Janazah: how to pray the funeral prayer
The funeral prayer (salat al-janazah) is the community's last service to a deceased Muslim: a prayer of dua for their forgiveness, prayed standing, without ruku' or sujud.
وَلَنَبۡلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيۡءٖ مِّنَ ٱلۡخَوۡفِ وَٱلۡجُوعِ وَنَقۡصٖ مِّنَ ٱلۡأَمۡوَٰلِ وَٱلۡأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٰتِۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ ﴿١٥٥﴾ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَٰبَتۡهُم مُّصِيبَةٞ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيۡهِ رَٰجِعُونَ ﴿١٥٦﴾ أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ صَلَوَٰتٞ مِّن رَّبِّهِمۡ وَرَحۡمَةٞۖ وَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُهۡتَدُونَ ﴿١٥٧﴾
Walanabluwannakum bishayin mina alkhawfi waaljooʿi wanaqsin mina alamwali waalanfusi waalththamarati wabashshiri alssabireena Allatheena itha asabathum museebatun qaloo inna lillahi wainna ilayhi rajiʿoona Olaika ʿalayhim salawatun min rabbihim warahmatun waolaika humu almuhtadoona
And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided
Quran 2:155-157 · Surah Al-Baqara · Translation: Saheeh International · Transliteration: Tanzil.net
Ruling and reward
The janazah prayer is a communal obligation (fard kifayah): when some pray it, the rest are free of the obligation, but whoever joins earns great reward.
Whoever attends the funeral until the prayer has one qirat, and whoever stays until the burial has two qirats. It was asked: what are the two qirats? He said: like two great mountains.
Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim
How to pray it
The prayer has four takbirs, all standing:
- First takbir: raise your hands and recite al-Fatiha (in the Hanafi school the opening praise, Subhanaka Allahumma).
- Second takbir: recite the blessings on the Prophet ﷺ (as-salat al-Ibrahimiyyah) as in the tashahhud.
- Third takbir: make dua for the deceased, for example the one below.
- Fourth takbir: a short pause or dua, then salam to the right (and to the left, according to many).
The dua for the deceased
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ وَعَافِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنْهُ وَأَكْرِمْ نُزُلَهُ وَوَسِّعْ مُدْخَلَهُ
Allahummaghfir lahu warhamhu wa 'afihi wa'fu 'anhu, wa akrim nuzulahu wa wassi' mudkhalah
O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him, keep him safe and pardon him, honour his reception and make his entrance wide.
Source: Sahih Muslim, a longer dua that continues. For a woman say laha, warhamha, 'afiha, 'anha, nuzulaha, mudkhalaha.
When someone dies
Say inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (we belong to Allah and to Him we return), close the eyes of the deceased and make dua for them. Condolences and supplications: Islamic condolence messages.
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Frequently asked questions
Can women pray janazah?
Yes. Women may pray the funeral prayer, in the mosque or wherever it is held. Following the procession to the grave is disliked for women according to many scholars, based on the hadith of Umm 'Atiyyah (al-Bukhari, Muslim).
What is salat al-gha'ib?
The funeral prayer in absence, for someone who died elsewhere. The Prophet ﷺ prayed it for the Negus of Abyssinia (al-Bukhari, Muslim). Scholars differ on whether it is prayed for everyone or only for those for whom no one prayed.
This article was written with the help of AI. Quran verses are inserted directly from the Quran text (translation: Saheeh International); it is general information, not a religious ruling (fatwa). For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar. Found a mistake? Write to support@hadaff.de.