Adapted from: Namāz-e-Janāzah: Farḍ, Mustaḥabb or Makrūh? by Dr. Ḥāfiẓ Abū Yaḥyā Nūrpūrī
One of the strongest narrations concerning reciting Sūrah al-Fātiḥah in the Janāzah prayer is the report from Abū Umāmah ibn Sahl ibn Ḥanīf رضي الله عنه.
Imām Muḥammad ibn Muslim ibn ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī reports:
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا أُمَامَةَ بْنَ سَهْلِ بْنِ حُنَيْفٍ يُحَدِّثُ ابْنَ الْمُسَيَّبِ، قَالَ: السُّنَّةُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى الْجَنَائِزِ أَنْ يُكَبِّرَ، ثُمَّ يَقْرَأَ بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآنِ، ثُمَّ يُصَلِّيَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، ثُمَّ يُخْلِصَ الدُّعَاءَ لِلْمَيِّتِ، وَلَا يَقْرَأُ إِلَّا فِي التَّكْبِيرَةِ الْأُولَى، ثُمَّ يُسَلِّمَ فِي نَفْسِهِ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ.
“I heard Abū Umāmah ibn Sahl ibn Ḥanīf رضي الله عنه narrating to Ibn al-Musayyib. He said:
The Sunnah in the funeral prayer is that one says the first takbīr, then recites Umm al-Qurʾān (Sūrah al-Fātiḥah), then sends ṣalāh upon the Prophet ﷺ, then makes duʿāʾ sincerely for the deceased. One should recite only after the first takbīr. Then he should conclude with a silent salām to his right.”
References:
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله graded the chain as ṣaḥīḥ (authentic).
[Fatḥ al-Bārī: 3/204]
There is some difference of opinion over whether Abū Umāmah ibn Sahl was a Companion or Tābiʿī, as he did not narrate any ḥadīth directly from the Prophet ﷺ. However, the stronger opinion is that he did see the Prophet ﷺ, and thus he is a Ṣaḥābī.
❖ Imām al-Nawawī wrote:
“Abū Umāmah is a Companion.”
[Khulāṣat al-Aḥkām: 2/975]
❖ Ibn Ḥajar affirms this, as do other major scholars.
[Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb: p. 402 | Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb: 1/264]
Even if he is not considered a Ṣaḥābī, the narration remains connected, because he explicitly states that he heard this from a Companion.
Imām al-Ṭaḥāwī reports from Imām al-Zuhrī:
أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو أُمَامَةَ بْنُ سَهْلِ بْنِ حُنَيْفٍ... أَنَّ رَجُلًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ السُّنَّةَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى الْجِنَازَةِ أَنْ يُكَبِّرَ الْإِمَامُ ثُمَّ يَقْرَأَ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ سِرًّا فِي نَفْسِهِ...
“Abū Umāmah ibn Sahl narrated to me that a Companion of the Prophet ﷺ told him the Sunnah in the funeral prayer is to say the takbīr, then recite Sūrah al-Fātiḥah silently, and complete the rest of the prayer.”
[Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār: 1/500 – chain is ṣaḥīḥ]
This proves that at least three Companions (Ibn ʿAbbās, Abū Umāmah, and this unnamed Companion) considered recitation of al-Fātiḥah as Sunnah in the Janāzah prayer.
❖ Abū Umāmah’s narration also states:
“...ثم يسلم في نفسه عن يمينه”
"...then he should give salām silently to his right.”
❖ Imām al-Ḥākim writes:
“There is no ḥadīth stronger than this regarding one salām in Janāzah prayer.”
[al-Mustadrak: 1/513]
The Prophet ﷺ has no ṣaḥīḥ narration proving that he gave two salāms in Janāzah.
However, one salām is reported from Ibn ʿUmar and other Ṣaḥābah.
Tābiʿīn such as Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn, al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, and Makhḥūl also practiced one salām.
[Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 3/307 – all chains ṣaḥīḥ]
Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal also adopted this practice.
[Sīrah al-Imām Aḥmad: p. 40]
The narration from al-Ḥākim does not mention Sūrah al-Fātiḥah, which has led some Ḥanafī scholars like Mawlānā Ẓafar Aḥmad Thānvī to argue that reciting al-Fātiḥah is not necessary.
But scholars have responded:
❝This is a common phenomenon in ḥadīth transmission: narrators summarize, omit, or highlight certain elements depending on their focus.❞
❖ Even Imām al-Bayhaqī separates the versions:
The principle is well-known:
عدم الذكر لا يدل على عدم الوجود
"Omission of a mention does not prove non-existence."
