Complete Janāzah Guide

Writing a will is emphasised in the Sunnah, especially when one has wealth, debts, or matters that need to be settled.

• Bequests are limited to one-third of the estate at most — and only for non-heirs (since heirs already have fixed shares in the Qur'an).
• All debts must be recorded — debts to people and to Allah (unpaid zakāh, unfulfilled vows, missed Hajj, kaffārāt).
• Have at least two trustworthy Muslim witnesses sign the will.
• Specify washing/burial preferences (e.g. who should wash you, where you wish to be buried).
• Do NOT bequeath anything to legal heirs — this overrides the Qur'anic shares and is not permitted.

When death approaches, gently remind the dying person of the shahādah so it may be his last words.

• Talqīn — softly say 'Lā ilāha illa Allāh' near the dying person, without forcing or repeating to the point of irritation.
• If possible, turn him to face the qiblah (right side, body facing Makkah).
• Remain calm; do not weep loudly or speak ill in his presence — the angels say 'āmīn' to whatever is said.
• Recite Sūrah Yā-Sīn near him is reported by some, but the chain is weak — better to focus on talqīn and du'ā'.

1. 1Close the eyes of the deceased gently — the eyes follow the soul as it leaves.
2. 2Tie the lower jaw shut with a cloth so the mouth does not remain open.
3. 3Soften the limbs while still warm so they can be straightened.
4. 4Cover the entire body with a clean sheet.
5. 5Make du'ā' for the deceased — recommended: 'Allāhumma-ghfir li-fulān, warfaʿ darajatahu fī al-mahdiyyīn, wakhlufhu fī ʿaqibihi fī al-ghābirīn, waghfir lanā wa lahu yā Rabb al-ʿālamīn.'
6. 6Hasten the burial preparations.
7. 7Pay off the deceased's debts as soon as possible — the soul is suspended by its debt.
8. 8Inform family, friends, and the local community.

• Wailing, screaming, slapping cheeks, and tearing clothes are forbidden.
• Quiet tears and grief are permitted — the Prophet ﷺ wept when his son Ibrāhīm died and said: 'The eye sheds tears and the heart grieves, but we say only what pleases our Lord.'

Washing the deceased is a collective obligation (farḍ kifāyah) on the Muslims.

1. 1Place the body on a raised, sloped surface so water drains away.
2. 2Cover the ʿawrah (navel to knee for men; modesty over the entire body for women).
3. 3Press gently on the abdomen to expel any waste; clean it thoroughly with gloved hands.
4. 4Make wuḍū' for the deceased as for prayer — but wipe the inside of the mouth and nose with a damp cloth instead of rinsing.
5. 5Wash the head and beard with water mixed with sidr (lote leaves) or a clean soap.
6. 6Wash the right side of the body, then the left.
7. 7Repeat the entire wash three times. If still not clean, wash up to seven times — always in odd numbers.
8. 8In the final wash, add camphor (kāfūr) to the water.
9. 9If the hair is long, braid it into three braids and place behind.
10. 10Dry the body with a clean cloth.

• Men wash men; women wash women.
• A husband may wash his wife, and a wife may wash her husband — ʿAlī (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) washed Fāṭimah (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhā), and Asmā' bint ʿUmays washed her husband Abū Bakr (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu).
• Children under approximately seven years old may be washed by either gender.
• If no one of the same gender is available and no spouse, the body is given tayammum (dry ablution) by a person of the opposite gender, with hands wrapped in cloth.
• The person washing should be trustworthy, knowledgeable, and one who will conceal anything seen.
• It is recommended for the closest relative who knows the procedure to wash — but a non-relative who is more knowledgeable is preferred over an ignorant relative.

• Martyr in battle (shahīd al-maʿrakah): not washed and not prayed over by the funeral prayer — buried in the clothes he died in, with his blood on him.
• Other shuhadā' (drowning, plague, fire, childbirth, defending wealth/family): washed and prayed over normally.
• Miscarriage before 4 lunar months: not washed, not prayed over — wrapped and buried.
• Stillborn after 4 lunar months (when the soul is breathed in): washed, named, shrouded, and prayed over.
• Drowned, burned, decomposed, or severely injured body: if water cannot be safely used, give tayammum. Wash whatever can be washed and wrap the rest.
• Person who dies in iḥrām (Hajj/ʿUmrah): washed with water and sidr only — no camphor, no perfume — shrouded in his iḥrām cloths, head and face uncovered. He will be raised on the Day of Judgement reciting the talbiyah.
• Multiple body parts found: wash and pray over what is found.

