عليك أن لا تعارضهم في ذلك ؛ لما فيه من إصلاح ذات البين وإزالة التباغض والشحناء ، مع مراعاة التلطف ، والتدرج معهم في بيان السنة على وجهها ، وتصحيح ما عندهم من الاعتقادات ، أو العادات . والله أعلم .

الجواب
الحمد لله.
لا يحق لأحد أن يحكم بالوجوب الشرعي على شيء من الأمور إلا ببرهان من كتاب الله أو سنة رسوله ، قال تعالى : ( أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ شَرَعُوا لَهُمْ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَا لَمْ يَأْذَنْ بِهِ اللَّهُ ) سورة الشورى / 21 .
وقد ورد في السنة أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وصحابته قد كشفوا عن وجوه بعض الموتى من المسلمين ، ولم يكن ذلك على وجه الإيجاب ، بل ولا الاستحباب ؛ وإنما غاية ذلك أنه أمر جائز ، لم يطرد مع كل أحد توفي ، ولا مع كل قريب مع قريبه . بل إن من العلماء من ضيّق ذلك ، ومنع من كشف وجه الميت إلا للغاسل ومن يليه .
قال ابن حجر معلقا على ترجمة البخاري في صحيحه " باب الدخول على الميت بعد الموت إذا أدرج في أكفانه " ، قال :" الموت لما كان سبب تغيير محاسن الحي التي عهد عليها - ولذلك أمر بتغميضه وتغطيته - كان ذلك مظنة للمنع من كشفه حتى قال النخعي : ينبغي أن لا يطلع عليه إلا الغاسل له ومن يليه ، فترجم البخاري على جواز ذلك " .
انتهى من " فتح الباري " (4/266) .
ولذلك نص الفقهاء على جوازه دفعا لقول المانعين ، ولم يجعلوه من قبيل المندوبات أو المأمورات .
قال ابن قدامة : " ( وإن أحب أهله أن يروه لم يمنعوا ) وذلك لما روي عن جابر قال : لما قتل أبي جعلت أكشف الثوب عن وجهه وأبكي ، والنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لا ينهاني ، وقالت عائشة : (رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقبل عثمان بن مظعون وهو ميت ، حتى رأيت الدموع تسيل) ، وقالت : (أقبل أبو بكر فتيمم [ أي : قصد] النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو مسجى ببرد حبرة فكشف عن وجهه ، ثم أكب عليه فقبله ، ثم بكى ، فقال : بأبي أنت يا نبي الله ، لا يجمع الله عليك موتتين) ، وهذه أحاديث صحاح " انتهى من "المغني" (2/350) .
وهذه الأحاديث تدل على استحباب ستر وجه الميت ، وتدل كذلك على جواز الدخول عليه وكشف وجهه وتقبيله ، سواء كان ذلك بعد التكفين أو قبله ، فحديثا أبي بكر وجابر كانا بعد الوفاة قبل التكفين ، وحديث عثمان بن مظعون كان بعد التكفين ، كما جاء مصرحا به في البخاري (1243) : (فلما توفي وغسل وكفن في أثوابه دخل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم)
قال ابن حجر رحمه الله تعالى : " الدخول الثابت في الأحاديث الثلاثة : كان في حالة الإدراج أو في حالة تقوم مقامها . قال ابن رشيد : المعنى الذي في الحديثين من كشف الميت بعد تسجيته ، مساو لحاله بعد تكفينه " انتهى من " فتح الباري " (4/266) .
المصدر: موقع الإسلام سؤال وجواب

[أم أبي التراب]

Permissibility of uncovering the face of the deceased in order to kiss him

Question
Do we have to see the dead ones face after bathing and shrouding him ?
In india when someone dies, it is made a must by his family members to see the face of the deceased after wrapping him up in the kafn/shroud. The face is purposefully exposed and once the face is shown before leaving the house and once the face is showed after putting the body into the grave, before covering up the grave. If someone refuses to see the face, he is bad mouthed in the community.
Does this have any Islamic influence or is it just a wrong practice being followed over here. ?
Answer
Praise be to Allah.
No one has the right to state that something is obligatory according to sharee‘ah except with proof from the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of His Messenger. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “Or have they partners with Allah (false gods), who have instituted for them a religion which Allah has not allowed?” [ash-Shoora 42:21].
It is narrated in the Sunnah that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his companions uncovered the faces of some of the deceased Muslims, but that was not by way of it being obligatory or even recommended; rather the most that can be said about it is that it is something permissible, that was not done with everyone who died and was not done by every relative with his relative.
Rather some of the scholars restricted that and disallowed uncovering the face of the deceased except for the one who washes him and those who help him.
Ibn Hajar said, commenting on al-Bukhaari’s inclusion in his Saheeh of a chapter entitled Chapter on entering upon the deceased after death, when he has been wrapped in his shroud:
Because death may lead to changes in the usual appearance of the person when he was alive – and for that reason it is enjoined to close his eyes and cover him – it was thought that it is not allowed to uncover him, to the extent that an-Nakha‘i said: No one should look at him except the one who washes him and those who help him, but al-Bukhaari mentioned that that is permissible.
End quote from Fath al-Baari (4/266)
Hence the fuqaha’ stated that it is permissible, refuting the view of those who disallowed it, but they did not include it under the heading of things that are recommended or enjoined.
Ibn Qudaamah said: If his family want to see him, they should not be prevented. That is because of the report from Jaabir who said: When my father was killed, I started to lift the cloth from his face whilst I was weeping, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not forbid me to do that. ‘Aa’ishah said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) kiss ‘Uthmaan ibn Maz‘oon after he died, and I even saw his tears flowing. And she said: Abu Bakr came to see the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when he was wrapped in a striped cloak [after he died]. He uncovered his face, then he leaned over him and kissed him, then he wept and said: May my father be sacrificed for you, O Prophet of Allah; Allah will not cause you to die twice. These hadiths are saheeh.
End quote from al-Mughni (2/350)
These hadiths indicate that it is mustahabb to cover the face of the deceased, and they also indicate that it is permissible to enter upon the deceased, uncover his face and kiss him, whether that is after he is shrouded or before. The hadiths of Abu Bakr and Jaabir speak of what happened after death and before shrouding; the hadith of ‘Uthmaan ibn Maz‘oon speaks of what happened after shrouding, as is clearly mentioned in al-Bukhaari (1243): When he died, and was washed and shrouded in his garments, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came in.
Conclusion:
The basic principle is that the face of the deceased is to be covered, but it is permissible to uncover it in order to kiss him or look at him. However there is no basis in Islamic teachings for regarding that as obligatory, and there is nothing to indicate that it is obligatory or even mustahabb.
If it is the people’s custom in your country for the family of the deceased to look at him before burying him, and if not doing that will make people think that they have failed to give him his right or it is seen as sign of disrespect, then you should not go against their wishes in that regard, because this comes under the heading of reconciling between people and removing mutual resentment and grudges, as well as paying attention to adopting a gentle approach and explaining the Sunnah to them gradually, and correcting the beliefs and traditions that they have.
And Allah knows best.
Source: Islam Q&A