Written by: Sheikh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani (Hafidhahullah)
Question:
Does loud laughter (قہقہ) during the funeral prayer break wudu? Please explain based on the Quran and Hadith.Answer:
According to the Hanafi school of thought, one of the invalidators of wudu is loud laughter (قہقہ), but this ruling applies specifically to prayers that involve rukū‘ (bowing) and sujūd (prostration). Since the funeral prayer (Salat al-Janazah) does not include rukū‘ or sujūd, if a person laughs loudly during it, his wudu remains intact, although such behavior should be avoided out of respect for the solemnity of the prayer.Evidence from Hanafi Fiqh
In the Hanafi fiqh book "Al-Quduri" (p. 20), it is stated:"Loud laughter invalidates wudu in every prayer that involves rukū‘ and sujūd."
Furthermore, in the footnotes of Al-Quduri, it is mentioned:
"By specifying rukū‘ and sujūd, funeral prayer (Salat al-Janazah) and prostration of recitation (Sajdah al-Tilawah) are excluded."
This indicates that loud laughter does not break wudu in these two specific cases.
Clarification on the Ruling
If the statement was merely that loud laughter invalidates the prayer, it would be understandable. However, to say that it also breaks wudu is incorrect and lacks authentic evidence. The Hanafi scholars who cite narrations in support of this ruling rely on weak hadiths. In fact, the footnotes of Al-Quduri explicitly mention that these narrations are mursal (disconnected), which classifies them as weak according to hadith scholars.Conclusion
✔ Loud laughter does not invalidate wudu during the funeral prayer.✔ While it does not break wudu, such an act is highly inappropriate and disrespectful.
✔ The narrations used to claim that laughter invalidates wudu are weak and mursal.
Allah knows best.