1
Perform wudu. Stand facing the qiblah with the deceased placed in front of the imam (near the head for a man, near the middle for a woman in the Hanafi view).
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The funeral prayer — a communal obligation
Salatul Janazah
صَلَاةُ الْجَنَازَةِ
Time
As soon as possible after the deceased has been washed and shrouded, before burial. Prayed at any time except the three forbidden times (sunrise, zenith, sunset).
Rak'ahs
No rak'ahs — 4 takbirs, standing throughout. No ruku' or sujud.
Overview
Salatul Janazah is a Fard Kifayah — a communal obligation. If some Muslims from the community offer it, the obligation is lifted from the rest; if none do, all are sinful. It is a du'a for forgiveness and mercy for the deceased, and one of the greatest rights a Muslim has upon another.
Virtue
"‘Whoever attends a funeral until the prayer is offered will have one qīrāṭ of reward, and whoever attends until the burial is complete will have two qīrāṭs — like two great mountains.’ (Bukhari & Muslim)"
How to perform
2
Make the niyyah in the heart: to offer Salatul Janazah for the sake of Allah, following the imam, as du'a for this deceased.
3
1st Takbir: Raise the hands and say ‘Allahu Akbar’, then fold them and silently recite Thana' (Subhanaka Allahumma…) followed by Surah al-Fatiha.
4
2nd Takbir: Say ‘Allahu Akbar’ (without raising hands in the Hanafi view; raised in some others). Then recite the Durud Ibrahim — the same salawat recited in tashahhud.
5
3rd Takbir: Say ‘Allahu Akbar’ and recite the du'a for the deceased (below). If the deceased is a child, the specific du'a for children is used instead.
6
4th Takbir: Say ‘Allahu Akbar’, pause briefly, then give tasleem to the right and to the left — ‘As-salamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah’.
7
There is no ruku' or sujud — the entire prayer is offered standing.
8
Follow the janazah to the graveyard if possible — this earns the second qīrāṭ of reward.
Du'a for the deceased (adult)
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِحَيِّنَا وَمَيِّتِنَا، وَشَاهِدِنَا وَغَائِبِنَا، وَصَغِيرِنَا وَكَبِيرِنَا، وَذَكَرِنَا وَأُنْثَانَا. اللَّهُمَّ مَنْ أَحْيَيْتَهُ مِنَّا فَأَحْيِهِ عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ، وَمَنْ تَوَفَّيْتَهُ مِنَّا فَتَوَفَّهُ عَلَى الْإِيمَانِ
Allahumma-ghfir li-hayyina wa mayyitina, wa shahidina wa gha'ibina, wa saghirina wa kabirina, wa dhakarina wa unthana. Allahumma man ahyaytahu minna fa-ahyihi 'alal-Islam, wa man tawaffaytahu minna fa-tawaffahu 'alal-iman.
"O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those present and those absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. O Allah, whoever You keep alive from among us, keep him alive upon Islam; and whoever You take from us, take him upon faith."
Notes
- 💡 For a child, the du'a asks Allah to make them a source of reward and intercession for their parents.
- 💡 Women may offer Salatul Janazah — it is not restricted to men.
- 💡 Do not delay the janazah unnecessarily; hastening the burial is Sunnah.