Is a separate obligatory ritual washing required for a menstruating woman or a person in a state of major ritual impurity (janabah) who dies?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Funerals
Primary text
The deceased woman in menstruation (hayd) and the deceased in major ritual impurity (janabah) are washed like any other deceased person. This is the established position held by scholars across the major cities, according to Ibn al-Mundhir. The single washing suffices because both individuals exit the realm of legal accountability (taklīf) and no obligatory acts of worship remain incumbent upon them. The washing of the deceased is an act of devotion (ta‘abbud) intended to ensure the deceased leaves this world in the most complete state of cleanliness. One washing accomplishes this goal. Furthermore, if two obligations requiring washing converge, a single washing is sufficient, just as when menstruation and janabah coincide in a living person.
Supporting text
Al-Hasan and Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab stated that every deceased person dies in a state of janabah. A view attributed to Al-Hasan also suggested that the deceased woman in menstruation should be washed for menstruation, and the deceased in janabah for the state of janabah, followed by the washing prescribed for the dead. However, the first position is preferred.