How do I pray the funeral prayer?
In most cases, the funeral prayer is four takbirs said standing, with no bowing or prostration. You make wudu, face the qibla, stand in rows behind the imam, and say "Allahu Akbar" four times with a short recitation or dua after each, then finish with salam. It takes a few minutes.
Before you start
- Make wudu and wear clean, covering clothes.
- Face the qibla; the coffin is placed in front of the imam.
- Make the intention in your heart to pray the funeral prayer for the deceased. You do not say it out loud.
- There is no adhan or iqamah, and you stay standing throughout.
The steps
- First takbir: say "Allahu Akbar", then recite Surah al-Fatiha quietly. Ibn Abbas said this is the Sunnah (Sahih al-Bukhari 1335). The Hanafi school says a short praise of Allah instead, so follow what your imam does.
- Second takbir: send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, the same words as in the final sitting of a normal prayer.
- Third takbir: make dua for the deceased (see below).
- Fourth takbir: pause briefly, perhaps with a short dua for all Muslims, then say salam to the right. Many people add a salam to the left.
The Prophet ﷺ prayed four takbirs for the Abyssinian king An-Najashi when he died (Sahih al-Bukhari 1333). See Is the funeral prayer held in the mosque?
The dua for the deceased
Awf ibn Malik remembered the Prophet's ﷺ dua over a body: "O Allah! forgive him, have mercy upon him, give him peace and absolve him. Receive him with honour and make his grave spacious" (Sahih Muslim 963). A short version is "Allahummaghfir lahu warhamhu wa 'afihi wa'fu 'anhu" (use "laha" for a woman). If you cannot say Arabic, make the dua in English in your own words. See What dua can I make for someone who died?
If you are new to it
- Listen for each "Allahu Akbar" and stay standing. The imam usually says the takbirs out loud.
- If you do not know the words, stand quietly and make dua in your heart for the person who died.
- If you arrive late, join the rows. After the imam finishes, complete any missed takbirs yourself.
Women are welcome to pray it too, usually in the women's section. See Can women attend funerals in Islam?
Why it is worth attending
The Prophet ﷺ said that if forty men who associate nothing with Allah stand and pray over a Muslim who has died, Allah will accept them as intercessors for him (Sahih Muslim 948). It is a community duty, and even a short presence helps. For what happens next, see What happens at a Muslim funeral?
- Four takbirs, all standing, with no bowing or prostration (Sahih al-Bukhari 1333).
- Fatiha after the first, blessings on the Prophet ﷺ after the second, dua after the third.
- Say salam after the fourth takbir.
- Follow your imam; schools differ in small details.
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