How is the funeral prayer prayed?

The prayer, step by step

You stand facing the qiblah with the body of the deceased placed between you and the qiblah, and you follow the imam. The Permanent Committee states this explicitly: the one praying faces the qiblah and places the funeral bier between himself and the qiblah.

1. The first takbir. You raise your hands and say "Allahu akbar." Ibn Baz notes that raising the hands with each takbir is the better practice. Then you seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, say the basmalah, and recite al-Fatihah quietly. Reciting a short surah or some verses after it is better; if you recite al-Fatihah alone, that suffices.
2. The second takbir. After saying "Allahu akbar," you send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ with the same Ibrahimiyyah formula used at the end of the obligatory prayer — "O Allah, send blessings on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings on Ibrahim…"
3. The third takbir. You supplicate for the deceased. This is the heart of the prayer: the Prophet ﷺ said, "When you pray over the dead, supplicate sincerely for him." The most complete supplications transmitted from him include asking forgiveness, mercy, pardon, a noble resting place, a widened entrance, washing with water, snow and hail, purification from sins like a white garment from filth, a better home and family in exchange, entry into Paradise, and protection from the punishment of the grave and the Fire.
4. The fourth takbir. You say "Allahu akbar," pause briefly, then give one taslim to your right: "Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah."

What the imam does, and where he stands

The imam stands at the head of a man and at the middle of a woman. Ibn Baz and Ibn Uthaymeen both cite this as established from the Prophet ﷺ through the narrations of Anas and Samurah ibn Jundub رضي الله عنهما. Ibn Baz adds that the opinion of some jurists that the imam should stand at the chest of a man is weak and has no basis.

If several funerals are prayed together, Ibn Uthaymeen describes the arrangement: adult men closest to the imam, then young boys, then adult women, then young girls — with the head of each placed so that the imam's standing position remains where it should be.

What is obligatory and what is recommended

Points people often get wrong

• It is not a single rak'ah. IslamWeb (fatwa 27196) addresses this directly: it is not correct to say the funeral prayer is one rak'ah with four takbirs; it is a prayer consisting of standing with four takbirs, and it contains no bowing or prostration.
• The opening supplication (istiftah). Ibn Baz holds that the funeral prayer does not include the istiftah — it is built on brevity — though if someone does it, there is no harm.
• Reciting aloud. The recitation is done quietly. Ibn Baz notes that if the imam raises his voice slightly so those behind him learn, as Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه did, that is good.
• Number of takbirs. Al-Albani records that the Prophet ﷺ was reported to have made four, five, up to nine takbirs, and that any of these is valid. Four is the strongest and most frequent, and the one following the imam does whatever the imam does. Ibn Uthaymeen adds that occasionally making five is recommended, since it is established.

Who may pray it

Ibn Baz and the Permanent Committee state that the funeral prayer is prescribed for both men and women. It is a fard kifayah: if one person performs it, the obligation is lifted from the rest, though the sunnah is for a large congregation, since the Prophet ﷺ spoke of forty or a hundred Muslims interceding for the deceased. Women may pray over the deceased in the mosque, the home or the prayer ground; what is specific to men is following the bier to the graveyard and visiting graves. If you miss the prayer, there is no making up for it as an obligation, since others have fulfilled it, though you may pray over the grave after the burial, as the Prophet ﷺ did — and if you catch part of it, you pray what you caught and complete what you missed, as with other prayers.

Key takeaways

• The funeral prayer is four takbirs performed standing, with no bowing or prostration, ending in one taslim to the right.
• After the first takbir recite al-Fatihah; after the second, send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ; after the third, supplicate for the deceased; after the fourth, give the taslim.
• The imam stands at the head of a man and the middle of a woman — the view that he stands at a man's chest is weak.
• It is a communal obligation, valid from men and women alike, and the larger the congregation the greater the intercession hoped for.
• Purity is required, the recitation is quiet, and following the imam's number of takbirs is what the one praying behind does.

Further reading

• Talkhis Ahkam al-Jana'iz, Nasir al-Din al-Albani
• Fatawa Arkan al-Islam, Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen
• Majmu' Fatawa wa Maqalat, Shaykh Ibn Baz

And Allah knows best.