The Funeral Prayer (Salat al-Janazah)

When a Muslim dies, the last gift his family, friends and community can offer him in this world is the funeral prayer — the Janazah prayer. It is a prayer offered for the deceased: those who attend stand before Allah and ask Him to forgive the one who has passed away, to have mercy on him and to honour his arrival in the next life. Just as Islam teaches us to care for a believer during his illness — as our guide to the dua for visiting the sick explains — it also teaches us to accompany him with prayer when he leaves this world.

The Janazah prayer holds a remarkable place among the virtues of Salah: few acts carry a reward described in such striking terms. In the authentic narrations collected below, the one who attends the funeral prayer earns a reward called a qirat, and the one who stays until the burial earns two — each one compared to a huge mountain. This article gathers what the Quran’s teachings and the Prophet’s ﷺ own words and practice tell us about this prayer: its reward, its purpose, how it is prayed, and the beautiful supplication the Prophet ﷺ himself made over the deceased.

1. A Prayer Offered for the Deceased

The Janazah prayer is, in its essence, a prayer of supplication. The narration of Abu Huraira describes attendance at the funeral in these words — the prayer is something “offered for (the dead)”:

“He who attends the funeral till the prayer is offered for (the dead), for him is the reward of one qirat, and he who attends (and stays) till he is buried, for him is the reward of two qirats.” (Sahih Muslim 945a — Sahih)

Everything in this prayer is directed towards the benefit of the deceased. The worshippers are not praying for themselves; they are standing as witnesses and intercessors for a fellow believer who can no longer pray for himself. The heart of the prayer is dua — asking Allah for the dead person’s forgiveness, mercy and peace — which is why learning the dua for the deceased matters so much to every Muslim. When the Prophet ﷺ himself prayed over a deceased person, as we will see in section 7 below, his prayer consisted of one heartfelt supplication after another, all of them for the one who had died.

This is what makes attending a funeral such a powerful moment. The deceased is carried before the congregation, and everyone present — family, neighbours, and even people who barely knew him — asks Allah to forgive him. One day, each of us will be the one lying there while others pray over us; attending the Janazah prayer of others is a reminder to prepare our own meeting with Allah, a theme explored in our article on the dua for a good ending.

2. The Reward: One Qirat for the Prayer, Two for the Burial

Allah has attached an immense reward to this act of kindness. Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“He who attends the funeral till the prayer is offered for (the dead), for him is the reward of one qirat, and he who attends (and stays) till he is buried, for him is the reward of two qirats. It was said: What are the qirats? He said: They are equivalent to two huge mountains.” (Sahih Muslim 945a — Sahih)

The same teaching is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, also on the authority of Abu Huraira:

“Whoever attends the funeral procession till he offers the funeral prayer for it, will get a reward equal to one Qirat, and whoever accompanies it till burial, will get a reward equal to two Qirats.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1325 — Sahih)

When the Companions asked what the two qirats were, the Prophet ﷺ replied:

“Like two huge mountains.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1325 — Sahih)

Notice how the reward grows with the effort and loyalty shown. Praying over the deceased earns one qirat. Remaining with the funeral procession until the deceased is actually buried — walking with him to the graveyard and staying until he is laid in the ground — doubles it to two qirats. The prayer itself may take only a few minutes, yet its reward is weighed in mountains. It is a measure of how highly Allah values honouring a believer at his departure and comforting his family with a large, prayerful gathering.

3. Each Qirat Is Like Mount Uhud

A second narration of Abu Huraira, preserved in Sahih Muslim, makes the comparison even more vivid by naming the mountain: Uhud, the great mountain of Madinah.

“He who goes out with the bier when taken out from its residence and offers prayer for it and he then follows it till it is buried, he would have two qirats of reward, each qirat being equivalent to Uhud; and he who, after having offered prayer, (directly) came back would have his reward (as great) as Uhud” (Sahih Muslim 945g — Sahih)

This narration describes the full journey of attendance: leaving with the bier from its residence, praying over it, and following it all the way to the burial. The one who completes the whole journey receives two qirats, each equal to Uhud. The one who prays and then returns receives one — still a reward “as great as Uhud”. The comparison would have been immediately understood by the people of Madinah, who saw Mount Uhud on their horizon every day: a single qirat is not a small coin of reward, but something vast, heavy and enduring.

For us, the lesson is simple and motivating. When news reaches us that a Muslim has passed away, attending his Janazah prayer is not a minor social courtesy. It is an act of worship with a mountain-sized reward, and staying for the burial doubles it.

