Is it permissible to sew the shroud with a sewing machine if its width is insufficient?
The Sunnah is to shroud the deceased in three white garments, wrapped in layers, just as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was shrouded. If shrouded otherwise, there is no harm. The minimum obligatory shroud is a single garment that covers the entire body. A woman is shrouded in five pieces: an izar (waist wrapper), a qamis (shirt), a khimar (head covering), and two wrappers. The obligation for the shroud is to cover the entire body. If it is covered with any garment, the obligation is fulfilled, and no specific item is required for that. If the deceased is shrouded in the clothes they used to wear, or if specific clothes are sewn for them, there is no harm. However, observing the Sunnah by wrapping the body in an unstitched garment is preferable. If the shroud garment is short or narrow, and it is extended with another to cover the body when wrapped, there is no harm in that.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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