Short answer
The cost of a simple funeral (washing, kafan, grave and burial) comes first from the dead person's own money, before debts, the will and the heirs. If they left nothing, the relative who had to support them pays. In the Hanafi fatwa position a husband pays for his wife's funeral even if she left wealth.
Tajhiz (preparing and burying the dead) at a modest sunnah level is the first claim on the estate. With no estate, it falls on whoever had to maintain the person, then on the Muslims. The husband bears his wife's tajhiz according to Abu Yusuf's view, on which the fatwa is given. Zakat cannot be spent directly on a shroud or burial.
Other madhhabs
- Hanbali
- A wife's funeral costs come from her own wealth; the husband is not required to pay them.
- Maliki
- The husband is not required to pay for his wife's funeral; the cost comes from her own wealth.
Explanation
Islam keeps funerals affordable on purpose. A plain white cloth, a simple grave and the community's help are all a Muslim needs. Costs climb only when families add what the sunnah does not ask for.
- The estate pays first for a modest funeral: washing, kafan, transport, the grave and burial fees. This comes even before debts; see paying debts from the estate.
- The husband pays for his wife's funeral in the Hanafi fatwa position, as part of his duty to her, whether or not she left money.
- The supporting relative. If the person left nothing, whoever had to support them in life pays, such as a father for his young child or a son for his poor parent.
- The community. If there is no one, the Muslims of the area share it. Many mosques run burial funds for this.
What should not come from the estate without the heirs' agreement: costly caskets and headstones, large gatherings and meals, or flowers. If any heir is a child, their share cannot be spent on extras at all.
Can zakat pay for a funeral? Not directly in the Hanafi school, because zakat must be handed into the ownership of a poor person, and the dead cannot own. Zakat can be given to poor heirs, who may then use it for the funeral. Sadaqah (voluntary charity) can pay directly.
If cost is a worry, speak to your mosque early; many communities have burial societies and funds that help. See also the kafan for what a sunnah funeral needs.
The evidence
Quran, Surah An-Nisaa 4:10
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ أَمْوَٰلَ ٱلْيَتَٰمَىٰ ظُلْمًا إِنَّمَا يَأْكُلُونَ فِى بُطُونِهِمْ نَارًۭا ۖ وَسَيَصْلَوْنَ سَعِيرًۭا ﴿١٠﴾
Indeed, those who devour the property of orphans unjustly are only consuming into their bellies fire. And they will be burned in a Blaze.
Extras must not be taken from the shares of child heirs.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1851
Sahih... اغسلوه بماء وسدر وكفنوه في ثوبيه ...
"Wash him with water and lotus leaves and shroud him in his own two garments."
The shroud is taken from the dead person's own property first.
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."
After the funeral costs, the debts come next.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, Bab Salat al-Janazah. Who bears the kafan, and the husband's duty for his wife.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Zakat, Bab al-Masrif. Zakat cannot be spent on shrouding the dead.
- al-Sirajiyya, Opening chapter on the rights attached to the estate. Funeral costs as the first claim on the estate.
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.