of his conduct. Ibn Aqil said: If the deceased is suspected regarding his religion and Sunnah, and is known for his heresy, then there is no harm in revealing the evil about him so that his way may be guarded against. Accordingly, one should conceal any signs of goodness seen upon him, lest the gullible be deceived by that and follow him in his heresy.

333- Issue: He said: (His joints shall be loosened if they are easy to loosen; otherwise, leave them).

The meaning of loosening his joints is that he returns his forearms to his upper arms, and his upper arms to his sides, then returns them, and returns his legs to his thighs, and his thighs to his abdomen, then returns them, so that this preserves their flexibility, making it easier for the washer to shroud him, stretch him out, remove his clothes, and wash him. Our companions said: This is recommended in two situations: immediately after his death before they stiffen due to the cold, and when he begins the washing. If that is difficult due to the deceased's stiffness or other reasons, he should leave it, for it is not safe that his limbs might break, which would lead to mutilation.

334- Issue: He said: (He shall wrap a cloth around his hand, then purify whatever impurity is upon him, and squeeze his abdomen gently).

The gist of this is that it is recommended that the deceased be washed on a bier, left upon it facing [the Qiblah], inclined toward his feet, so that the water flows out with what comes out of him and does not return toward his head. The washer begins by bending the deceased gently, not bringing him anywhere near a sitting position, because sitting is harmful to him. Then, he passes his hand over his abdomen, squeezing it gently to extract what