Interestingly, Mawlānā Thānvī argues elsewhere that when a narrator omits mention of wiping the forehead in wuḍū’ over a turban, it is assumed, not negated. He says:
“Omission is due to the well-known nature of the act, and narrators focus on the specific detail.”
[Iʿlāʾ al-Sunan: 1/54–61]
But in the case of Sūrah al-Fātiḥah in Janāzah, he forgets this principle — even though it strengthens the majority of narrators and supports the Sunnah.
All narrations of the ḥadīth go through Imām al-Zuhrī, who narrates it from Abū Umāmah ibn Sahl.
Among al-Zuhrī’s students:
Mentioned Sūrah al-Fātiḥah:
[Sources: Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Nasāʾī, al-Ṭaḥāwī, al-Jārūd, al-Ṭabarānī, etc.]
Did NOT mention Sūrah al-Fātiḥah:
But Yūnus is alone, while multiple reliable narrators mentioned the recitation.
❖ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar:
[Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb]
❖ Imām Aḥmad said:
“Shuʿayb’s narrations from al-Zuhrī are more reliable than those of Yūnus.”
[al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl: 4/344]
Conclusion: The majority and more precise students of al-Zuhrī include Sūrah al-Fātiḥah in this narration. The omission by one narrator does not invalidate its presence.
✔ Reciting Sūrah al-Fātiḥah after the first takbīr in the funeral prayer is Sunnah, based on the statements of:
✔ Only one salām to the right is also part of the authentic Sunnah, as taught and practiced by many Companions and early scholars.
❖ Sūrah al-Fātiḥah in the Funeral Prayer — Evidence from Authentic Ḥadīth
One of the strongest narrations concerning reciting Sūrah al-Fātiḥah in the Janāzah prayer is the report from Abū Umāmah ibn Sahl ibn Ḥanīf رضي الله عنه.
Imām Muḥammad ibn Muslim ibn ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī reports:
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا أُمَامَةَ بْنَ سَهْلِ بْنِ حُنَيْفٍ يُحَدِّثُ ابْنَ الْمُسَيَّبِ، قَالَ: السُّنَّةُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى الْجَنَائِزِ أَنْ يُكَبِّرَ، ثُمَّ يَقْرَأَ بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآنِ، ثُمَّ يُصَلِّيَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، ثُمَّ يُخْلِصَ الدُّعَاءَ لِلْمَيِّتِ، وَلَا يَقْرَأُ إِلَّا فِي التَّكْبِيرَةِ الْأُولَى، ثُمَّ يُسَلِّمَ فِي نَفْسِهِ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ.
“I heard Abū Umāmah ibn Sahl ibn Ḥanīf رضي الله عنه narrating to Ibn al-Musayyib. He said:
The Sunnah in the funeral prayer is that one says the first takbīr, then recites Umm al-Qurʾān (Sūrah al-Fātiḥah), then sends ṣalāh upon the Prophet ﷺ, then makes duʿāʾ sincerely for the deceased. One should recite only after the first takbīr. Then he should conclude with a silent salām to his right.”
References:- [Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 3/489]
- [Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 3/296, 298]
- [Faḍl al-Ṣalāh ʿala al-Nabī by Imām Ismāʿīl al-Qāḍī: p. 94]
- [Sunan al-Nasāʾī: 1989]
- [al-Muntaqā by Ibn al-Jārūd: 540]
- [Musnad al-Shāmiyyīn by al-Ṭabarānī: 4/160, ḥadīth no. 3000]
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله graded the chain as ṣaḥīḥ (authentic). [Fatḥ al-Bārī: 3/204]❖ Was Abū Umāmah ibn Sahl a Companion (Ṣaḥābī)?
There is some difference of opinion over whether Abū Umāmah ibn Sahl was a Companion or Tābiʿī, as he did not narrate any ḥadīth directly from the Prophet ﷺ. However, the stronger opinion is that he did see the Prophet ﷺ, and thus he is a Ṣaḥābī.
❖ Imām al-Nawawī wrote:
“Abū Umāmah is a Companion.”
[Khulāṣat al-Aḥkām: 2/975]❖ Ibn Ḥajar affirms this, as do other major scholars.
[Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb: p. 402 | Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb: 1/264]Even if he is not considered a Ṣaḥābī, the narration remains connected, because he explicitly states that he heard this from a Companion.
❖ Chain Clarification: Evidence from Imām al-Ṭaḥāwī
Imām al-Ṭaḥāwī reports from Imām al-Zuhrī:
أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو أُمَامَةَ بْنُ سَهْلِ بْنِ حُنَيْفٍ... أَنَّ رَجُلًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ السُّنَّةَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى الْجِنَازَةِ أَنْ يُكَبِّرَ الْإِمَامُ ثُمَّ يَقْرَأَ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ سِرًّا فِي نَفْسِهِ...
“Abū Umāmah ibn Sahl narrated to me that a Companion of the Prophet ﷺ told him the Sunnah in the funeral prayer is to say the takbīr, then recite Sūrah al-Fātiḥah silently, and complete the rest of the prayer.”
[Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār: 1/500 – chain is ṣaḥīḥ] This proves that at least three Companions (Ibn ʿAbbās, Abū Umāmah, and this unnamed Companion) considered recitation of al-Fātiḥah as Sunnah in the Janāzah prayer.❖ Also Proven: Only One Salām in Janāzah Prayer
❖ Abū Umāmah’s narration also states:
“...ثم يسلم في نفسه عن يمينه”
"...then he should give salām silently to his right.”
❖ Imām al-Ḥākim writes:
“There is no ḥadīth stronger than this regarding one salām in Janāzah prayer.”
[al-Mustadrak: 1/513] The Prophet ﷺ has no ṣaḥīḥ narration proving that he gave two salāms in Janāzah. However, one salām is reported from Ibn ʿUmar and other Ṣaḥābah. Tābiʿīn such as Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn, al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, and Makhḥūl also practiced one salām. [Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah: 3/307 – all chains ṣaḥīḥ] Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal also adopted this practice. [Sīrah al-Imām Aḥmad: p. 40]❖ Reconciling Differences in the Wording of the Narration
The narration from al-Ḥākim does not mention Sūrah al-Fātiḥah, which has led some Ḥanafī scholars like Mawlānā Ẓafar Aḥmad Thānvī to argue that reciting al-Fātiḥah is not necessary.
But scholars have responded:
❝This is a common phenomenon in ḥadīth transmission: narrators summarize, omit, or highlight certain elements depending on their focus.❞
❖ Even Imām al-Bayhaqī separates the versions:
- One in the chapter of reciting al-Fātiḥah,
- Another in the chapter on sending ṣalāh upon the Prophet ﷺ,
proving that omission was intentional for context, not denial.
The principle is well-known:عدم الذكر لا يدل على عدم الوجود
"Omission of a mention does not prove non-existence."
❖ Biased Inconsistency from Some Ḥanafī Scholars
Interestingly, Mawlānā Thānvī argues elsewhere that when a narrator omits mention of wiping the forehead in wuḍū’ over a turban, it is assumed, not negated. He says:
“Omission is due to the well-known nature of the act, and narrators focus on the specific detail.”
[Iʿlāʾ al-Sunan: 1/54–61]But in the case of Sūrah al-Fātiḥah in Janāzah, he forgets this principle — even though it strengthens the majority of narrators and supports the Sunnah.
❖ Summary of Narrators Supporting Sūrah al-Fātiḥah
All narrations of the ḥadīth go through Imām al-Zuhrī, who narrates it from Abū Umāmah ibn Sahl.
Among al-Zuhrī’s students:
Mentioned Sūrah al-Fātiḥah:- Maʿmar ibn Rāshid
- al-Layth ibn Saʿd
- Shuʿayb ibn Abī Ḥamzah
[Sources: Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Nasāʾī, al-Ṭaḥāwī, al-Jārūd, al-Ṭabarānī, etc.] Did NOT mention Sūrah al-Fātiḥah:- Yūnus ibn Yazīd al-Aylī
But Yūnus is alone, while multiple reliable narrators mentioned the recitation.❖ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar:
- Maʿmar: thiqah, firm
- al-Layth: thiqah, faqīh
- Shuʿayb: thiqah, devout
- Yūnus: thiqah, but with some mistakes from al-Zuhrī
[Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb]❖ Imām Aḥmad said:
“Shuʿayb’s narrations from al-Zuhrī are more reliable than those of Yūnus.”
[al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl: 4/344] Conclusion: The majority and more precise students of al-Zuhrī include Sūrah al-Fātiḥah in this narration. The omission by one narrator does not invalidate its presence. Final Verdict
✔ Reciting Sūrah al-Fātiḥah after the first takbīr in the funeral prayer is Sunnah, based on the statements of:
- Three Companions (Ibn ʿAbbās, Abū Umāmah, an unnamed Ṣaḥābī)
- Authentic and multiple narrations
- Sound chains of transmission
- Strong scholarly support
✔ Only one salām to the right is also part of the authentic Sunnah, as taught and practiced by many Companions and early scholars.
