Many Muslim communities loosen the knots of the shroud at burial (rooted in narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt) but it’s a recommended custom rather than an absolute duty; here’s why people do it.
Untying the shroud’s knot at burial is one of the Islamic funeral etiquettes rooted in narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). This article examines the reasons and the philosophy behind the practice.
The burial of the dead is among the most important and ancient human rites and is observed in different forms across cultures and religions. Funeral rites include specific practices, and one of the notable customs in many Muslim communities is untying the shroud’s knots at the grave.
This practice is observed in many Islamic societies and raises questions about its meaning. Is it a divine prescription? What are the reasons offered for performing it? Below we examine these questions from both religious and practical perspectives.
A shroud (kafan) is the cloth used to wrap the deceased; its purpose is to show respect for the person and to preserve their dignity. In many faiths the shroud symbolizes purity and detachment from worldly possessions. In Islam the shroud is typically a plain white cloth, reflecting simplicity and humility before God.
In Islam, burial is an obligation and believers must perform it with respect and according to established rites. These rites normally include washing (ghusl), shrouding (kafan), and burial (dafn). Within this sequence, untying the shroud’s knots at the grave is considered an important step by many scholars and communities.
The jurists state that it is recommended (mustahabb) that after placing the deceased into the grave (lahd), the knots of the shroud be opened and the face of the deceased be laid toward the earth. This practice is attributed to narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). For example:
Imam Abu Hamza Thumali relates that he asked Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him): “Should the shroud be opened in the grave?” The Imam replied: “Yes, open the shroud so that the face of the deceased is revealed.”
Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) also said: “When you place the deceased into the grave and its lahd, loosen the knot of his shroud.”
There are other similar narrations in the hadith literature conveying the same instruction. None of these reports, however, explain the reason or the underlying philosophy of the act. Given that the practice is described as recommended, performing it is considered following the tradition and carries spiritual merit; omitting it, however, does not bring punishment on the deceased.
The narrations cited attribute the practice to the Imams and present it as a recommended burial etiquette. They do not present it as an explicit commandment from God in the way Qur’anic obligations are phrased. Therefore, while it is a pious and meritorious custom rooted in the prophetic and Ahl al-Bayt tradition, leaving it undone is not described in the sources as incurring divine sanction or punishment for the deceased.
Untying the shroud’s knots at burial is an established funerary custom in many Muslim communities, supported by narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt. It is treated as a recommended practice that expresses respect and follows tradition; it is not presented as an explicitly binding divine command whose omission would incur punishment. Those wishing to observe the sunnah of the Imams may perform it, while those who do not do so should not fear a punitive consequence for the deceased.
