Salat al-Janazah — The Funeral Prayer

Salat al-Janazah (the funeral prayer) is a communal obligation (fard kifayah) upon the Muslim community. If a sufficient number of Muslims perform it, the obligation is fulfilled for all; if none perform it, the entire community bears the sin. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Pray over your dead" (Sunan Ibn Majah). The funeral prayer is a supplication for the deceased, an act of mercy, and an affirmation of the Muslim community's bond that extends beyond death.

Preparation of the Deceased

Before the prayer, the deceased must be washed (ghusl), shrouded (kafan), and the prayer should be performed as soon as possible. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Hasten with the funeral, for if the deceased was righteous, you are advancing them to goodness, and if they were otherwise, then you are putting down an evil from your necks" (Sahih al-Bukhari). The washing is done an odd number of times with water and sidr (lote tree leaves), and the shroud should be white according to the Sunnah.

The Method of the Prayer

The funeral prayer is unique among Islamic prayers: it is performed entirely while standing, with no bowing (ruku) or prostration (sujud). It consists of four takbirat (saying Allahu Akbar four times). After the first takbir, Surah al-Fatiha is recited. After the second takbir, the salawat (blessings upon the Prophet) is recited, as in the tashahhud. After the third takbir, the dua for the deceased is made. The most comprehensive dua narrated from the Prophet includes: "O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him, keep him safe and sound, and forgive him, honor his reception, and make his entrance wide" (Sahih Muslim). After the fourth takbir, a brief dua may be made, then the salam is given to the right (and to the left according to some scholars).

Rulings and Differences

The imam stands at the head of a male deceased and at the middle of a female deceased, according to the Hanbali and Shafi'i schools. The Hanafi school holds that the imam stands at the chest of a male. Praying over an absent deceased (salat al-ghaib) is permissible according to the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools, based on the Prophet praying over the Negus of Abyssinia (Sahih al-Bukhari). The Hanafi and Maliki schools restrict this to when no one prayed over the deceased in their location.

The Virtue of Attending

The Prophet (peace be upon him) strongly encouraged attending funerals, saying: "Whoever attends the funeral prayer until it is finished will have a qirat of reward, and whoever stays until the burial will have two qirat. It was asked: What are the two qirat? He said: Like two great mountains" (Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim). This enormous reward reflects Islam's emphasis on community solidarity, especially in times of loss, and the importance of supplicating for fellow Muslims even after their death.