Funeral Prayer in the Mosque
The etiquette and rulings of the mosque have been discussed continuously. Many matters have already been mentioned regarding what is permissible or impermissible in the mosque. Among these matters is the issue of performing the funeral prayer in the mosque. This is not the occasion to detail the rulings and issues related to funerals. However, it can be said that the funeral prayer is a communal obligation (Fard Kifayah). Imam Ibn al-Humam has narrated consensus on its being a communal obligation in “Fath al-Qadeer Sharh al-Hidayah.”
Some Malikis, however, have considered it merely Sunnah, and Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) refuted them.
Among the rulings and issues of funerals, the aspect currently before us is whether a funeral prayer can be performed in the mosque or not.
In this regard, it is generally the case that funeral prayers are performed in cemeteries established in cities and villages. Occasionally, the number of people attending the funeral prayer of a pious person is so large that the cemetery becomes cramped. In such cases, arrangements for the funeral prayer are made in large fields or grounds in the cities. If it is not possible to perform the prayer in any such field or cemetery for some reason, then in such an excuse or necessity, a funeral prayer can also be performed in the mosque.
Because in Sahih Muslim, Sunan al-Arba’ah, Bayhaqi, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, and Musnad Ahmad, ‘Ubadah ibn Abdullah ibn Zubair (may Allah be pleased with them) narrate regarding Umm al-Mu’minin Hazrat Aisha Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) that when Hazrat Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) passed away, Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) ordered to tell those carrying the funeral procession to take the funeral from the Prophet’s Mosque so that she could lead the funeral prayer. So they brought the funeral, and Hazrat Aisha led the funeral prayer. Some people did not consider it good to perform the funeral prayer in the mosque, and when Umm al-Mu’minin heard about this, she said:
ما اسرع الناس الى ان يعيبوا مالا علم لهم به
How quickly people begin to consider blameworthy that act about which they themselves have no knowledge (of the reality).
Those people considered performing the funeral prayer in the mosque blameworthy, whereas the funeral prayer of Suhail ibn Bayda’ (may Allah be pleased with him) was performed by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the mosque.
And in one narration:
والله لقد صلىٰ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم على ابني بيضاء فى المسجد سهلا واخيه
By Allah, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself led the funeral prayer in the mosque for both sons of Bayda’, namely Suhail and his brother.
From this hadith, it is understood that the funeral prayers of both Hazrat Suhail and his brother were led by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the mosque. And the funeral prayer of the third well-known companion, Hazrat Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him), was also led by Umm al-Mu’minin Hazrat Aisha Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) in the mosque. Moreover, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah and Sunan Sa’id ibn Mansur narrate that the funeral prayer of the first caliph, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), was also performed in the mosque.
Similarly, Muwatta Imam Malik, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, and Sunan Sa’id ibn Mansur also narrate that the funeral prayer of the second caliph, Amir al-Mu’minin Hazrat Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him), was performed in the mosque.
Allama Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote in Zad al-Ma’ad that sometimes the Prophet (peace be upon him) also performed the funeral prayer in the mosque. As is evident from Sahih Muslim and other hadith books regarding the funeral prayers of Suhail and his brother being performed in the mosque. Later, he also wrote about Hazrat Siddiq and Farooq (may Allah be pleased with them) that their funeral prayers were also performed in the mosque. After mentioning considerable detail on this matter, he concludes his research by writing:
والصواب ما ذكرناه اولا وان سنته وهديه الصلوٰة على الجنازة خارج المسجد والله اعلم
And the most correct view is what we mentioned at the beginning, that the Sunnah and method of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was to perform the funeral prayer outside the mosque, except in cases of excuse, and both are permissible. However, it is preferable that the funeral prayer be performed outside the mosque.
