Why Hazrat Abu Bakr Instructed His Wife to Perform His Funeral Washing

Question

Hazrat Abu Bakr al-Siddiq ﵁ instructed his wife Asma bint Umays that after his death she (his wife) should perform the ritual washing (ghusl) of his body. What was the reason for this, given that his son Hazrat ‘Abd al-Rahman was alive, and the noble Companions ﵃ and the caliph were also present, as stated in the fifth volume of “Mazahir-i Haqq”?

Answer

What difficulty is there in this? It is obvious that the kind of bond that exists with one’s wife does not exist with anyone else — hence the washing that she can perform, others cannot. Moreover, he did not instruct only his wife; he also commanded his children to assist her (“Tarikh al-Khulafa,” p. 64).

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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