Where should the imam stand to pray over a body whose head cannot be distinguished from its feet?
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The questioner : Where should the imam stand to pray over a body whose head cannot be distinguished from its feet?
The Shaykh : The head cannot be distinguished from the feet! This would only happen if they put it in a mill that grinds it up. However, if it is placed in a basket, it is placed like this and the funeral prayer is performed over it. Even as we mentioned a moment ago, standing in the middle of the woman and at the head of the man is not obligatory. That is to say, if he stands at the heel of the woman or the man, there is no harm. The important thing is that he stands in front of them, not to their right or left.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : They all place them and pray over them with a single prayer, do you understand? And if, for example, there was an accident and there were Muslims and disbelievers among them, and the Muslim could not be distinguished from the disbeliever, all the bodies are brought forward, in front of the praying people, and the prayer is performed with the intention of praying over the Muslims. As the scholars said: if one enters a gathering where there are Muslims and disbelievers, he greets them and intends the greeting for the Muslims.
The Shaykh : The head cannot be distinguished from the feet! This would only happen if they put it in a mill that grinds it up. However, if it is placed in a basket, it is placed like this and the funeral prayer is performed over it. Even as we mentioned a moment ago, standing in the middle of the woman and at the head of the man is not obligatory. That is to say, if he stands at the heel of the woman or the man, there is no harm. The important thing is that he stands in front of them, not to their right or left.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : They all place them and pray over them with a single prayer, do you understand? And if, for example, there was an accident and there were Muslims and disbelievers among them, and the Muslim could not be distinguished from the disbeliever, all the bodies are brought forward, in front of the praying people, and the prayer is performed with the intention of praying over the Muslims. As the scholars said: if one enters a gathering where there are Muslims and disbelievers, he greets them and intends the greeting for the Muslims.