Taken from the book “Rights of Parents and Children” by Shaykh Jāwēd Iqbāl Sīālkōṭī
✿ Offering Janāzah Prayer for a Stillborn or Miscarried Child
❀ Ḥadīth:
عن المغيرة بن شعبة رضي الله عنه قال:
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الراكبُ يسيرُ خلفَ الجنازةِ، والماشيُ يمشي خلفَها وأمامَها، وعن يمينِها، وعن يسارِها قريبًا منها،
والسِّقْطُ يُصَلَّى عليه، ويُدْعَى لوالدَيْه بالمغفرةِ والرَّحمةِ.
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Al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah رضي الله عنه narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“The rider should follow the funeral procession, and the one on foot may walk behind it, in front of it, to its right, or to its left – remaining close to it.
As for the miscarried child (السقط), the funeral prayer should be offered for him, and forgiveness and mercy should be supplicated for his parents.”
📚 Sunan Abī Dāwūd – Kitāb al-Janā’iz – Bāb al-Mashī Amāma al-Janāzah: 3180
✿ Clarification:
Na-Tamām (نا تمام) child refers to a baby in the womb after four months of gestation, i.e., after the soul has been breathed into it.
If such a child passes away in the womb, or is stillborn, the funeral prayer (Ṣalāt al-Janāzah) is to be offered for him/her.
However, if the child passes away before four months of gestation, no Janāzah is offered, as it does not yet qualify as a human soul, and thus is not considered a deceased person (mayyit) in legal terms.
❀ Supporting Ḥadīth:
عن عبد الله بن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال:
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إنَّ أحدَكم يُجمَعُ خلقُه في بطنِ أمِّه أربعينَ يومًا، ثم يكونُ في ذلك علقةً مثلَ ذلك، ثم يكونُ في ذلك مضغةً مثلَ ذلك، ثم يُرسَلُ اللهُ الملكَ فينفُخُ فيه الرُّوحَ
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ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Indeed, the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother’s womb for forty days in the form of a drop (nutfah), then as a clot (ʿalaqah) for the same duration, then as a lump of flesh (muḍghah) for the same period. Then Allah sends an angel to breathe the soul into it.”
📚 Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim – Kitāb al-Qadr – Bāb Kayfiyyah Khalq al-Ādamī fī Baṭn Ummihi: 7633
✿ Note on Weak Narration:
The popular narration that states: “Only if the newborn cries at birth should Janāzah be offered” is weak (ḍaʿīf) and not reliable. Its mention will come elsewhere, in shāʾ Allāh.
✿ Important Note:
A stillborn baby, if four months or older, is considered a Muslim soul and should therefore be:
✔ Prayed over (Janāzah)
✔ Buried in a Muslim graveyard
❀ Prophetic Proof of Innate Islam:
قال النبي ﷺ:
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كل مولودٍ يولَدُ على الفِطرةِ
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“Every child is born upon the natural disposition (Fiṭrah).”
📚 Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1358
✔ Summary:
✦ A miscarried or stillborn child after four months in the womb is treated as a Muslim.
✦ Janāzah prayer is offered, and duʿā for the parents’ forgiveness is encouraged.
✦ A fetus that passes away before four months does not require Janāzah, as no soul has yet been breathed into it.
