Taken from the book “Rights of Parents and Children” by Shaykh Jāwēd Iqbāl Sīālkōṭī
✿ A Father Should Offer the Funeral Prayer for His Muslim Child if the Child Passes Away During His Lifetime
❀ Ḥadīth 1:
عن البراء بن عازب رضي الله عنه قال:
**
أمرَنا النبيُّ ﷺ بسبعٍ، ونهانا عن سبعٍ:
أمرَنا باتِّباعِ الجنازةِ، وعيادةِ المريضِ… إلى آخره
**
Al-Barā’ ibn ʿĀzib رضي الله عنه narrated:
“The Prophet ﷺ commanded us to do seven things and prohibited us from seven.
Among the things he commanded us was:
to follow the funeral (procession) and to visit the sick…”
📚 Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī – Kitāb al-Janā’iz – Bāb al-Amr bi Ittibāʿ al-Janā’iz: 1239
❀ Ḥadīth 2:
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال:
**
أن رسولَ اللهِ ﷺ قال:
من اتَّبعَ جنازةَ مسلمٍ إيمانًا واحتسابًا، وكان معه حتى يُصلَّى عليها، ويُفرَغَ من دفنِها، فإنَّه يرجعُ من الأجرِ بقيراطينِ، كلُّ قيراطٍ مثلُ أُحدٍ،
ومن صلَّى عليها ثم رجع قبل أن تُدفنَ، فإنَّه يرجعُ بقيراطٍ
**
Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whoever follows the funeral of a Muslim out of faith and seeking reward, and remains until the funeral prayer is offered and the burial is completed, he will return with a reward of two qirāṭs. Each qirāṭ is like the size of Mount Uḥud.
And whoever offers the prayer but returns before the burial, he will receive one qirāṭ.”
📚 Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī – Bāb Ittibāʿ al-Janā’iz min al-Īmān: 1323
✔ Summary:
✦ The Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ encourages attending the funeral and offering the Janāzah prayer, even for close relatives, including one’s own children.
✦ If a Muslim child passes away during the father’s lifetime, the father should offer the Janāzah prayer.
✦ The one who participates fully in the funeral, from prayer to burial, is promised immense reward – two qirāṭs, each the size of Mount Uḥud.
✦ Offering just the funeral prayer before burial still brings significant reward – one qirāṭ.
