Wisdom Behind Standing Position in Funeral Prayer: At the Head for Men and the Middle for Women
Source: Fatāwā Amnpūrī by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amnpūrī
❀ Question
What is the wisdom in the ruling that if the deceased is a man, the imām stands at the head, and if the deceased is a woman, the imām stands in the middle of the body during the funeral prayer?
❀ Answer
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ practiced this:
Hadith:
يقوم عند رأس الرجل وعجيزة المرأة
“The Prophet ﷺ would stand at the head of a male deceased and at the middle of a female deceased.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 3194, authentic chain)
❀ Samurah ibn Jundub رضي الله عنه narrated:
صليت وراء النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم على امرأة ماتت فى نفاسها، فقام عليها وسطها
“I prayed behind the Prophet ﷺ the funeral prayer of a woman who died during childbirth, and he stood at the middle of her body.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1332, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 964)
Understanding the Wisdom
There is no doubt that every action of the Prophet ﷺ is filled with wisdom. However, it is not necessary for the wisdom behind every ruling to be known. For obedience and practice, knowledge of the wisdom is not a requirement; a Muslim believes in the unseen.
Although scholars have mentioned various possible wisdoms for the difference between standing positions in front of male and female bodies, the ultimate and most accurate knowledge belongs to Allah alone:
﴿وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ﴾ (النور: 59)
“And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.”
