Lesson: Discussion of the funeral prayer and clarification of some of its rulings.
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The Shaykh : Tarawih is the standing of Ramadan. We are discussing a matter that I did not think would be hidden from anyone, which is the funeral prayer. Some people ask me, saying, "How do I pray over the funeral?" I did not think this would be hidden, but in any case, this is a reminder for those who know and a clarification for those who do not.
The funeral prayer is a collective obligation (fard kifayah). It is obligatory for the Muslims to pray over their dead, and its reward is the reward of an obligatory act, meaning the reward of a collective obligation. Therefore, it takes precedence over the regular voluntary prayers (rawatib). That is to say, if the situation is such that you must choose between praying the rawatib or praying over the funeral, you prioritize the funeral prayer because it is a collective obligation, and a collective obligation is better than voluntary acts. In fact, some of the scholars of the principles of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh) said that a collective obligation is better than an individual obligation (fard 'ayn) because the one who performs it performs it on behalf of all the Muslims. However, the correct view is that an individual obligation is better. In any case, it is a collective obligation, and one man or one woman suffices for it, provided they are of age and sane. I said this because it is possible that someone is buried before being prayed over, so we learn of this. If one person, even a single woman, performs it, it drops from the rest.
An example of this is a fetus, meaning a fetus that fell from its mother's womb after the soul was breathed into it. The soul is breathed into it when it reaches four months. When is the soul breathed into the fetus?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : When it reaches what? Forty days? No, let me rest.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : When it reaches four months, a fetus falls from its mother's womb and has completed four months, and its mother was ignorant. Let us suppose she was in the wilderness, so she dug a hole for it and buried it without washing, shrouding, or prayer. Then, after some time, she mentioned that she had done this. We say that it is obligatory to pray over this buried fetus without prayer. If the mother who buried it prayed over it in her house, would that suffice or not? It suffices, because the collective obligation in the funeral prayer is fulfilled by one Muslim, male or female. So the funeral prayer is an obligation—go— a collective obligation, and it drops with one Muslim, male or female.
Second: Does a woman pray over the funeral? The answer is yes, she prays over the funeral. If it is prayed over in the mosque and women are present, let them pray with the people.
Third: How is the funeral prayer performed? It is performed according to what the Shari'ah has brought. If the funeral is brought to the imam, if the deceased is a male, he stands at his head, and if it is a female, at her middle. This is how the Sunnah came. Where is the head of the deceased relative to the imam, on his right or his left? On his right and on his left is the same. Many of the common people think that the head of the deceased must be on the imam's right when praying over him, but I do not know any basis for this. It is the same whether the head of the deceased is on the imam's left or on his right. The important thing is that the deceased is between the hands of the one praying. How is he prayed over?
We say he says the first takbir and raises his hands to the level of his shoulders, or to the tips of his ears, or to the roots of his ears. Then he recites Surat al-Fatihah, saying, "I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful," and then he recites al-Fatihah in full. If he recites a short surah with it sometimes, there is no harm, especially if the ma'mum completes his recitation and the imam has not said the second takbir; then he recites a surah after it, and there is no blame.
Then he says the second takbir. The second takbir is saying "Allahu Akbar" and raising his hands as he did at the takbir of ihram. He prays upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his family. The best formula for praying upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is what he taught his ummah. Recite it for us, O young one. The smallest thing I have seen, O Allah? Read: "O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad."
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : You have done well. May Allah reward you. He recites after the second takbir the prayer upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)As-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Nasa'i 5:436.
Then he says the third takbir and supplicates. It is better to begin with the general supplication, sayingMishkat al-Masabih 1675, 1676, then he supplicates specifically for the deceased .
Then he says the fourth takbir and stands for a while, then he says the salam. Some scholars said he supplicates because that is established in Sahih Muslim; he supplicates, even for the deceased, by way of emphasis, then he says the salam once, because the funeral prayer is based on ease.
If we now understand that he says takbir four times and raises his hands at every takbir, because that is authentic from the action of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), he raises his hands at every takbir. It is also clear from the perspective of reasoning, because every takbir is considered an independent pillar. If it is an independent pillar and it is a verbal act, let this be indicated by raising the hands so that it is known that he has moved from one pillar to another. So both the report and the reasoning indicate that the person says takbir in the takbirs of the funeral and raises his hands as well. This is the funeral prayer.
But is it better that the deceased be placed on the bier covered or uncovered?
