Salatal – Janazah

The Funeral Prayer (Please note the below method is according to the Hanafi school of thought, there are also other methods which are correct, given that majority of our members are followers of the Hanafi Madhab, we have chosen to include this here)

Pre-requisites

• Purity: Participants must be in a state of ritual purity (having performed Wuḍū (Abloution) or Ghusl (Bathed)
• Position: The congregation stands in rows behind the Imam, facing the Qiblah (the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca).The deceased body (or bodies) in the shroud (Kafan) is placed horizontally between the Imam and the congregation.

The Hanafi method of Janazah Salah consists of four takbirs (saying “Allahu Akbar”) performed while standing, with no Ruku or Sujood, and hands raised only for the first takbir. The Imam will stand by the chest of a male or middle of a female deceased.

Steps of Janazah Salah:

• Intention (Niyyah) & First Takbir: Make the intention to pray behind the Imam. Raise hands to the ears, say “Allahu Akbar,” and tie hands below the navel.
• Thana: Recite Subḥānaka Llāhumma wa bi ḥamdika wa tabāraka s-muka wa taʿāla jadukka wa lā ilāha ghayruk.
• Second Takbir: Say “Allahu Akbar” without raising hands. Recite Durood-e-Ibrahim (Allahumma salli ala Muhammad…) as in regular Salah.
• Third Takbir: Say “Allahu Akbar” without raising hands. Recite the specific du’a for the deceased. (A common, comprehensive du’a is: Allahummaghfir lihayyina wa mayyitina…).
• Fourth Takbir & Salam: Say “Allahu Akbar” without raising hands, pause briefly, and perform the Salam (turning head right then left).

Key Considerations

• Hands: Only raise hands for the first Takbir.
• Positioning: The Imam stands at the head of a male body and the abdomen of a female body.
• Times: Avoid praying exactly at sunrise, sunset, or noon (Zawaal).

The Salat

The prayer is structured around four Takbīrs (saying “Allāhu Akbar,” meaning “Allah is the Greatest”)

Link to video demonstrating how to perform the Janaazah Salaah (Funeral prayer)

The Salāt al-Janāzah (Funeral Prayer) is a special prayer performed for a deceased Muslim before burial. It is a fundamental part of the funeral rites and a communal obligation (Farḍ al-Kifāyah); if some people in the community perform it, the obligation is lifted from the rest.

Unlike the five daily prayers (Salāh), the Salāt al-Janāzah does not involve bowing (Rukū’) or prostration (Sujūd). It is performed entirely while standing and consists mainly of asking for forgiveness and mercy for the deceased.

Key Supplication (Du’ā’)

The most important part is the supplication after the third Takbīr. A common general du’ā for an adult deceased.

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِحَيِّنَا وَمَيِّتِنَا، وَشَاهِدِنَا وَغَائِبِنَا، وَصَغِيرِنَا وَكَبِيرِنَا، وَذَكَرِنَا وَأُنْثَانَا. اللَّهُمَّ مَنْ أَحْيَيْتَهُ مِنَّا فَأَحْيِهِ عَلَى الإِسْلامِ، وَمَنْ تَوَفَّيْتَهُ مِنَّا فَتَوَفَّهُ عَلَى الإِيمَانِ. اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَحْرِمْنَا أَجْرَهُ، وَلاَ تُضِلَّنَا بَعْدَهُ.

Transliteration:
Allāhummaghfir li ḥayyinā wa mayyitinā, wa shāhidinā wa ghā’ibinā, wa ṣaghīrinā wa kabīrinā, wa dhakarinā wa unthānā. Allāhumma man aḥyaytahu minnā fa-aḥyihi ‘alal-Islām, wa man tawaffaytahu minnā fa-tawaffahu ‘alal-Īmān. Allāhumma lā taḥrimnā ajrahu wa lā tuḍillanā ba’dah.

English Translation
O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those present and those absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. O Allah, whoever You keep alive from among us, keep him alive in Islam, and whoever You take away from us, take him away in (a state of) Faith. O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward, and do not let us go astray after him.

Once the Salāt al-Janāzah is concluded, the body is transported to the graveyard for the final burial. Salāt al-Janāzah can be performed at the cemetery.