Walking with the Funeral and Carrying the Bier: A Sunnah Practice
✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
❖ Participating in the Funeral and Carrying the Bier is Sunnah
Attending the funeral procession and carrying the bier on the shoulder is a Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, emphasized in multiple authentic narrations.
◈ Evidence from Prophetic Traditions:
➊ The Prophet ﷺ said regarding the six rights of a Muslim over another:
وإذا مات فاتبعه
“And when he dies, follow his funeral.”
📚 [Muslim: 2162; Kitāb al-Salām: Bāb Min Ḥaqq al-Muslim ʿala al-Muslim Radd al-Salām]
➋ It is narrated from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ said:
عودوا المريض واتبعوا الجنائز تذكركم الآخرة
“Visit the sick and follow the funerals; they will remind you of the Hereafter.”
📚 [Ḥasan: Ahkām al-Janā’iz: p. 87, Ibn Abī Shaybah: 4/73, Bukhārī in al-Adab al-Mufrad: p. 75, Aḥmad: 3/27, Sharḥ al-Sunnah: 1/166]
Imām al-Ṣanʿānī رحمه الله commented that this narration proves participating in the funeral of any Muslim—whether known or unknown—is obligatory.
📘 [Subul al-Salām: 4/1975]
Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله also stated that carrying the bier and walking with it is an obligation.
📘 [Ahkām al-Janā’iz: p. 86]
◈ On Giving the Shoulder to the Bier:
➌ Narrated from ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه:
من اتبع جنازة فليحمل بجوانب السرير كلها
“Whoever follows a funeral should carry it from all four sides.”
📚 [Ḍaʿīf: Ḍaʿīf Ibn Mājah: 1478, Abū Dāwūd Ṭayālisī: 44, Bayhaqī: 4/16 — its chain is disconnected]
➍ Narrated from Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه:
من حمل الجنازة بجوانبها الأربعة فقد قضى الذى عليه
“Whoever carried the bier from all four sides has fulfilled what was required of him.”
📚 [ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 3/512, 8/65]
❖ Scholarly Discussion on the Extent of Carrying:
There is a difference of opinion among jurists regarding whether:
✔ One must carry the bier from all four sides, or
✔ Carrying from just one side is sufficient.
According to available evidence, no authentic Hadith obligates carrying the bier, nor does it require carrying from all four sides.
Thus, it is not compulsory, and carrying from even one side suffices.
📘 For further reference, see:
▪ Al-Umm: 1/450
▪ Al-Ḥāwī: 3/39
▪ Al-Mabsūṭ: 2/56
▪ Badā’iʿ al-Ṣanā’iʿ: 3/931
▪ Al-Hidāyah: 1/93
▪ Ḥāshiyah al-Dusūqī: 1/421
▪ Al-Mughnī: 3/403
✅ Conclusion
✔ Participating in the funeral and walking with it is a Sunnah and carries great reward.
✔ Carrying the bier is highly recommended; doing so from any side fulfills the practice.
✔ The claim that carrying from all four sides is obligatory is not supported by authentic evidence.
