not its people. Makhul said regarding a woman who died during a journey, with a mahram relative and some Christian women accompanying her: Let the women wash her. Sufyan said regarding a man who died among women, with no man present with them: If they find a Christian or a Magian, there is no harm, after he performs wudu, for him to wash him, and then the women perform the funeral prayer over him. A Christian woman washed the wife of Alqamah, but Abu Abdullah (Ahmad ibn Hanbal) did not find this pleasing. He said: Only a Muslim may wash him, and he should be tayammum-cleansed (dry ablution); because the disbeliever is impure, so his washing cannot purify the Muslim. And because he is not among the people of worship, his washing of a Muslim is not valid, like the washing performed by one who is insane. If a disbeliever dies among Muslims, they do not wash him, whether he is a relative of theirs or not, nor do they take charge of his burial, unless they find no one else to bury him. This is the opinion of Malik. Abu Hafs al-'Ukbari said: It is permissible for him to wash his disbelieving relative and bury him, and he cited this as a view attributed to Ahmad, which is also the madhhab of al-Shafi'i, due to what is narrated from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: I said to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: Your uncle, the old misguided man, has died. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "Go and bury him." Our argument is that since he does not pray over him and does not invoke Allah for him, he should not wash him or take charge of his affairs, just like a stranger. If the hadith is authentic, it refers to his burying him [in the case where one fears being shamed or harmed by his remaining]. Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, said regarding a Jew or a Christian who dies and has a Muslim son: He should ride an animal and walk in front of the funeral procession, and when he wishes to bury him, he should return; this is according to the statement of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him.
(15) In A and M: "from among them". (16) Narrated by Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on A Man Whose Relative Is a Polytheist, from the Book of Funerals. Sunan Abi Dawud 2/191; and al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on Washing After Burying a Polytheist, from the Book of Purification, and in: The Chapter on Burying a Polytheist, from the Book of Funerals. Al-Mujtaba 1/92, 4/65. And Imam Ahmad, in: al-Musnad 1/97, 103, 130, 131. (17) In A and M: "his burying him, and he has that right". (18) From Abu Wa'il, who said: My mother died while she was a Christian, so I went to Umar and mentioned that to him. He said: Ride an animal and walk in front of her. Narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah, in: The Chapter on a Man Whose Polytheist Relative Dies and He Is Present or Not, from the Book of Funerals. Al-Musannaf 3/348.
