Funeral Prayer

After bathing and wrapping the body in a shroud, the body should be carried on
shoulders to the place where the Janazah Prayer is to be performed. The Funeral
Prayer is held in the open or in a place built for that purpose called Janaza Gah.

Those present for the funeral service should

arrange themselves in rows behind the Imam. The
rows should be odd in number.

The Imam should occupy a position ahead of the

first row and in the centre, with the body of the
deceased resting in front of him. The position of the
dead body should be such that the right side of the
body should be towards the K`aba.

1. The Imam commences the Prayer by saying

Allahu Akbar , i.e; Allah is the Greatest, loudly.
2. The followers say the same in a low tone. The Imam then recites Thanaa and
Sura Al-Fatiha silently.
3. He then says without raising his hand.
4. Then, the whole congregation recites Durood silently.
5. After that the Imam says Allahu Akbar for the third time and the particular
prayers for the deceased are recited.
6. The Imam then says for the fourth time and, turning his face
towards the right says Assalamo Alaikum wa Rahmatullah , and turning his
face towards the left repeats the same to mark the end of the Prayer.

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 There is no Ruku or Prostration in the Funeral Prayer. Funeral Prayer in absentia can
also be offered for a deceased person, especially for prominent people or in a case
when few Muslims have offered the original Funeral Prayer.

To offer a Funeral Prayer for a Muslim is

obligatory for the burial of all Muslims. This is
called Fardh-e-Kifaya. Thus if only a few people
offer the Funeral Prayer they are deemed to
have done it on behalf of all Muslims. The rest of
the Muslim Community is therefore free from the
obligation of performing the Funeral Prayer, i.e.
it does not have to be repeated.

If the deceased is an adult, male or female, the

following Prayer is recited:

O. Allah, forgive our living ones

and our deceased ones and
those of us who are present and
those who are absent, and our
young ones and our old ones
and our males and our females.

O Allah those of us whom Thou

grantest life, keep them firm on
Islam, and those of us whom
Thou causest to die, cause them
to die in the faith. Deprive us not,
O Allah, of the benefits relating
to the deceased and subject us
not to trial after him.

(Ibn Maja Kitabul-Janaiz, Bab-ud-Dua fis-Salati alal janazah page 107).

EXERCISE 4

What does participating in Funeral Prayer teach us, please use your own words to
explain.

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