4. Ibn Umar’s Regret: “We Have Lost Many Qirats”

The Companions took these words seriously — so seriously that one of the most senior among them openly regretted the rewards he had missed before the narration reached him. Sahih Muslim records that Ibn Umar used to pray over the deceased and then leave, without waiting for the burial:

“Ibn ‘Umar used to pray and then depart (without waiting for the burial of the dead). When the tradition of Abu Huraira reached him, he said:” We have lost many qirats.”” (Sahih Muslim 945a — Sahih)

The longer narration in Sahih Muslim shows how carefully he verified the report before accepting it. When Khabbab related Abu Huraira’s words to him, Ibn Umar sent Khabbab to Aisha to ask her about them:

“Ibn ‘Umar took up a handful of pebbles and turned them over in his hand till the messenger (Khabbab) came back to him and told (him) that ‘A’isha testified (the statement of) Abu Huraira.” (Sahih Muslim 945g — Sahih)

Hearing the confirmation, he threw the pebbles to the ground and exclaimed:

“We missed a large number of qirats.” (Sahih Muslim 945g — Sahih)

There is deep instruction in this reaction. Ibn Umar did not shrug at the missed reward; he grieved over it. The Companions measured their lives by such opportunities. His regret teaches us not to treat attendance at funerals casually: if we are able to stay until the burial, we should, for the difference is an entire mountain of reward. And for the family of the deceased, a congregation that stays with them until the end is a source of strength in the hardest of moments — one of the situations in which a believer most needs patience (sabr).

5. Standing When a Funeral Passes By

The honour shown to the deceased in Islam is not limited to the prayer itself. Jabir ibn Abdullah narrated an incident that shows the reverence with which the Prophet ﷺ treated any funeral that passed:

“There passed a bier and the Prophet (ﷺ) stood up for it and we also stood up along with him. We said: Messenger of Allah, that was the bier of a Jewess. Upon this he remarked: Verily, death is a matter of consternation, so whenever you come across a bier stand up.” (Sahih Muslim 960a — Sahih)

The key sentence of the narration deserves to be read slowly:

“Verily, death is a matter of consternation, so whenever you come across a bier stand up.” (Sahih Muslim 960a — Sahih)

Death, in the Prophet’s ﷺ words, is a matter of awe and alarm — an event that shakes the heart awake. The passing bier is a reminder that this world is temporary, and standing for it is an expression of that sobriety and respect. This attitude of reverence surrounds the whole funeral: the deceased is washed, shrouded, prayed over and carried to the grave by a community that treats his departure with dignity.

6. How the Funeral Prayer Is Prayed

The funeral prayer is prayed standing, and it is a short prayer. It consists of four takbirs (saying Allahu Akbar), and there is no bowing and no prostration in it. The hands are raised only with the first takbir; for the remaining takbirs they are not raised. The method, step by step, is as follows:

1. The congregation stands in rows behind the imam, facing the qibla, with the deceased placed in front of the imam. The intention is made to pray the funeral prayer for the deceased. 2. The first takbir is said, raising the hands, and the hands are then folded. After this first takbir, the thana is recited quietly: Subhanakallahumma wa bihamdika… — the opening glorification of Allah. 3. The second takbir is said, without raising the hands. After it, blessings are sent upon the Prophet ﷺ — the durood — just as blessings are sent upon him in the daily prayers. 4. The third takbir is said, without raising the hands. After it, dua is made for the deceased: asking Allah to forgive him, have mercy on him, pardon him and honour his arrival. This is the heart of the prayer, and the Prophet’s ﷺ own funeral dua — taught in full in the next section — is recited here. 5. The fourth takbir is said, without raising the hands. After it, the prayer is ended with the salam, turning the face to the right and then to the left.

That is the whole prayer. Its brevity is part of its mercy: a large congregation — including the elderly and those less practised in prayer — can join it easily, and its entire focus is the dua made in the third part, where every worshipper personally asks Allah to forgive the one who has died.

7. The Prophet’s ﷺ Funeral Dua: Arabic, Transliteration and Meaning

The most beloved part of the Janazah prayer is the supplication itself, and no supplication is better than the one the Prophet ﷺ was heard making while he prayed over a deceased person. It is recorded in Sahih Muslim:

“O Allah! forgive him, have mercy upon him. Give him peace and absolve him. Receive him with honour and make his grave spacious. Wash him with water, snow and hail, cleanse him from faults as is cleaned a white garment from impurity. Requite him with an abode more excellent than his abode, with a family better than his family, and with a mate better than his mate, and save him from the trial of the grave and torment of Hell.” (Sahih Muslim 963d — Sahih)

Arabic:

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ وَارْحَمْهُ وَاعْفُ عَنْهُ وَعَافِهِ وَأَكْرِمْ نُزُلَهُ وَوَسِّعْ مُدْخَلَهُ وَاغْسِلْهُ بِمَاءٍ وَثَلْجٍ وَبَرَدٍ وَنَقِّهِ مِنَ الْخَطَايَا كَمَا يُنَقَّى الثَّوْبُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ وَأَبْدِلْهُ دَارًا خَيْرًا مِنْ دَارِهِ وَأَهْلاً خَيْرًا مِنْ أَهْلِهِ وَزَوْجًا خَيْرًا مِنْ زَوْجِهِ وَقِهِ فِتْنَةَ الْقَبْرِ وَعَذَابَ النَّارِ ‏”‏ ‏.

