The importance of Salat-ul-Janazah

We can do nothing to change when, where or how

we die.
However when a muslim dies,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.
‫‪Hadeeth in Arabic‬‬
‫عن أبي هريرة رضي هللا عنه عن رسول هللا صلى هللا‪‬‬
‫عليه وسلم قال‪َ « :‬منْ شه َد ا ْل َجنَا َزةَ حتى يصلَّى عليها‬
‫يراطٌ‪ ،‬ومن شهدها حتى تُدفن فله‬ ‫فله قِ َ‬
‫ان؟‪ ‬قال‪ :‬مثل الجبلين‬‫ط ِ‬‫قِي َراطان‪ ،‬قيل‪ :‬وما القِي َرا َ‬
‫‪».‬العظيمين»‪ .‬ولمسلم‪« :‬أصغرهما مثل ُأ ُح ٍد‬
Attending Salat-ul- Janazah
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 ‫ ﷺ‬said, “‘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 and how the
family will leave us there, it is us who needs to face the
angels and the trials of the grave and eventually the Day of
Judgement.
1-Ghusul
The word Ghusl means a “washing” or
“bath” for the purpose of removing
impurities from the body. The washing or
bath that is completed after someone’s death
is obligatory and should be completed
before the burial of the body*. This ritual
bath is a means of honoring and respecting
those who have passed as they transition to
the next life to meet their creator. 
2- Kafan
There are different requirement for men
and women but essentially the basics are
that the Kafan consists of plain cotton or
similar type of fabric, in a number of
lengths of cloth (for men usually 3 lengths
and for women usually 5 lengths) which
are used to wrap the body after the ghusal
is performed.
3-Salah
 (The Funeral Prayer) Salaat al-Janazah
(The Funeral Prayer) is Fard Kifaayah;
an obligation on the whole community of
Muslims. If some people congregate and
perform it the obligation is discharged and
the remaining Muslims are freed from the
responsibility.
Hadeeth Shareef
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with
him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (may
Allah's peace and blessings be upon
him) said: "Whoever attends a funeral until he
offers the funeral prayer will get a reward equal
to one Qirāt; and whoever attends it until the
dead person is buried will get a reward equal to
two Qirāts." It was asked: "What are the two
Qirāts?" He replied: "Like two huge
mountains." In a narration by Muslim: “The
smallest of them is like Mount Uhud.”  
Sahih/Authentic. - [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
a) Qeerat: Huge rewards like a huge
mountain
b) Kafan: Clean piece of white cloth
wrapped over the dead body
c) Ghusul: Giving a wash to a dead
body
d) Salatul Janazah: It means the
funeral prayer. It is performed while
standing.
Steps of performing Janazah
If a Muslim dies, he must first be given a
ghusul. Then his body must be wrapped
with kafan and taken to the masjid for
offering Salatul Janazah. After this, the
body must be buried respectfully in a
Muslim cemetery.
On whom did the Prophet refuse to
pray Salatul Janazah? Why?

The Prophet, peace be upon him, refused to

pray Salatul Janazah for two categories of
people:
a) Those who committed suicide, and
b) Those who died while in debt until it was
paid on their behalf.
He wanted to teach Muslims that 1) suicide
is haram and unacceptable of a Muslim 2) It
is important to repay the loan before one
dies.
Five unacceptable practices that
unfortunately sometimes occur
during funerals.
1) Screaming and yelling
2) Hitting oneself
3) Building a structure or tomb on the
grave
4) Spending too much on the funeral
arrangements
5) Paying someone to read the Qur’an.