The shroud should be from clean white cloth, sufficient to cover the entire body.

1. 1Men: three white sheets, large enough to wrap the entire body.
2. 2Women: five pieces — an izār (waist-wrap), a khimār (head-cover), a qamīṣ (shirt), and two enveloping sheets.
3. 3Lay the sheets on top of one another on a flat surface.
4. 4Apply non-alcoholic perfume (such as ʿūd or musk) to the body's joints and the seven points of prostration: forehead, nose, palms, knees, and toes.
5. 5Place the body in the centre of the cloths.
6. 6Wrap the right side of the top sheet over the body, then the left, and so on for each layer.
7. 7Tie the ends with strips of cloth — to be untied at the grave.

• Avoid extravagance — Abū Bakr (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) said: 'A new cloth is more deserving of the living than the dead.'
• A pilgrim in iḥrām is shrouded in his iḥrām cloths and not perfumed.
• The shroud should be paid for from the deceased's estate before debts and inheritance are distributed.

The funeral prayer is a farḍ kifāyah on the community. It consists of four takbīrs while standing — no rukūʿ, no sujūd.

1. 1Stand facing the qiblah. The deceased is placed in front: a man's body — the imām stands at the head; a woman's — at the middle.
2. 2Make the niyyah (intention) silently in the heart.
3. 3First takbīr: raise the hands, then place them on the chest. Recite Sūrah al-Fātiḥah (and a short sūrah is also reported as authentic).
4. 4Second takbīr: recite the full ṣalāh ʿalā an-Nabī (durood as in tashahhud).
5. 5Third takbīr: make duʿā' for the deceased.
6. 6Fourth takbīr: pause briefly, then say the salām to the right (some narrations also report to the left).

The most important part of the funeral prayer is the du'ā' for the deceased after the third takbīr. The Prophet ﷺ taught several wordings — any may be used.

• If the deceased is a woman, change the masculine pronouns (ـه) to feminine (ـها).
• If multiple — use the dual (ـهما) or plural (ـهم).

• Child: the du'ā' is for his parents — to make him a treasure stored for them — and asking forgiveness for the parents and the wider Muslims.
• Multiple bodies: one prayer over them all is permitted. Place men nearer the imām and women further (closer to qiblah).
• Absent (ghā'ib): permissible if the deceased was not prayed over where he died — the Prophet ﷺ prayed over the Negus (al-Najāshī).
• At the grave (after burial): permissible for one who missed the prayer — the Prophet ﷺ prayed over a woman at her grave after burial.
• Missed a takbīr: join the imām, then complete the missed takbīrs and du'ās after the imām's salām.
• Woman leading women: permissible; she stands in the middle of the row.
• Non-Muslim: absolutely forbidden to pray over them or seek forgiveness for them — Allah forbade this in Sūrah al-Tawbah.

• It is Sunnah for four men to carry the bier — one at each of the four corners.
• Walk briskly but with dignity — not running, not dragging.
• It is permitted to walk in front of, behind, or beside the bier — the strongest evidence supports walking in front.
• Riding behind the bier (going to the grave) is permitted; walking is better.
• Riding before the bier is disliked.
• Women following the bier in procession is forbidden — the Prophet ﷺ prohibited it.
• Do not stand up when a funeral passes — the earlier hadith of standing was abrogated according to the practice of the Prophet ﷺ later in life.

Burial is a farḍ kifāyah. The grave should be deep, with a niche (laḥd) on the qiblah side preferable to a straight pit (shaqq).

1. 1Carry the janāzah to the grave swiftly but with dignity.
2. 2Lower the body into the grave from the foot end where possible.
3. 3Place the body on its right side, facing the qiblah.
4. 4Untie the kafn cords; if buried in cloth (no coffin), uncover the face slightly is permitted but not obligatory.
5. 5Say upon placing him: 'Bismillāh, wa ʿalā millati Rasūlillāh.'
6. 6Cover the niche with bricks, stones, or wooden boards — preventing earth from touching the body directly.
7. 7Each attendee throws three handfuls of earth into the grave — this is Sunnah.
8. 8Once filled, raise the grave a hand-span (about 4 inches / 10 cm) above ground level — flat on top — and mark it modestly with a single stone if needed for identification.
9. 9Stand at the grave and ask for forgiveness and firmness for the deceased — for he is now being questioned.

