Five Authentic Hadiths on the Etiquettes of Attending Funerals
1 — Walking with the Funeral: Ruling for Riders and Those on Foot
Hadith — al-Mughirah ibn Shuʿbah (رضي الله عنه):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“The rider should remain behind the funeral, while the one walking on foot may walk close to it — in front, behind, to the right, or to the left of it.”
(Abu Dawood 3180, al-Tirmidhi graded it Hasan Sahih)
2 — Walking Ahead of the Funeral
Hadith — Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما):
“I saw the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr, and ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) walking ahead of the funeral.”
(Abu Dawood 3187, Ibn Majah 1483)
3 — Dislike of Riding While Accompanying the Funeral
Hadith — Thawban (رضي الله عنه):
While accompanying a funeral, an animal was brought to the Prophet ﷺ, but he refused to mount it. Upon returning from the burial, he mounted and explained:
“The angels were walking (with the funeral), so I did not wish to ride while they were walking. When they left, I rode.”
(Abu Dawood 3177)
4 — Riding After Returning from the Funeral
Hadith — Jabir ibn Samurah (رضي الله عنه):
“A horse was brought to the Prophet ﷺ, and he rode it when returning from the funeral of Ibn Dihdah.”
(Muslim 965)
5 — Ruling on Women Following the Funeral
Hadith — ʿAishah (رضي الله عنها):
The Prophet ﷺ forbade women from following the funeral and said:
“There is no reward for them in it.”
(Silsilah al-Ahadeeth al-Saheehah by al-Albani 3252)
Additional Note — Number of Rows in the Funeral Prayer
It is not necessary for the rows in the funeral prayer to be odd in number.
Hadith — Jabir ibn ʿAbdullah (رضي الله عنه):
When al-Najāshī passed away, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Your brother has died. Offer his funeral prayer.”
He said: “We stood and formed two rows.”
(Muslim 951)
