The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were always eager to follow the example of the Prophet ﷺ, to fulfil the order of Allah, Most High, and out of their love for the Prophet ﷺ. They were so keen to learn about all his actions and deeds,and to follow in his footsteps, even in times of hardship and difficulties. ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her, the Mother of Believers, reports that she entered upon her father, Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) during his fatal sickness, and he asked her about the number of garments that were used to enshroud the Prophet ﷺ. She answered him that his noble body was washed and then enshrouded with three white garments made in Yemen. The wordSuhooliyyahis the plural of suhl, which means a white garment, while the word Sahooliyyah is used in reference to a village in Yemen. These garments do not include long shirts that are sewn to cover the whole body,nor a turban to cover the head. Then, he (may Allah be pleased with him) asked her about the day on which the Prophet ﷺ died, to which she replied that it was Monday. Then, he inquired as towhat day it was, and she said it was Monday. Thereupon, he (may Allah be pleased with him) saidthat he hoped that he would die during the course of the day, even if it was during the last few hours of the night. This was his wish, due to his keen interest in following the way of the Prophet ﷺ, in his life and death i.e., he hoped that the timing of his death would be the same as that of the Prophet’s ﷺ death. Afterwards, he (may Allah be pleased with him) looked at the garment that he wore when he was sick,and it had traces of Saffron, an aromatic plant with a rich colour, and asked them to wash it, and bring two more garments to enshroud him with them. ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said that the garment is old [meaning that it is better to use a new garment], but he said those who are alive are more worthy of wearing new clothes than someone who is about to depart this life, because the living will benefit from it, while the garments used to enshroud the body of the deceased are only for the pus that comes out of the corpse. At the end of the hadeeth, she mentions the timing of the passing of Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) i.e., he died between Maghrib and ‘Ishaa on Tuesday’s night, and says that he was buried before morning. He (may Allah be pleased with him) died 8 nights before the end of Jumaadah al-Aakhirah, 13 Hijri. This hadeeth shows us that it is permissible to use white garments and old worn-out washed clothes for enshrouding purposes, and that three garments should be used for enshrouding. Another lesson we can derive from this hadeeth is that new clothes should be given to those who are alive, and not to those who are on their deathbed or have died. It also shows that it is permissible to bury the deceased during night-time, and that a person with more knowledge can take knowledge from someone who is lower in rank. Furthermore, this hadeeth depicts the merit of Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), his accurate intuition and steadfastness on his deathbed, and alsoshows that the will of the deceased, regarding his funeral, should be fulfilled, if the instructions mentioned in the will are acceptable from an Islamic perspective. .