Imam Khattabi (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote in Abu Dawood’s Sharh Ma’alim al-Sunan:
وقد ثبت ان ابا بكر وعمر رضي الله عنهما صلى عليهما فى المسجد ومعلوم ان عامة المهاجرين والانصار شهدوا الصلوٰة عليهما وفي تركهم الانكار الدليل على جوازه
It is established that the funeral prayers of Hazrat Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) were performed in the mosque. It is also clear that the common companions among the Muhajirin and Ansar participated in the funeral prayer, and none of them objected to this, which is evidence of the permissibility of this act.
In short, according to the narration of Imam Shafi’i, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishaq ibn Rahwayh, and the Madani jurists, and according to Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on them all), performing the funeral prayer in the mosque is permissible in cases of excuse and necessity. The inclination of Allama Ibn Rushd, Allama Abdul Rahman Mubarakpuri, Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on them), and most hadith scholars is also towards this view.
Their reasoning is based on authentic hadiths in terms of chain and text. Nowadays, in the Masjid al-Haram in Makkah and Masjid al-Nabawi in Madinah, after the five daily prayers, funeral prayers are sometimes performed for one or several deceased persons. The reason is clear: the majority of pilgrims and those performing Umrah pray in these two sacred mosques, and such large gatherings are not possible elsewhere.
Therefore, considering the permissibility, prayers for the deceased are taken in these gatherings. Surely, those are fortunate whose funeral prayer is performed in either of the two Holy Mosques, but
This blessing is not by force of arms,
It is granted by the Generous God.
The Virtue of Offering Funeral Prayer Outside the Mosque:
And the reason for the superiority of performing the funeral prayer outside the mosque in the cemetery is that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used to mostly and frequently perform the funeral prayer outside the mosque at the specific place designated for this purpose. According to Hafiz Ibn Hajar رحمه الله in Fath al-Bari
, this place was directly adjacent to the eastern side of the Prophet’s Mosque or the Baqi al-Gharqad side. There are many hadiths indicating this. For example, in Sahih Bukhari, it is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما:
ان اليهود جا وا الي النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم برجل وامراة زنيا فامر بهما فرجما قريبا من موضع الجنائز عند المسجد
The Jews brought a man and a woman who had committed adultery to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. By his command, both were stoned near the cemetery close to the mosque.
This hadith does not mention the funeral prayer but does mention the cemetery. And in Bukhari and Muslim, Abu Dawood, Nasai, Ibn Majah, Bayhaqi, Musnad Ahmad, Tayalisi from Hazrat Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه, and in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim, Nasai, Bayhaqi, Musnad Ahmad, and Tayalisi from Hazrat Jabir رضي الله عنه, and in Sahih Muslim, Tirmidhi, Nasai, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, Bayhaqi, Musnad Ahmad, and Tayalisi from Hazrat Hudhaifah bin Usaid رضي الله عنه, and in Ibn Majah and Musnad Ahmad from Hazrat Mujammi bin Harithah Ansari رضي الله عنه it is narrated:
ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نعي النجاشي فى اليوم الذى مات فيه خرج الي المصلىٰ فصف بهم وكبر اربعا
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ informed the people of the death of Najashi on the very day he died. Then he went towards the cemetery, formed rows, and said four takbirs (i.e., performed the funeral prayer).
In the narrations of these companions, the funeral prayer is also mentioned as being performed in the cemetery, although it was a funeral prayer in absentia. Imam Bukhari رحمه الله titled the hadith about Najashi and the stoning of the Jews as follows:
باب الصلوٰة على الجنائز بالمصلىٰ والمسجد
And the mention of the musalla or cemetery is explicit. However, in the chapter heading, he mentioned the mosque and referred to the hadith in Sahih Muslim and other books where the funeral prayer in the mosque is mentioned.
Similarly, in Musnad Ahmad and Tayalisi, Bayhaqi, and Mustadrak Hakim, it is narrated from Jabir bin Abdullah رضي الله عنه that a man died. We washed and shrouded him. We applied perfume (i.e., musk and camphor).
