451 – ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Prophet ﷺ say, ‘Do not be extravagant in the shroud, for it is stripped away quickly.’ ” Reported by Abū Dāwūd (1).
Grade of the ḥadīth:
Its chain is weak. Al-Talḵīṣ states: Abū Dāwūd transmitted it, but in the chain is ʿAmr ibn Hāshim al-Janabī, over whom there is disagreement, and there is a gap between al-Shaʿbī and ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, for al-Dāraqutnī said that al-Shaʿbī heard only one report from ʿAlī. Nevertheless, al-Munḏirī and al-Nawawī considered the ḥadīth sound.
In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (143) Jābir narrates: “When any of you shrouds his brother, let him make his shroud good.”
Vocabulary:
• “Do not be extravagant” (lā tughālū): from taghālī/mughālāh, meaning excessiveness or driving up the price.
• “Is stripped away” (yuslab): a passive form, alluding to the shroud’s rapid decay and disintegration.
Points derived from the ḥadīth:
- It is recommended that the shroud consist of ordinary white cotton cloth, and that the deceased—whatever his rank—not be wrapped in luxurious, costly garments. Nor should the statutory number of shroud pieces be exceeded; for every category of deceased there is a known allotment.
- The shroud wears out and is consumed by the earth swiftly; hence there is no sense in extravagance or in selecting well-known, high-end fabrics. Such conduct amounts to wastefulness and ostentation, both prohibited—especially at this juncture where rich and poor, noble and humble stand equal. It is the first station of the Hereafter and a manifestation of its justice. Allah alone is the One whose help is sought.