ṢALĀT AL-JANĀZAH ACCORDING TO THE SUNNAH 🔺 A

 

🔺 ṢALĀT AL-JANĀZAH ACCORDING TO THE SUNNAH 🔺 A Step-by-Step Guide to the Muslim Funeral Prayer

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

WHAT IS ṢALĀT AL-JANĀZAH?

Ṣalāt al-Janāzah is the funeral prayer offered for a deceased Muslim. It is Farḍ Kifāyah (a communal obligation). If some Muslims perform it, the obligation is fulfilled for the community; if everyone neglects it, those responsible may bear the sin.

A deceased Muslim deserves this prayer, even if they committed major sins, provided they died as a Muslim. It is also a means of earning immense rewards.

🌿 THE GREAT REWARD OF ATTENDING A FUNERAL

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Whoever attends a funeral until he offers the funeral prayer will have one Qīrāṭ of reward, and whoever attends until the burial is completed will have two Qīrāṭs.”

It was asked, “What are two Qīrāṭs?” He replied, “Like two great mountains.”

📚 Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim

🌿 THE MORE PEOPLE WHO PRAY, THE BETTER

The Prophet ﷺ said that when a Muslim dies and forty people who do not associate anything with Allāh participate in the funeral prayer, Allāh accepts their intercession for the deceased.

📚 Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 948

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🔵 HOW TO PERFORM ṢALĀT AL-JANĀZAH

The funeral prayer consists of FOUR TAKBĪRĀT. There is no rukūʿ (bowing) or sujūd (prostration).

1️⃣ FIRST TAKBĪR

Raise your hands and say:

اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ

Allāhu Akbar (Allāh is the Greatest).

Then recite Sūrah al-Fātiḥah. Seeking refuge with Allāh and reciting the Basmalah before it are also practised.

2️⃣ SECOND TAKBĪR

Say Allāhu Akbar.

Then send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ by reciting Ṣalāt Ibrāhīmiyyah, as recited at the end of the regular prayer.

Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā Muḥammad wa ʿalā āli Muḥammad, kamā ṣallayta ʿalā Ibrāhīma wa ʿalā āli Ibrāhīm, innaka Ḥamīdun Majīd.

Continue with the remainder of the supplication.

3️⃣ THIRD TAKBĪR

Say Allāhu Akbar.

Then sincerely supplicate for the deceased, asking Allāh to forgive them, have mercy on them and grant them Paradise.

For a deceased man, you may say:

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ

Allāhumma ighfir lahu warḥamhu.

O Allāh, forgive him and have mercy on him.

For a deceased woman, say:

Allāhumma ighfir lahā warḥamhā.

O Allāh, forgive her and have mercy on her.

4️⃣ FOURTH TAKBĪR

Say Allāhu Akbar.

You may make a brief supplication, then conclude with the salām. One salām to the right is an established practice, although scholars differ on whether one or two salāms should be offered.

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🔵 IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER

🌿 1. Is Sūrah al-Fātiḥah recited?

Yes. Its recitation is established in the Sunnah. Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما recited it in the funeral prayer and said that he did so to teach people that it is Sunnah.

📚 Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī

🌿 2. Is the opening supplication (Duʿāʾ al-Istiftāḥ) necessary?

It is generally omitted because the funeral prayer is meant to be brief. Scholars differ on its recommendation.

🌿 3. Should the hands be raised with every takbīr?

Scholars differ. Some recommend raising the hands with every takbīr, while others recommend raising them only with the first. Follow reliable scholarly guidance and avoid condemning others over this difference.

🌿 4. Can women perform Ṣalāt al-Janāzah?

Yes. Women may participate in the funeral prayer.

🌿 5. What if you join the prayer late?

Follow the imām and complete the missed takbīrs after the imām finishes, according to the applicable scholarly guidance, provided the funeral has not been taken away. If the body is taken away before you complete the prayer, scholars discuss what should be done in that situation.

🌿 6. Should the prayer be kept short?

Yes. The Prophet ﷺ instructed Muslims to hasten the funeral. Make sincere supplications without unnecessarily prolonging the prayer.

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🔵 A FINAL REMINDER

Death is a certainty, but its time is unknown. Today, we may stand in a funeral prayer for another Muslim; tomorrow, others may stand in prayer for us.

Let us prepare for the Hereafter through sincere repentance, righteous deeds, fulfilling our obligations and treating others with kindness.

May Allāh forgive our deceased Muslims, have mercy on them, illuminate their graves, protect them from the punishment of the grave and admit them into Jannatul Firdaus.

May Allāh grant us a good ending and make our final words:

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ

Lā ilāha illallāh.

Āmīn, Yā Rabbal-ʿĀlamīn.

And Allāh knows best.

📌 Please share this reminder so that others may benefit.