ووضعنا له لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حيث توضع الجنائز عند مقام جبريل ثم اذنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بالصلوٰة عليه فجاء معنا …الخ
We placed his funeral near the place of Gabriel designated for funerals for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Then we informed the Prophet ﷺ for his funeral prayer, and he came with us.
Then it mentions that the deceased had a debt of two dinars, the Prophet ﷺ refused to lead the funeral prayer, asked others to lead it, Hazrat Abu Qatada رضي الله عنه took on that debt himself, and then the Prophet ﷺ led the funeral prayer for him.
And in Musnad Ahmad and Mustadrak Hakim, a hadith of good grade is narrated from Hazrat Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Jahsh رضي الله عنه, in which he states:
كنا جلوسا بغنا ء المسجد حيث توضع الجنائز ورسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بين ظهر بيننا
We were sitting in the courtyard in front of the mosque at the place where funerals are placed. And the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was also among us.
This hadith continues, but the relevant part is included here. In short, the collective implication of all these hadiths is that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ mostly performed the funeral prayer outside the mosque in the cemetery. And this is the original Sunnah and therefore superior. However, since occasionally the Prophet ﷺ also performed the funeral prayer inside the mosque, as mentioned in Sahih Muslim and other hadith books, that is also permissible. There is no statement about its invalidity or dislike.
The Argument of the Opponents and Its Examination:
We have mentioned that the blessed Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was to perform the funeral prayer outside the mosque in the cemetery. However, occasionally it was also performed inside the mosque. Both ways are permissible.
However, the preferable way is outside the mosque. This is the view of most Imams, jurists, and general scholars of Hadith, whose reasoning is based on authentic hadiths and narrations found in Sahih Muslim and other books. According to another narration reported from Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) and other non-Madani jurists, Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) also held the view that the funeral prayer inside the mosque is not valid. Their evidence is a hadith reported from Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) in Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah, Musnad Ahmad, Al-Bayhaqi, Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, and Ma’ani al-Athar by Tahawi, which states:
من صلىٰ على جنازة فى المسجد فلا شي ء له
Whoever performs the funeral prayer for someone inside the mosque, there is nothing for him.
Allama Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Tahdhib al-Sunan that this hadith is narrated through four chains, and the wording of all four differs from each other. In one narration it is:
فلا شي ء
So nothing.
In another it is:
فلا شي ء عليه
There is no (sin) on him.
In the third it is:
فلا شي ء له
There is nothing for him.
And in the fourth it is:
فليس له اجر
He will not receive any reward.
In Zad al-Ma’ad, Allama Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) also mentioned this difference in wording. However, there he wrote, referring to the narration of Al-Khatib in Sunan, that the original wording is:
فلا شي ء عليه
There is no sin on him.
Besides these, in other narrations there is فلا شي ء له and in Ibn Majah فليس له شي ء.
This detail has also been mentioned by Allama Zarqashi.
Resolving Contradiction:
Thus, there appears to be an apparent contradiction between the hadith from Umm al-Mu’minin Hazrat Aisha Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) regarding the permissibility of funeral prayer in the mosque and the hadith indicating its impermissibility. However, in reality, this is not the case. Rather, the scholars have provided five responses to this hadith, which remove the apparent contradiction. Among them:
First response:
The hadith narrated from Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), which indicates impermissibility, is itself disputed. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) considered it weak and did not permit taking it as evidence. This is because its narration is singularly from Saleh, a freed slave of Ummah bint Umayyah, and there is disagreement about the reliability of its narrator. Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) also criticized it, and Imam Bayhaqi stated that this hadith cannot be contradictory to the hadith of Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), because even if it is accepted as authentic, the latter is far more authentic.
In any case, Allama Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) classified it as Hasan (good), Sheikh al-Albani graded it as Sahih (authentic), and Sheikh al-Arna’ut also considered it strong.
