Guslul Janāzah

Guslul Janāzah (Ritual bath for the deceased) is the Islamic ritual washing and purification of a deceased Muslim's body before burial.

Same Gender: The person performing the gusl should be the same gender as the deceased, with males washing males and females washing females.
Spouses: It is permissible for a husband to wash his wife or a wife to wash her husband after death.
Primary Choice: The deceased's family and close relatives are considerred first, especially those who are knowledgeable in the Islamic way of washing the deceased.
Secondary Choice: If no family members are available or capable, a trustworthy and pious person from the community should be asked to perform the gusl.
Children: For a child under the age of seven years, both male and female can perform the gusl.

Adult & Capable: The person should be an adult Muslim who is able to perform the task.
Knowledgeable: They must know the proper way to perform the gusl according to Islamic rites.
Al Wuḍūʾ (Ablution): It is recommended that they should be in a state of Wuḍūʾ (ablution) and be trustworthy.

Once the gusl is done, the body is wrapped in a simple white shroud, the next step is to prepare for Ṣalātul Janāzah (Ritual prayer for the deceased) which must be done before the burial.

Learn more about other Islamic ethics

These are basic steps on how to perform guslul janāzah

Intention(An Niyyah): Make the intention of performing gusl janāzah.
Wash Hands: Wash the hands up from finger to the wrist.
Wash Private Parts: Wash and clean the private part using glove on your hand without direct touch.
Perform Wuḍūʾ: Perform the ritual ablution (Al Wuḍūʾ) 1x.
Water Over Body: Make sure water circulate to all part of the body by:
- Washing the head 3x
- Washing the right side of the body 3x
- Washing the left side of the body 3x
- Washing the front side of the body 3x
- Washing the back side of the body 3x
Rub Body: Rub the body and ensure water reaches all parts of the body.
Al Wuḍūʾ (Ablution): Complete the Gusl with ablution (Al Wuḍūʾ).