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His shrouding must be provided from his estate before any debt or other claim. If he has no estate, then it is upon the one responsible for his maintenance ...

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The author’s statement, “His shrouding must be provided”: the shroud is that with which the deceased is wrapped, whether garments or otherwise.

Shrouding the deceased is obligatory. The evidence is as follows:

1. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said regarding the man whose mount broke his neck: “Shroud him in his two garments.” (1) The basic principle concerning a command is that it denotes obligation.

2. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, gave the women who washed his daughter his waist-wrapper—that is, his lower garment—and said: “Make it the garment next to her body.” (2) That is, make it her inner garment, the one directly touching her body.

The author’s statement, “His shrouding must be provided”: the obligation here is a communal obligation. The difference between a communal obligation and an individual obligation is that a communal obligation is concerned with the act being carried out, regardless of who performs it. An individual obligation, however, is required of the particular person; thus, both the act and the one performing it are considered.

An individual obligation is more virtuous than a communal obligation because it is more emphatic, as evidenced by the fact that Allah has commanded it of all people.

The author’s statement, “from his estate,” means from the property of the deceased.

The evidence that it is obligatory from his estate is the Prophet’s statement, peace and blessings be upon him: “Shroud him in his two garments.” (3) He attributed the two garments to the deceased.

However, if there is an agency responsible for and committed to this, then there is no—