Transliteration: Allahumma-ghfir lahu warhamhu, wa’fu ‘anhu wa ‘afihi, wa akrim nuzulahu wa wassi’ mudkhalahu, waghsilhu bi-ma’in wa thaljin wa barad, wa naqqihi min al-khataya kama yunaqqa ath-thawbu al-abyadu min ad-danas, wa abdilhu daran khayran min darihi, wa ahlan khayran min ahlihi, wa zawjan khayran min zawjihi, wa qihi fitnat al-qabri wa ‘adhaban-nar.

Look at how complete this dua is. It begins with forgiveness and mercy. It asks Allah to receive the deceased with honour and to make his grave spacious. It asks that he be washed with water, snow and hail — cleansed from his faults the way a white garment is cleansed of impurity, until nothing of them remains. It then asks Allah to replace everything the deceased has left behind with something better: a home better than his home, a family better than his family, and a spouse better than his spouse. And it closes by seeking protection for him from the two great dangers ahead: the trial of the grave and the torment of Hell.

Every phrase answers a fear that the living have for their dead. Will he be forgiven? The dua asks for forgiveness. Will he be honoured or humiliated on arrival? It asks for an honoured reception. Will his grave be cramped and dark? It asks for spaciousness. Will what he left behind be a loss to him? It asks for better replacements. Will he be safe in what comes next? It asks for protection. Learning this dua by heart means that whenever we stand in a funeral prayer, we can offer the deceased the very words with which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed for the dead.

8. ‘Auf ibn Malik’s Wish

The narration of this dua ends with a remark that shows how precious the Companions considered it. After relating the dua he had heard the Prophet ﷺ make over the deceased, ‘Auf ibn Malik said:

“‘Auf b. Malik said: I earnestly desired that I were the dead person to receive the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as this dead body had (received).” (Sahih Muslim 963d — Sahih)

A Companion of the Prophet ﷺ wished that he himself were the one lying there — not out of any wish for death, but because of the beauty and completeness of the supplication that had been made for that deceased person. If the funeral prayer of the Prophet ﷺ inspired such longing in those who heard it, then our own attendance and our own heartfelt dua carry real weight for the one who has passed away. None of us knows whose prayer Allah will accept for the deceased; every additional believer standing in the rows is another voice asking for his forgiveness.

So the Janazah prayer deserves a firm place in our lives. Attend it when a Muslim dies. Stay, if you can, until the burial, and earn the second mountain of reward. Stand in the rows with a present heart, and make dua for the deceased as sincerely as you would want others to make dua for you — for the day will come when we are the ones being carried, and others will stand where we stood.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the reward for attending the Janazah prayer? Whoever attends the funeral until the prayer is offered for the deceased receives the reward of one qirat, and whoever attends and stays until he is buried receives two qirats (Sahih Muslim 945a — Sahih; Sahih al-Bukhari 1325 — Sahih).

Q2. How big is a qirat of reward? When the Companions asked what the qirats were, the Prophet ﷺ said they are “equivalent to two huge mountains” (Sahih Muslim 945a — Sahih). Another narration specifies that each qirat is equivalent to Mount Uhud (Sahih Muslim 945g — Sahih).

Q3. How is the funeral prayer prayed? Does it have bowing and prostration? It is prayed standing and has no bowing or prostration. It consists of four takbirs, with the hands raised only at the first takbir: after the first takbir the thana is recited, after the second blessings are sent upon the Prophet ﷺ, after the third dua is made for the deceased, and after the fourth the prayer is ended with salam to the right and the left.

Q4. Which dua did the Prophet ﷺ make for the deceased in the funeral prayer? He prayed: “O Allah! forgive him, have mercy upon him. Give him peace and absolve him. Receive him with honour and make his grave spacious. Wash him with water, snow and hail, cleanse him from faults as is cleaned a white garment from impurity” — and he asked Allah to give the deceased a better abode, family and mate than he had left behind, and to save him from the trial of the grave and the torment of Hell (Sahih Muslim 963d — Sahih). The full Arabic and transliteration are given in section 7 above.

Q5. What should we do when a funeral passes by? Jabir ibn Abdullah reported that a bier passed and the Prophet ﷺ stood for it, and when told it was the bier of a Jewess, he said: “Verily, death is a matter of consternation, so whenever you come across a bier stand up” (Sahih Muslim 960a — Sahih).