49 - Issue: He said: (And washing the deceased).

Our companions differed regarding the obligation of wudu' from washing the deceased. Most of them said it is obligatory, whether the washed person was small or large, male or female, Muslim or infidel. This is the opinion of Ishaq and al-Nakha'i, and it was narrated from Ibn 'Umar, Ibn 'Abbas, and Abu Hurayrah. It was narrated from Ibn 'Umar and Ibn 'Abbas that they used to command the one who washed a deceased person to perform wudu'. From Abu Hurayrah, he said: 'The least of what is in it is wudu'.' We know of no one among the Companions who disagreed with them. This is because, in most cases, it is inevitable for the one washing that his hand will come into contact with the private parts of the deceased; thus, the likelihood of this is treated as equivalent to the certainty of it, just as sleep was made equivalent to the occurrence of a hadath (ritual impurity).

Abu al-Hasan al-Tamimi said: There is no wudu' for it. This is the opinion of most jurists, and it is the correct one, if Allah wills, because obligation is determined by the Law (Shari'ah). No text has been reported regarding this, nor is it in the meaning of something that has a text, so it remains upon the original principle (asl). Furthermore, it is the washing of a human being, so it resembles washing a living person. As for what was narrated from Ahmad regarding this, it is to be interpreted as recommendation, not obligation; for his words imply the negation of obligation, as he abandoned acting upon the hadith narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): 'Whoever washes a deceased person, let him perform ghusl.' He reasoned that by stating the correct view is that it is mawquf (stopped) at Abu Hurayrah. If he did not make ghusl obligatory based on the statement of Abu Hurayrah, even with the possibility that it might be a statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), then not making wudu' obligatory based on his statement—with that possibility being absent—is even more appropriate and fitting.

50 - Issue: He said: (And the contact of a man's body with a woman's out of desire).

The famous position of the school of Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, is that touching women out of desire breaks wudu', but it does not break it if it is not out of desire. This is the opinion of 'Alqamah, Abu 'Ubaydah, al-Nakha'i, and al-Hakam,