Question 1055: What is the amount of water, and how much sidr and camphor should be used for the ritual washing (ghusl) of the deceased?

Answer
✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:
1 عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ غُسْلِ الْمَيِّتِ كَيْفَ يُغَسَّلُ قَالَ بِمَاءٍ وَ سِدْرٍ وَ اغْسِلْ جَسَدَهُ كُلَّهُ وَ اغْسِلْهُ أُخْرَى بِمَاءٍ وَ كَافُورٍ ثُمَّ اغْسِلْهُ أُخْرَى بِمَاءٍ قُلْتُ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ قَالَ نَعَمْ
📚Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 1, p. 446
Sulayman said: 'I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the ghusl of the deceased, how is it performed?' He said: 'Wash their entire body with water and sidr, and wash them another time with water and camphor, and then give them another ghusl with (pure) water.' I said: 'Three times?' He said: 'Yes!'
2 عَنِ الْحَلَبِيِّ قَالَ: قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّه يُغَسَّلُ الْمَيِّتُ ثَلَاثَ غَسَلَاتٍ مَرَّةً بِالسِّدْرِ وَ مَرَّةً بِالْمَاءِ يُطْرَحُ فِيهِ الْكَافُورُ وَ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى بِالْمَاءِ الْقَرَاحِ ثُمَّ يُكَفَّنُ الْحَدِيثَ.
📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 140
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'The deceased is given three ghusls: once with sidr, once with water in which camphor is mixed, and once more with pure water, then they are shrouded...'
3 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ الصَّفَّارِ أَنَّهُ كَتَبَ إِلَى أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ كَمْ حَدُّ الْمَاءِ الَّذِي يُغَسَّلُ بِهِ الْمَيِّتُ كَمَا رَوَوْا أَنَّ الْجُنُبَ يُغَسَّلُ بِسِتَّةِ أَرْطَالٍ مِنْ مَاءٍ وَ الْحَائِضَ بِتِسْعَةٍ فَهَلْ لِلْمَيِّتِ حَدٌّ مِنَ الْمَاءِ الَّذِي يُغَسَّلُ بِهِ فَوَقَّعَ حَدُّ غُسْلِ الْمَيِّتِ أَنْ يُغْسَلُ حَتَّى يَطْهُرَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى.
📚Al-Faqih, Vol. 1, p. 141
قَالَ الصَّدُوقُ وَ هَذَا التَّوْقِيعُ فِي جُمْلَةِ تَوْقِيعَاتِهِ عِنْدِي بِخَطِّهِ فِي صَحِيفَةٍ
Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Saffar wrote to Imam Askari (peace be upon him): 'What is the limit of the water with which the deceased is washed? Just as they have narrated that a person in a state of major ritual impurity (junub) washes with 6 ritls and a menstruating woman with 9 ritls of water, is there also a specific limit of water for the deceased with which they should be washed?'
The Imam wrote in reply: 'The limit of the ghusl of the deceased is that they are washed until they are purified, God Almighty willing.'
Shaykh Saduq said: 'This letter from Saffar is present among his letters with his own handwriting in a scroll with me!'
4 عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ في حديث في غسل الميت عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ:... وَ أَطْرَحَ فِيهِ سَبْعَ وَرَقَاتِ سِدْرٍ.
📚Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 1, p. 303
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) in a hadith commanded Mu'awiyah ibn Ammar to add an amount of seven leaves of sidr for the ghusl of the deceased!
5 عَنْ مُغِيرَةَ مُؤَذِّنِ بَنِي عَدِيٍّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ : غَسَّلَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِب رَسُولَ اللَّه بَدَأَهُ بِالسِّدْرِ وَ الثَّانِيَةُ ثَلَاثَةُ مَثَاقِيلَ مِنْ كَافُورٍ
📚Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 1, p. 450
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) washed the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and he began with sidr, and for the second ghusl, he used three mithqals of camphor....'
6 عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْهُمْ قَالَ: إِذَا أَرَدْتَ غُسْلَ الْمَيِّتِ فَضَعْهُ عَلَى الْمُغْتَسَلِ مُسْتَقْبِلَ الْقِبْلَةِ.... ثُمَّ صُبَّ الْمَاءَ فِي الْآنِيَةِ وَ أَلْقِ فِيهِ حَبَّاتِ كَافُورٍ
📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 141
Yunus narrated from the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) that they said: 'When you want to wash the deceased, place them facing the qibla on the place of washing... up to where he said: 'Then pour water into a container and put a few grains of camphor in it...'.'
✅For the water used for the ghusl of the deceased, no specific limit has been set, and its limit is that they should be washed until they are purified, and the amount of water is used as needed, based on the number and order of the ghusls.
Regarding the amount of sidr and camphor, no specific amount has been determined in most of the narrations, and it has been generally commanded that the deceased should be washed with water and sidr and with water and camphor. In one narration, an amount of seven leaves was specified for sidr, and for camphor, an amount of a few grains or three mithqals was specified.