Chapter on the Shroud

A man is to be wrapped in three pieces of cloth. If those three do not include a qamīs (tunic), that is preferable, and the same applies if they do not include a turban. Should he nevertheless be shrouded in a tunic and a turban, there is no harm. A woman is wrapped in five pieces. It is recommended that the number of pieces be odd, yet if only one cloth is used it still fulfils the obligation.

More of the shroud should be gathered at the head of the deceased than at the feet. Of all colours, white is the one we prefer. No one is to be shrouded in khazz (silk brocade), wushī (embroidered cloth), or pure silk, unless nothing else is available. The absolute minimum, when nothing better can be found, is a cloth that conceals the area between the navel and the knees.

There is no objection to adding musk and camphor to the perfume mixture (ḥanūṭ). The shroud itself may be lightly fumigated with incense, but the funeral procession must not be accompanied by a censer or any other fire. The cost of the shroud and all the deceased’s funeral expenses are to be taken from