The Prophet ﷺ would stand at the grave after burial and instruct the attendees to ask for forgiveness and firmness for the deceased — for the questioning has just begun.

1. 1After the grave is filled, stand for a short while.
2. 2Make du'ā': 'Allāhumma-ghfir lahu, Allāhumma thabbithu' — 'O Allah, forgive him; O Allah, make him firm.'
3. 3Sprinkling water lightly over the grave is reported as Sunnah — to settle the earth.
4. 4Marking the grave with a single stone for identification is permitted.

• It is NOT from the Sunnah to recite Sūrah al-Fātiḥah, Yā-Sīn, or any portion of the Qur'ān at the graveside immediately after burial — neither the Prophet ﷺ nor the Companions did so.
• The talqīn after burial (saying 'O so-and-so, son of so-and-so, say...') has no authentic basis from the Prophet ﷺ — it is an innovation.

Once a person dies, his deeds end — but certain things continue to benefit him.

• Ṣadaqah jāriyah (ongoing charity): wells, masjids, schools, planted trees, beneficial books left behind.
• Beneficial knowledge he taught or wrote that people continue to act upon.
• A righteous child who supplicates for him.
• Du'ā' from any Muslim — especially asking forgiveness.
• Paying his debts on his behalf — including financial debts and debts owed to Allah (zakāh, kaffārāt).
• Hajj or ʿUmrah on his behalf — for one who could not perform it himself due to incapacity or death.
• Fasting missed obligatory days on his behalf — if he had a vow or obligatory missed fasts (e.g. Ramadan he could not make up).
• Charity given on his behalf — including freeing a slave, feeding the poor, etc.

Visiting graves is recommended for men — it softens the heart and reminds of the ākhirah.

1. 1Enter with the prescribed greeting: 'As-salāmu ʿalaykum dāra qawmin mu'minīn, wa innā in shā'a Allāhu bikum lāḥiqūn. Nas'alu Allāha lanā wa lakum al-ʿāfiyah.'
2. 2Make du'ā' for the deceased — for forgiveness, mercy, and well-being.
3. 3Reflect on death and the ākhirah; let the visit soften the heart.

• Reciting Qur'ān at the graveside is not from the Sunnah — the Prophet ﷺ never did so, nor did the Companions.
• Du'ā' for the deceased is the principal benefit they receive from the living.
• For women: scholars differ. The strongest position is that occasional visits are permitted with the conditions of modesty, no wailing, and no excessive frequency. Frequent visiting is forbidden — the Prophet ﷺ cursed 'women who frequently visit graves.'
• Travelling specifically to visit any grave (other than the three sacred mosques) is forbidden.

• Born alive then died: washed, named, shrouded, prayed over, and buried as an adult.
• Stillborn after 4 lunar months (120 days) — when the soul is breathed in: washed, named, shrouded, prayed over, buried.
• Miscarriage before 4 months: wrapped and buried with respect — no ghusl, no funeral prayer.
• Every Muslim child who dies before puberty enters Paradise by the bounty of Allah and is a means of intercession for his parents.
• The du'ā' for a child focuses on the parents — asking Allah to make him a treasure stored ahead for them.

• It is forbidden to perform ghusl, kafn, or ṣalāt al-janāzah for a non-Muslim — and forbidden to ask forgiveness for them.
• It is permitted to wash the body for hygiene, wrap it, and hand it over to their relatives or community for burial according to their customs (without participating in their religious rites).
• If a Muslim has a non-Muslim relative die, he may follow the funeral and bury him — but does not perform Islamic rites or seek forgiveness for him.
• ʿAlī (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) buried his father Abū Ṭālib upon the instruction of the Prophet ﷺ — but did not pray over him.

• A Muslim who commits suicide is still a Muslim — he is washed, shrouded, and buried in the Muslim graveyard.
• The imām or scholar of the community may abstain from praying over him as a deterrent — but the rest of the people pray over him so he is not denied the funeral prayer entirely.
• Likewise for someone who died committing a major sin (e.g. drunkard, drug overdose) — the funeral prayer is not denied.
• His final reckoning is with Allah — we leave his affair to Him, neither declaring him in Paradise nor in Hell.

