Salaatul Janaazah

Q: Assalaamu Alaikum

(1)        How to perform Salaatul Janaazah (in detail)?

(2)        When the deceased body arrives and departs do individuals have to stand?

A: Wa alaikum Assalaam

In Salaatul Janaazah there are two acts tht are held as being compulsory. These are :-

1)Saying the Takbeer (Allaahu Akbar) four times.

2)Qiyaam, that is offering the Salaatul Janaazah in a standing posture.

In the Janaazah Salaah, there is no Adhaan, Iqaamah, Qiraat (recitation from the Holy Qur’an), ruku, sajdah, qa’dah (sitting in Salaah).

The Sunnah acts in the Salaatul Janaazah are:-

1)Praising Allaah (Hamd and Thana)

2)Reciting Darood, invoking of Allaah’s blessings for the Holy Prophet (S.A.W).

3)Dua for the deceased.

All these take place within the Janaazah Salaah itself.

Jama’ah or congregation is not a condition for the validity of this Salaah. Even if one person performs this Salaah, then the obligation will be fulfilled.

Method of Salaatul Janaazah.

The manner of performing this Salaah is as follows:-

The body of the deceased must be placed in front of the Imam who leads the Salaah. The Imam stands on line with the chest of the deceased.

Everyone in the congregation must have the intention of performing Salaatul Janaazah for the sake of Allaah and in prayer for the deceased.

One must then say “Allaahu Akbar whilst raising both hands as in Takbeer At Tahreema (the same manner in which one raises his hands to begin the daily Salaah).

Then fold your hands over the navel as one does in his daily Salaah. At this time, one must recite the Thana. The Thana is:-

“Subhaanakallaahumma wa bi hamdika wa Tabaarakasmuka wa Ta’aala Jadduka wa laa ilaaha Ghairuka”.

After this, a person must say Allaahu Akbar again, but must not raise his hands. At this time, one will recite the Darood, (preferably the same as recited in the daily Salaah).

Then say Allaahu Akbar once again without raising the hands. After this Takbeer, one will make the dua for the deceased. Based on who the deceased is, one will recite the relevant dua. That is, there is a special dua for adults, and one for a minor boy and another for a minor girl.

The dua for the adult is:-

Allaahumaghfir li hayyinaa wa mayyitinaa wa shaahidinaa wa gha-ibinaa wa saghirinaa wa kabirinaa wa dhakarinaa wa unthaanaa, Allaahumma man ahyaitahu minnaa fa ahyihi a’lal Islam wa man tawaffaitahu minnaa fatawaffahu alal Imaan.

Oh Allaah! Forgive those of us that are alive and those of us who are dead, those of us who are present, and those of us who are absent, those of us that are young and those of us that are adults; our males and our females. Oh Allaah! Whomsoever of us you keep alive, let him live as a follower of Islam and whomsoever you cause to die, let him die as a believer.

The dua for a girl child is:-

Allaahum maj’alhaa lanaa

Fa-ra—tanw waj ‘alhaa lanaa

Aj-ranw wa dhukranw waj ‘alhaa lanaa shaafi’ atanw wa mushaf-fa’ah.

Oh Allaah, make her our fore-runner, a source of reward and treasure and make her a pleader for us and one whose plea has been accepted.

The dua for a boy child is:-

Allaahumma maj ‘alhu lanaa

Fa-ra—tanw waj ‘alhu lanaa

Aj-ranw wa dhukranw waj ‘alhu lanaa

Shaafi’atanw wa mushaf-fa’ah

Oh Allaah! Make him our fore runner, a source of reward and treasure and make him a pleader for us and one whose plea has been accepted.

When the Salaatul Janaazah is finished the body should be taken to the cemetery for burial.

And Allaah knows best,

Mufti Waseem Khan.