Four Essential Rulings Related to the Funeral Prayer in Light of Sharīʿah
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Volume 1, Kitāb al-Janā’iz, Page 528
❖ Question
A comprehensive Islamic verdict is requested on the following issues:
(a) Should the imam recite aloud or silently during Ṣalāt al-Janāzah (Qirā’ah, Durūd, and Duʿā)? What is the Sunnah method?
(b) What is the ruling on performing a formal Gha’ibānah (funeral prayer in absentia) for martyrs?
(c) Is it obligatory or recommended to form odd-numbered rows during the Janāzah prayer?
(d) What is the ruling on omitting the phrase “wa zawjan khayran min zawjih” in the funeral prayer for a woman or an unmarried deceased?
(Questioner: Muḥammad Ṣiddīq Salafī, District Abbottabad)
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
① Audible or Silent Recitation in Ṣalāt al-Janāzah?
◈ It is permissible for the imam to perform the funeral prayer either aloud or silently.
◈ Evidence for audible recitation is found in:
📚 Sunan al-Nasā’ī, Kitāb al-Janā’iz, Bāb al-Duʿāʾ
Vol. 4, pp. 75–76, Ḥadīths 1991–1992 – and the ḥadīth is authentic.
✔ Thus, both methods are valid, and none can be declared as exclusively Sunnah to the exclusion of the other.
② Ruling on Gha’ibānah Janāzah for Martyrs
◈ It is authentically established that no funeral prayer was performed for martyrs.
📚 Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Janā’iz, Bāb aṣ-Ṣalāh ʿala al-Shahīd, Ḥadīth 1343
◈ It is also established that funeral prayer was offered for martyrs.
📚 Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ḥadīth 1344
◈ As for a formal or ceremonial performance of the funeral prayer in absentia for martyrs —
this practice is not established, according to the author’s view.
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَم
③ Odd-Numbered Rows in Funeral Prayer
◈ Forming odd-numbered rows during the funeral prayer is neither necessary nor recommended.
📚 Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Janā’iz, Bāb fī al-Takbīr ʿala al-Janāzah, Ḥadīth 952
Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
“So we formed two rows.” —
“فَصَفَّنَا صَفَّيْنِ“
✔ Therefore, it is permissible to have either odd or even rows during Janāzah. No specific preference exists for odd-numbered rows in this context.
④ Omission of “wa zawjan khayran min zawjih” in Duʿā for Women or the Unmarried
◈ If pronouns are not altered, then “ه” (him) in the supplication can generally refer to the deceased — whether male or female.
◈ If pronouns are adapted, then they can be appropriately gendered to refer to a female deceased.
📖 Allah says:
﴿وَما أَرسَلنا مِن رَسولٍ إِلّا بِلِسانِ قَومِهِ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَهُم﴾
Sūrah Ibrāhīm: 4
This indicates that linguistic context and clarity are significant.
◈ The phrase “وَزَوْجًا خَيْرًا مِّنْ زَوْجِهِ” (and [grant] a spouse better than his/her spouse) should not be omitted from the Duʿā.
✔ It is not from the Sunnah to leave it out.
✔ The supplication should be recited as transmitted in authentic narrations, unless there is a clear and valid reason to modify it.
ھٰذَا مَا عِندِي، وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَاب
