Question:

What do the scholars say with regards to this question? Is the husband the Wali (guardian) of his wife like her parents in this world? If he is, what about after death? Can he touch her body, look at her face and give permission for Janaza and does the Nikah still remain valid? Some people claim Hazrat Ali washed his wife’s dead body. Is this true?

Answer:

A husband cannot be a Wali (guardian) before or after death. The Nikah does not remain valid after death. There is no proof from any source that Hazrat Ali washed his wife after death

And Allah knows best.

Dr Musharraf Hussain Al-Azhari
Director of British Fatwa Council