✅ Answer: According to the narrations, the obligatory shroud consists of three pieces, as explained in question 219. One of these pieces is the shirt, which can be in one of three ways:

1 To use a shirt in which the person performed prayer and fasting for the shroud:

✅1 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَر قَالَ: إِذَا أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تُكَفِّنَهُ فَإِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي كَفَنِهِ ثَوْبٌ كَانَ يُصَلِّي فِيهِ نَظِيفٌ فَافْعَلْ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ يُسْتَحَبُّ أَنْ يُكَفَّنَ فِيمَا كَانَ يُصَلِّي فِيهِ.

📚 Al-Tahdhib Vol. 1, p. 292

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: When you want to shroud the deceased, if you can shroud him in clean clothes in which he used to pray, do so, for it is desirable that he be shrouded in what he used to pray in.

2 مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سَهْلٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ أَبَا الْحَسَن عَنِ الثِّيَابِ الَّتِي يُصَلِّي فِيهَا الرَّجُلُ وَ يَصُومُ أَ يُكَفَّنُ فِيهَا قَالَ أُحِبُّ ذَلِكَ الْكَفَنَ يَعْنِي قَمِيصاً.

📚 Tahdhib Vol. 1, p. 292

Sahl asked Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): Are the clothes in which a person prays and fasts used for shrouding? The Imam said: I like such a shroud, meaning as a shirt.

3 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ بَزِيعٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ أَنْ يَبْعَثْ إِلَيَّ بِقَمِيصٍ مِنْ قُمُصِهِ أُعِدُّهُ لِكَفَنِي فَبَعَثَ إِلَيَّ بِهِ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ كَيْفَ أَصْنَعُ بِهِ قَالَ انْزِعْ أَزْرَارَهُ.

📚 Rijal al-Kashshi Vol. 2, p. 514

Muhammad said: I asked Abu Ja'far (peace be upon him) to send me one of his shirts so that I could prepare it for my shroud. The Imam (peace be upon him) sent it to me. I said to the Imam: What should I do with it? He said: Take off its buttons.

✅ It is clear that a shirt in which a person prayed and fasted is used for the shroud after its buttons are removed.

✅ 2 The second way is to use a simple piece of cloth instead of a shirt:

4 وَ سُئِلَ مُوسَى بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَمُوتُ أَ يُكَفَّنُ فِي ثَلَاثَةِ أَثْوَابٍ بِغَيْرِ قَمِيصٍ قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ وَ الْقَمِيصُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ

📚 Al-Faqih Vol. 1, p. 153

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) was asked about a person who dies, if he is shrouded in three pieces of cloth without a shirt? He said: There is no problem, but a shirt is more beloved to me.

✅ 3 The third method is to make a shirt for him at the time of shrouding:

5 عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: قُلْتُ الرَّجُلُ يَكُونُ لَهُ الْقَمِيصُ أَ يُكَفَّنُ فِيهِ فَقَالَ اقْطَعْ أَزْرَارَهُ قُلْتُ وَ كُمَّهُ قَالَ لَا إِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ إِذَا قَطَعَ لَهُ وَ هُوَ جَدِيدٌ لَمْ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ كُمّاً فَأَمَّا إِذَا كَانَ ثَوْباً لَبِيساً فَلَا يَقْطَعْ مِنْهُ إِلَّا الْأَزْرَارَ

📚 Tahdhib Vol. 1, p. 305

A person said: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): A person has a shirt, should he be shrouded in it? He said: Cut off its buttons. I said: Should I also cut off its sleeves? He said: No, this is if a new shirt is cut for him, for which no sleeves are placed, but if it is a worn garment, only its buttons are cut off.

6 مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ قَالَ: قَالَ الصَّادِقُ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَكُونَ الْقَمِيصُ لِلْمَيِّتِ غَيْرَ مَكْفُوفٍ وَ لَا مَزْرُورٍ

📚 Al-Faqih Vol. 1, p. 147

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: It is fitting that the deceased's shirt not be sewn again and not have buttons.

✅ A shirt that is made for the deceased at the time of shrouding does not have sleeves and is not re-sewn, and is only made into the shape of a shirt, meaning a piece of cloth about 3 meters long is split in the middle to be put over the head, and one side of it is placed in front of the deceased and the other side is placed in the back of the deceased, and according to the narration 📚 Al-Kafi Vol. 3, p. 143, the shirt as a shroud is laid out close to the body of the deceased on top of the izar and the all-encompassing sheet in such a way that the deceased is placed on one edge of it and then the other edge of the shirt is folded over the deceased and the split part is put over his head.

✅ All three of the above methods for the shroud shirt are valid, but in narration 4️⃣ we read that the Imam said that a shirt is more beloved to me.

✅ It is necessary to mention that the long Arab shirt reaches above the ankles.

✅ Also refer to question 219 of the channel:

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