We say that as for the man, there is no harm in him remaining uncovered, meaning something is placed over him to cover his shroud so that people are not disturbed by seeing him. As for the woman, it should be on her bier a cover, meaning something that raises the curtain so that she is not seen, for that is among the recommended matters. But beware, O Muslim, beware that you make this wrapping something written with the remembrance of Allah or verses from the Book of Allah, for this contradicts the respect for the Qur'an. The Noble Qur'an should not be used as a wrapping for a funeral deceased. You even see Surat al-Ikhlas wrapped around the feet of the deceased. Where is the exaltation of the Qur'an? Or you see the Verse of the Throne on his right and left, or you see al-Fatihah. All of this is a religious innovation (bid'ah) and an abomination, because it involves the humiliation of the words of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Have you seen a living man if he made his blanket written with the Noble Qur'an? Would that not be considered a humiliation of the Qur'an? Yes, by Allah, it is a humiliation of the Qur'an. The Qur'an is raised on shelves and carried in hands and honored. It is not brought into places of harm and filth, and a person does not touch it except in a state of purity. So how is it written on cloths that are made into wrappings for the dead? And I know with certainty that the deceased does not benefit from this, because the deceased does not benefit except from what the evidence indicates he benefits from, and the evidence has not indicated this. Rather, if we went to what some jurists said, that the deceased is harmed by the commission of a sin near him, we would say that the deceased on whom this blanket is placed is harmed by it, because the sin was committed on his head, on his body. So I warn you from this action, and by Allah, it is what distresses us to see it in the House of Allah the Sacred, where funerals are brought wrapped in these wrappings on which the words of the Lord of the Worlds (Mighty and Majestic) are written. Therefore, it is obligatory for the Muslims to have in their hearts the sanctity of the Noble Qur'an. If the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote that the Qur'an should not be touched except by one who is pure, this indicates its exaltation. The scholars said it is forbidden for a person to enter the place of relief, meaning the restrooms, with the Qur'an, out of respect for what? For the Qur'an. The one in a state of major ritual impurity (janabah) does not recite the Qur'an, even from memory, out of respect for the Qur'an. So the Qur'an is not like the words of people. The Qur'an is the word of Allah, and it has the sanctity that befits it.
May Allah make us and you among those who respected the word of Allah and recited it with its due recitation. Indeed, He is capable of all things.
This is a summary of the funeral prayer. It remains to be said: Is the funeral prayer performed after 'Asr and after Fajr, meaning in the times of prohibition?
The answer is: Yes, it is performed, because it is a prayer that has a cause. And every prayer that has a cause, there is no prohibition on it, such as the greeting of the mosque, meaning at any hour of night or day, do not sit until you pray two rak'ahs.
The funeral prayer is a collective obligation (fard kifayah). It is obligatory for the Muslims to pray over their dead, and its reward is the reward of an obligatory act, meaning the reward of a collective obligation. Therefore, it takes precedence over the regular voluntary prayers (rawatib). That is to say, if the situation is such that you must choose between praying the rawatib or praying over the funeral, you prioritize the funeral prayer because it is a collective obligation, and a collective obligation is better than voluntary acts. In fact, some of the scholars of the principles of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh) said that a collective obligation is better than an individual obligation (fard 'ayn) because the one who performs it performs it on behalf of all the Muslims. However, the correct view is that an individual obligation is better. In any case, it is a collective obligation, and one man or one woman suffices for it, provided they are of age and sane. I said this because it is possible that someone is buried before being prayed over, so we learn of this. If one person, even a single woman, performs it, it drops from the rest.
An example of this is a fetus, meaning a fetus that fell from its mother's womb after the soul was breathed into it. The soul is breathed into it when it reaches four months. When is the soul breathed into the fetus?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : When it reaches what? Forty days? No, let me rest.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : When it reaches four months, a fetus falls from its mother's womb and has completed four months, and its mother was ignorant. Let us suppose she was in the wilderness, so she dug a hole for it and buried it without washing, shrouding, or prayer. Then, after some time, she mentioned that she had done this. We say that it is obligatory to pray over this buried fetus without prayer. If the mother who buried it prayed over it in her house, would that suffice or not? It suffices, because the collective obligation in the funeral prayer is fulfilled by one Muslim, male or female. So the funeral prayer is an obligation—go— a collective obligation, and it drops with one Muslim, male or female.
Second: Does a woman pray over the funeral? The answer is yes, she prays over the funeral. If it is prayed over in the mosque and women are present, let them pray with the people.
Third: How is the funeral prayer performed? It is performed according to what the Shari'ah has brought. If the funeral is brought to the imam, if the deceased is a male, he stands at his head, and if it is a female, at her middle. This is how the Sunnah came. Where is the head of the deceased relative to the imam, on his right or his left? On his right and on his left is the same. Many of the common people think that the head of the deceased must be on the imam's right when praying over him, but I do not know any basis for this. It is the same whether the head of the deceased is on the imam's left or on his right. The important thing is that the deceased is between the hands of the one praying. How is he prayed over?
We say he says the first takbir and raises his hands to the level of his shoulders, or to the tips of his ears, or to the roots of his ears. Then he recites Surat al-Fatihah, saying, "I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful," and then he recites al-Fatihah in full. If he recites a short surah with it sometimes, there is no harm, especially if the ma'mum completes his recitation and the imam has not said the second takbir; then he recites a surah after it, and there is no blame.
Then he says the second takbir. The second takbir is saying "Allahu Akbar" and raising his hands as he did at the takbir of ihram. He prays upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his family. The best formula for praying upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is what he taught his ummah. Recite it for us, O young one. The smallest thing I have seen, O Allah? Read: "O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad."
