Short answer
In the Hanafi school the sunnah kafan (shroud) is three pieces for a man and five for a woman. If that is hard, two pieces for a man and three for a woman are enough, and in need any single cloth that covers the body is enough. White cotton is best.
The sunnah kafan for a man is an izar (lower sheet), a qamis (long shirt without sleeves or seams) and a lifafah (outer wrapping sheet). For a woman it is those three plus a khimar (head cover) and a chest cloth. Shrouding is fard kifayah, and the cost comes first from the dead person's estate.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- For a man, three wrapping sheets without a shirt are best; a woman has five pieces including a shirt and head cover.
- Hanbali
- For a man, three white wrapping sheets without a shirt are best; a woman has five pieces.
Explanation
The kafan (shroud) is the last garment a Muslim wears. Islam keeps it simple, clean and equal for rich and poor. White cotton is best, and a new or clean washed cloth is fine.
For a man (Hanafi sunnah, 3 pieces):
- Izar: a sheet from head to feet, under everything.
- Qamis (kafni): a long shirt from the shoulders to the feet, with an opening for the head and no sleeves.
- Lifafah: the outer sheet that wraps the whole body and is tied at the head and feet.
For a woman (Hanafi sunnah, 5 pieces): the same three, plus a khimar (scarf) over the hair, which is parted into two braids over the chest, and a chest cloth that wraps from the chest to the thighs.
Enough when there is hardship: two pieces for a man (izar and lifafah) and three for a woman (izar, lifafah, khimar). In real need, such as many deaths at once, any cloth that covers the body is enough. Going beyond the sunnah with costly fabric or many layers is disliked.
The cost of the kafan, washing and burial is taken from the dead person's money before debts and heirs. If they left nothing, the person who was obliged to support them pays, and then the community. Many mosques and funeral services sell ready kafan sets with these pieces.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Abasa 80:21
ثُمَّ أَمَاتَهُۥ فَأَقْبَرَهُۥ ﴿٢١﴾
Then He causes his death and provides a grave for him.
Covering and burying the dead is from Allah's care for people.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 994
Graded sahih... البسوا من ثيابكم البياض فإنها من خير ثيابكم وكفنوا فيها موتاكم ...
"Wear white clothes, for they are among your best, and shroud your dead in them."
White cloth is preferred for the kafan.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1264
Sahih... في ثلاثة أثواب يمانية بيض سحولية من كرسف ليس فيهن قميص ولا عمامة ...
"Aisha said the Prophet ﷺ was shrouded in three white Yemeni cotton cloths, with no shirt or turban among them."
This is the basis for three pieces for a man; the schools read the mention of the shirt differently.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, Bab al-Jana'iz, Fasl fi al-Takfin. The three pieces for a man and five for a woman, and the minimum.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, Bab Salat al-Janazah. The sunnah, sufficient and necessity levels of the kafan.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Jana'iz. The Shafi'i preference for three wrapping sheets for a man.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. 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.