Taken from the book “Rights of Parents and Children” by Shaykh Jāwēd Iqbāl Sīālkōṭī
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.
**
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
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.
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
**
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
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.
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
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
✦ 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.
✿ 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.
**
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:
**
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
**
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:
**
كل مولودٍ يولَدُ على الفِطرةِ
**
“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.
