The Funeral Prayer (Salatul-Janazah)
(The minimum obligatory prayer for the dead) person (is:
- 1. To intend to perform the obligatory Funeral prayer for that dead person in particular,) for him to specify that he is praying the Funeral prayer, (as one is saying the opening ‘Allahu akbar’.
- 2. To say Allahu akbar while standing, if one is able; then
- 3. To recite the Fatihah; reciting it is a must, it cannot be disregarded. It is rewardable- sunnah for the recitation to be after the first takbir, however, even one delayed the recitation to after that it is permissible. Furthermore, it is a must to observe the conditions of reciting the Fatiha, like in the five obligatory prayers; (then) he makes takbir a second time, i.e.
- 4. To say Allahu akbar; then) after the second saying of “Allahu akbar” (takbir)
- 5. To say Allahumma salli ^ala Muhammad😉 sallallahu ^alayhi wa salam, and he cannot bring up/advance to saying as-salat ^alar-Rasoul sala Allahu alayhi wa salam before the second takbir or to delay it to what is after the third takbir rather, one must utter it/say it after the second takbir. (then) he makes takbir a third time, i.e.
- 6. (To say Allahu akbar; then) he makes supplication specifically for the dead Muslim, with a supplication pertaining to the matters of the hereafter, among which is
- 7. (To supplicate to Allah to forgive and have mercy on that dead Muslim;) and the more complete way is to say the supplication narrated from[1] the Prophet sallallahu ^alayhi wa salam, (then) he makes takbir a fourth time, i.e.
- 8. (To say Allahu akbar; then) then he makes salam, i.e.
- 9. (To say the closing salam.) and the better way is to return to making supplication after the fourth takbir.
(The one who performs the Funeral Prayer must satisfy) fulfill (the conditions) of prayer, like directing one’s chest to the Qiblah and having purification, (and avoid the invalidators of prayer.) that which invalidates the prayer invalidates the Funeral Prayer.
[1] The well known du^a’ alma’thur is: [O Allah, forgive the alive, deceased,present,absent, youngster, elderly, male and female among us. O Allah, those whom you kept alive among us make them live as muslims and those whom you decreed to make them die let them die as believers. ] This du^a’ was confirmed that the prophet,sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said while performing prayers for some of the dead. This was related by al Bayhaqiyy in his sunan, the book of al jana’iz-funeral, the chapter of supplication during the janazah-funeral prayer. Also Ibn Hibban narrated it in his sahih reporting the following words: O Allah, those whom you kept alive among us make them live as believers and those whom you decreed to make them die let them die as muslims. Refer to al Ihsan bitartib sahih Ibn Hibban, book of al jana’iz, chapter of prayers during Janazah. page 51