Islamic Fiqh > Funerals > The funeral prayer (salat al-janaza)
The funeral prayer: its status as a collective obligation, its four takbir, its invocations, the imam's position, and the absent and make-up cases.
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Updated on 31 August 2026 at 3:55 AM
The funeral prayer has four takbirs, with no addition or subtraction: an agreement of the four schools, recorded by an-Nawawi as a pillar of the prayer, after an early discussion that died out. Its proofs are the Prophet's prayers over the Negus (al-Bukhari 1268 ; Muslim 951) and over a grave after burial (Muslim 954).
The Fatiha is recited according to the majority, based on Abu Hurayra: « the sunna in the prayer over the dead is to recite the Opening after the first takbira, then raise the hands and takbir three times, and salute at the last » (an-Nasa'i 1989). Shafi'is and Hanbalis add the invocation of refuge there; Hanafis abstain.
One prays upon the Prophet, based on Abu Umama's hadith describing the sunna: the Fatiha after the first takbira, the prayer upon the Prophet after the second, sincere invocation for the deceased in the following ones, and the salutation at the end. The Shafi'is make it an obligation, the minimum being: « O Allah, pray upon Muhammad ».
This is the place of invocation for the deceased, for oneself, one's parents and the Muslims. No fixed formula is imposed: Ahmad taught that no set invocation exists, and Ibn Abd al-Barr reports the command « strive in supplication for your brother ». The obligatory minimum is the simplest invocation, based on the words: « when you pray over the dead, make your invocation sincere for him » (Abu Dawud 3199).
Hanafis (in the apparent view) and Malikis (in the most widespread view) place nothing there after the salutation; Shafi'is recommend an invocation: « O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward and do not test us after him »; Hanbalis recommend a brief pause, based on Ibn Abi Awfa's practice reported by al-Bayhaqi.
The ending is made with one salutation according to Malikis, Hanbalis and most of the Companions' transmitters; Hanafis and some Hanbalis make it two. Hands are raised at every takbira among Shafi'is and Hanbalis, at the first only among Hanafis and Malikis (the most widespread view). The imam stands at the level of the chest of the man according to Abu Hanifa and Ahmad, at the middle according to Malik for man and woman; the Shafi'is distinguish head or chest for the man, the middle for the woman.
Praying inside the mosque is permitted among Shafi'is, Hanbalis and some Malikis, based on Aisha's hadith about Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas; Hanafis and Malikis discourage it save for need. On the disapproved hours (sunrise, zenith, sunset), Abu Hanifa and Ahmad (the most widespread view) deem them disliked, based on Uqba ibn Amir's hadith (Muslim 831); al-Shafi'i and Ahmad in one transmission allow them, the prayer having a cause. The latecomer joins the prayer then makes up his takbirs after the salutation according to the Hanafi school; Malikis wait for the imam. If several dead are present, men, boys then women are lined up before the imam by unanimity (Ibn Umar's report on nine dead, an-Nasa'i); separate prayer for each is preferred among Hanafis and Shafi'is, the combined prayer among Hanbalis.
For whoever missed the prayer over the body: Malik refuses it, Abu Hanifa grants it only to the close relative, al-Shafi'i, Ahmad and Dawud allow it if the burial is recent, the most cited duration being a month (Ibn Rushd).
The prayer's skeleton (four takbirs, the Fatiha, the prophetic prayer, the invocation, the salutation) is common; the schools diverge only on the complements.
Four, with Fatiha after the first, the prayer upon the Prophet after the second, invocation for the dead after the third.
The imam facing the head for a man, the body's middle for a woman; rows behind him, all facing qibla, the body between qibla and worshipers.
Yes: over the Muslim child, invoking for the parents ('make him a treasure and precursor for his parents', Muslim 963).