The ruling on leaving the Face of the Deceased uncovered a number of days without any necessity

Question :

What is the ruling on leaving the deceased's face uncovered for a period of a day or two or three or more without any necessity and without burial so that people from far and near may see him? What is the ruling on looking at this deceased person daily, whether it is a man or a woman, and is there any contradiction to the teachings of Islam in the person's face remaining uncovered?

Answer:

Firstly, from the Sunnah is that when the person dies, his entire body is covered, including his face and everything else. This is due to what is confirmed from 'A'ishah that when the Messenger of Allâh died, he was wrapped in a striped garment. Ahmad, Al-Bukhari and Muslim all recorded this. Wrapping here means complete covering. This is a matter that was well known among the Companions and it is an extension of what was being practiced in the time of the Prophet. An- Nawawi said in the explanation of Sahih Muslim: "Verily, the wrapping of the deceased is something agreed upon and the wisdom behind that is to protect the deceased from becoming exposed, and to conceal his changing form from the eyes (sights). The wrapping is (done) after the removal of his garments in which he died. This is so that his body does not change because of it." From this it becomes clear that what was mentioned in the question of leaving the deceased's face uncovered for a day or a number of days so that people may view it and look at it is opposed to the Sunnah of Islam and the consensus of the Muslims. However, if the family would like to uncover the face and see the deceased without delaying his funeral preparations and burial, there is no harm in that. This is due to what is confirmed from Jabir bin 'Abdullah that he said: "When my father was killed, I removed the garment from his face and began crying. Yet, the Prophet did not forbid me." 'A'ishah said: "I saw the Messenger of Allâh kiss 'Uthman bin Maz'un when he died, until I saw the (Prophet's) tears flowing." She also said: "Abu Bakr came and performed dry ablution upon the Prophet (when he had passed away). He (the Prophet) was wrapped in a striped garment, so he (Abu Bakr) uncovered his face, fell down over him and kissed him. Then he cried and said: 'O Prophet of Allâh, may my father be a ransom for you. Allâh will not cause you to suffer two deaths."

Secondly, it is also from the Sunnah to make haste in preparing the deceased for burial once it is confirmed that he is dead. This is because it is better to keep him from changing and the souls becoming averse to him. Abu Dawud recorded that the Prophet said:

"Verily, I see that Talhah bin Al-Bara' has died, so let me know about him (ie., when he has been prepared for funeral proceedings) and hurry up. For verily, it is not befitting for the corpse of a Muslim to be kept among his family."

DAt-Tabarani recorded with a good chain of narration from Ibn 'Umar that the Messenger of Allâh said:
"When one of you dies, do not keep him (unburied) and make haste in taking him to his grave."

It has been confirmed from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet said:
"Make haste with the body of the deceased. For if he was righteous, then it is good that you are taking him to, and if he was other than that, then it is an evil that you are removing from your necks."

This was recorded by Ahmad, Al-Bukhari, Muslim and the Sunan compilers. This also contains an exhortation to make haste in preparing the deceased in order to hurry him on to the good or to be relieved of him. It is permissible to wait with him until people can gather to pray the funeral prayer over him, carry him to his grave and supplicate for forgiveness and mercy for him, as long as this does not take long. From this it is known that what was mentioned in the question of delaying the deceased a day or a number of days without necessity is opposed to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allâh. Therefore, these people who are delaying the funeral preparations and burial of the deceased, and uncovering his face so that people may view him and see him, must be advised and directed to the Prophet's guidance concerning deceased Muslims. Perhaps Allâh will guide them to the correct path.