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : You have done well. May Allah reward you. He recites after the second takbir the prayer upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious. And send peace upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent peace upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.
اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما صليت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم إنك حميد مجيد وبارك على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما باركت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم إنك حميد مجيدThen he says the third takbir and supplicates. It is better to begin with the general supplication, saying
O God, forgive those of us who are living and those of us who are dead, those of us who are present and those of us who are absent, our young and our old, our male and our female. O God, to whomsoever of us Thou givest life keep him faithful to Islam whilst Thou givest him life, and whomsoever of us Thou takest in death take him as a believer.
اللهم اغفر لحينا وميتنا وشاهدنا وغائبنا وصغيرنا وكبيرنا وذكرنا وأنثانا إنك تعلم منقلبنا ومثوانا اللهم من أحييته منا فأحييه على الإسلام ومن توفيته منا فتوفه على الإيمانO Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, grant him well-being, pardon him, honor his place of abode, widen his entrance, wash him with water, snow, and hail, and purify him from sins as a white garment is purified from dirt. O Allah, exchange his home for a better home, his family for a better family, and his wife for a better wife. Make his grave spacious for him and fill it with light for him. O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward, do not test us after him, and forgive us and him.
اللهم اغفر له وارحمه وعافه واعف عنه وأكرم نزله وأوسع مدخله واغسله بالماء والثلج والبرد ونقه من الذنوب كما ينقى الثوب الأبيض من الدنس اللهم ابدله دارا خيرا من داره وأهلا خيرا من أهله وزوجا خيرا من زوجه وافسح له في قبره ونور له فيه اللهم لا تحرمنا أجره ولا تفتنا بعده واغفر لنا ولهThen he says the fourth takbir and stands for a while, then he says the salam. Some scholars said he supplicates because that is established in Sahih Muslim; he supplicates, even for the deceased, by way of emphasis, then he says the salam once, because the funeral prayer is based on ease.
If we now understand that he says takbir four times and raises his hands at every takbir, because that is authentic from the action of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), he raises his hands at every takbir. It is also clear from the perspective of reasoning, because every takbir is considered an independent pillar. If it is an independent pillar and it is a verbal act, let this be indicated by raising the hands so that it is known that he has moved from one pillar to another. So both the report and the reasoning indicate that the person says takbir in the takbirs of the funeral and raises his hands as well. This is the funeral prayer.
But is it better that the deceased be placed on the bier covered or uncovered?
We say that as for the man, there is no harm in him remaining uncovered, meaning something is placed over him to cover his shroud so that people are not disturbed by seeing him. As for the woman, it should be on her bier a cover, meaning something that raises the curtain so that she is not seen, for that is among the recommended matters. But beware, O Muslim, beware that you make this wrapping something written with the remembrance of Allah or verses from the Book of Allah, for this contradicts the respect for the Qur'an. The Noble Qur'an should not be used as a wrapping for a funeral deceased. You even see Surat al-Ikhlas wrapped around the feet of the deceased. Where is the exaltation of the Qur'an? Or you see the Verse of the Throne on his right and left, or you see al-Fatihah. All of this is a religious innovation (bid'ah) and an abomination, because it involves the humiliation of the words of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Have you seen a living man if he made his blanket written with the Noble Qur'an? Would that not be considered a humiliation of the Qur'an? Yes, by Allah, it is a humiliation of the Qur'an. The Qur'an is raised on shelves and carried in hands and honored. It is not brought into places of harm and filth, and a person does not touch it except in a state of purity. So how is it written on cloths that are made into wrappings for the dead? And I know with certainty that the deceased does not benefit from this, because the deceased does not benefit except from what the evidence indicates he benefits from, and the evidence has not indicated this. Rather, if we went to what some jurists said, that the deceased is harmed by the commission of a sin near him, we would say that the deceased on whom this blanket is placed is harmed by it, because the sin was committed on his head, on his body. So I warn you from this action, and by Allah, it is what distresses us to see it in the House of Allah the Sacred, where funerals are brought wrapped in these wrappings on which the words of the Lord of the Worlds (Mighty and Majestic) are written. Therefore, it is obligatory for the Muslims to have in their hearts the sanctity of the Noble Qur'an. If the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote that the Qur'an should not be touched except by one who is pure, this indicates its exaltation. The scholars said it is forbidden for a person to enter the place of relief, meaning the restrooms, with the Qur'an, out of respect for what? For the Qur'an. The one in a state of major ritual impurity (janabah) does not recite the Qur'an, even from memory, out of respect for the Qur'an. So the Qur'an is not like the words of people. The Qur'an is the word of Allah, and it has the sanctity that befits it.
May Allah make us and you among those who respected the word of Allah and recited it with its due recitation. Indeed, He is capable of all things.
This is a summary of the funeral prayer. It remains to be said: Is the funeral prayer performed after 'Asr and after Fajr, meaning in the times of prohibition?
The answer is: Yes, it is performed, because it is a prayer that has a cause. And every prayer that has a cause, there is no prohibition on it, such as the greeting of the mosque, meaning at any hour of night or day, do not sit until you pray two rak'ahs.