No washing of bodies before burial, Muslim scholars rule

Muslim scholars have now proclaimed that bodies of faithful will be buried without performing traditional rite of washing in the wake of the contagious Covid-19.

They issued new guidelines on the funeral rite, known as Ghusl, which now makes it permissible to bury a body without washing it with water and shrouding it or performing the alternative ritual of Tayammum, where purified sand or dust is used instead.

In both cases, the rites are performed within hours of death unless circumstances do not allow.

Already, Muslims have ceased performance of congregational prayers in mosques to stem spread of the virus.

Muslim scholars and leaders said the new proclamation was in compliance with government directives on burials.

The guidelines on burials were issued by the Muslim Covid-19 Committee in Mombasa yesterday.

The committee, which was formed to guide Muslims on various issues, comprises religious scholars, elders (sheikhs), imams and Muslim medical practitioners.

Chairman for Muslim Covid 19 Committee Rishad Ramadhan said corpses will be put in body bags and taken for prayers before burial.

“We have been in consultation with the Ministry of Health and reached an agreement that due to the seriousness of the disease and how contagious it is, we cannot wash our dead, shroud or perform Tayammum where we apply soil or sand in the absence of water,” said Ramadhan.

He said washing of the dead poses a health risk to those performing the Ghusl or Tayammum.

“Our religion provides us with an avenue where certain rights and obligatory objectives cannot be performed when they pose imminent danger,” said Ramadhan.

The leaders said they have already begun training locals and youths on how they will handle and bury bodies of Covid-19 causalities.

Ramadhan said they require additional funds to buy Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for people who will be burying Covid-19 casualties.

He said it costs Sh37,000 to bury one body and that the amount was expensive for the poor.

“We are urging and seeking more funds to be able to buy PPE kits,” said Ramadhan.

Dr Jalal Ashraf, a member of the Kenya Association of Muslim Professionals in Mombasa, said the new directive is a big challenge for Muslims.

The doctor said they are currently focusing on training volunteers on how to handle the dead in the community following the Covid-19 threat.

Chief Khadi Sharif al Muhdhar urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to allocate extra funds to help Muslims buy PPEs to ensure the dead are buried without any hitch in case the numbers surge.

Sheikh Muhdhar also urged all Muslims to contribute towards the just cause and help the community to be prepared.

“We are appealing to all Muslims and Kenyans to contribute towards this worthy project,” said Muhdhar.

He said those willing can contribute through an account in Gulf Bank that will be managed by the Ministry of Health.

“The account number is 080057001 Gulf Bank and paybill is 985050,” said Muhdhar.

He said the PPEs are expensive and each body would be buried by four people who must be well protected.

Abdul Hamza, who is a member of the community, called on the well-to-do to help the less fortunate affected by coronavirus.