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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Logic For Islamic Rules What Is the Philosophy of Bathing the Dead Body and Bath For Touching the Dead Body? Question: What is the philosophy behind bathing the dead body and the bath for one who has touched the dead body? What is the reason that when a person dies he should be given a bath in a special way and before being bathed if a person touches the dead body he also has to take a ritual bath (Bath)?

Answer: As we have told many times the logics behind some laws are not clear to us, but due to the passage of time and due to intellectual advance of humankind and progress of knowledge some logics are cleared to us and it is possible that in future as knowledge increases the Islamic laws will become clearer to us.

As for the point raised in this question: We can say that the necessity of ritual bath to the dead body, one of its reasons could be that as all communities respect the living people the same respect is accorded to their dead. Although Islam has removed all superstitions about the dead from the past people and Ummah, it accords respect to the dead by bathing, shrouding and burial. In this way bathing the dead body is a kind of respect.

In other words Islam gives importance to the extraordinary value of a person and it has doubled the value of the person due to its different resources and sayings, and this status remains for a person after his death also and according to Islam no one can insult the dead body of a Muslim, so much so that no one should even insult the grave of a Muslim. To give bath, shrouding and burying a dead body is the sign of a respect for him, such a respect in which there is no superstition.

According to Islamic point of view, death is not the complete end of the life of a person but it is a new world, new life, and it is one of the doors to reach the merciful Allahs. That is why He orders to clean the dead body and make him wear a simple and clean cloth and bury him under the earth, so that this action becomes the sign of the eternity of the real life and a sign of continuity. This is the philosophy of the ritual bath ( Ghusl al-Mayyit ).

Now the bath of a person who touches the dead body: Before we give its real answer, it is necessary to mention some points: When a person dies, there is sadness and depression in the near and dear ones and they cannot see their relations cut off from them suddenly.