But since the first hadith from Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) is far more authentic, there remains no contradiction or conflict between them, because a Sahih or Hasan hadith cannot contradict a more authentic one.
Second response:
The second response is the one we have mentioned with reference to Allama Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) and Allama Zarqashi (may Allah have mercy on him), which is that this hadith has been narrated with four different wordings, among which the most authentic wording is:
فلا شي ء عليه
There is no blame on the one who performs the funeral prayer in the mosque.
Thus, in this hadith, there is no prohibition of funeral prayer in the mosque.
Third response:
The third response to the hadith of Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) indicating prohibition is that even if this hadith is authentic, it is obligatory and necessary to interpret it such that فلا شي ء له means فلا شي ء عليه, that there is no blame on the person. In this way, the meaning of both types of hadith will be the same, and the contradiction or conflict will automatically be resolved. There is room for this interpretation that له is taken in the sense of عليه. Even Allah Almighty has done this once in the Holy Quran, which is the best example. Thus, in Surah Al-Isra (verse 7), Allah says:
﴿وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا﴾
If you do evil, the consequence will be upon your own souls.
And the commentators have explained this verse by saying that the intended meaning is:
وإن أساتم فعليها
If you do evil, the consequence will be upon your own souls.
Here, the discussion of لها and عليها is somewhat scholarly and is not hidden from the scholars. Therefore, we will ignore it.
Fourth response:
The fourth response to the hadith of Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) is that according to Imam Khattabi (may Allah have mercy on him), even if this hadith is established, there is a possibility that its meaning is that the person who performs the funeral prayer in the mosque will receive less reward. Because the one who prays the funeral prayer in the mosque generally returns home from there and is unable to participate in the burial. Thus, he misses out on the reward that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) mentioned for those who stay until the burial.
Reward and Virtue of Staying Until the Burial:
The author has narrated a hadith. In fact, there are several hadiths on this topic. Accordingly, in Sahih Muslim, Sunan Ibn Majah, Musnad Ahmad, and Tayalisi, it is narrated from Hazrat Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
من صلىٰ على جنازة فله قيراط فإن شهد دفنها فله قيراطان القيراط مثل احد
Whoever leads the funeral prayer for someone will receive the reward equivalent to one qirat. And whoever participates in the burial will receive the reward equivalent to two qirats.
And one qirat is equivalent to the size of Mount Uhud.
There are many other hadiths on this subject as well. Among them, it is narrated through various chains from Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
من شهد الجنازة (من بيتها) (وفي رواية: من اتبع جنازة مسلم ايمانا واحتسابا) حتىٰ يصلىٰ عليها فله قيراط ومن شهدها حتىٰ يدفن (وفي رواية الاخرىٰ: يفرغ منها) فله قيراطان (من الاجر)
Whoever accompanies a funeral from the deceased’s house (and in one narration, whoever participates in a funeral out of faith in Allah and seeking His pleasure) until the funeral prayer is performed for him, will receive the reward of one qirat. And whoever stays until the burial (and in another narration, stays until the burial is completed) will receive the reward of two qirats.
This hadith is narrated in Sahihain, Sunan Arba’ah, Sunan Kubra Bayhaqi, Musnad Ahmad and Tayalisi, and Al-Muntaqi Ibn Al-Jarood. At the end of it, it is also mentioned that when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was asked what qirats are, he said:
مثل الجلين العظيمين وفي رواية الاخرىٰ كل قيراط مثل احد
They are equivalent to large mountains, and in another narration, each qirat is equivalent to Mount Uhud.
Similarly, from Bara’ bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him), a similar prophetic statement with the same meaning is narrated in Sunan Nasa’i and Musnad Ahmad.
And in Nasa’i and Musnad Ahmad, a similar statement with the same meaning is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Mughaffal (may Allah be pleased with him).
And in Musnad Ahmad, Bazzar, and Musnad Abi Ya’la, a similar hadith is narrated from Hazrat Abu Sa’id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him).
