By Allah, we did not know whether we should take off the clothes of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as we took off the clothes of our dead, or wash him while his clothes were on him. When they (the people) differed among themselves, Allah cast slumber over them until every one of them had put his chin on his chest. Then a speaker spoke from a side of the house, and they did not know who he was: Wash the Prophet ﷺ while his clothes are on him. So they stood round the Prophet ﷺ and washed him while he had his shirt on him. They poured water on his shirt, and rubbed him with his shirt and not with their hands. Aisha used to say: If I had known beforehand about my affair what I found out later, none would have washed him except his wives.  

سَمِعْتُ عَائِشَةَ تَقُولُ لَمَّا أَرَادُوا غَسْلَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالُوا وَاللَّهِ مَا نَدْرِي أَنُجَرِّدُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ ثِيَابِهِ كَمَا نُجَرِّدُ مَوْتَانَا أَمْ نُغَسِّلُهُ وَعَلَيْهِ ثِيَابُهُ فَلَمَّا اخْتَلَفُوا أَلْقَى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمُ النَّوْمَ حَتَّى مَا مِنْهُمْ رَجُلٌ إِلاَّ وَذَقْنُهُ فِي صَدْرِهِ ثُمَّ كَلَّمَهُمْ مُكَلِّمٌ مِنْ نَاحِيَةِ الْبَيْتِ لاَ يَدْرُونَ مَنْ هُوَ أَنِ اغْسِلُوا النَّبِيَّ ﷺ وَعَلَيْهِ ثِيَابُهُ فَقَامُوا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَغَسَلُوهُ وَعَلَيْهِ قَمِيصُهُ يَصُبُّونَ الْمَاءَ فَوْقَ الْقَمِيصِ وَيُدَلِّكُونَهُ بِالْقَمِيصِ دُونَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَكَانَتْ عَائِشَةُ تَقُولُ لَوِ اسْتَقْبَلْتُ مِنْ أَمْرِي مَا اسْتَدْبَرْتُ مَا غَسَّلَهُ إِلاَّ نِسَاؤُهُ  

[Machine] "We wanted to wash the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , but the people had a disagreement regarding it. Some of them said, 'We should strip the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as we strip our dead or wash him while his clothes are on.' So Allah revealed the Sunnah upon them until every single one of them had fallen asleep with his chin on his chest. Then someone from the direction of the Ka'bah said, 'Don't you know that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is to be washed with his clothes on?' So they washed him while his shirt was on, pouring water over it and rubbing it gently over him. Aisha said, 'By Allah, if I did not know that it was from the order of Allah, I would not have washed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ except for his garments.'"  

أَرَدْنَا غُسْلَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَاخْتَلَفَ الْقَوْمُ فِيهِ فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَنُجَرِّدُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَمَا نُجَرِّدُ مَوْتَانَا أَوْ نُغَسِّلُهُ وَعَلَيْهِ ثِيَابُهُ فَأَلْقَى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهُمُ السُّنَّةَ حَتَّى مَا مِنْهُمْ رَجُلٌ إِلَّا نَائِمٌ ذَقْنُهُ عَلَى صَدْرِهِ فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ مِنْ نَاحِيَةِ الْبَيْتِ أَمَا تَدْرُونَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يُغَسَّلُ وَعَلَيْهِ ثِيَابُهُ؟ فَغَسَّلُوهُ وَعَلَيْهِ قَمِيصُهُ يَصُبُّونَ الْمَاءَ عَلَيْهِ وَيُدَلِّكُونَهُ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ «وَايْمُ اللَّهِ لَوِ اسْتَقْبَلْتُ مِنْ أَمْرِي مَا اسْتَدْبَرْتُ مَا غَسَّلَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِلَّا نِسَاؤُهُ»  

[Machine] When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away, his companions looked at him and expressed their doubts about his bathing. They said, "Shall we wash the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as we wash our dead or what should we do?" So Allah sent down a revelation, and none of them lifted their heads except to hear a caller from the house who would call, and they did not know who it was. The caller said, "Wash the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and dress him with his clothes." Aisha said, "If I had known that this is what the revelation required, I would not have hesitated to wash him, except that women have this duty."  

لَمَّا تُوُفِّيَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَحْدَقَ بِهِ أَصْحَابُهُ وَشَكُّوا فِي غُسْلِهِ وَقَالُوا نُجَرِّدُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَمَا نُجَرِّدُ مَوْتَانَا أَمْ كَيْفَ نَصْنَعُ؟ فَأَرْسَلَ اللَّهُ جَلَّ وَعَلَا عَلَيْهِمْ سِنَةً فَمَا مِنْهُمْ رَجُلٌ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ فَإِذَا مُنَادٍ يُنَادِي مِنَ الْبَيْتِ لَا يَدْرُونَ مَنْ هُوَ أَنِ اغْسِلُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَعَلَيْهِ ثِيَابَهُ قَالَتْ فَغَسَّلُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَعَلَيْهِ قَمِيصُهُ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ لَوِ اسْتَقْبَلْتُ مِنْ أَمْرِي مَا اسْتَدْبَرْتُ مَا غَسَّلَهُ غَيْرُ نِسَائِهِ  

[Machine] When they gathered to wash the Messenger of Allah (may ﷺ ), they disagreed among themselves. They said, "By Allah, we do not know if we should undress the Messenger of Allah (may ﷺ ) as we undress our dead or wash him while he is wearing his clothes." Allah then sent sleep upon them until all of them tasted it, and then a caller from a side of the house called out, "Do they not know what to do with washing the Messenger of Allah (may ﷺ ) and his clothes?" So they rushed towards him like a single man and washed the Messenger of Allah (may ﷺ ) and his clothes, pouring water on him and massaging him from behind the clothes. And the one who assisted him in his chamber was Ali bin Abi Talib, who supported him against his chest. She (the narrator) said, "I did not see anything from the Messenger of Allah (may ﷺ ) that was seen from the dead."  

لَمَّا اجْتَمَعُوا لِغُسْلِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ اخْتَلَفُوا بَيْنَهُمْ فَقَالُوا وَاللَّهِ مَا نَدْرِي أَنُجَرِّدُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَمَا نُجَرِّدُ مَوْتَانَا أَوْ نُغَسِّلُهُ وَعَلَيْهِ ثِيَابُهُ؟ قَالَتْ فَأَرْسَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمُ النَّوْمَ حَتَّى إِنَّ مِنْهُمْ مِنْ رَجُلٍ إِلَّا ذَقْنُهُ فِي صَدْرِهِ ثُمَّ نَادَى مُنَادٍ مِنْ جَانِبِ الْبَيْتِ مَا يَدْرُونَ مَا هُوَ أَنِ اغْسِلُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَعَلَيْهِ قَمِيصُهُ قَالَ فَوَثَبُوا إِلَيْهِ وَثْبَةَ رَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ فَغَسَّلُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَعَلَيْهِ قَمِيصُهُ يَصُبُّونَ عَلَيْهِ الْمَاءَ وَيُدَلِّكُونَهُ مِنْ وَرَاءِ الْقَمِيصِ وَكَانَ الَّذِي أَجْلَسَهُ فِي حِجْرِهِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ أَسْنَدَهُ إِلَى صَدْرِهِ قَالَتْ «فَمَا رُئِيَ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ شَيْءٌ مِمَّا يُرَى مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ»