Class 6
SALATUL JANAZAH
FUNERAL PRAYER
FUNERAL PRAYERS & RULINGS
Amongst the first things that we do after a death is offer Funeral Prayer. That also is a means of benefitting the Dead. When the Muslims pray janazah for their deceased brother, they are granted intercession for him. The more the number of Muslims who join in the prayer, the more beneficial it is for the deceased. This means that Allaah takes their testimony and supplication regarding the deceased’s apparent actions as a sufficient reason for forgiveness. Since those Muslims who associated with him did not find any major problem to prevent them from supplicating for him, Allaah the most generous accepts that and agrees to forgive many of his hidden sins that they did not know. The Prophet ﷺ said,
“Whenever a Muslim man dies, and forty men stand for his janazah prayer, all of them not joining anything with Allaah in worship, Allaah grants them intercession for him.” (Muslim and others).
In another narration, the number 100 was mentioned instead of 40
So strive to offer Funeral prayers and try and get as many Righteous Muslims to attend the Funeral prayer and request them to pray for the deceased.
Ruling
The funeral prayer is a communal obligation (fard kifaayah) that must be offered for anyone who dies and was apparently Muslim, even if he or she committed major sins.
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Offering the funeral prayer for the deceased is a communal obligation with no difference of opinion among us, which means there is (scholarly) consensus.
Attending a funeral is a duty that a Muslim owes to his fellow Muslim. Al-Bukhaari (1240) and Muslim (2162) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ say:
“ The rights of a Muslim on the Muslims are five: to respond to the salaam, visiting the sick, to follow the funeral processions, to accept an invitation, and to reply to those who sneeze ”.
REWARD OF ATTENDING FUNERAL
Also there is great reward in it. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever attends a funeral until he offers the (funeral) prayer will have one qiraat (of reward) and whoever attends until the burial is done will have two qiraats.” It was said: “What are the two qiraats?” He said: “Like two great mountains.” (Agreed upon)
Unfortunately, we see that this is only done by the family & friends whereas the great rewards mentioned in the Hadeeth is not limited to them, it is for any Muslim who finds out about the funeral, attends it and follows it till it is buried.
It serves as a reminder of the inevitable that is death for all of us, the Prophet ﷺ said, “‘Frequently remember the destroyer of pleasures,’ meaning death.” (TIrmidhi, Nisai’‘i & Ibn Majah) . Witnessing the burial reminds us that how we will be there alone in the dark, how the family will leave us there, it is us who needs to face the angels, the trials of the grave and eventually the Day of Judgement.
HOW TO PERFORM THE JANAZA (FUNERAL) PRAYER.
The prayer over the deceased person takes the following form:
STEPS TO BE FOLLOWED
DUA TO BE RECITED FOR AN ADULT
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِحَيِّنَا وَمَيِّتِنَا وَشَاهِدِنَا وَغَائِبِنَا وَصَغِيرِنَا وَكَبِيرِنَا وَذَكَرِنَا وَأُنْثَانَا
اللَّهُمَّ مَنْ أَحْيَيْتَهُ مِنَّا فَأَحْيِهِ عَلَى الإِسْلاَمِ وَمَنْ تَوَفَّيْتَهُ مِنَّا فَتَوَفَّهُ عَلَى الإِيمَانِ
اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَحْرِمْنَا أَجْرَهُ وَلاَ تُضِلَّنَا بَعْدَهُ
‘Allahummaghfir lihayyina wa mayyitina, wa shahidina wa gha’ibina, wa saghirina wa kabirina, wa dhakarina wa unthana. Allahumma man ahyaitahu minna faahyihi ‘alal-Islam, wa man tawaffaytahu minna fa tawaffahu ‘alal- iman. Allahumma la tahrimna ajrahu wa la tudillana ba’dah.
O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those who are present and those who are absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. O Allah, whomever of us You cause to live, let him live in Islam, and whomever of us You cause to die, let him die in (a state of) faith. O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward, and do not let us go astray after him.
DUA TO BE RECITED FOR A CHILD
This supplication is made when the deceased is a baby/child (i.e. one not having reached the age of puberty). When the prayer is offered for a child, there should be no prayer for forgiveness, and it should not be said in the prayer “Allaahumma aghfir lahu (O Allaah forgive him),” because no sins were recorded for him. Rather prayers should be said for forgiveness and mercy for his parents.
اللهُـمِّ اجْعَلْـهُ فَرَطـاً وَذُخْـراً لِوالِـدَيه، وَشَفـيعاً مُجـاباً
اللهُـمِّ ثَـقِّلْ بِهِ مَوازيـنَهُما، وَأَعْـظِمْ بِهِ أُجـورَهُـما، وَأَلْـحِقْـهُ بِصالِـحِ الـمؤْمِنـين،
وَاجْعَلْـهُ في كَفـالَةِ إِبْـراهـيم، وَقِهِ بِرَحْمَـتِكَ عَذابَ الْجَـحيم
Allâhumma j’alhu faratan wa dhukran li-wâlidayhi, wa shafî’an mujâban.
Allâhumma thaqqil bihi mawâzînahumâ, wa a’zim bihi ijûrahumâ, wa alhiqhu bi-sâlihi-l-mu’minîna.
Wa j’alhu fî kafâlati Ibrâhîma, wa qihi bi-rahmatika ‘adhâba-l-jahîm.
‘O Allah, make him a preceding reward and a stored treasure for his parents, and an answered intercessor. O Allah, through him, make heavy their scales and magnify their reward. Unite him with the righteous believers, place him under the care of Ibraheem, and protect him by Your mercy from the torment of Hell.’
NOTE
Women are allowed to attend the funeral Prayer
Praying the janaazah (funeral) prayer is prescribed for both men and women, because the Prophet ﷺ said the reward for it is a qiraat and two if followed until burial. (hadeeth mentioned at the start of the class)”.
But there is a difference of opinion amongst scholars about the permissibility of women following the procession or visiting the grave. The stronger view is that the women should not follow the funeral procession to the graveyard, based on the hadeeth reported in al-Saheehayn that Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “We were forbidden to follow the funeral procession but it was not made absolute on us.” (narrated by Muslim). Also other hadeeths where, the Prophet ﷺ said:
But women are not forbidden to offer the janaazah prayer, whether it is offered in the mosque, in a house or in a prayer-place. Women used to offer the janaazah prayer with the Prophet ﷺ in his mosque and after his lifetime.
Please join our free online certificate course “BENEFITTING THE DEAD”, to learn more about Death & Funeral rights. https://learn-islam.org/benefiting-the-dead (available online now, register and learn)