• Autopsy: permitted only when legally required or when there is a clear benefit (criminal investigation, medical necessity). Avoided whenever possible — the body of a Muslim is honoured.
• Organ donation after death: scholars differ; the more cautious view of the major scholars upon the manhaj of the Salaf (Ibn Bāz, Ibn ʿUthaymīn) is to avoid it, as the body is to be returned to its Lord intact.
• Cremation: absolutely forbidden. The body must be buried in the earth.
• Embalming and cosmetic preparation: discouraged unless legally required for repatriation; minimum intervention is best.
• Repatriation to another country: permitted if there is a benefit (e.g. burial near family), but burying where one died is the Sunnah and avoids delay.
• Coffins: the Sunnah is burial in cloth directly into the earth. Where law requires a coffin, it is permitted as a necessity.
• Funeral homes: permissible to use their facilities for washing, shrouding, and prayer — provided no innovations are practiced.
• Photography of the deceased: strongly disliked or forbidden — exposing the dead is against their honour and against the Sunnah of concealing what the washer sees.
• Live-streaming funerals: avoid; turns a moment of reflection into a spectacle.

• Dress modestly and cleanly — black is not a requirement.
• Maintain silence during the procession; do not converse loudly.
• Do not raise the voice with dhikr in unison while carrying the bier — this was not the practice of the Companions.
• Phones on silent. No photography.
• Hasten to the masjid for the prayer; remain until burial if possible — for the two qīrāṭs.
• After the prayer, do not crowd the family — offer brief condolences and depart.
• Do not eat at the funeral home or accept hospitality from the bereaved family — bring food TO them instead.

Consoling the bereaved is a Sunnah. Mourning has fixed Sharʿī limits.

• Recommended phrase: 'Inna lillāhi mā akhadha wa lahu mā aʿṭā, wa kullu shay'in ʿindahu bi-ajalin musammā — fal-taṣbir wal-taḥtasib.'
• Or simply: 'May Allah make great your reward, beautify your patience, and forgive your deceased.'
• Visit briefly. Do not encourage formal gatherings — the Companions considered gathering at the family of the deceased and serving food after burial to be a form of wailing.
• Mourning period (iḥdād): for a widow — 4 months and 10 days (the ʿiddah). For any other family death — 3 days maximum.
• A widow during ʿiddah remains in her marital home, avoids perfume, jewellery, kohl, and decorative clothing, and does not entertain marriage proposals.
• Men do not have a prescribed mourning period beyond grieving naturally.

• Building structures, domes, or rooms over graves — the Prophet ﷺ forbade this.
• Plastering, whitewashing, or decorating graves.
• Praying toward graves or in graveyards (except the funeral prayer itself).
• Calling upon the deceased, asking them for help, or seeking their intercession — this is shirk akbar.
• Sitting on graves or walking over them.
• Lighting lamps, candles, or incense over graves.
• Making graves into ʿīds — annual visits with ceremonies.
• Sacrificing animals at or for graves.
• Travelling specifically to visit any grave other than the three sacred mosques (Makkah, Madinah, Aqsa).
• Wailing, eulogising the dead with exaggeration, hiring professional mourners.
• Inscribing the Qur'an or names of Allah on gravestones.

These practices have spread widely but have no basis in the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ or the practice of the Companions.

• Memorial gatherings on the 3rd, 7th, 40th day, or annually (qul, chāliswan, barsi) — the Companions explicitly considered this from the wailing of jāhiliyyah.
• Eating food provided by the bereaved family after burial — the Sunnah is to bring food TO them, not the reverse.
• Hiring professional reciters or qāri' to recite Qur'an for the deceased.
• Loudspeaker recitation of the Qur'an at the burial or in the funeral procession.
• Talqīn after burial — addressing the dead with prompts ('O so-and-so, son of so-and-so, say...') — has no authentic basis from the Prophet ﷺ.
• Wreaths, flowers, or decorations at the grave.
• Inscriptions on gravestones beyond a simple name marker.
• Standing in silence as a mourning custom (a Western practice; not from Islam).
• Wearing black for mourning as a religious ritual.
• Black armbands or special mourning attire.
• Anniversary visits to the grave with ceremonies.
• Distributing sweets or food at the grave.
• Photographing or filming the deceased or burial.
• Group dhikr in unison at the graveside.

A practical step-by-step for grieving families — from the moment of death through the days following burial.