Does Washing the Dead Encompass Miscarried Foetuses?
Imām Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn (d. 1421 AH) said:
[Q]: Does the obligation of washing the dead encompass miscarried foetuses?
[A]: This matter requires elaboration. If the soul of life has been breathed into it, then it should be washed, embalmed, and prayed upon. If the soul of life has not been breathed into it, then it is not washed.
The soul of life is breathed into the foetus after a period of four months. The evidence for this is the ḥadīth of ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه) who said: The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) narrated to us, and he is the truthful, the verified:...