Funeral Prayer (Salat al-Janazah):
The Prophet ﷺ and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) taught the method of performing the funeral prayer, which is as follows:
When the Imam says:
«الله اکبر»
“Allahu Akbar”, raise your hands as in the opening takbir of the prayer, and say “Allahu Akbar” again. Then seek refuge in Allah from Satan, saying:
أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
“A‘udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajim.”
After that, say:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
“Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim”
and recite Surah al-Fatihah.
Next, when the Imam says the second takbir, raise your hands again as in the first takbir and say “Allahu Akbar”, then send salutations upon the Prophet ﷺ as you normally do at the end of the prayer.
Then, when the Imam says the third takbir, raise your hands again like the first takbir, say “Allahu Akbar”, and make supplication for the deceased.
حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ مَرْوَانَ الرَّقِّيُّ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏حَدَّثَنَا شُعَيْبٌ يَعْنِي ابْنَ إِسْحَاق، ‏‏‏‏‏‏عَنِ الْأَوْزَاعِيِّ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏قَالَ:‏‏‏‏ صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى جَنَازَةٍ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏فَقَالَ:‏‏‏‏ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِحَيِّنَا وَمَيِّتِنَا، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَصَغِيرِنَا وَكَبِيرِنَا، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَذَكَرِنَا وَأُنْثَانَا، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَشَاهِدِنَا وَغَائِبِنَا، ‏‏‏‏‏‏اللَّهُمَّ مَنْ أَحْيَيْتَهُ مِنَّا فَأَحْيِهِ عَلَى الْإِيمَانِ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَمَنْ تَوَفَّيْتَهُ مِنَّا فَتَوَفَّهُ عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏اللَّهُمَّ لَا تَحْرِمْنَا أَجْرَهُ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَلَا تُضِلَّنَا بَعْدَهُ.
It is narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed over a funeral and then said:
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِحَيِّنَا وَمَيِّتِنَا، وَصَغِيرِنَا وَكَبِيرِنَا، وَذَكَرِنَا وَأُنْثَانَا، وَشَاهِدِنَا وَغَائِبِنَا، اللَّهُمَّ مَنْ أَحْيَيْتَهُ مِنَّا فَأَحْيِهِ عَلَى الْإِيمَانِ، وَمَنْ تَوَفَّيْتَهُ مِنَّا فَتَوَفَّهُ عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ، اللَّهُمَّ لَا تَحْرِمْنَا أَجْرَهُ، وَلَا تُضِلَّنَا بَعْدَهُ
“O Allah! Forgive our living and our dead, our young and our old, our males and our females, our present and our absent. O Allah! Whoever You keep alive among us, keep him alive upon faith, and whoever You cause to die among us, cause him to die upon Islam. O Allah! Do not deprive us of his reward, and do not let us go astray after him.”
(Sunan Abu Dawud 3201, Sunan Ibn Majah 1498)
Then the Imam says the fourth takbir. Raise your hands as in the first takbir, say “Allahu Akbar”, pause briefly, and then give one greeting to the right, saying:
السلام علیکم و رحمة الله “As-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah.”