We are ignoring the text and translation of these hadiths for brevity, and because they convey the same message as the other hadiths narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) in Sahih Muslim and the first hadith from Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) in Sahih Muslim and other books.
The overall and central meaning of all these is the same: if only the funeral prayer is performed, the reward will be equivalent to one qirat. And one qirat is equivalent to Mount Uhud. Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) has done the authentication and referencing of some other hadiths with the same meaning. For details, see Fath Al-Bari Volume 3
, especially
.
It is understood that those who perform the funeral prayer in the mosque become lazy and return with only the reward of one qirat. Whereas the one who goes to the cemetery also participates in the burial and receives the reward of two qirats. Thus, the reward of those praying in the mosque is reduced.
Further, Imam Khatib (may Allah have mercy on him) writes that besides this, there is the reward of every step taken in attending a funeral. If the funeral prayer is held in the mosque, this reward will also be less. If the cemetery is far, more steps will be taken and the reward will be greater. Thus, it becomes clear that in the case of the hadith of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), the indication is that the reward for praying in the mosque is less, and nothing else.
Fifth answer:
The fifth answer given is that there is no evidence from the hadith of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the funeral prayer performed in the mosque is invalid. Then how can it contradict the hadiths that indicate its permissibility?
Imam Tahawi’s (may Allah have mercy on him) claim of abrogation and its review:
So far, the matter was about reconciling and harmonizing two types of hadiths to remove the apparent contradiction or conflict between them, and by the previous explanation, Alhamdulillah, that has been resolved.
Here it should also be mentioned that Imam Tahawi (may Allah have mercy on him) took the position—not preference—that the hadith narrated from Umm al-Mu’minin Hazrat Aisha Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her), which clearly indicates the permissibility of funeral prayer in the mosque, is abrogated. And the last Sunnah or final ruling of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is to abandon the funeral prayer in the mosque. Their evidence for this is that if the permissibility of funeral prayer in the mosque had not been abrogated, then the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) would not have objected to Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) performing the funeral prayer in the mosque. And their objection indicates that they were aware of a narration contrary to the one from Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that forbids it.
Many great Imams of Fiqh and Hadith scholars have strongly refuted Imam Tahawi’s position. Among them is Imam Bayhaqi. He writes that:
If Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) had knowledge of any hadith that indicated abrogation of permissibility, he would have presented that hadith on the day when the general Ansar and Muhajirun Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) performed the funeral prayer for Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) in the Prophet’s Mosque. Or he would have presented that hadith on the day when the funeral prayer of Hazrat Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) was also performed in the mosque. Or the people who objected to Umm al-Mu’minin Hazrat Aisha Siddiqah’s (may Allah be pleased with her) action would have presented the abrogating hadith.
And if not then, when Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) justified her action by narrating that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself performed the funeral prayer of Hazrat Bayda’s two sons, Hazrat Sahl and his brother (may Allah be pleased with them), in the mosque, at least then someone would have narrated a hadith indicating abrogation. But that did not happen. Rather, those who did not know about the permissibility objected. And when Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) cited the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) practice as evidence of permissibility, those people became silent. No further objection or contradiction was raised.
From this, it is clear that Imam Tahawi’s claim of abrogation is not correct.
In Fatawa Alamgiri, regarding funeral prayer in the mosque, it is written that:
If there is an excuse such as rain, it is not absolutely disliked. Without an excuse, it is disliked. In the margin, referring to Ibn Al-Humam, it is written that he preferred that this dislike is tanzeeh (mild) and not tahreem (prohibition). Therefore, it does not contradict some Shafi’i scholars and others.
In short, the opinion that funeral prayer in the mosque is disliked or prohibited and invalid is weak. The more correct view is that it is permissible both outside at the cemetery and inside the mosque. However, the preferred place is outside the mosque.
For details, see:
