Salah al-Janazah (Ritual Prayer at Funeral)

One of the rights of the believer over other believers is to be present at his funeral and bid him farewell to his last journey. (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, Adab, 1; Sunan an-Nasai, Janaiz, 52) When a Muslim dies, it is the duty of all other Muslims to wash him, enshroud him and perform his janazah. Even though all of these practices vanish, it is done to show the importance and honor of the human body and bid our deceased friend farewell with prayers and memorials of goodness as he moves on to the eternal world. The funeral ceremony is the moment of reinforcing the bond of brotherhood between Muslims and sharing the sadness with their grieving brothers. Among the preoccupations of life, it is an opportunity for a Muslim to take a lesson about death and the transience of worldly life. Therefore, Prophet Muhammad (saw) heralded great rewards to the ones who stand by the sides of their Muslim brothers until the deceased is buried. (Sahih Bukhari, Janaiz, 58; Sahih Muslim, Janaiz, 52)

The pillars of the Salah al-Janazah are qiyam and takbir. The salah can be performed individually or with congregation. Praising Allah and sending peace, blessings and supplications is among the sunnah acts of this prayer. Following hadith of Prophet Muhammad (saw) emphasizes the matter: “When you pray over the dead, make a sincere supplication for him.”(Sunan Abu Dawud, Janaiz, 54, 56). The person who fulfills his last duty to his brother makes his intention by stating that the deceased person is a woman, man, girl or boy. Then, he stands before the coffin facing the qibla and recites the takbir. He recites the Subhanaka supplication along with the phrase “Wa jalla sanauk”. He recites the second takbir without raising the hands and supplicates with “Salli” and“Barik”. Similarly, he recites the third takbir and recites the janazah supplications or recites the al-Fatiha or any other supplication. Finally, he performs a fourth takbir and then performs salam to the right and left, ending the salah. The Funeral Ritual Prayer can be performed at any time except for sunrise, sunset and when the sun is at its peak.  (Sahih Muslim, Musafirun, 293)