Janazah Prayer: How the Prophet ﷺ Prayed Over the Dead

The announcement comes after Zuhr: there will be a janazah prayer for a brother from the neighborhood, and the rows form again. What did the Prophet ﷺ do when he prayed over the dead, and what did he promise those who attend? These six authentic hadith describe the janazah prayer, the funeral prayer in Islam: its four takbirs, the reward of one and two qirats, the number of people who pray, and the right every Muslim has to be followed to the grave.

1. The janazah prayer: four takbirs, in rows

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

An-Najashi was the king of Abyssinia who sheltered the Muslims who migrated to his land. HadeethEnc explains that he died in a land where the funeral prayer had not been offered over him, so the Prophet ﷺ announced his death the same day and led the prayer for him. The essentials of the janazah prayer are already here: rows behind an imam, and four takbirs.

Try this: at the next janazah, straighten the rows as you would for the daily prayers. The Prophet ﷺ lined the people up for this prayer too.

2. One qirat for the prayer, two for the burial

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:

In another narration in Sahih Muslim, the smaller of the two qirats is like Mount Uhud. Sahih Muslim 945 adds that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray and then leave before the burial. When this hadith reached him, he said: “We have lost many qirats.” HadeethEnc notes that the reward is great because attending fulfils the right of a fellow Muslim, includes dua for him, reminds us of death and comforts his family.

Try this: when you can, stay after the prayer and walk with the family to the burial.

3. Forty people who associate nothing with Allah

A son of Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) died at Qudaid or ‘Usfan. Ibn ‘Abbas sent Kuraib to see how many people had gathered, and when he heard there were about forty, he said, “Bring him out,” because he had heard the Prophet ﷺ say:

The condition is tawhid: the people who pray associate nothing with Allah. Ibn ‘Abbas waited until the number was reached before bringing the body out, which shows how seriously the Companions took this promise.

Try this: when a janazah is announced at your masjid, stay for it, even if you did not know the person. You may be one of the forty.

4. A hundred Muslims interceding

‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:

The intercession here is the dua made for the deceased in the prayer. The Prophet ﷺ also told us, “When you pray over the dead, make a sincere supplication for him” (Sunan Abi Dawud 3199, Hasan (al-Albani)). The number matters, and so does the sincerity of each person in the rows.

Try this: pass on a janazah announcement to your local group so more people can come and pray.

5. Hurry with the funeral

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:

HadeethEnc explains that the instruction covers carrying the body quickly, or preparing it quickly: washing it, praying over it, carrying it and burying it. Either way, the deceased is not kept waiting. A righteous person is sent on to good, and the living are relieved of their burden.

Try this: if you help a grieving family, help with the practical steps, so the washing, the prayer and the burial are not delayed.

6. Following the funeral is a right of every Muslim

Abu Hurairah said he heard Allah’s Messenger ﷺ say:

Following the funeral sits beside returning the salam and visiting the sick: ordinary duties Muslims owe one another. It is not only for relatives and close friends.

Try this: pick one of these five rights and act on it this week.

How to pray janazah, step by step

Putting these hadith together with the narrations in our article on the janazah dua for the deceased, the janazah prayer is prayed standing, with four takbirs and no ruku’ or sujud:

1. Stand in rows behind the imam, facing the qiblah, with the intention of praying over the deceased.
2. First takbir: recite al-Fatihah quietly. Ibn ‘Abbas did this at a funeral and said it is the Sunnah (Bukhari 1335).
3. Second takbir: send salawat on the Prophet ﷺ. Many people use the salawat Ibrahimiyyah they already say in the tashahhud.
4. Third takbir: make a sincere dua for the deceased, such as the dua the Prophet ﷺ made in Sahih Muslim 963.
5. Fourth takbir: then the salam. Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) described this order as the Sunnah (Sunan an-Nasa’i 1989, Sahih (Darussalam)).

This list follows the hadith above and the way the prayer is commonly taught. Details such as raising the hands with each takbir, a short dua after the fourth takbir, and one salam or two differ between the schools of fiqh, so follow your imam or ask a qualified local scholar.

Bringing it together

Reflection: The janazah prayer is one of the few prayers we offer entirely for someone else. There is no ruku’ and no sujud, only standing, praising Allah and asking Him to forgive a person who can no longer add to his own deeds. Every hadith here asks something of the living: to stand in the rows, to stay until the burial, to make the dua sincere, and not to delay. The deceased gains, and so do we.

Key lessons

• The janazah prayer has four takbirs, prayed in rows behind the imam.
• Attending the prayer earns one qirat; staying until the burial earns two.
• Forty believers who associate nothing with Allah are a cause of intercession for the deceased.
• Hurry with washing, praying over and burying the dead.
• Following funerals is a right Muslims owe one another, not only family and friends.

Part of our Salah series: see all our salah articles in one place.

May Allah make us among those who stand sincerely in the rows for our brothers and sisters, and send believers to pray over us when our own time comes.

Save this to Pinterest so you have the steps ready for the next janazah