The Amount of Water Needed for Ghusl (bath) of a Deceased Person

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ هَلْ لِلْمَاءِ حَدٌّ مَحْدُودٌ قَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص قَالَ لِعَلِيٍّ ص إِذَا أَنَا مِتُّ فَاسْتَقِ لِي سِتَّ قِرَبٍ مِنْ مَاءِ بِئْرِ غَرْسٍ‌[4] فَغَسِّلْنِي وَ كَفِّنِّي وَ حَنِّطْنِي فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ مِنْ غُسْلِي وَ كَفْنِي وَ تَحْنِيطِي فَخُذْ بِمَجَامِعِ كَفَنِي وَ أَجْلِسْنِي ثُمَّ سَلْنِي عَمَّا شِئْتَ فَوَ اللَّهِ لَا تَسْأَلُنِي عَنْ شَيْ‌ءٍ إِلَّا أَجَ

The Messenger of Allah said to Ali (a.s.), “When I die, bring six pails of water from Ghars well (name of a well) and give me Ghusl (bath) with it. Thereafter shroud me and apply hunut on me. When you complete hunut (applying camphor), then make me sit up, then ask me whatever you want, by Allah, of whatever you ask I

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص لِعَلِيٍّ ع‌ يَا عَلِيُّ إِذَا أَنَا مِتُّ فَغَسِّلْنِي بِسَبْعِ قِرَبٍ مِنْ بِئْرِ غَرْسٍ.

“O Ali, when I die give me Ghusl (bath) with seven pails of water from Ghars well.’””

كَتَبَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ إِلَى أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ ع‌ فِي الْمَاءِ الَّذِي‌ يُغَسَّلُ بِهِ الْمَيِّتُ كَمْ حَدُّهُ فَوَقَّعَ ع حَدُّ غُسْلِ الْمَيِّتِ يُغْسَلُ حَتَّى يَطْهُرَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ قَالَ وَ كَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ هَلْ يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُغَسَّلَ الْمَيِّتُ وَ مَاؤُهُ الَّذِي يُصَبُّ عَلَيْهِ يَدْخُلُ إِلَى بِئْرِ كَنِيفٍ أَوِ الرَّجُلُ يَتَوَضَّأُ وُضُوءَ الصَّلَاةِ أَنْ يُصَبَّ مَاءُ وُضُوئِهِ فِي كَنِيفٍ فَوَق

“I once wrote to abu Muhammad (a.s.), ‘How much water is needed for Ghusl (bath) of a deceased person?’ The answer came with the signature of the Imam, ‘The amount of water needed is to wash the dead body clean, by the will Allah.’ He (the narrator) has said that he wrote again to him (the Imam) asking, ‘Is it permissi

السُّنَّةُ فِي الْحَنُوطِ ثَلَاثَةَ عَشَرَ دِرْهَماً وَ ثُلُثٌ أَكْثَرُهُ وَ قَالَ إِنَّ جَبْرَئِيلَ ع نَزَلَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص بِحَنُوطٍ وَ كَانَ وَزْنُهُ أَرْبَعِينَ دِرْهَماً فَقَسَمَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص ثَلَاثَةَ أَجْزَاءٍ جُزْءٌ لَهُ وَ جُزْءٌ لِعَلِيٍّ وَ جُزْءٌ لِفَاطِمَةَ ع.

“The Sunnah about hunut (application of camphor) is thirteen dirham (in weight) and one third at most. He (the Imam) has said that Jibril came to the Messenger of Allah with hunut (camphor) that weighed forty dirhams. The Messenger of Allah divided it in three part: one for himself, one for Ali, and one for Fatimah, ‘A

أَقَلُّ مَا يُجْزِئُ مِنَ الْكَافُورِ لِلْمَيِّتِ مِثْقَالٌ. - وَ فِي رِوَايَةِ الْكَاهِلِيِّ وَ حُسَيْنِ بْنِ الْمُخْتَارِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ: الْقَصْدُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَرْبَعَةُ مَثَاقِيلَ‌

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘The minimum camphor for a deceased is one Mithqal (4.68 g).”’ In the narration of al-Kahiliy and Husayn ibn al-Mukhtar from abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), it is said that a balanced amount of camphor for this purpose is four Mithqal.