[928] عن أَبي رافع أسلم مولى رسول الله : أنَّ رسول الله قَالَ : « مَنْ غَسَّلَ مَيتاً فَكَتَمَ عَلَيْهِ ، غَفَرَ اللهُ لَهُ أربَعِينَ مَرَّة » . رواه الحاكم ، وقال : صحيح عَلَى شرط مسلم . قوله : « فكتم عليه » ، أي : ما رأى منه من تغير لون ، أو تشويه صورة ، أو نحو ذلك . ولأحمد من حديث عائشة مرفوعًا : « من غسل ميتًا فأدى فيه الأمانة ولم يفش عليه ما يكون منه عند ذلك ، خرج من ذنوبه كيوم ولدته أمه » .
928. Abu Rafi' Aslam (May Allah be pleased with him), the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "He who washes a dead body and conceals what he notices of physical defects, he will be forgiven forty times."
[Al-Hakim].
Commentary: If during washing a man's dead body, the washer has noticed some physical defect or some sort of deformation in it, he should avoid disclosing it to others so that a bad name may not come to the departed soul. Yet, the deformity in his body may have come as a Divine vengeance for the sinful and heretic life led by him in this world. In this case, there will be room for such a disclosure. Because on being dreaded and warned of a horrible end, people will come to adopt a clean and pure life in accordance with the religious principles.
