Short answer
Close their eyes gently, say Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un and make dua, tie the jaw, straighten the limbs and cover the body. Then call the mosque or a Muslim funeral service, start the paperwork, and arrange the washing, janazah and burial as soon as you can. Find out about any debts so they can be paid.
Preparing and burying the dead quickly is sunnah, and delay without need is disliked. Hanafi texts dislike reciting Quran right beside the body before it is washed; recitation away from it, dhikr and dua are fine.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The first hours after a death are hard, and many families feel lost. These steps come from the sunnah and from the practice of Muslim communities, roughly in this order.
- Close the eyes gently and say Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un. When Abu Salamah died, the Prophet ﷺ closed his eyes and said that when the soul is taken, the sight follows it.
- Make dua for the person by name; see dua for a dead person.
- Tie the jaw with a strip of cloth around the head, straighten the arms by the sides and the legs, and gently soften the joints while the body is warm. Many families also tie the big toes together loosely so the legs stay together. This is a practical step, not a ritual.
- Cover the whole body with a clean sheet, and remove tight clothes and jewellery if possible.
- Call the mosque or a Muslim funeral service. They know the local process for death certificates, coroners and cemeteries.
- Arrange the washing, janazah and burial without needless delay; see how soon burial must happen.
- Look into debts and the will. Debts are paid from the estate before anything is divided; see paying the debts of the dead.
Reciting Quran. Hanafi texts dislike reciting it right next to the body before the washing. Recite in another room or after the washing. Dhikr and dua are fine anywhere.
Tell close relatives and friends so they can attend and pray; see announcing a death. Ask the hospital early for a quick release of the body, and refuse optional embalming; see embalming.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:156
ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَٰبَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌۭ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ ﴿١٥٦﴾
Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return."
This is the first thing a believer says at a death.
Sahih Muslim 920
Sahih... إن الروح إذا قبض تبعه البصر ...
"When the soul is taken, the sight follows it."
Closing the eyes is the first sunnah after death.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1315
Sahih... أسرعوا بالجنازة فإن تك صالحة فخير تقدمونها إليه ...
"Hurry with the funeral: if the person was righteous, you are bringing them to something good."
The preparations should not be delayed.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1078
Graded sahih... نفس المؤمن معلقة بدينه حتى يقضى عنه ...
"The believer's soul is held by his debt until it is paid for him."
Debts should be settled quickly from the estate.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Nur al-Idah with Maraqi al-Falah, Bab Ahkam al-Jana'iz. Closing the eyes, tying the jaw and softening the joints.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, Bab Salat al-Janazah. Reciting Quran near the body before it is washed.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.