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Assisting a bed-ridden person to make istinja and ghusal

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Muftionline.co.za

Q: If a person is bed-ridden, how should those attending to him clean him after he relieves himself or at the time of Ghusal? Is it permissible for them to look at or touch his private parts while cleaning him? Also explain the ruling with regard to a woman who is bed-ridden.

Bismillaah

A: If a man is bed-ridden and unable to clean himself at the time of Istinja or Ghusal, then if he has a wife who is able to clean him, she should do so. Similarly, if a woman is bed-ridden and she is unable to clean herself, then if she has a husband who is able to clean her, then he should do so. It will be permissible for the husband and wife to look at the private parts of one another and touch them while cleaning. If any other person is assisting besides the spouse, they should refrain from looking at or touching the private areas of the person while cleaning. They may use a glove or cloth to clean the bed-ridden person. However, it should be borne in mind that if the person bed-ridden is a male then he should be assisted by male attendants, and if the person bed-ridden is a female then she should be assisted by female attendants.

And Allah Ta’ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

الرجل المريض إذا لم يكن له امرأة ولا أمة وله ابن أو أخ وهو لا يقدر على الوضوء فإنه يوضئه ابنه أو أخوه غير الاستنجاء فإنه لا يمس فرجه وسقط عنه الاستنجاء كذا في المحيط المرأة المريضة إذا لم يكن لها زوج وعجزت عن الوضوء ولها ابنة أو أخت توضئها ويسقط عنها الاستنجاء كذا في فتاوى قاضي خان (الفتاوى الهندية 1/50)

(فتاوى محمودية 8/95)

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)

This answer was collected from MuftiOnline.co.za, where the questions have been answered by Mufti Zakaria Makada (Hafizahullah), who is currently a senior lecturer in the science of Hadith and Fiqh at Madrasah Ta’leemuddeen, Isipingo Beach, South Africa.

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