Praying over a deceased Muslim is a communal obligation (farḍ kifāya): if some fulfil it, the rest are relieved; if all neglect it, all are sinful. It is a standing prayer of four takbīrs — no rukūʿ, no sujūd — a duʿāʾ of intercession for our brother or sister.
How it is prayed
- 1
🕋Stand facing the qibla, the deceased before the imam. Intend the funeral prayer.
- 2
☝️First takbīr: recite al-Fātiḥa.
- 3
☝️Second takbīr: send ṣalāt upon the Prophet ﷺ (as in the tashahhud).
- 4
🤲Third takbīr: make sincere duʿāʾ for the deceased.
- 5
👉Fourth takbīr: pause briefly (a short duʿāʾ), then give the taslīm.
A supplication for the deceased
Said after the third takbīr (one of several authentic wordings).
Duʿāʾ
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ وَعَافِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنْهُ، وَأَكْرِمْ نُزُلَهُ وَوَسِّعْ مُدْخَلَهُ
Allāhumma-ghfir lahu wa-rḥamhu wa ʿāfihi wa-ʿfu ʿanhu, wa akrim nuzulahu wa wassiʿ mudkhalah.
O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, pardon him, honour his reception and make spacious his entry. (For a female: replace the pronouns — lahā, etc.)
Compare the schools
Tap a school to see its ruling first everywhere on this page.
Janāza
Is al-Fātiḥa recited in the funeral prayer?
Hanafi: The Fātiḥa is not part of it as recitation; after the first takbīr one says thanāʾ (praise of Allah). Fātiḥa may be read with the intention of praise.
Other schools
Maliki: No fixed recitation; the prayer is takbīrs and duʿāʾ. Reciting Fātiḥa is not required.
Shāfiʿī: Reciting al-Fātiḥa after the first takbīr is obligatory.
Hanbali: Reciting al-Fātiḥa after the first takbīr is obligatory.
Ṣifat ṣalāt al-janāza — al-Mawsūʿa al-Fiqhiyya.
Evidence
“Whoever attends the funeral until the prayer is offered has one qīrāṭ, and whoever attends until burial has two qīrāṭs” — each like a great mountain.
Bukhārī 1325 / Muslim 945 ṣaḥīḥ
The Prophet ﷺ taught sincere duʿāʾ for the deceased: “O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him…”
Muslim 963 ṣaḥīḥ
Classical references
Hanafi: al-Hidāya · Radd al-Muḥtār
Maliki: al-Risāla · Mukhtaṣar Khalīl
Shāfiʿī: Minhāj al-Ṭālibīn
Hanbali: al-Mughnī · Zād al-Mustaqniʿ
Related lessons
Content is being reviewed for authenticity by a qualified scholar. Follow your local scholars for personal rulings.