A gentleman from Qadian, India, wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa that, “Before her demise, my mother had told me that, whenever she passed away, I should perform her ghusl [i.e. washing of the dead body]. However, since my mother died of Covid-19, the ghusl could not be performed. This has caused me great pain. Please, could you guide me as to whether I acted appropriately.”
Huzoor-e-Anwaraa, in his letter dated 19 September 2021, provided the following guidance in this regard:
“As a matter of fact, under normal circumstances, only a woman should wash a woman’s dead body and only a man should wash a man’s, except in the case of a husband and wife who are permitted to wash each other’s dead body. Thus, it was a very good thing that you did not wash your mother’s body.
“Anyway, as you wrote, she died due to Covid-19. So, even for medical reasons, you would not have been allowed to perform her ghusl. Thus, you need not worry about it at all. May Allah the Exalted have mercy on your mother. May He forgive her, raise her status, grant comely patience to all her family members and make them the inheritors of the legacy of her good deeds and prayers. Amin.”