Fatwa ID: 06375

Answered by: Maulana Abdul Malik

Question:

 Is the wife non-mahram when she dies, for a husband? Can a husband touch his wife after she dies?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

The bond of nikkah becomes broken upon the death of the wife and her husband becomes a stranger (non mahram). Thus it is not allowed for her husband to directly touch her after her death. For this reason, according to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, the husband is not allowed to bathe his wife after her death.(Bada’i al Sana’i, pg 318, vol 2)[1]

References:

[1] بخلاف ما إذا ماتت المرأة حيث لا يغسلها الزوج؛ لأن هناك انتهى ملك النكاح لانعدام المحل، فصار الزوج أجنبيا فلا يحل له غسلها

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Maulana Abdul Malik

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham